Trade Options Hong Kong

Informasi Utama Direktori Dukungan Industri Direktori Hong Kong Organisasi Perdagangan dan Industri Direktori Organisasi Perdagangan dan Industri Hong Kong, yang disusun oleh Departemen Perdagangan dan Industri, memberikan referensi cepat mengenai organisasi di sektor perdagangan dan industri di Hong Kong. Organisasi yang tercakup terutama adalah kamar dagang, asosiasi perdagangan dan industri, organisasi yang didanai pemerintah dan badan profesional. Direktori terdiri dari profil singkat organisasi-organisasi ini seperti rincian kontak dan pengurus kantor utama. Direktori mencakup lebih dari 300 organisasi perdagangan dan industri yang dikenal di Departemen Perdagangan dan Industri. Pengguna Direktori ini harus sadar bahwa liputan publikasi belum tentu lengkap. Selain itu, Direktori disusun berdasarkan informasi yang diberikan oleh organisasi. Ini mungkin akan berubah dan isi Direktori hanya dapat diperbarui pada saat penyediaan informasi yang relevan oleh organisasi yang bersangkutan. Anda dapat mencari organisasi dengan pilihan berikut: Untuk pertanyaan apapun, silakan hubungi Industry Liaison Branch di 3403 6037.Cari seorang mantan kepala eksekutif yang dihormati Donald Tsang Yam-kuen kemungkinan akan dipenjara segera pada hari Rabu setelah Hakim mengatakan bahwa hukuman yang ditangguhkan sangat tidak mungkin terjadi dan kemudian diadili dalam tahanan. Hong Kong Disneyland mencatat kerugian untuk tahun kedua berturut-turutHong Kong Disneyland telah mengumumkan kerugiannya pada tahun 2016, tahun kedua yang membuat kerugian berturut-turut, kehilangan HK171 juta pada pengunjung yang lebih sedikit dari China. Visitor di taman Lantau Island turun lebih dari 10 persen menjadi 6,1 juta tahun lalu sesuai dengan hasil, yang mencakup tahun keuangan sampai Oktober 2016. 7 Polisi Hong Kong menemukan bersalah atas serangan terhadap pemrotes yang diduduki. Sebelas petugas polisi Hong Kong dinyatakan bersalah pada hari Selasa karena menyerang seorang pemrotes selama demonstrasi pro-demokrasi Pada tahun 2014, dalam sebuah serangan yang tertangkap di film dan disinari di seluruh dunia. Hong Kong (Heng Gng dalam bahasa Kanton, yang berarti Pelabuhan Wangi) adalah Daerah Administratif Khusus (Special Administrative Region / SAR) dari Republik Rakyat Cina. Tempatnya dengan banyak kepribadian sebagai hasil dari menjadi orang Cina Kanton dan berada di bawah kolonisasi Inggris. Saat ini, bekas koloni Inggris tersebut merupakan tujuan wisata utama bagi penduduk daratan China yang semakin makmur. Merupakan pusat penting di Asia Timur dengan koneksi global ke banyak kota di dunia. Ini adalah tujuan unik yang telah menyerap orang dan pengaruh budaya dari tempat-tempat yang beragam seperti Vietnam dan Vancouver dan dengan bangga menyatakan dirinya sebagai Kota Dunia Asias. Pahami Edit Hong Kong adalah satu dari dua Daerah Administratif Khusus (SAR) China (yang lainnya adalah Macau). Sebelum pengalihan kedaulatan ke China pada tahun 1997, Hong Kong telah menjadi koloni Inggris selama hampir 150 tahun. Akibatnya, kebanyakan infrastruktur mewarisi desain dan standar Inggris. Selama tahun 1950an sampai 1990an, negara kota berkembang dengan pesat, menjadi yang pertama dari Empat Macan Asia melalui pengembangan basis manufaktur yang kuat dan kemudian menjadi sektor keuangan. Hong Kong sekarang terkenal sebagai pusat keuangan terkemuka di Asia Timur, dengan kehadiran bank lokal dan beberapa bank paling terkenal di seluruh dunia. Hong Kong juga terkenal dengan pelabuhan transisi, mengangkut sejumlah besar ekspor dari China ke seluruh dunia. Dengan independensi politik dan hukumnya, Hong Kong dikenal sebagai Mutiara Oriental dengan sedikit pengaruh Inggris dalam budaya. Hong Kong lebih dari sekedar kota pelabuhan. Pelancong yang lelah di jalanannya yang padat mungkin tergoda untuk menggambarkannya sebagai Hong Kongcrete. Namun, wilayah ini dengan pegunungan berawan dan pulau berbatu sebagian besar merupakan lanskap pedesaan. Sebagian besar pedesaan diklasifikasikan sebagai Taman Negara dan, walaupun 7 juta orang tidak pernah jauh, ada kemungkinan untuk menemukan kantong belantara yang akan memberi imbalan pada turis yang lebih pemberani. Sejarah Temuan Arkeologi tanggal pemukiman manusia pertama di daerah tersebut sampai lebih dari 30.000 tahun yang lalu. Ini pertama kali dimasukkan ke dalam China selama Dinasti Qin dan sebagian besar berada di bawah kekuasaan China sampai tahun 1841 selama Dinasti Qing, dengan gangguan singkat pada akhir Dinasti Qin, ketika seorang pejabat Qin mendirikan kerajaan Nam Yuet, yang kemudian jatuh ke tangan Dinasti Han. Pada bulan Januari 1841, sebagai akibat dari kekalahan Dinasti Qing di China dalam Perang Opium Pertama, pemerintah China dipaksa untuk menyerahkan Pulau Hong Kong selama-lamanya ke Crown Inggris di bawah Konvensi Chuanpee, yang memulai pemerintahan Hong Inggris Kong. Kesepakatan tersebut kemudian diperbaiki pada bulan Agustus 1842 dalam Perjanjian Nanking. Setelah itu Koloni Mahkota Hong Kong didirikan dengan Victoria City (sekarang tengah hari) sebagai ibu kota. Setelah kekalahan Cina dalam Perang Opium Kedua, Semenanjung Kowloon diduduki oleh Inggris pada tahun 1860 sebagai hasil Konvensi Peking. Menambah Koloni Mahkota. Sebuah sewa 99 tahun untuk tanah tambahan di daratan (Wilayah Baru) dan pulau-pulau sekitarnya untuk pertahanan dan pengembangan lebih lanjut diberikan pada tahun 1898 sebagai perubahan teritorial kolonial terakhir. Ketika Perang Dunia II pecah, Perdana Menteri Inggris Winston Churchill menyatakan bahwa Hong Kong adalah benteng yang tak tertembus. Namun, itu hanya pemeriksaan kenyataan bagi Inggris karena sebagian besar pasukan mereka terikat dalam pertempuran melawan Jerman di Eropa, dan Hong Kong tidak diberi cukup sumber daya untuk pertahanannya. Akibatnya, setelah pertempuran yang sedikit lebih dari dua minggu, Hong Kong menyerah kepada Jepang pada tanggal 25 Desember 1941, sehingga pertama kalinya Inggris kehilangan koloni menjadi pasukan penyerang. Setelah perang, meskipun Amerika menjamin bahwa Hong Kong akan dikembalikan ke China, Inggris segera pindah untuk mendapatkan kembali kendali atas Hong Kong. Namun, mereka telah kehilangan aura tak terkalahkan mereka dan tidak dapat terus memerintah Hong Kong seperti dulu sebelum perang dan semua pembatasan rasial terhadap orang-orang non-Eropa yang memiliki properti di tanah real estat utama diangkat. Pemulihan pasca perang Hong Kong sangat mengejutkan dan dalam 2-3 bulan semua pembatasan ekonomi pasca perang telah dicabut dan Hong Kong menjadi pasar bebas sekali lagi. Setelah komunis menguasai China daratan pada tahun 1949, banyak orang China, terutama pengusaha, melarikan diri ke Hong Kong karena penganiayaan oleh pemerintah komunis. Tidak seperti kebijakan ketat yang diberlakukan oleh komunis di China, pemerintah Inggris mengambil pendekatan yang agak lepas tangan di Hong Kong, seperti yang diajukan oleh mantan sekretaris keuangan John James Cowperthwaite, yang menyebabkan tingkat kebebasan ekonomi tinggi. Dalam kondisi seperti itu, bisnis berkembang di Hong Kong dan ekonominya tumbuh dengan cepat, menjadikannya sebagai salah satu Macan Asia Timur. Pada tahun 1990, PDB per kapita Hong Kong melampaui Inggris, pertama kalinya sebuah GDP PDB per kapita melampaui penguasa kolonialnya. Hong Kong sekarang menjadi pusat keuangan terbesar keempat di dunia setelah London. New York dan Tokyo. Batu Boundary pertama di sepanjang Batas Anglo-Cina di Jalan Chung Ying Masuknya besar-besaran pengungsi China daratan menyebabkan munculnya Kota Tembok Kowloon, yang merupakan belokan gang-gang mirip labirin, kegelapan, ruang sempit, dan kondisi tidak sehat. . Laporan mengklaim bahwa daging anjing disajikan (sesuatu yang cukup umum di China Daratan, namun dianggap tidak dapat ditolerir oleh Inggris) dan dokter yang tidak berlisensi berlatih di sana. Kota Walled dievakuasi dan kemudian dihancurkan pada tahun 1993, dan Kowloon Walled City Park dibangun di lokasi ini. Setelah negosiasi antara China dan Inggris pada tahun 1984, dinyatakan bahwa New Territories dan pulau-pulau terpencil akan diberikan kembali ke China pada tahun 1997. Seiring perkembangan Hong Kong, wilayah ini menjadi sangat terintegrasi dengan cesi permanen. Akibatnya, pada saat sewa mendekati masa kadaluarsa, hal itu dianggap sangat tidak praktis untuk memisahkan koloni menjadi dua. Proposal awal Inggris untuk administrasi bersama seluruh koloni ditolak oleh China dan masyarakat internasional, dan pada tahun 1984 Deklarasi Bersama Sino-Inggris menciptakan satu negara, dua kebijakan sistem mengenai Pertanyaan Hong Kong, yang memberi Hong Kong kembali ke China pada 1 Juli 1997. Hong Kong menjadi SAR dari Republik Rakyat Cina. Di bawah prinsip One Country, Two Systems, Hong Kong diberi otonomi tingkat tinggi paling sedikit 50 tahun setelah penyerahan, termasuk yang tersisa untuk mengendalikan ekonomi kapitalisnya sendiri, mempertahankan kontrol perbatasan dan imigrasi yang terpisah dari China, dan Tidak terpengaruh oleh berbagai pembatasan yang berlaku di China daratan seperti penyensoran berita dan kontrol devisa. Sesuai dengan Deklarasi Bersama, Undang-Undang Dasar diberlakukan untuk berfungsi sebagai mini-constitution untuk Hong Kong SAR. Secara teori, Hong Kong menikmati otonomi tingkat tinggi dalam banyak hal kecuali urusan luar negeri dan pertahanan. Dalam prakteknya, ini lebih kompleks dari itu. Di satu sisi, Beijing memiliki banyak pengaruh, di sisi lain, ada peningkatan panggilan yang mendorong rezim yang lebih demokratis dan hak pilih universal. Sebenarnya, kampanye untuk demokrasi penuh telah menjadi isu utama bagi China mengenai Hong Kong dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, dengan demonstrasi menarik ratusan ribu penduduk menuntut pemilihan penuh dan mencela Partai Komunis China, bahkan ada yang mengusulkan kemerdekaan langsung dari China. Faktanya, Hong Kong hari ini jauh lebih demokratis daripada yang pernah ada di bawah pemerintahan Inggris. Pada masa itu, seorang gubernur kolonial dengan kekuatan tak terbatas ditunjuk oleh Inggris tanpa ada pemilihan atau masukan lokal sama sekali. Sekarang, seorang kepala eksekutif, yang dipilih oleh sebuah perguruan tinggi pemilihan, telah menggantikan Gubernur Kolonial. Serikat Pekerja Kristen Hong Kong Pok Fu Lam Road Cemetery Meskipun bagian dari China, Hong Kong beroperasi seperti negara kecil dengan mata uangnya sendiri, undang-undang, kode panggilan internasional, kepolisian, kontrol perbatasan dan sejenisnya. Ini juga merupakan anggota organisasi internasional yang biasanya terbatas pada negara-negara berdaulat seperti WTO, APEC dan IOC. Orang-orang Sebagian besar penduduk Hong Kong adalah orang Cina Han (93,6), kebanyakan keturunan Kanton, meskipun ada juga sejumlah besar kelompok Cina lainnya seperti Chiuchao (Teochews), Shanghainese dan Hakkas. Sejumlah besar orang India, Pakistan dan Nepal tinggal di sini juga, dan banyak memiliki keluarga yang pernah tinggal di Hong Kong selama beberapa generasi. Sejumlah besar orang Filipina, orang Indonesia dan Thailand, yang sebagian besar dipekerjakan sebagai pembantu rumah tangga juga tinggal di Hong Kong. Pada hari Minggu, hari bebas dari banyak pekerja rumah tangga asing, mereka berkumpul di ribuan orang di Central dan Admiralty dan menghabiskan hari di sana bersama, duduk berbicara, makan dan minum di manapun ada tempat kosong. Beberapa jalan di seluruh wilayah tengah diblokir untuk pembantu rumah tangga asing pada hari Minggu. Hong Kong juga merupakan rumah bagi sejumlah besar orang yang berasal dari Australia, Eropa, Jepang, Korea dan Amerika Utara, menjadikannya sebuah kota metropolis yang benar-benar internasional. Orang-orang Hong Kong agak pendiam, tapi sangat ramah, terutama untuk anak-anak. Beberapa kata Kanton yang dipelajari akan membuat Anda semakin bersemangat. Salam dengan Nihao (, halo dalam bahasa Mandarin) tidak akan sesuai tujuan, karena bahasa lokalnya berbahasa Kanton. Sebuah hal sederhana akan cukup baik, tapi jika Anda bersikeras, Anda bisa mengatakan Nei-ho (dalam bahasa Kanton) untuk menyambut orang-orang lokal dan mereka akan menghargai Anda karena menghormati budaya lokal mereka yang khas dari itu di China. Apa yang akan dilihat pengembara adalah banyaknya orang dan kerapatan mereka. Sementara Mong Kok dipandang sebagai indikator yang terburuk, bahkan di daerah lain di Kowloon, Anda masih akan berjuang untuk mendapatkan ruang pribadi. Sementara menabrak orang-orang (tentu saja tidak disengaja) sangat umum, ini tidak dianggap sebagai perilaku buruk dan Anda mungkin tidak akan mengecewakan penduduk setempat, terutama jika Anda memberi permintaan maaf singkat. Langit Hong Kong di malam hari Iklim Edit Hong Kong memiliki iklim sub-tropis, namun didinginkan di musim dingin oleh angin laut. Musim panas (Juni sampai September) panjang, lembab dan panas dengan suhu yang sering melebihi 32C (90F) dan dengan suhu malam hari yang tidak turun di bawah 25C (77F). Topan biasanya terjadi antara bulan Juni dan September dan dapat menghentikan aktivitas bisnis lokal selama sehari atau kurang (lihat bagian bencana alam). Winters umumnya sangat ringan, dengan suhu siang hari 18-22C (6472F) namun dengan malam mencelupkan ke 10C (50F) dan di bawahnya kadang-kadang, terutama di pedesaan. Natal di Hong Kong dianggap hangat dibandingkan dengan banyak negara belahan bumi utara lainnya. Tahun Baru Imlek terkenal dengan cuaca dingin (10C50F), cuaca basah ini karena musim dingin di Hong Kong cenderung mulai ringan dan kering dan kemudian sedikit dingin dan basah kemudian, meski cuaca sejuknya singkat. Musim semi (Maret-Mei) dan musim gugur (September-NovemberDesember) memiliki suhu rata-rata antara 21-24C (70-5F). Musim gugur mungkin adalah musim yang lebih nyaman karena musim semi cenderung lebih lembab dan hujan. Meskipun sebagian besar bangunan di Hong Kong memiliki AC untuk mengatasi cuaca musim panas, pemanasan musim dingin adalah sesuatu yang baru. Selama hari-hari yang paling dingin, sebagian besar penduduk setempat hanya memakai lebih banyak lapisan bahkan di dalam rumah. Di restoran misalnya, tidak biasa melihat pelanggan makan dengan jaket dan syal mereka. Hong Kong - Selama musim panas Hong Kong - Selama Buku Musim Semi Mengedit Kenaikannya yang cepat sebagai kekuatan ekonomi dan perpaduan unik antara Timur dan Barat telah membuat Hong Kong menjadi tujuan menarik untuk ditulis. Banyak yang telah ditulis tentang sejarah, politik, ekonomi, budaya dan masalah sosialnya, dan ini juga merupakan latar belakang ideal dalam banyak karya fiksi. Membaca beberapa buku ini memungkinkan Anda untuk lebih memahami budaya Hong Kong sebelum benar-benar mengunjunginya. Sendiri Mandarin (Oxford di Asia), Austin Coates. Buku ini berisi memoar Austin Coates. Setiap bab adalah episode menghibur orang Inggris sebagai hakim kolonial di distrik New Territories. Timur dan Barat: Cina, Kekuasaan, dan Masa Depan Asia (Macmillan), Chris Patten. Memoar Chris Patten, gubernur terakhir Hong Kong. Diterbitkan pada tahun 1998, Patten memberikan laporannya tentang Hong Kong di tahun-tahun terakhir sebelum serah terima ke China. Gweilo: Kenangan tentang Masa Kecil Hong Kong (Buku Bantam), Martin Booth. Buku yang ditulis dengan baik yang menawarkan wawasan tentang kehidupan kolonial di Hong Kong melalui mata seorang anak laki-laki Inggris muda. Hong Kong: Epilog ke Kekaisaran (Penguin Books), Jan Morris. Dalam ikhtisar yang ditulis dengan baik dan rinci tentang wilayah ini oleh penulis perjalanan Welsh yang terkenal. Morris mengganti bab-bab sejarah Hong Kong dengan deskripsi geografi, ekonomi, politik dan masyarakatnya. Buku ini mencakup potret deskriptif beberapa politisi dan pengusaha terkemuka di Hong Kong. Dunia Suzie Wong (Fontana Press) Richard Mason. Sebuah novel klasik yang diterbitkan pada tahun 1957, kemudian disesuaikan dengan film pada tahun 1960. Ditetapkan di Hong Kong, ini adalah cerita fiktif tentang perceraian ekspatriat muda dengan seorang wanita China. Lansekap Hong Kong: Membentuk Batu Barren (Hong Kong University Press), Bernie Owen dan Raynor Shaw. Diilustrasikan dengan indah, ini adalah panduan menarik untuk wilayah geologi dan geomorfologi. Film dan bioskop Edit Chungking Express. 