Characterizing Hong Kong

Golden Bauhinia Square

Hong Kong was British until mid-1997 when it was handed over to the People's Republic of China. After 15 years there are still many signs of British colonialism, evident in old buildings that are interspersed among the skyscrapers, churches and cemeteries, street names and neighborhoods. The city doesn't emit a typical Asian vibe, at least in the sense of how I have learned to associate Asian cities with crazy traffic, street food and general chaos. Hong Kong is much more international, reminiscent of European or American cities in terms of cleanliness, orderliness and the availability of any world brands of whatever one might desire to eat, buy, or experience.

Flag raising ceremony

Each morning there is a flag raising ceremony at the Golden Bauhinia Square. The statue representing the bauhinia, Hong Kong's official flower, was gifted to Hong Kong by the Central Government at the time of handover from the British. The flags of Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China are raised side by side each morning. On the first day of the month they do a more elaborate ceremony, so a bagpipe band performed after the flags were raised. The band members were dressed in Scottish uniforms but I'm guessing there was no way the Chinese band members could be talked into wearing kilts.

Bagpipe performance

Ten years after Hong Kong was handed over to the People's Republic of China, another gift from the Central Government ensued. This time it was a pair of pandas that are housed at Hong Kong's Ocean park.

Panda at Ocean park

Hong Kong's many public parks are alive with recreation seeking locals which is another typical characteristic of the city. So many people, even very old ones, walk, stretch, run, play tennis, or practice tai chi.

Women practicing tai chi in a public park

Regardless of whether Hong Kong is more British or more Chinese, if it had to be described by only one word, it would be shopping. The entire city is almost like one endless shopping mall and local people seem to be shopping all the time. Even businessmen on their lunch breaks carry Armani shopping bags. Do they go out for lunch and then on their way back hop into one of the malls to pick up a new suit? I wonder how often they do that, as in how many Armani suits does a businessman in Hong Kong need anyway?