Hong Kong Essay

3095 Words13 Pages
BURT WOLF TRAVELS & TRADITIONS HONG KONG H ong Kong is a small island just off the southern coast of the Chinese mainland. It’s a model of free enterprise. A bustling metropolis. And one of the world’s most important financial centers. But it is also a focal point for traditional Chinese history and culture. Chinese music. Chinese art. Chinese theater. And Chinese food. And that unusual blend of western high-tech with Chinese high-touch has made Hong Kong the most important tourist destination in Asia. Over ten million visitors come to Hong Kong each year. The north side of the island of Hong Kong, facing the mainland, is the home of the central business district. The best way to see the place is to hop on one of the double-decker trams, sit up top and up front and see the city. But don’t take your tram ride during the morning or evening rush hours. The traffic is unbearable. A ride on the funicular railway to Victoria Peak, puts you at the highest spot on Hong Kong island, from both the geographic and social viewpoints. This is the place to live in Hong Kong. If you are at the top of your game, you live on the top of the peak. Hong Kong is also the home of a district called Western. It was the first place settled by the British in the 1840s, but they soon moved out and left it to the Chinese who were moving in to get work. Today Western is a typical, colorful, urban Chinese community. It’s the place to see the most traditional Chinese craftsmen at work. Mahjong set makers. Chop carvers. Jade workers. Fan makers. Potters. And egg roll bakers. It’s also the neighborhood of the Chinese herbalists. Ladder Street is lined with some of the city’s oldest buildings. It’s thought to have been constructed with its broad stones in order to make it easier for men carrying people in sedan chairs to make it up and down the hill from Hollywood Road. The sedan chairs are

More about Hong Kong Essay

Open Document