1994, Wong Kar-wai. Cerita yang tidak terkait dengan dua polisi yang dicintai cinta di Hong Kong. Sinematografi yang penuh warna dan cepat telah dikagumi oleh Quentin Tarantino. Dunia Suzie Wong. 1960. Berdasarkan novel karya Richard Mason, ini adalah cerita fiktif tentang urusan ekspatriat dengan seorang wanita China. Film ini memiliki cuplikan menarik Hong Kong di akhir 1950-an. Listrik Untuk soket listriknya, Hong Kong menggunakan steker pisau tiga persegi pin Inggris (tipe G). Selain itu, beberapa hotel akan memiliki kamar mandi dengan outlet tiga pin paralel yang dirancang untuk digunakan dengan alat cukur listrik, namun mungkin digunakan untuk mengisi ulang baterai telepon atau baterai isi ulang. Listrik 220 Volt pada 50 Hertz. Sebagian besar toko elektronik akan memiliki adaptor murah (15-20) yang akan memungkinkan colokan asing masuk ke dalam soket Inggris, namun perlu diingat bahwa ini tidak akan mengubah voltase atau frekuensi. Seringkali, ketika Anda membeli tablet atau ponsel di negara asal Anda, Anda akan mendapatkan beberapa busi untuk berbagai negara untuk satu perangkat. Cukup hubungkan stekernya (dengan asumsi voltasenya sama) dari steker rumah Anda ke steker gaya Inggris sebelum Anda pergi, karena ini akan meminimalkan jumlah adaptor yang perlu Anda beli. Distrik Pulau Hong Kong () (Pantai Timur, Pantai Selatan) Situs pemukiman Inggris asli dan fokus utama sebagian besar wisatawan. Sebagian besar gedung pencakar langit tertinggi di Hong Kong dan pusat keuangan dapat ditemukan di sini. Secara keseluruhan, Pulau Hong Kong lebih modern dan kaya dan jauh kurang kotor dibanding daerah lain di Hong Kong. Puncak adalah titik tertinggi di pulau ini, dengan pemandangan terbaik dan nilai real estat tertinggi di dunia. Kowloon () Semenanjung di sebelah utara Pulau Hong Kong, dengan pemandangan pulau yang indah. Hotel ini menawarkan perpaduan mal, pasar jalanan, dan rumah-rumah petak yang berantakan. Dengan lebih dari 2,1 juta orang yang tinggal di area kurang dari 47 kilometer persegi, Kowloon adalah salah satu tempat terpadat di dunia. Kowloon termasuk Tsim Sha Tsui (), lokasi banyak hotel murah dan Mong Kok (), sebuah distrik perbelanjaan. Kowloon city (), patut di kunjungi. Penuh dengan restoran lokal, kawasan ini terkenal dengan makanan Tha, Taman Wall City yang menakjubkan, dan taman Kowloon Tsai dengan kolam renang yang luar biasa. Ini adalah salah satu daerah terakhir di kota tempat Anda bisa menemukan bangunan dengan ketinggian rendah. Sebenarnya, 10 tahun yang lalu, bandara itu sangat dekat dan tidak diperbolehkan membangun lebih dari 5 lantai bangunan. Berjalan di sekitar adalah rasa kehidupan lokal. Teritori Baru () Dinamai oleh pejabat Inggris ketika disewa dari pemerintah China pada tahun 1898, Wilayah Baru berisi campuran aneh dari pertanian kecil, desa, instalasi industri, taman negara pegunungan dan kota-kota yang memiliki populasi seukuran beberapa kota. Pulau Lantau () Sebuah pulau besar di sebelah barat Pulau Hong Kong. Anda tidak akan menemukan banyak desa idilis, tapi begitu Anda melewati anjing-anjing liar dan bangunan-bangunan bobrok Anda akan menemukan pegunungan dan pantai yang indah. Mobil kabel bandara, Disneyland, dan Ngong Ping ada di sini. Kepulauan Terluar () Tujuan akhir pekan yang terkenal untuk penduduk setempat, Kepulauan Terluar adalah sebagian besar pulau di sekitar Pulau Hong Kong. Ikhtisar meliputi Lamma (), terkenal dengan makanan laut dan Cheung Chau (), sebuah pulau kecil yang dulunya adalah tempat perompak, namun sekarang menarik penggemar makanan laut, selancar angin dan penjelajah hari berjemur. Masuk dalam Edit Persyaratan Masuk Edit Perhitungan masa bebas visa Masa pembebasan visa tidak termasuk tanggal masuk. Misalnya, warga negara India yang memasuki Hong Kong pada tanggal 1 Januari dan diberi izin untuk mendarat dan tinggal sebagai pengunjung selama 14 hari sejak tanggal masuk diizinkan tinggal tanpa visa sampai 15 Januari. Jika penerbangan Anda tiba di Hong Kong sampai larut malam, jika Anda menunggu sampai tengah malam untuk membersihkan imigrasi, Anda akan bisa tinggal di Hong Kong selama satu hari ekstra. Misalnya, seorang warga Filipina yang penerbangannya tiba di Hong Kong pada pukul 11.30 WIB pada tanggal 31 Desember dapat menunggu di daerah pendatang sampai setelah tengah malam (yaitu setelah pukul 00:00 tanggal 1 Januari) untuk membersihkan imigrasi sehingga heshe bisa tinggal di Hong Kong sampai 23:59 pada tanggal 15 Januari, bukan sampai 23:59 pada tanggal 14 Januari. Juga, jika Anda berencana untuk naik pesawat terbang dari Hong Kong pada pagi hari (tepat setelah tengah malam), Anda dapat melakukan penerbangan satu hari kemudian dengan memastikan bahwa Anda membersihkan imigrasi sebelum pukul 23:59 sebelumnya. Sebagai ilustrasi, seorang warga Filipina yang memiliki izin tinggal di Hong Kong sampai 23:59 pada 15 Januari dapat memesan penerbangan meninggalkan Hong Kong pada pukul 01:00 tanggal 16 Januari selama heshe membersihkan imigrasi pada pukul 23:59 pada tanggal 15 Januari. Untuk informasi lebih lanjut: Halaman FAQ dari situs web Departemen Imigrasi Hong Kong. Hemat waktu jika Anda pengunjung biasa dengan mendaftar untuk menggunakan e-Channel. Alih-alih membersihkan kontrol paspor di counter berawak, Anda bisa menghindari antrian dengan melewati penghalang otomatis yang menggunakan teknologi pengenalan sidik jari. Hong Kong mengelola sistem imigrasi terpisah dan independen dari China daratan dan Makau. Jika diperlukan, visa Hong Kong harus diterapkan secara terpisah dari orang China daratan, dan tidak ada satu visa pun yang melayani kedua wilayah tersebut. Demikian pula, jika diminta, visa Hong Kong harus diterapkan secara terpisah dari Makau. Ada cek perbatasan saat bepergian antara China daratan dan Hong Kong, dan juga antara Hong Kong dan Makau. Jika Anda ingin memasuki Hong Kong dari daratan China, maka masuk kembali ke daratan China, pastikan Anda memiliki visa Cina multiple-entry. Semua pengunjung (terlepas dari apakah bebas visa atau tidak) mungkin diminta untuk menunjukkan bukti dana yang memadai dan pemesanan yang dikonfirmasi untuk perjalanan selanjutnya. Pengunjung dengan visa workstudyresidence dianggap sebagai penduduk Hong Kong, dan dapat menggunakan penghuni Hong Kong di imigrasi. Lihat halaman web Departemen Imigrasi Hong Kong ini untuk daftar persyaratan visa yang paling mutakhir berdasarkan negara yang memiliki kewarganegaraan. Warga negara asing dari penghitung angka berikut dapat memasuki Hong Kong tanpa visa sebagai pengunjung. Selama 180 hari: Inggris (warga Inggris penuh) Semua pemegang Kartu Perjalanan Bisnis APEC dapat menggunakan loket untuk penduduk Hong Kong dengan kontrol imigrasi dan dapat tinggal selama 60 hari di bebas visa Hong Kong jika kartu mereka memiliki HKG dicetak terbalik. Warga negara asing yang memerlukan visa untuk Hong Kong (jika mereka tidak dapat masuk bebas visa, ingin tinggal lebih lama dari yang diizinkan melalui pembebasan visa mereka, atau ingin bekerja, belajar atau mendirikan usaha) dapat mengajukan permohonan visa di kedutaan besar China atau Langsung melalui Departemen Imigrasi Hong Kong. Warga negara asing yang tinggal di Macau yang memerlukan visa untuk Hong Kong dapat mengajukan permohonan untuk satu orang di Kantor Komisaris Kementerian Luar Negeri China. Warga negara asing yang tinggal di daratan China mungkin mengajukan visa Hong Kong di Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office di Guangzhou. Atau di Kantor Pemerintah Hong Kong SAR di Beijing. Warga China dari China daratan perlu mengajukan izin keluar dari Exit (untuk memasuki Hong Kong, kecuali saat transit melalui Hong Kong ke luar negeri, dimana akses bebas visa diberikan hingga 7 hari. Pemegang kartu identitas permanen Macau Atau Izin Kunjungan dengan status penduduk tetap dapat memasuki bebas visa Hong Kong hingga 180 hari. Pemegang Izin Kunjungan Macao tanpa status penduduk tetap dapat memasuki bebas visa Hong Kong hingga 30 hari. Lihat Pengaturan VisitTransit ke Hong Kong untuk Makao Penduduk Taiwan diberi akses bebas visa ke Hong Kong selama 30 hari jika mereka memiliki Taibaozheng (). Jika tidak, visa pra-kedatangan diperlukan, yang dalam banyak kasus dapat diperoleh melalui perusahaan penerbangan. Lihat Pengaturan untuk Masuk ke Hong Kong untuk penduduk China dan Cina Rantau di Taiwan untuk lebih jelasnya. Semua pengunjung ke Hong Kong harus melengkapi kartu kedatangan saat membersihkan imigrasi dan harus mengembalikan kartu keberangkatan di tempat Kontrol imigrasi saat meninggalkan Hong Kong - kecuali Anda adalah penduduk Hong Kong (dengan kartu identitas Hong Kong atau paspor dengan visa kunjungan tinggal), penduduk tetap Macao (dengan kartu identitas cerdas Macao) atau warga negara China (dengan perjalanan Dokumen atau) yang dikeluarkan oleh otoritas Daratan China). CATATAN: Melupakan adalah pelanggaran serius - Anda dapat didenda hingga 50.000 andor dipenjara sampai tiga tahun. Jika Anda masuk Hong Kong sebagai pengunjung. Anda tidak boleh bekerja (dibayar atau tidak dibayar), belajar atau mendirikan bisnis. Jika Anda melanggar kondisi tinggal Anda, Anda dapat didenda hingga 50.000 andor dipenjara sampai 2 tahun. Jika Anda berniat untuk bekerja, belajar atau mendirikan bisnis, Anda harus mendapatkan visa yang sesuai. Jika Anda membuat pernyataan salah kepada petugas imigrasi atau memiliki dokumen perjalanan palsu, Anda dapat didenda sampai 14.000 dan atau dipenjara sampai 14 tahun. Mendapatkan visa ke China Daratan Edit China Travel Services HK (CTS) memiliki kantor di daerah kedatangan Bandara Hong Kong dan dapat memproses visa ke China saat ini juga. Sebuah foto akan dibutuhkan. Sebagai alternatif, cara termurah untuk mendapatkan visa di China daratan adalah mengajukan permohonan ke Kantor Komisaris Kementerian Luar Negeri China di Hong Kong. Di mana biaya visa single-entry HKD200 dan biaya visa ganda masuk HKD300 untuk sebagian besar warga negara asing dan membutuhkan waktu 4 hari kerja untuk diterbitkan. Visa dapat diterbitkan dalam waktu 3 hari kerja untuk tambahan HKD200 atau dalam waktu 2 hari kerja untuk tambahan HKD300. Lihat daftar harga untuk informasi lebih lanjut. Customs Edit Jika Anda memiliki barang yang dilarang atau lebih dari uang saku Anda. Anda harus mengumumkannya di Red Channel saat Anda memasuki Hong Kong - bahkan saat bepergian dari China daratan, Macau atau Taiwan. Daging, produk hewani, ikan, beras, zat perusak ozon, barang dengan merek dagang palsu dan alat pemancar komunikasi radio dilarang barang dan harus diumumkan. Seorang pelancong berusia 18 tahun ke atas diizinkan masuk ke Hong Kong - untuk penggunaan sendiri - sebagai bagian dari tunjangan bebas bea. 1 liter minuman keras beralkohol dengan kekuatan alkohol di atas 30 volume yang diukur pada suhu 20C (68F) 19 batang rokok ATAU 1 cerutu ATAU 25 g cerutu ATAU 25 g (.88 oz) dari tembakau hasil produksi lainnya Jika pengembara memegang Hong Kong Identity Kartu, heshe pasti telah menghabiskan 24 jam atau lebih lama di luar Hong Kong untuk mendapatkan keuntungan dari tunjangan bebas bea yang berkaitan dengan minuman beralkohol. Perhatikan bahwa Anda tidak diizinkan untuk mengambil lebih dari dua kaleng (1,8 kg) formula susu bubuk (seperti susu formula) dari Hong Kong. CATATAN: Jika Anda gagal untuk mengumumkan item yang dilarang atau yang dapat dibantah, Anda dapat dikenai denda sampai 1.000.000 dan jika menghadapi hukuman penjara sampai dua tahun. Jika Anda tertangkap perdagangan narkoba, Anda dapat didenda hingga 5.000.000 dan menghadapi hukuman seumur hidup. Bandara Internasional Hong Kong Bandara Internasional Hong Kong (IATA HKG), juga dikenal sebagai Chek Lap Kok (nama pulau kecil yang berisi bandara), terletak persis di sebelah utara Pulau Lantau dan sebelah barat Pulau Hong Kong. Dirancang oleh Sir Norman Foster, bandara dibuka pada bulan Juli 1998 dan sejak itu dinamai Worlds Best Airport oleh Skytrax 8 kali. Sebagai bandara hub utama di kawasan ini, ada banyak penerbangan langsung ke Hong Kong dari setiap benua di dunia. Sebagian besar kota besar di Eropa dan Amerika Utara dilayani dengan setidaknya satu penerbangan setiap hari, dan penerbangan antara Hong Kong dan kota-kota besar lainnya di Asia dan Oceania sering terjadi. Cathay Pacific mengoperasikan salah satu rute udara terpanjang di dunia, antara Hong Kong dan New York (JFK). Operator utama di bandara Cathay Pacific. Anak perusahaannya Cathay Dragon (yang baru-baru ini dinamai dari Dragonair) kebanyakan mengoperasikan rute di China dan juga beberapa rute ke bagian lain Asia), Hong Kong Airlines. Dan Hong Kong Express. Ada dua terminal yang terhubung melalui kereta bawah tanah. Terminal 2 adalah fasilitas check-in saja, semua penerbangan berangkat dari Terminal 1. Semua penumpang berada di Terminal 1. Anda dapat membersihkan keamanan di salah satu terminal. Ada lebih banyak kesempatan berbelanja sebelum keamanan di T2, namun toko-toko tutup sebelumnya. Ada banyak peluang belanja di T1 setelah keamanan juga. Layanan di Bandara Internasional Hong Kong umumnya jauh lebih baik, atau setidaknya setara dengan bandara internasional utama lainnya. Ada kantor