Hong Kong Facts: 8 Things You Probably Didn’t Know

Photography in Hong Kong can be very time consuming. You’ll be expecting stellar skylines and urban quirks – but go ahead and add street art to the list. Mash ups and murals can be found around almost every corner. And this isn’t just a few random graffiti artists. Big names in the urban art scene have been drafted in to revamp streets, buildings and districts with colourful takes on the world.  

Drop by the aptly named Art Street to see what we mean. Perhaps the most impressive piece? The Man Fung Building. Covered top to toe in geometric patterns – this beauty’s best viewed from a distance. 

Ok, we’re serving up two facts in one here. Fresh-faced travellers putting their eyes on Hong Kong for the first time might be surprised by our two hundred island reveal. But, if you’re a little more well-versed in the region’s geography, you’ll be underwhelmed. Which is where our second fact fits in nicely…  

All those islands need connecting … which is why Hong Kong also has one of the world’s largest fleets of ferries. All very logistical and, dare we say it, boring… until you realise that opens up almost all of those islands for scampering and exploring. 

If we had to pick just one? Sai Kung. Skip over on the ferry, then find a friendly sampan captain to take you to one of the smaller isles close to Sai Kung. 

If you’ve racked up a few points on your endemic species bingo card, Hong Kong’s pink dolphins will no doubt be on your radar. And we think these estuary-based swimmers are the region’s biggest draw. But why pink? Well, here’s where the adorable factor really ramps up. They are ‘blushing’ or as scientists might say, regulating their temperature.  

Rare, and generally skeptical of Hong Kong’s busy waterways, they can be a tough spot. As you’d expect, there’s a healthy dolphin-spotting industry waiting to whisk you into their usual stomping grounds, but if you’re looking to spot one from the shore? Focus your binoculars on the Pearl River estuary near Peng Chau. There are also spots reported from Lantau Island – handy if you’re popping over there for the next fact we’ve got lined up… 

There’s taking a stroll around new streets, slopes or shores, and then there’s walking the walk on some of the world’s most breathtaking routes. We’re talking about exploring the Inca Trail, climbing Kilimanjaro or taking on Mexico’s Silver Trail. Bagged all of those? Now it’s time to take on Hong Kong’s Lantau Trail…  

70km of fishing villages, monasteries, woodland, coastline and jungle to hike through. Split into 12 stages, this is a walk to be reckoned with, but the pay off is seeing some of Hong Kong’s most spectacular landscapes – and not a skyscraper in sight! 

Now, some of you may be thinking that 15,000 places to eat in a sprawling metropolis is no big deal. And, we’d normally agree. Except, we’re not just going to lazily drop some stats into our facts about Hong Kong rundown…   

The number starts to get interesting when you realise there’s 1 restaurant for every 500 residents. Still not impressed? What if we told you it would take you 41 years to eat at all of those restaurants? Exactly.  

But for now, we’re actually going to recommend just one. Tim Ho Wan’s. Dim Sum done to perfection. Better still, it’s one of the cheapest Michelin starred meals you’ll find anywhere in the world. An ideal refuel before taking in the Hong Kong light show. 

Even if you’re not a mall-loving, brand-name bagging shopaholic, read on. Hong Kong’s malls take shopping and urban architecture to another level. And, not always in the luxe way that cities like Dubai have. Yes, you can buy plenty of bling here, but the real fascination for us lies in the ‘mansions’.  

Built in the 50s, these epic structures start at ground level with retail arcades and rise up into apartments. In the arcades, you’ll find Hong Kong’s independent traders selling all manner of goods – from the exotic to the mundane.  

It’s worth dropping into the infamous Chungking Mansions for an eye-opening browse. Or, if you prefer your shopping to be served with a little more glamour, The Whampoa is a glizty, cruise-ship shaped mall that’s managed to wedge in a bowling alley and theatre alongside many, many shops. 

Commerce and big business may grab the headlines, but beliefs and traditions play a huge part in making up Hong Kong’s cultural map too. Nowhere showcases these abstract thoughts more clearly than on one of Hong Kong’s southern hillsides.   

Take a trot up to Waterfall Bay Park and you’ll find a slope full of statues. Mostly, gods and Buddhas from many religions, these abandoned relics now call this spot home. In Hong Kong, disposing of deities goes against the region’s beliefs. So broken or unwanted statues are left on the pavements for other people to pick up.  

Except one chap started bringing a few here, and now … well, things have gotten a little out of hand, and is now known as the ‘sky full of gods and Buddhas’. 

For many of us, Feng Shui was merely an interior design buzzword in the 90s. In Hong Kong, it’s serious business.  

Nowhere is this more clear than the skyline. Yes, the skyscrapers are impressive in that shimmering city skyline kind of way, but Hong Kong’s architecture has had far more thought put into them than most. Feng Shui masters are regularly consulted in the design process. Which for true believers means that the building – and its surroundings are generally more prosperous.  

For visitors, it’s a chance to see urban spaces with a new perspective. Whether you can spot the energy flow or potential negative energy adds a certain something to your exploring.