Hong Kong

Hong Kong (香港, Xiānggǎng) is a Special Administrative Region of China on the south coast at the mouth of the Pearl River, consisting of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories, and more than 200 outlying islands. The region has a population of over 7.4 million, most of it concentrated in a narrow strip of reclaimed land along Victoria Harbour, with the rest spread across the steeply mountainous interior. Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial centers and busiest container ports, and operates under the "one country, two systems" arrangement that preserves its separate legal and economic system.

Hong Kong was a sparsely populated fishing and pirate coast until the First Opium War, when Britain seized Hong Kong Island under the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing and developed it as a free port. The Kowloon Peninsula was added in 1860 and the New Territories were leased for 99 years in 1898, giving the colony its present shape. Waves of refugees from the Chinese mainland after 1949 turned Hong Kong into a manufacturing center and then a financial hub, and in 1997 the territory was handed back to China under the 50-year "one country, two systems" framework.

Today Hong Kong offers visitors a vertical harbor city of skyscrapers, colonial-era remnants, temples, and subtropical green mountains. The skyline of Central and Tsim Sha Tsui facing each other across Victoria Harbour, the Star Ferry that still crosses it, and the Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak are the city's signature experiences, while the old temples of Wong Tai Sin and Man Mo, the fishing village of Aberdeen, and the outlying islands of Lantau and Lamma provide quieter escapes. The Cantonese food scene, the colonial buildings around Central, and the hiking trails of the New Territories round out one of Asia's most distinctive cities.

Highlights

The Peak

The Peak (太平山顶, Tàipíng Shāndǐng) is the highest point on Hong Kong Island and the city's classic viewpoint, with a sweeping panorama of skyscrapers, Victoria Harbour, and the Kowloon skyline beyond.

Reach it by the historic Peak Tram, then walk the level Peak Circle Walk for constantly changing angles of one of the world's great urban harbors.

Star Ferry and Victoria Harbour

The Star Ferry (天星小轮, Tiānxīng Xiǎolún) has been crossing Victoria Harbour since 1888, and the short ride between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui remains one of the cheapest and most scenic journeys in the city.

At night, the skyline on both sides lights up for the Symphony of Lights, best viewed from the upper deck of the ferry or the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront promenade.