pos yang efisien di bandara, menyediakan kotak, bahan pembungkus, gunting, dan tape. Item surat terkadang lebih murah dan lebih mudah daripada membayar biaya bagasi maskapai penerbangan. Bandara ini memiliki Wi-Fi gratis. Ada fasilitas bagasi kiri berawak di ruang kedatangan, dengan biaya 140 per hari per tas. Efisiensi bandara relatif tinggi. Namun perlu diingat bahwa bandara beroperasi pada batas kapasitasnya dan sangat rentan terhadap angin kencang selama dan setelah topan, menyebabkan penundaan yang lama dan bahkan memutar ke bandara terdekat. Pertimbangkan hal ini saat merencanakan perjalanan dan biarkan waktu transfer yang cukup selama musim berangin. Penundaan yang timbul dari kontrol lalu lintas udara yang ketat di daratan China biasa terjadi dan seringkali mempengaruhi ketepatan waktu rute regional. Hong Kong Air Port Customer Care Untuk melakukan perjalanan antara bandara dan kota: Airport Express adalah cara tercepat dan paling nyaman untuk menuju ke Stasiun Hong Kong manapun di Central (24 menit, 100 kembalinya singlesame-day, 180 return), Stasiun Tsing Yi (60 kembalinya singlesame-one, 110 return), atau Kowloon Station (90 singlesame-day return, 160 return). Kereta berjalan setiap 10-12 menit. Semua stasiun memiliki kuli gratis untuk membantu Anda membawa tas berat dan mematikan kereta sehingga tidak perlu memberi tip. Anak usia 3-11 mendapatkan diskon 50. Jika Anda bepergian dengan orang lain Anda bisa mendapatkan diskon kelompok jika Anda membeli tiket Anda dari staf di loket tiket. Jika Anda naik taksi selama 60 atau lebih untuk mencapai Kowloon atau stasiun Tsing Yi, Anda berhak mendapatkan diskon 50 tiket ongkos tunggal. Perjalanan wisata melewati kadang-kadang termasuk perjalanan pulang ke Airport Express dan beberapa maskapai penerbangan menjual tiket diskon di onboard ongkos kirim bebas bea. Anda juga dapat membeli tiket Airport Express (single dan return) online terlebih dahulu dengan diskon 35 melalui agen perjalanan Hong Thai. Cara murah menuju ke Central adalah dengan membawa Airport Express ke Tsing Yi, dan ganti ke jalur Tung Chung MTR. Yang biaya total 72,5 satu arah atau 135 kembali. Koneksi gratis dari Airport Express ke MTR ditawarkan jika Anda menggunakan Kartu Octopus yang sama untuk mengubah dari Airport Express ke MTR di stasiun Central, Kowloon atau Tsing Yi. Transfer gratis tidak peduli stasiun mana yang keluar dari MTR. Transfer gratis ke bus antar-jemput dari berbagai hotel terdekat juga disediakan bagi pengguna Airport Express. Cara yang jauh lebih murah adalah naik bus S1 atau S56 dari terminal penerbangan ke stasiun Tung Chung MTR terdekat (3,50, 10-15 menit), di mana Anda dapat mentransfer ke Jalur MTR Tung Chung ke Kowloon (19,5, 27 menit) , Hong Kong (25,5, 30 menit), atau Tsim Sha Tsui (19,5, 39 menit termasuk berubah menjadi Tsuen Wan Line di Lai King Station). Jalur Tung Chung menjalankan rute yang sama dengan Bandara Express kecuali terminal tersebut berakhir di stasiun Tung Chung dan memiliki empat pemberhentian tambahan. Perhatikan bahwa sistem MTR memiliki batasan bagasi dan dalam hal apapun, membawa barang bawaan di MTR mungkin tidak praktis. Buses are cheaper (10.8-48), more scenic, and have longer operating hours, reaching all majors parts in the territory, yet are more susceptible to the traffic jams in the urban area. Depending on where you are going, they may be more convenient andor faster than the trains. A complete list of airport buses is available online. There is also an information board at the airport bus terminal. Two companies run buses from the airport: Citybus (CityFlyer) and Long Win. Buses travel over the scenic Tsing Ma Bridge, the seventh longest suspension bridge in the world. Buses with routes beginning with A (Airport bus) (cost: 18.9-48) are more deluxe, have free Wi-Fi internet and take a more direct route than buses with routes beginning with the letter E (External) (cost: 10.8-24), which travel via the cargo terminals and Tung Chung town. Buses with routes beginning with S (cost: 3-4) are shuttle buses - as noted above, the S1 and S56 buses operates bus service to the closest Tung Chung MTR station. N and NA routes are overnight routes which serves after the midnight. Taxis are provided by the airport. The information desk after customs can provide you with an estimate to your hotel and maps to show the driver. See official taxi fare table. A taxi from the airport to Central will cost 250-350, based on meter charge, plus toll fees. Use a red taxi for destinations on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Green taxis are restricted to the New Territories and blue taxis only serve the Lantau Island. Airport staff at the taxi stand can offer helpful assistance. If you are going to Hong Kong Island, asking the driver to use the Western Harbour Crossing will avoid congestion, but will result in an additional 50 toll charge. Do not take private cars and vans operating as illegal taxis since they are not licensed and in case of accidents, your insurance will not cover you. Generally they are operated by those of sub-continental heritage, and will be white or black vans, rather than the ubiquitous blue and red Toyota Crown Comforts. They will approach you inside the airport. Tesla Airport Transfer in Model S (HKD 299) For those who need to get to the city and have always wanted to ride in a Tesla. Airport transfers can now be arranged with a Tesla as long as you do not have excessive luggage. There are no ferry services from the airport to destinations in Hong Kong. However, Turbojet operates service directly to Macau (254, 50 minutes). You can land in Hong Kong and travel on to Macau without having to pass through Hong Kong immigration. In-town Check-in at Airport Express stations Edit If you have an Airport Express ticket, you can check-in your luggage and print boarding passes at the in-town check-in desks in the Hong Kong and Kowloon Airport Express stations. Most major airlines and their alliances allow you to drop off your bags up to one day before travel and not have to deal with luggage as you enjoy your final day in Hong Kong (note that you have to travel on Airport Express the same day as you drop off your luggage, otherwise you have to buy another ticket). Tofrom Shenzhen International Airport Edit To fly between Hong Kong and mainland China, it is often cheaper to fly tofrom Shenzhen Airport (IATA. SZX ), in the nearby mainland China city of Shenzhen. To travel between Shenzhen Airport and Hong Kong: Direct buses operate between the airport and the Elements Shopping Mall. above the Kowloon MTR station. You can check-in and receive your boarding pass (except for China Southern Airlines passengers) at the check-in desk on the 1st floor of the shopping centre, opposite Starbucks. This in-town check-in is completely separate from the in-town check-in provided for Hong Kong International Airport. The cost of the service is 100 and the bus is advertised to take 75 minutes, but it usually takes 100 minutes. Buses run every 30 minutes from 06:30 to 19:00 from Hong Kong and from 10:00 to 21:00 from Shenzhen. A cheaper way is to take the underground (Shenzhen Metro) line 1 from the airport to the Luohu terminus (65 minutes, CNY9 or HKD11.25), then pass through a long corridor and an international border gate (make sure to have your visa ready for this) and once in Hong Kong, hop on the East Rail suburban rail line to Hung Hom (43 minutes, HKD40). Total travel time from Shenzhen airport to Hong Kong is thus under two hours at the price of HKD51.25. A (possibly cheaper) alternative to Luohu is Futian Checkpoint (called Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point on the Hong Kong side) which is served by the East Rail Lok Ma Chau Spur Line. The emigration queue at this control point is less crowded than Luohu. It takes about 48min from Lok Ma Chau to Hung Hom (40), or you can take the B1 bus (13.2) and change to buses to other districts at YOHO Mall I, Yuen Long (for example the 968 to Central and Causeway Bay (23.4), the 68X or 268X to Mong Kok (14.8), the 268B to Tsim Sha Tsui and Hung Hom (operates on peak hours. sundays and public holidays only, other times please change to route 269B at Tin Shui Wai or take the 68X268X, then change to route 281A at Mong Kok) Another alternative is to take the Airport Bus No. 9 (9) to Huanggang Port, where you can change to various shuttle buses to many locations such as Sheung Wan (Macau Ferry Pier), Wan Chai, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui. These buses cost 7-50 and are usually faster and more comfortable than the MTR. Tofrom Macau International Airport Edit It is also often cheaper to fly out of Macau International Airport (IATA. MFM ). Air Asia has a hub at Macau from where it operates service to Kuala Lumpur. Bangkok. and Chiang Mai. among other cities. To travel between Macau Airport and Hong Kong: With the Express Link service, you can transfer directly from airport to ferry (or vice versa) without going through Macau immigration. By helicopter() Edit Sky Shuttle operates a helicopter service every 30 minutes from the Terminal Martimo in Macau to the Shun Tak Heliport (IATA. HHP ) at the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island. The trip takes 15 minutes and one-way fares cost 4,100, plus 400 on public holidays. Helicopter tours of the city for 15, 30, 45 minutes can also be arranged for great views of the city from above. By ferry Edit Outside the WangTaiSin Temple WongTaiSin Temple Edit Wong Tai Sin Temple knoen, to Thai people as Temple of Wong-Tar-Shian. Originally, this temple was only a small court District in Wan-Chai. Afterwards, with collect donations, the temple moves to the present location. Those who pray at this temple mostly pray about health. Because the Wong-Tai-Sin is god of health. Moreover, the ritual and architecture come from Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Open:07:00 AM 17:30 PM Location: 2 Chuk Yuen Village, Wong Tai Sin MTR (green line) Wong Tai sin station Exit B3 Kowloon also includes a number of other interesting museums including Dialogue in the Dark . which is an exhibition in complete darkness where you should use your non-visual senses with the help of a visually impaired guide, the International Hobby and Toy Museum . which exhibits models, toys, science fiction collectibles, movie memorabilia and pop-culture artifacts from around the world, Hong Kong Museum of Art . which is a fascinating, strange and elusive place exhibiting Chinese ceramics, terracotta, rhinoceros horn and Chinese paintings as well as contemporary art produced by Hong Kong artists, Hong Kong Science Museum . primarily aimed at children, and Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre . Central also has its share of museums including Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum . Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences . which shows how the healthcare system evolved from traditional Chinese medicine to modern Western medicine, and Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre . New Territories has the Hong Kong Heritage Museum . which will appeal to those who have a serious interest in Chinese culture, and the Hong Kong Railway Museum . Nature Edit Dusk in a country park Contrary to popular belief, Hong Kong is not all skyscrapers and it is worthwhile to go to the countryside (over 70 of Hong Kong), including the country parks and marine parks. Many are surprised to find that Hong Kong is actually home to some stunning landscapes and breathtaking scenery. Lantau Island is twice as big as Hong Kong island and is well worth checking out if you want to get away from the bright lights and pollution of the city for a spell. Here you will find open countryside, traditional fishing villages, secluded beaches, monasteries and more. You can hike, camp, fish and mountain bike, amongst other activities. In the waters just off Tung Chung on Lantau Island. live the Chinese White Dolphins . These dolphins are naturally pink and live in the wild, but their status is currently threatened, with its current population estimated to be between 100-200. The Sai Kung Peninsula in New Territories is also a worthwhile place to visit. Its mountainous terrain and spectacular coastal scenery make this a special place. There are both challenging and more relaxed routes. North East New Territories is also famous for its natural environment. Yan Chau Tong Marine Park is in the North East New Territories. A few traditional abandoned villages are connected with hiking trails in the territory. North East New Territories is one of the famous hiking hot spots for the locals. Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark covers an area of 50 km2 across parts of the Eastern and Northeastern New Territories. The Geopark is made up of eight Geo-Areas distributed across the Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region and Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region. Most areas are accessible by ferries, buses, taxis and local tours1 . Short hiking trails (2 hours) can be found on Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. You can even hike up to the Victoria Peak. An easy hike with some nice views and wellcome shade starts at the Peak and goes west along Lugard Road (paved). There are some outlying islands also worth to visit, e. g. Lamma Island, Cheung Chau, Ping Chau, Tap Mun, Tung Lung Island. Hong Kong Wetland Park in New Territories is a relaxing park set amidst an ecological mitigation area. One can stroll along a network of board walks or explore the large visitors centremuseum. Theme parks Edit The entrance to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is on Lantau Island, about 12km east of Hong Kong International Airport. The resort also features a Disneyland park, two resort hotels and a lake recreation centre. Though significantly smaller in size than other Disneyland-style parks elsewhere, the park has undergone an expansion to offer more attractions (including the recent-opened Toy Story Land and Grizzly Gulch). It offers some great attractions and short queues most of the year (except the week of Chinese New Year, Easter, Halloween and Christmas season). It is also considerably cheaper than Tokyo Disneyland, Euro Disneyland or those in the USA - in fact, its much cheaper than most theme parks for entry and food. Ocean Park is on the southern side of Hong Kong island. and is the park that grew up with many local Hong Kong people. With roller coasters and large aquariums altogether, it is still packed on weekends with families and tourists. The cable car is an icon, though for those who are scared, there is now a funicular railway underneath the mountain that emulates a submarine dive. For many, the chance to see Hong Kongs pandas would be a deciding factor. Young adults will be attracted to the wider range (and more adrenalin-pumping nature) of rides. Ngong Ping 360 on Lantau Island is a Buddhist themed park that features Imperial Chinese architecture, interactive shows, demonstrations, restaurants and coffee shops. The highlight of this trip is the longest cable car ride in Hong Kong that affords stunning views. The ride also takes you to the largest outdoor seated Buddha. Seeing different sides of Hong Kong by Public Transport Edit Travelling on a bus or a tram is ideal for looking at different sides of Hong Kong. Not only is it cheap to ride on a bus or a tram, it also allows you to see completely different lifestyles in different districts in a short time. Below are some recommended routes. NWFB Route H1 . This one is a rickshaw-themed double-decker going to main heritage spots on the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, such as the Court of Final Appeal (previously LegCo) in Central, the Garden Road Peak Tram Terminal, the Tsim Sha Tsui East waterfront and the Temple Street Night Market. A single journey costs 33, a day pass costs 200, and you can hop on and hop off at any stop. The termini are at Central (Star Ferry) and Peninsula Hotel, Tsim Sha Tsui . KMB Routes 270A and 271 - starts from the downtown in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It goes along Peninsular Kowloon and heads through the New Territories. Then it goes into the Lion Rock Tunnel. Afterwards it goes through Tolo Highway, where you can see the scenic Tolo Harbour. 271 :The bus further goes to Tai Po and you can see the traditional Market (alight at Kwong Fuk Road or Po Heung Bridge). 270A :The bus passes through the countryside and eventually reaches its terminus at Sheung Shui (below Landmark North), which is near the Hong Kong - Shenzhen boundary. The journey takes 1 hour ( 271 ) 90 minutes ( 270A ) and costs 11.1( 271 )14.8( 270A ) for the whole journey with an air-conditioned bus. KMB Routes 2 and 6 . A cheap and convenient way parallel to the MTR Tsuen Wan Line, route 6 has been dubbed the Shopping Route. It runs every 8-9 minutes from Tsim Sha Tsui (Star Ferry) to Lai Chi Kok bus terminus, where the Dialogue in the Dark exhibition is held. (In contrast, route 2 is less frequent and terminates at Sham Shui Po (So Uk) .) Both routes go along Nathan Road, passing many points such as the Temple Street Night Market, Mong Kok Ladies Market and the Golden Computer Arcade in Shum Shui Po. A single journey costs 4.4 on route 2 and 5.1 on route 6 . Citybus Route 973 . It starts from the Tsim Sha Tsui East (Mody Road) Bus Terminus, near Salisbury Road and Chatham Road South. It goes along Salisbury Road, where the Avenue of Stars, The Space Museum and the Art Museum are located, and Canton Road, near the Harbour City and China Hong Kong City. Later it goes to University of Hong Kong . which is the most prominent and the oldest university in Hong Kong after crossing the Western Harbour Crossing. It later passes through the countryside of the southern part of Hong Kong 2. It will reach the Hong Kong southern side, where the JumboTai Pak Floating Restaurant is located at Aberdeen. Not long after, the bus passes by a football field, from which it is a 510 minutes walk to Ocean Park. ( Some departures will divert via Ocean Park on weekends and holidays - check the timetable. ) Finally, the bus passes by the beautiful sandy beach of Repulse Bay, before it finally arrives at its terminus station at Stanley Village, where the famous Murray House and the Stanley Village Market are located. The fare is 13.6 and it takes about 95 minutes for the journey. Citybus Routes 1, 5B, 5X and 10 . Departing every 3-9 minutes most of the day and costing only 3-4 (with many interchange discounts), these buses are one of the best ways to tour the northern Hong Kong Island. The 1 starts from Felix Villas (Mount Davis) and the 5B . 5X and 10 start from Kennedy Town. All of these goes through the Dried Seafood Street in Sai Ying Pun, the Sheung Wan, Central and Admiralty commercial areas ( note that 5X is an express and omits Sai Ying Pun and Sheung Wan ), Wan Chai ( 1 :Wan Chai Road, 5B and 5X . Hennessy Road, 10 :Queens Road East (Wan Chai Market, Hopewell Centre)), Causeway Bay ( 1 :Happy Valley, 5B and 5X :Sogo Department Store and Hysan Place, 10 :Times Square, Happy Valley Racecourse), Victoria Park ( 5X and 10 only) and North Point ( 10 only, terminates at North Point pier with ferries to Hung Hom, Kowloon City and Kwun Tong). NWFB Route 15 starts from Central (Exchange Square) to The Peak . It is an alternative way for getting to The Peak by bus rather than by Peak Tram. Your journey to Hong Kong will not be complete unless you have visited Victoria Peak . You can see the beautiful view of Hong Kong Island, Victoria Harbour and Kowloon Peninsula along the Stubbs Road during the journey. When you arrive, there are two shopping malls: The Peak Tower and The Peak Galleria, which provide restaurants, a supermarket, and souvenir shops for your convenience. In addition, you can visit Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and see if the mannequins look to be the real deal. Direction: you can take MTR and get off at Hong Kong station . You can approach Hong Kong station by the underpass from Central station. After that, follow the exit B1 to Exchange Square and you will see the bus terminus. You can also get off at Admiralty station . Then, follow the C1 exit towards Queensway Plaza. Make a right after you exit the station, and you will see the bus stop. After you get on the bus, just stay on until it arrives to The Peak bus terminus. The bus fare is 9.8 and it takes about 30 minutes for the journey. Trundle across Hong Kong island for 2.3 The Hong Kong Tramways are a slow yet special form of transport running on Hong Kong Island. It has been operating since 1904 and is an obvious relic of the British administration - the only remaining double-decker tram line in the world. A trip on a tram is a perfect way to have a leisurely tour around Hong Kong Islands major streets and to have a glimpse of the local life. Fares are relatively cheap, just 2.3 per trip for an adult and 1.1 for Senior citizens (aged 65 or older) and children pay 1.2. It is recommended to ride from as far as Kennedy Town in the west, to as far as Shau Kei Wan in the east, in order to get a strong contrast of East meets West and Old meets New. Be aware that the cars are built small. Avoid bringing big packs. A new, modern, tram system operates in the north west New Territories and serves New Towns between Yuen Long and Tuen Mun. Few tourists will be inspired by these trams but they may appeal to trainspotters. Avenue of Stars and A Symphony of Lights Edit Hong Kongs version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Avenue of Stars celebrates icons of Hong Kong cinema from the past century. The seaside promenade offers fantastic views, day and night, of Victoria Harbour and its iconic skyline. This is the place to have your picture taken by a professional photographer who is experienced in night photography. The Avenue can be reached from the East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station or the Star Ferry bus terminus. The Avenue of the Stars is also a great place to see A Symphony of Lights. a spectacular light and laser show synchronised to music and staged every night at 20:00. This is the worlds Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show as recognised by Guinness World Records. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the light show is in English. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday it is in Mandarin. On Sunday it is in Cantonese. While at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, spectators can tune their radios to FM103.4MHz for English narration, FM106.8MHz for Cantonese or FM107.9 for Mandarin. The same soundtrack can be accessed via mobile phones at 35665665 for the English version, where normal telephone rates apply. Whilst the show is not such a big deal, during festival times the light show is supplemented by fireworks that are worth seeing. Photographers should arrive 30-60 minutes early to get an unobstructed view. Avenue of Stars under reconstruction - As of late october 2016, the Avenue is under reconstruction (some sign says since 2015). The statues and the walk of fame have been moved to the nearby Garden of Stars nearby, just before the Shangri-La hotel. Therefore, the Symphony of Lights is better seen from the other side of the under-construction New World Center (on the southern side), near the East Tsim Sha Tsui (Railway) Station bus stop on Salisbury Road. Central and Western District Promenade Edit The newly reclaimed area between Central Ferry Pier and Convention Centre on Hong Kong island is being developed as a recreational area offering open space (unusual in central Hong Kong), the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, outdoor seating, waterfront cafes, seasonal events and a great view of the Kowloon skyline and Central skyscrapers (if you like your wide angles), especially at night. Festivals and events Edit Lunar New Year dates The year of the Horse started on 31 Jan 2014 The year of the Goat will begin on 19 Feb 2015 The year of the Monkey will begin on 8 Feb 2016 The year of the Rooster will begin on 28 Jan 2017 Dragon Boat on the beach at Silver Mine Bay, Mui Wo, Lantau Island, Hong Kong Dragon Boat Racing, Tuen Ng Festival Lion dancing: a dramatic spectacle at Chinese New Year. Chinese (Lunar) New Year (). Although this may seem like an ideal time to go to Hong Kong, many shops and restaurants are closed during the first 3 days of the Chinese New Year, so visitors will not see Hong Kong at its best. However, unlike Christmas in Europe where you can hardly find shops open, department stores, supermarkets, and Western fast-food restaurants generally remain open, so you can still get food and daily products easily during the Lunar New Year period. The week or two leading up to the Chinese New Year as well as the period from the 3rd to the 15th day are good times to soak up the festive mood and listen to Chinese New Year songs being played in the shops. There are some celebratory events such as lion dances, fireworks, and parades. Spring Lantern Festival (). If you go to Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, you will be able to experience this traditional Chinese festival. A number of beautiful lanterns can be found in the park at this time. Ching Ming Festival (). This festival in Spring is also known as grave sweeping day. To show respect to the deceased, family members go to the grave of their ancestors to sweep away leaves and remove weeds around the grave area. Paper offerings are also burned, such as fake money. Birthday of Tin Hau (). Hong Kongs maritime heritage ensures that Tin Hau, Goddess of the Sea and patron saint of fishermen, has a strong and loyal following here. On her birthday, locals flock to the more than 70 temples dedicated to her in Hong Kong to pray for safety, security, fine weather and full fishing nets during the coming year. So enduring is the reverence for Tin Hau in Hong Kong that this festival is even celebrated by many young people who are more likely to catch a fish in a Seafood Restaurant than on a trawler. Birthday of the Buddha (). The Birthday of the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama), the founder of Buddhism, also called the Buddha Bathing Festival, is one of the most spiritual and unique festivals celebrated in Hong Kong. According to legend, nine dragons sprayed water to bathe the baby Buddha at birth. To commemorate this, at Buddhist temples across the city, devotees gather to pay their respects to this revered deity by bathing statues of him in bowls of water. The ritual is believed to aid in the purification of ones soul. One of the grandest ceremonies is held at the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, home of the Big Buddha. Cheung Chau Bun Festival (). This is takes place on the tiny island of Cheung Chau. In the past the festival has involved competitions with people climbing bun towers to snatch buns. After the unfortunate collapse of a bun tower in 1978, due to an overload of people, the competition was abandoned. It was resumed again in 2005 with better safety measures. Tuen Ng Festival (), popularly known as Dragon Boat Festival . This is a festival in memory of a national hero from the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. Dragon boat races are typically held during this festival with boats that have shapes of a dragon. People celebrate also by eating glutinous rice dumplings, usually with pork fillings, and drinking realgar wine. The Dragon Boat Festival takes place on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese lunar month which is going to be 12 June 2013. Hungry Ghost Festival (). This festival runs throughout the seventh month of the Chinese calendar. It is believed that the gates of hell open during this period and hungry ghosts are allowed to roam freely into our world. Though not a public holiday, this is the time where one can see many people perform various rites to appease the wandering ghosts, such as offering food and burning joss paper. One can also see traditional performances such as Chinese opera which are held to appease these ghosts. Mid Autumn Festival Moon Festival (). This festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. Moon cakes which contain lotus seed paste and duck egg yolks are a popular delicacy. Many Western people will find the traditional mooncake hard to appreciate, so you might like to try the ice-cream version as well. The festival is also known as the lantern festival and various parts of Hong Kong will be festooned with decorative lanterns which set the night scene ablaze with colour. Chung Yeung Festival (). Is a day also known as Autumn Remembrance, which is similar to Ching Ming in spring, where families visit the graves of their ancestors to perform cleansing rites and pay their respects. As the weather cools down during this part of the year, hiking is a good activity to do during this holiday. Halloween (). Halloween has grown rapidly in popularity and many people dress up to party till late. Trick or treat is not common but most restaurants and shopping centres are decorated and have special programmes. For young adults and teenagers, Ocean Park and Disneyland is the place to be for Halloween fun. It is not a public holiday. Christmas (). Christmas is celebrated Hong Kong style. The city is adorned using traditional Western Christmas decorations. Many shopping centres, such as Pacific Place, offer ample opportunities for children to meet Santa. Most shops and restaurants remain open throughout Christmas. You should expect large crowds out shopping for the Christmas sales. New Years Eve (). New Years Eve in Hong Kong is something to check out if you are seeking a carnival experience. Hundreds of thousands of people out on the streets to celebrate the New Year is truly an unforgettable time. There are all-night services on the MTR, night-buses, and of course, many taxis. Fireworks go off on the harbour front, which a lot of people attend to watch on both sides of the harbour: Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon side) and Central (Hong Kong Island). The young adults and older adults decide to party with the rest of Hong Kong at the hot-spots such as Causeway Bay, Lan Kwai Fong and Tsim Sha Tsui. Many people dress up and attend private parties and others flock to the streets to enjoy the atmosphere. Police patrol around popular areas to make sure the city is a safe party-zone. Hong Kong people are not great drinkers and most of them stay dry for the night. Drinking alcohol on the street is uncommon. So visitors who drink should moderate their behaviour or risk being screened out by the police as the only drunks in the crowd. Hong Kong Rugby Sevens . This annual event brings many visitors from around the world to celebrate the most entertaining installment in the IRB Sevens Series. It is a giant three day sell-out event that takes place between the last days of March and beginning of April. Hong Kong Summer Spectacular. Dragon Boat Race, music festivals, summer sales, as well as book exhibitions, Anime Fair, all in the hottest summer parties and coolest carnival Hong Kong Summer Pop Music Festival Every summer, the Hong Kong Summer Pop Music Festival gathers top musicians who bring spectacular performance Hong Kong Arts Festival . a month-long festival of international performances, is held in February and March. Man Literary Festival . a two-week English language festival with international writers as guests, is held in March. Hong Kong International Film Festival . a three-week event, is held in late March to early April. Exploring Edit Ride the tram between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan. The journey takes round 80 minutes and costs 2.30. The Hongkong Tramways run between the West and East of Hong Kong Island. Starting from the old district Kennedy Town, you can see the residental areas, followed by the Chinese herbal medicine and dried seafood wholesalers in Sai Ying Pun - Sheung Wan. Then the tram goes in the famous Central district with high rise commercial buildings and banks. Wan Chai and Causeway Bay are the districts popular with shoppers and are always crowded with people at all times. Travelling further east are North Point and Shau Kei Wan areas, which are of completely different styles from that in Central and Causeway Bay. More comfort-seeking travellers may take the air-conditioned 5B (Kennedy Town - Causeway Bay (HK Stadium)), 2 (Sheung Wan (Macau Ferry) - Shau Kei Wan (Aldrich Bay)), 81 (Tai Hang (Lai Tak Tsuen) - Chai Wan (Hing Wah Estste) via Kings Road) or other buses running parallel to the tram line, with fares as low as 3.4 (plus additional interchange discounts). Music Edit Hong Kong is one of the main centres of Chinese pop culture with a huge and vibrant entertainment industry, and is home to many famous singers and actors such as Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Wong Ka Kui (Beyond), Leslie Chueng Kwok-Wing and locally Eason Chan, just to name a few. In addition to the locals, any foreign bands touring Asia are pretty much guaranteed to perform in Hong Kong, and concerts by famous singers are often a sell out affair. Beaches Edit You are never far from the sea in Hong Kong and going to a good beach is only a bus-ride away. However, if you want a really good beach, then it is worth making the effort to travel, possibly on foot, and seek out the beaches of the New Territories. With more than 200 outlying islands, as well as an extensive coastline that is jam-packed with impressive bays and beaches, you will surely come across some good looking beaches to while the whole day away. Hong Kongs urban beaches are usually well maintained and have services such as showers and changing rooms. Where beaches are managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Dept. shark nets and life guards are present. Dogs and smoking are not permitted on these beaches. The best beaches to use include: Repulse Bay is a large urban beach on the south side of Hong Kong island. It has recently had money spent on its facilities and will appeal to those who have young children. Middle Bay is popular with gay people and is a 20 minute walk from the crowds at Repulse Bay. Middle Bay has lifeguards, showers, changing rooms, shark nets and a decent cafe serving drinks and snacks. Shek O is a beach popular with many young Hong Kong people. It is away from the bustle of the city but is well served by restaurants and has a good bus service from the north side of the island. The Thai restaurant close to the beach is worth a try. Big Wave Bay This beach is smaller than others on Hong Kong Island but still has good services which include a number of small cafes close to the beach. Big Wave Bay, as the name suggests, has the sort of waves that appeal to surfers. From Big Wave Bay it is possible to take the coastal footpath to Chai Wan where you can find the MTR and buses. The walk to Chai Wan is about one hour, or more if you are not used to the steep climb up the mountain. Hung Shing Ye Wan beach on Lamma Island is a leisurely 20 minute walk from Yung Shue Wan Ferry Hung Shing Yeh beach is highly regarded as the most popular beach and is located on Lamma Island. This beach is Grade 1 and shows off powdery, fine sand as well as clear water. This beach is well-appointed by means of changing facilities, a barbecue area, and a refreshment kiosk. To arrive at this beach, take the ferryboat from Central Pier to Yung Shue Wan. Expect to walk around 20 minutes from the ferry terminal to the beach (buses and taxis are not an option on Lamma), dont worry, its a great, easy walk. Swimming Pools Edit Other than swimming pools in hotel, Hong Kong offers a series of public swimming pools which are maintained to a very high standard. It costs 19 for adults and 9 children. Swimming pools are children friendly with shallow pools and fountains. All swimming pool complexes offer swimming lanes, hot showers, lockers, and most have swimming clubs for serious swimmers. The Kowloon Park swimming pool complex (Tsim Sha Tsui MTR exit A1) is centrally located and offers visitors a wide range of services. Indoors is a main pool that is Olympic sized, a slightly smaller training pool, a diving pool and a leisure pool for younger swimmers. During the summer months the indoor pools are air-conditioned, whilst in winter the water is heated. Outdoors, during the summer season, they have four leisure pools to meet the needs of all ages. In summer, the pool is popular with teenagers but all age-groups make good use of the pools. A limited number of sun loungers are available. The pools in Kowloon Park open at 06:30 and close at 22:00. There are session breaks when the centre closes for lunch 12:00-13:00 and then it closes for another hour 17:00-18:00. Most public pools in Hong Kong have similar opening and closing times with session breaks. Family changing rooms are available in addition to the regular changing rooms. Males and females have separate changing areas but changing rooms do not offer much privacy between users of the same sex. Swimmers are expected to provide their own towels and toiletries. A 5 coin is needed to operate a locker or you can provide your own padlock (you can get back the 5 coin after you unlock the locker, its right behind the keyhole). An Octopus card or coins are needed for payment to enter the complex. There is at least one pool in each district of Hong Kong. For the address and opening schedule, see the government website. Sailing Edit You can rent out a Junk Boat for a sailing trip with your family and friends. A typical junk boat can accommodate more than 30 people and can be rented for the day to take you on a tour of your choice. Sai Kung is a popular spot for the trip to start and you can sail to nearby beaches for a more secluded time. A cheaper alternative is to hire a much smaller water taxi () to take you to where you want to go. Hiking and Camping Edit Ham Tin beach is a great destination for campers in the Sai Kung East Country Park Hiking is the best kept secret in Hong Kong, it is a great way to appreciate Hong Kongs beautiful landscapes that include mountains, beaches and breathtaking cityscapes. The starting points for many hiking trails are accessible by bus or taxi. Hiking is highly recommended for active travellers who want to escape the modern urban world. Hiking in Hong Kong can be strenuous because of the steep trails, and during the summer months, mosquitos and the hot, humid, weather combine to make even the easiest trek a workout. It is highly recommended that you wear suitable clothes, and bring plenty of water and mosquito repellent. It is fairly unlikely that you will have a close encounter with venomous snakes, although they are present in most rural areas. Most local people choose the winter months to undertake the more demanding hiking trails. If you are not especially fit you might plan your route so that you take a bus or taxi to the highest point of the trail and then walk downhill. Fishing at Stanley Campsites in Hong Kong are plentiful and free of charge. Most are located within the country parks and range from basic sites serviced with only with a drop-toilet, to those that provide campers with modern toilet blocks with cold showers. Some sites have running water and sinks for washing dishes. A few campsites have places to buy drinking water and food, whilst many are serenely remote. Weekends and public holidays are predictably busy, especially in the more accessible places close to roads. Many Hong Kong people like to camp in large groups, talk loudly and stay awake until very late, so if you are noise sensitive try to find a remote campsite or learn to keep your temper. There are five major trails in the Hong Kong SAR: Lantau Trail on Lantau . Hong Kong Trail on Hong Kong Island . Maclehose Trail through the New Territories. Oxfam organizes an annual charity hike of this 100Km trail every November. Winning teams finish in around 11-12 hours but average people take 30-36 hours to finish the whole trail, which starts from the eastern end of the New Territories (Sai Kung) to the western end (Tuen Mun). Wilson Trail starting on Hong Kong Island and finishing in the New Territories . Family Trail on Lamma Island. Its highest point is around 100 metres above sea level, and the route is well signposted. Starting Point: Take a ferry from Central ferry pier 4 to Yung Shue Wan. From Yung Shue Wan Main Street, walk past Hung Shing Yeh Beach and you will meet the start of the Family Trail. Hong Kong has some exceptional rural landscapes but visitor impact is an issue. Please respect the countryside by taking your litter home with you. Avoid using litter bins in remote areas as these are not emptied on a regular basis and your litter may be strewn around by hungry animals. Hong Kong Outdoors 3 and Journey to Hong Kong4 are packed with information on hiking and camping, and other great things to do and places to go in the wilderness areas of Hong Kong. Gambling Edit Horse racing may get all the media attention. Betting on world-wide football matches is also available at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. People cant bet on other sports as its prohibited. Marksix is a popular lottery ticket among the locals, it costs 10 for each bet and you can pick 6 from 49 numbers in a bet, the lottery result will be announced on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends without horse racing, it can be bought in all Hong Kong Jockey Club offices. Mahjong ( ma jeuk ) also forms an integral part of Hong Kong gambling culture. Mahjong also has had a strong influence on Hong Kong pop culture, with a history of songs and films based on a mahjong theme. The game played in Hong Kong is the Cantonese version, which differs in rules and scoring from the Japanese version or the versions played in other parts of China. Mahjong parlours are ubiquitous in Hong Kong, though they do not advertise their services openly and many require a fair amount of effort to find. They also have many unwritten rules that visitors may find hard to understand. Education Edit Basically, the government provides 12-year free education for pupils from primary level to secondary level. The latest cohort is 3-3-4, that is 3-year junior secondary studies, 3-year senior secondary studies and 4-year tertiary studies. A limited number of schools have been appointed to conduct the Swiss International Baccalaureate (IB) educational programme, which has gained wide reception in the US and Canada. English Language is a compulsory subject in all primary and secondary schools. English textbooks are mostly written in British English rather than American English. Foreigners living in Hong Kong are prone to sending their children to study in international schools, such as the American International School Hong Kong, the Australian International School Hong Kong and Canadian International School. Education is taken very seriously in Hong Kong and the territory has a total 9 universities, of which the University of Hong Kong . Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology are considered to be world class and attract students from far and wide. Most of these universities have exchange agreements with foreign universities, and these are a good way for one to experience living in Hong Kong for up to a year if your university has an exchange agreement with one of them. Courses for exchange students are often conducted in English. Visitors to Hong Kong will soon notice that school children wear British-style uniforms that have been adapted to the sub-tropical climate. It is a tradition for school students to sell flags and collect money for charity on a Wednesday Saturday morning. Cantonese Edit Around one third of the primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong adopt English as the medium of instruction, while the rest use Cantonese in daily lessons. Most courses in local universities are taught in English, while courses concerning local and Chinese culture might be taught in Cantonese. Some of the universities in Hong Kong offer Cantonese lessons for foreigners. This is a good way, for those living in Hong Kong for an extended period of time, to learn the local language. Like Taiwan and Macau, but unlike mainland China, the script taught is traditional Chinese. You will need an employment visa in Hong Kong to take up any employment - paid or unpaid - even if you are from Britain or mainland China. This usually involves any potential employer making an application to the Immigration Department on your behalf crucially you should have skills that are probably not available from the local job market. In June 2006, the Immigration Department revived a rule that allows the spouse of anyone currently working legally in Hong Kong to get a dependent visa. This allows the spouse to take up any employment they wish, without having to seek approval from the Immigration Department. Dependent visas are available to mainland Chinese who are dependent on foreign workers legally employed in Hong Kong, but the process is longer and more complex for mainland Chinese dependent on Hong Kong Permanent Residents. Same-sex couple are not eligible to dependent visa, even if youre legally married in you home country. In 2006, the Hong Kong Government introduced a new program called the Quality Migrant Application Scheme which targets skilled, preferably university educated, labour with good knowledge of languages to come and settle in Hong Kong and seek employment. For more information, visit the website of the Hong Kong Immigration Department 5. Hong Kong does feature a small ESL market, teachers will typically need a Bachelors Degree and a TESOL certification. ESL teachers in Hong Kong can expect to earn HK12,000 - HK25,000 (monthly) and will usually teach 30 40 hours in a week. Contracts will sometimes include accommodation and airfare. Young people between 18 and 30 years old who are citizens of Australia. Kanada. Jerman. Ireland. Japan. New Zealand and South Korea are eligible to apply for a 12 month working holiday visa . allowing them to take up temporary work and a short period of study in Hong Kong. Visit the Immigration Departments website 6 for more information. The Hong Kong dollar ( or HKD ) is the territorys official currency and is the unit of currency used throughout this travel guide and simply denoted with the sign . In Chinese, one dollar is known formally as the yuen () and colloquially as the men () in Cantonese. You can safely assume that the sign used in the territory refers to HKD. If US dollars are intended then they will be symbolised as USD. The Hong Kong dollar is also widely accepted in Macau in lieu of their home currency at a 1:1 rate. The official exchange rate is fixed at HKD7.80 USD1, although bank rates may fluctuate slightly. When exchanging currency at a big bank, be prepared to pay a small fixed commission, usually about 40 per transaction. If exchanging large amounts, this commission will have a negligible impact on the transaction. If exchanging small amounts, it may be advantageous to exchange at one of many independent exchange shops found in tourist areas. Although their exchange rates compared with big banks are slightly less favourable for you, most do not charge a commission. They may also be more convenient and faster ways to exchange (no queues, located in shopping centres, open 24 hours, etc.). However, be wary of using independent exchangers outside banking hours because, without competition from big banks, their rates may become very uncompetitive. Avoid changing money at the airport as well as the hotel since the rates there are extremely uncompetitive. Many tourists opt to use their ATM debit cards instead of carrying cash or travellers cheques. Using this method, the exchange rates and fees are comparable to exchanging cash at big banks. However, some smaller banks do not accept ATM cards from overseas customers. The best banks for foreign tourists to use are HSBC, Hang Seng and Standard Chartered, and ATM machines from those banks are widespread. Also, be mindful of withdrawal limits imposed by your bank. Note that for security reasons, many banks have quietly imposed withdrawel limits for other then your home country, so check before departure if that applies to you. Adjust that limit for both Hong Kong and China, since sometimes ATMs of China-based banks will still be limited. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) issues the new purple plastic 10 notes while the rest are issued by three banks (the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, also known as the Hong Kong bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Bank of China). The old green paper 10 notes issued by HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank remain legal tender. The style of notes varies a lot between banks though the colour and size are about the same for notes of the same denomination. The larger the denomination, the larger the size of the banknotes. Banknotes come in denominations of: 10, green or purple (paper or plastic). 20, dark blue or light blue (old or new). 50, purple or green (old or new). 100, red. 500, brown. 1000, gold. Some shops do not accept 1000 notes due to counterfeiting concerns. The coins come in units of 10, in bronzesilver, circular. 5, in silver, circular, thicker. 2, in silver, wavey-circular. 1, in silver, circular, thinner. 50, in bronze, circular, larger. 20, in bronze, wavey-circular. 10, in bronze, circular, smaller. varying in a descending size (except 10 coin). Since September 1997, the use of the small coins and change has been reduced due to the innovation of the Octopus card. Originally used just for fare payment for the MTR and buses, it now is used all over the city, for purchases in any amount at convenience stores, fast food restaurants, pharmacies, vending machines, etc. Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are common in urban areas. They usually accept VISA, MasterCard, and to certain degree UnionPay. Maestro and Cirrus cards are widely accepted also. They dispense 100, 500 or rarely 1000 notes depending on the request. Credit card use is common in most shops for major purchases. Most retailers accept VISA and MasterCard, and some accept American Express as well. Maestro debit cards however are not widely accepted by retailers. Signs with the logo of different credit cards are usually displayed at the door to indicate which cards are accepted. For small purchases, in places such as McDonalds or 7-Eleven, cash or Octopus Card is the norm though some of these outlets can accept credit cards for smaller purchases. Sometimes, the merchant can give you a choice of whether to charge your credit card purchase directly to your home currency or Hong Kong dollars. Choosing which currency to directly charge the purchase to wont matter for small amounts but for larger purchases it may be worth it to consult your credit cards policy on them converting foreign exchange transactions. Making payments in your own currency looks convenient, but effectively lets the retailer (or their bank) choose the rate of exchange. Merchants will require that the credit cards be signed and may compare your signature with the card, but do not ask for picture ID. The exception are stores like McDonalds where purchases below 200 do not require a signature. Although debitcredit card readers are capable of reading and processing chip cards, the chip and pin system for credit card authorisation is not used in Hong Kong. Foreigners may open bank accounts in Hong Kong, though a proof of address is required. As your passport usually does not show your address, you should also bring something that shows your address such as an ID card or a bank statement. HK Bitcoin ATM ( Bitcoin ), Shop 322, 3F, President Commercial Centre, 608 Nathan Road, Mongkok, Hong Kong ( hkbitcoinatmlocation ), 7. 24. is the first Bitcoin ATM shop in Hong Kong and is located 20 meters from Mong Kok underground station. The shop is on the 3rd floor of Chic Castle Mall, open 247 accessible by the elevator from the Nathan Road entrance. Travellers can convert their unused Hong Kong dollar to Bitcoin when leaving Hong Kong or sell Bitcoin for Hong Kong Dollar160 The shop also has robots, Bitcoin mining machines and more. ( 22.317265. 114.170308 ) 160edit Payment by card Edit Dynamic currency conversion is prevalent in Hong Kong. Some shops and restaurants (especially the high end stores such as those selling watches or those that display a sign saying, We speak your currency, with different world currency symbols) offer the option to charge your card in your home currency for foreign VISAMasterCards. Usually you are shown the payment terminal with a box for HKD and another box for your home currency. Always choose the box for HKD before signing or entering your PIN as a competitive rate will then be determined by VISAMasterCard less a foreign transaction fee charged by your card issuer. Otherwise, if you choose your home currency, expect to pay 3 to 4 percent more for your purchase due to a less competitive exchange rate as well as your card issuers foreign transaction fee. Always check every credit card receipt - even if not prompted - to ensure that it does not have an amount charged in your home currency and the exchange rate used as a merchant may have helpfully selected your home currency for you without your knowledge. If it does, tell them to void the transaction and do it again. Firmly decline any attempts by the merchant to convince you to select your home currency - they may lie about how charging in your home currency will avoid the foreign transaction fee. This is usually false, as the rate provided by the merchant is usually less competitive than the rate provided by your card less the foreign transaction fee. Furthermore, even a transaction in your home currency may still result in a foreign transaction fee as the fee is usually applied on the basis of the transaction occurring outside your home country rather than what currency it was transacted in. Costs Edit Hong Kong is expensive by Asian standards especially the cost of accommodation. A traveller on a bare bones budget can probably survive with 150 for a day if you are willing to stay in some of the cheapest accommodation in Hong Kong which could be as cheap as 60 per bed but the quality is not what everyone can tolerate. Backpackers with a less tight budget should expect to spend at least 150 for a bed and 500 for a room. Family travellers should expect to pay at least 1000 for accommodation per night. Sites such as wimdu and airbnb do offer a considerable range of local accommodation, though standards vary. It is a good way to stay in areas where people actually live and see the day to day goings on of life. Be aware though that these are not hotel style accommodation and reflect the tiny spaces that Hong Kongers live in (including short, narrow beds). The cheapest food available will cost you around 25-35 for a meal (or 2.50 per piece for Dim Sum), although in mid-range restaurants, 150-200 per head is common. Another option if you dont feel like dealing with people or the language barrier (and arent that fussy) are the microwave meals at 7-Eleven and Circle K. Usually these cost around 10-15, and are of an adequate nature, especially given how cheap they are. Microwaves are onsite at 7-Eleven to allow you to reheat. Usually 7-Eleven and Circle K will have basic sushi, sandwiches and instant cup noodles, which make for a very cheap feed. Tipping Edit Tipping is only practised in limited situations by local people and its not expected for every little service such as a taxi driver, or a waiter. People will not reject any tips you care to hand them. Tipping is a matter of personal choice, but visitors should take into account that locals usually do not leave a tip. Visitors should also know that it is common for bar and restaurant owners to keep some, or all, of the money given as tips. One exception would be the ubiquitous foot massage parlours, where the man or woman providing the foot massage is reliant on tips for a significant portion of his or her income, and generally gets to keep the full amount. In cheaper joints, tipping is not expected at all and it will be considered unusual not to take all your change. In medium-to-upmarket restaurants, a 10 service charge is often compulsorily added to your bill and this is usually regarded as the tip. You may wish to tip on top of the service charge for good service, but it is neither compulsory nor expected to give it more chance of reaching the staff tips should be given in cash not as additions to a credit card bill. It is also common for midrange Chinese restaurants to give you peanuts, tea and towels and add a small charge to the bill. Known as cha-sui money (money for tea and water) it is considered to be common practice. So, unless the charge is excessive, tourists should accept it as part of the cost of the meal. Sometimes, restaurants will deliberately give customers change in coins, when bills should be given it is your choice to either take all your change or leave a small tip. Tipping is not expected in taxis but passengers will often round up the fare to the nearest dollar. During a typhoon, when any loss is not covered by insurance, a tip will be expected, or the taxi driver will ask you to pay a surcharge. In hotels, a guest is also expected to tip at least 10-20 for room service, and porters also expect 10-20 for carrying your bags. Bathroom attendants in luxury restaurants and clubs might also expect you to leave a few coins, but its socially acceptable not to tip. Exceptionally, on important occasions, such as a wedding party or similar big gala event, local people hosting such events do tip substantially more than ten percent of the total bill. The money is put into a red envelope and given to the manager. Fierce competition, no sales tax or VAT, and some wealthy consumers all add up to make Hong Kong an excellent destination for shopping. Choices are plentiful at competitive price. Lookout for watches, camping equipment, digital items and special cosmetics. Its worth bearing in mind that many ground-level high street shops have to cover extortionate rent, which will probably offset the saving from lack of VAT. Much of the ideas of Hongkong being a shoppers paradise are out-dated, if you want cheap goods you wont find them on the high street. This is largely down to the huge number of wealthy Chinese that come to Hongkong to buy genuine (luxury) goods, which are extremely expensive in China. Popular shopping items include consumer electronics, custom clothing, shoes, camping equipment, jewellery, expensive brand name goods, Chinese antiques, toys and Chinese herbsmedicine. Theres also a wide choice of Japanese, Korean, American and European clothing and cosmetics but price are generally higher than in their respective home countries. Most shops in Hong Kongs urban areas open at about 10:00AM until 22:00 or even midnight every day. High rents in Hong Kong, ranked second worldwide according to Forbes, make it no surprise that the best bargain shops could be located anywhere except the ground floor. Shops recommended by local people may even be up on the 20th floor in a building that wont give you a hint that its a place for shopping. Many shops will accept credit cards. In accepting credit cards, the merchant will look carefully at the signature rather than looking at picture ID. In addition, merchants will not accept credit cards with a different name that the person presenting it. All shops that accept credit cards and many that dont, will also accept debit cards and ATM cards as payment. The term used for debit card payment is EPS, but many shops accept EPS for free and charge for use of the VisaMastercard (credit or debit) network. In the old days, Hong Kong was a good place to buy cheap knockoff, fake products, and pirated videos and software. Today, Hong Kong residents often buy these items in Shenzhen just across the border in mainland China. Be careful when shopping at stores that have neon-lighted signs of famous brands. Some have complained about the products they purchased from there. Antiques and Arts - Head for Hollywood Road and Loscar Road in Central. Here you will find a long street of shops with a wide selection of products that look like antiques. Some items are very good fakes, so make sure you know what you are buying. Try Star House near the Star Ferry pier in Tsim Sha Tsui for more expensive items. Antiques and Arts shopping center Hong Kong Books - Hong Kong houses a fair (if dwindling) choice of English books, Korean Japanese, French titles, and huge range of uncensored Chinese titles. Prices are usually higher than where they import but it is your last hope to look for your books before heading to China. Try Swindon Books 8 on Lock Road in Tsim Sha Tsui and Page One 9 in Harbour City (Kowloon) and Festival Walk (Kowloon Tong). Dymocks, an Australian bookshop, has withdrawn from Hong Kong in early 2015. For French books, visit Librairie Parentheses on Wellington Street in Central and Japanese and Korean books are sold in Sogo Shopping Mall in Causeway bay. The biggest local bookshop chain is the Commercial Press and usually have a cheaper but limited English titles. For looking for Chinese books, local peoples beloved bookshops are all along Sai Yeung Choi Street. Called Yee Lau Sue Den (Bookshop on second floor), they hide themselves in the upper floor of old buildings (look for signs containing the traditional character ) and offer an unbeatable discount on all books. Cameras - Reputable camera stores are located mainly in Central, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok but tourist traps do exist, especially in Tsim Sha Tsui. The basic rule is to avoid all the shops with flashing neon signs along Nathan Road and look for a shop with plenty of local, non-tourist, customers. Only use recommended shops, as shops such as those on Nathan Road are likely to disappear on your next visit to Hong Kong. For easy shopping, get a bus or train to Mong Kok and head to Sai Yeung Choi Street, where you might find some of the best deals. The Mong Kok Computer Centre and Galaxy Mall (Sing Jai) are always packed with local people. Several camera shops like Man-Sing and Yau-Sing are known for their impolite staff but have a reputation for selling at fair prices. In the 1990s and early 2000s, most shops didnt allow much bargaining, but this has changed since 2003 with the influx of tourists from mainland China. While it is hard to tell how much discount you should ask for, if a shop can give you more than 25-30 discount, local people tend to believe that its too good to be true, unless its a listed seasonal sale. Computers - The base price of computer equipment in Hong Kong is similar to those in other parts of the world, but there are substantial savings to be hand from the lack of sales tax or VAT. The Wanchai Computer Centre, Mongkok Computer Centre and Golden Computer Arcade on Sham Shui Po are all a few steps away from their corresponding MTR stations. Also electronic equipment is available at the large chain stores such as Broadway and Fortress which are located in the large malls. The major chain stores will accept credit cards, while smaller shops will often insist on cash or payment by ATM card. Computer Games and Gaming Hardware - If you are interested in buying a new Playstation, Nindendo DS and the like, the Oriental Shopping Centre, 188 Wan Chai Road, is the place to go. Here you will definitely find a real bargain. Prices can be up to 50 cheaper than in your home country. Be careful to compare prices first. There are also a few game shops in the Wanchai Computer Centre. The back corners in the upper levels usually offer the best prices. You might even be lucky and find English speaking staff here. However, be careful to make sure that the region code of the hardware is compatible with your home countrys region code (Hong Kongs region code is NTSC-J, different from mainland China) or buy region code free hardware (like the Nintendo DS lite but NOT the 3DS). Music and Film - HMV is a tourist-friendly store that sells a wide range of more expensive products. For real bargains you should find your way into the smaller shopping centres where you will find small independent retailers selling CDs and DVDs at very good prices. Some shops sell good quality second hand products. Try the Oriental Shopping Centre on Wanchai Road for a range of shops and a taste of shopping in a more down-market shopping centre. Alternatively, brave the warren of CD and DVD shops inside the Sino Centre on Nathan Road between Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei MTR stations. Hong Kong has two independent music stores. White Noise Records in Causeway Bay and Harbour Records in TST. Hong Kongs leading department store Lane Crawford has CD Bars in its IFC and Pacific Place stores and theres a good CD bar at Saffron Cafe on the Peak. Camping and sports - A good place to buy sportswear is close to Mong Kok MTR station. Try Fa Yuen Street with a lot of shops selling sports shoes. There are also many shops hidden anywhere except the ground floor for selling camping equipment. Prices are usually highly competitive. Fashion - Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon and Causeway Bay on the island are the most popular shopping destinations, though you can find malls all over the territory. In addition to all the major international brands, there are also several local Hong Kong brands such as Giordano, Bossini, G2000, Joyce and Shanghai Tang. The International Finance Centre in Central has a good selection of haute coutre labels for the filthy rich, while for cheap knock-offs, Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei is the obvious destination, though prices are not as cheap as they used to be and these days, most locals head across the border to Shenzhen for cheaper bargains. There is also Citygate Outlets, an extremely large factory outlet mall containing most of the major foreign and local brands located near Tung Chung MTR station on Lantau Island. Tourist going to Ladies Market or any markets nearby please be aware that there is basically no price tag on the items shown in the market. Most of the time, the price the merchant will quote you is double the price. Haggle with them and ask to reduce the price at least by 50. In fact similar clothing items (lower price but fixed) can be found in brick and mortar shops nearby too(e. g Sai Yeung Choi street) Tailoring - Hong Kong was once famous for offering first-rate fully bespoke shirts and suits at unbelievably low prices. Its not quite the bargain it once was, but you can still get suits for perhaps 14 of the cost of similar quality in the west. The tailor shop commonly mentioned in travel guides and magazines is Sams Tailor, mainly because he is famous for selling to celebrities like Bill Clinton, but a tourist will not get the same level of quality or service (he has a separate fitting room on the second floor for VIPs). Expect to pay about 12,000 HKD for a suit from a first-class tailor who does the work in Hong Kong (e. g. Ascot Chang or A Man Hing Cheong) and expect to go in for at least three fittings before delivery of the suit. A tailor like New Super Fit Fashions (at the Tsim Sha Tsui Mansion) does excellent work for a much lower price, but produces the final product after only one fitting which leaves fewer opportunities to tweak the result. Tea - Buying good chinese tea is like choosing a fine wine and there are many tea retailers that cater for the connoisseur who is prepared to pay high prices for some of Chinas best brews. To sample and learn about Chinese tea you might like to find the Tea Museum which is in Hong Kong Park in Central. Marks amp Spencer caters for homesick Brits by supplying traditional strong English tea bags at a reasonable price. Fook Ming Tong at the International Finance Centre mall carries high-end teas, ranging from about a hundred up to tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars. Watches and jewellery - Hong Kong people are avid watch buyers - how else can you show your wealth if you cant own a car and your home is hidden at the top of a tower-block You will find a wide range of jewellery and watches for sale in all major shopping areas. If you are targeting elegant looking jewellery or watches try Chow Tai Fook, which can be expensive. Prices vary and you should always shop around and try and bargain on prices. When you are in Tsim Sha Tsui you will probably be offered a copy watch for sale. The major luxury brands have their own shops that will ensure you are purchasing genuine items. Shopping Malls Edit Shopping Malls are everywhere in Hong Kong. Locally renowned ones are: At 415m or 88 stories tall, the IFC is among the Worlds tallest buildings and home to one of Hong Kongs most prestigious shopping centres. IFC Mall 10 - Located near the Star Ferry and Outlying Islands Ferry Piers in Central. Has many luxury brand shops, an expensive cinema and superb views across the harbour from the rooftop. Can be reached directly from the Airport via the Airport Express and the Tung Chung line. Pacific Place 11 - Also a big shopping centre with mainly high-end brands, and has a wonderful cinema. Take the MTR to Admiralty. Festival Walk 12 - A big shopping centre with a mix of expensive brands and smaller chains. There is also an ice skating rink there. Take the MTR East Rail to Kowloon Tong. Cityplaza 13 - A similarly large shopping centre, also with an ice-skating rink. To get there, take the MTR to Taikoo on the Island Line. Landmark - Many the luxury brands have shops here Gucci, Dior, Fendi, Vuitton, etc. located at Central, Pedder Street. It used to be a magnet for the well-heeled but has since fallen behind in its management. APM 14 - All new 24hr Shopping centre in Kwun Tong. Take the MTR to the Kwun Tong station. Harbour City 15 Huge Shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui on Canton Road, to get there take the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui, or take the Star Ferry. Langham Place 16 - A huge 12 storey shopping mall adjacent to the the Langham Place Hotel in Mong Kok. Mainly contains trendy shops for youngsters. Take the MTR to the Mong Kong station and follow the appropriate exit directions. Elements 17 - Located next to Kowloon Station. Just like the IFC Mall, there are many luxury brand shops, a cinema and an ice rink. The International Commerce Centre, the highest commercial building in Hong Kong starting from 2009, is right on top of this shopping mall. Times Square 18 - A trendy multi storey Shopping Mall with some luxury brands, with food courts at the lower levels, and Gourmet Dining at the upper stories. Take MTR to Causeway Bay, and exit through a long tunnel (around 3-5 minutes walk). Crowded on weekends. A popular meeting point for teenagers. Citygate Outlet 19 - Located right next to Tung Chung MTR Station, the Citygate is a rare outlet mall with tonnes of mid-priced brands, some of them being Adidas, Esprit, Giordano, Levis, Nike, Quiksilver and Timberland. Laforet . Island Beverly and Causeway Place. Best places to find cheap stylish clothes, Asian style. Mostly girls clothes, but also bags, shoes and accessories, highly recommended if you are looking for something different. Immensely popular with teenagers. These three shopping malls are all located near exit E, Causeway Bay MTR station. New Town Plaza . a 9 storey shopping mall covering 1,300,000 m retail area in Shatin, New Territories. Diverse variety of shops, consisting of sports brands, luxury brand shops, cuisines from countries in different continents, sports, etc. can be found in the mall, which is estimated to be one of the malls with highest footfall. The mall is linked with a number of shopping centres nearby, including Phase 3 of New Town Plaza with a Japanese style Department store, YATA. More than 30 bus lines are available for accessing the shopping mall, which is located above the Sha Tin Central bus terminus. Taking the MTR East Rail to Shatin is another possible way. Dragon Centre . a 9 storey mall on Yen Chow Street, Sham Shui Po, is a mid range shopping centre catering more to less-affluent locals, with a number of mid range shops, a very large Wellcome supermarket and plenty of places to eat. Great fun is the Apple Mall on the upper levels, where one person vendors in tiny little kiosks within a rabbits-warren ply their trade or sell their products. Buy some cute Asian tat (cartoon figurines, Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma), bags, shoes and accessories, or get your nails done. Its a bit of naff fun, but worth a look. K11 Art Mall 20 - Located in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui, K11 District is a shopping arcade with six storeys of total 340,000 square feet floor area, and connecting to Hyatt Regency Hong Kong and The Masterpiece, contemporary-designed apartments. K11 has over 100,000 offices and 10,000 hotel rooms nearby, with Chungking Mansions, HK Museum of Arts, HK Cultural Centre and HK Museum of History as its neighbours. D2 Place 21. the Cultural amp Creativity Hub in West Kowloon, located next to Exit D2 of Lai Chi Kok MTR Station. The complex houses stylish fashion boutiques, creative markets, international FampB and lifestyle stores all under one roof. stylish fashion boutiques, creative markets by every weekend. Streetmarkets Edit Street markets are a phenomenon in Hong Kong, usually selling regular groceries, clothes, bags or some cheap electronic knockoffs. It has many sneaker. Lets fun Sneaker street - Actually, this road names Fa-Yuen-Street South. But it has many sport shoes so everyone knows it as Sneaker Street. In addition, it has many brand-named sportswears such as Nike, Adidas, and New-balanced etc. Temple Street - Sold items are the same as in the Ladies Market, but there are more street food vendors, a handful of fortune tellers and a few Chinese opera singers. Illustrated in hundreds of cantonese films, this street is seen as a must by most tourists. Flower Market - Prince Edward. Follow your nose to the sweet scents of a hundred different varieties of flowers. Goldfish Market - A whole street full of shops selling small fish in plastic bags and accessories Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok . Bird Market - MTR Station Prince Edward, exit Mong Kok Police Station. Walk down Prince Edward Road West until you reach Yuen Po Street Bird Garden. Apliu Street - MTR Station Shum Shui Po, this is the place where you can find cheap computer goods, peripherals and accessories. However, this is the worst place to buy a mobile phone, as they tend to be even more dodgy than small stores in Mongkok. Weekend Market - A place for tourists and locals to explore the local handicrafts and original creative products. It opens every weekend at D2 Place in Lai Chi Kok regularly organizes a variety of local markets and accessible by Exit D2, Lai Chi Kok MTR Station. Stanley Market - A place for tourists rather than locals, shops sell everything from luxury luggage items to cheap brand name clothes. Accessible with bus number 6, 6X, 66 and 260 from Central and Admiralty, 63, 65 and minibus 40 from Causeway Bay, 73 from Aberdeen and 973 from Tsim Sha Tsui (via Aberdeen). Textiles - Sham Shui Po MTR exit. Several square blocks around Nam Cheong St. (between Cheung Sha Wan Rd. and Lai Chi Kok Rd.) hold dozens and dozens of wholesalers to the textile trade. Although they are looking for big factory contracts, most shops are friendly and will sell you sample-size quantities of cloth, leather, haberdashery, tools, machinery and anything else you can think of to feed your creative impulses. Ki Lung Street has an outdoor street market selling smaller quantities of factory surplus cloth and supplies at astoundingly low prices. Haggling is not necessary. Ornaments Shopping in Stanley Hong Kong Be prepared to haggle hard at the markets, as haggling is an art form (or competitive sport) in Hong Kong, and if youre a Western tourist, youre a goldmine to the stallholders that needs to be mined. Often times, the stall holder will quote 3-5 times the price they are actually prepared to accept. A few tips for tourists that can be used are: Learn and practice some Cantonese numbers (especially mmmh-saap (50), yat-baak (100) - get these right and you can respond straightaway with a counter offer in Cantonese). Sure, the stallholder will probably know the English word for your number, or have a calculator upon which to quote price and haggle, but using Cantonese numbers shows you mean business, and arent going to be ripped off easily. If most stallholders understand your pronunciation and one acts like they cant understand, theyre attempting to remove your competitive advantage. Determine what you would be prepared to pay for the item, in your home currency and then calculate the equivalent Hong Kong Dollar amount. Then take 20-40 off that price as your final price. For instance, if that pair of Fake Oakley sunglasses are worth 20 to you in your home currency, you should be able to get them for 10-15 in your home currency. Work out the HKD equivalent of that, and then halve that as your starting haggle price, allowing the stall holder to work down (or you up) until youre below or up to your maximum or until the stall holder gives in. Low ball your offer. You might offend someone if youre too low, but dont let this put you off. Someone else will have the same item in a few stalls down the road. Learn when youve given the insult offer, and go a little higher at the next stall. Quote a low price from the stall down there. Often times these will be owned by the same group of people, but theyre often too afraid to check with the other stall, for fear of saving face. Any phone calls checking with their boss, sister or colleague are fake. It means that they are satisfied with your price (or youre very close), but dont want to let you know. Dont be fooled by the emotional tactics and the oh, youre killing me act. They wont sell at a loss, period. If theyre trying this, youre still in the game, so stand firm - its an act. Occasionally you can put it back on them (eg. I have four girls to pay for, I cant afford to pay too much). If they carry on about quality being the reason they charge more than the stall down the road, dont believe it - most stalls will have identical items at identical quality from the same factory. The odd poor quality item should be fairly easy to distinguish (and obviously the stallholder wont talk up its quality). For instance, if you see a Michael Koors fake purse and it looks rubbish quality, leave it until the next stall has a better one. You know the lowest quality item now, and work from there. If youre buying a gift for someone you dont particularly like, you can really screw down the price on the low quality item by stating look at this and showing, for example, the wonky name badge or poor stitching. If you feel youre near a price, but the negotiation is dragging for the sake of HKD10 - say thank you (Mmmmh Goi) and walk away. Youre there, but they want a few extra dollars from you. They will chase you down and let you have it for your final offer (or meet you in the middle between your prices). If youre a couple - play good cop, bad cop. One will be happy to talk to the stallholder, whilst the other plays bad cop (start off by looking disinterested). Good cop turns to bad cop, and they talk about price. Bad cop says Im not prepared to pay that much, with negative body language, and good cop makes it appear to the stallholder that permission hasnt been granted. DO NOT flash around 500 notes, or wads of cash. Put a few 100 notes in the accessible section of your wallet, and hide the rest. If you run out of accessible money, walk a street over (away from the markets), into 7-Eleven or a retail shop, transfer a little extra money and go back into the markets. If you get 500 notes from the ATM, go to 7-Eleven and buy a drink (beer is a good option, no issues with wandering around drinking it either) to break the note down. If the stallholders think youre made of money, theyll be far harder to bargain with (and a call seems to go out in Cantonese to that effect that Westerners with money are coming). With that in mind, avoid any tour groups of Western tourists. They seem to either annoy the stallholder (by touching the merchandise unnecessarily and then complaining loudly about the quality, or prices not being listed) or they are the type that the stallholder will absolutely fleece. They will annoy you by clogging up large parts of an already crowded market. If the shop keepers think youre one of the group, negotiation will be very hard. Take a breather, go to the shop for a drink or start at another section of the market. Mong Kok Ladies Market Shoes Discounts and haggling Edit Some stores in Hong Kong (even some chain stores) are willing to negotiate on price, particularly for goods such as consumer electronics, and in many small shops, they will give you a small discount or additional merchandise if you just ask. For internationally branded items whose prices can be easily found (i. e. consumer electronics), discounts of 50 are extremely unlikely. However, deep discounts are often possible on merchandise such as clothes. However, if there is a shop that is selling goods with a 50 discount, most local people will likely avoid buying there because its too good to be true. Electronics, such as mobile phones, are no longer really really cheap in Hong Kong, over and above any other country. Ordering from an online retailer in your home country, you can often get the product cheaper than in Hong Kong, even though the product is often shipping over from Kowloon. Mobile phones especially are a status symbol and Hong Kongers pay considerably more for the same phone as they sell overseas for half the cost. Electronics stores are often packed together in the same place, so it is often easy to spend a few minutes comparing prices, and to know the prevailing international prices. Start by asking for a 10 to 20 discount and see how they respond to you. Sometimes it maybe appropriate to ask is there any discount or do I get any free gift. It is sometimes possible to get an additional discount if you pay cash because credit card companies charge 3 on your bill. The reputation for being a shopping paradise is well deserved in Hong Kong and, added to which, it is also a safe place to shop. Overcharging is seen as an immoral business practice by most local people, and is unlikely to spoil your holiday. Plenty of hotlines are available for complaints. In areas crowded with tourists, traps do exist. They are often nameless consumer electronics stores with attention grabbing neon signs advertising reputable brand names. Many traps can be spotted if they have numerous employees in a very small store space. Often, several of these stores can be found in a row, especially along Nathan Road (and most of Tsim Sha Tsui), in Kowloon, Mong Kok and in parts of Causeway Bay. One trick is to offer you a low price on an item, take your money only to discover that it is out of stock, and then offer you an inferior item instead. Another trick is to give you a great price on a camera, take your credit card, and before handing over the camera convince you to buy another better one at an inflated cost. They may also try to mislead you into buying an inferior product, by claiming that it is a quality product. Watch out for persons (usually of Indian subcontinental descent) who approach tourists in the busier areas of Kowloon (especially Tsim Sha Tsui). They do spot Westerners from a great distance and will make a direct line toward you to sell you usually either a suit or watch (Genuine Copy is the a phrase often used). Learn to spot them from a distance (since they are already looking for you), make eye-contact, put up your hand and definitively shake your head. Good, strong body language in this regard will help you be approached far less. Although the law is strictly enforced, tourists traps are usually designed by villains who are experts at exploiting gray areas in the law. Remember, no one can help you if unscrupulous shop owners havent actually broken the law. The official Hong Kong Tourism Board has also introduced the Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme that keeps a list of reputable shops, restaurants and hotels. The shops registered usually cater only to tourists, while shops that offer you the best deals usually dont bother to join the programme. Watch out for people around Nathan road asking you where youre going. Dont tell them which hostel or hotel youre searching for, otherwise they will offer to take you there. Many shops are reluctant to refund if you just dont like what you bought. They are more willing to exchange products that havent been tampered with or replace defective goods. Going against the trend, Marks amp Spencer and Giordano both offer refunds without too much fuss. Supermarkets and Convenience Stores Edit Like many crowded urban areas where most people rely on public transport, many Hongkongers shop little and often, so therefore there is an abundance of convenience stores which can be found on almost every street corner and in most train stations. These include 7-Eleven, Circle K (known as OK by the locals) and Vanguard. Convenience stores are more expensive (except for beer on a per can basis, especially when theres a 2 x x special) but are normally open 24-7 and sell magazines, soft drinks, beer, instant noodles, packaged sandwiches, microwavable ready-meals, snacks, contraceptives and cigarettes. Many stores have an in-store microwave for preparing ready-meals as well as hot water for preparing instant noodles and instant teacoffee, and also provide chopsticks and western cutlery for eating food on the go. Park n Shop, Wellcome, Aeon are the three main supermarket chains in Hong Kong and they have branches in almost every neighbourhood, some of which open 24-7. Aeon (previously JUSCO) is a popular japanese-style retail chain in Hong Kong. Aeon offers wide selection of reasonably priced and quality products. Travellers looking for quick bites and household products can have their safe bet at Aeon supermarkets. However, most supermarkets will have friendly staff, who are prepared to help a Westerner. Its also a great opportunity to practice Cantonese greetings and small-talk andor your numbers (great for the markets later). If there are Superstore supermarkets, these are bigger, less cramped and often have more specials (or a better range, especially of drinks and snacks). In urban areas, some stores are located underground and tend to be very small and cramped, although they have a much wider product choice and are somewhat cheaper than the above convenience stores. Citysuper, Great and Taste are expensive upmarket supermarkets that focus on high-quality products that are aimed towards a more affluent market. Apita and JUSCO are large Japanese-style supermarkets with a wide product selection and food courts. The YATA department store, fully owned and operated by Hong Kong companies that have zero ties with any Japanese parties, also trying to offer somewhat Japanese-sytle supermarket experience. Cantonese fast food at Maxims MX: winter melon soup () with steamed beef cake (), rice and tea A selection of dim sum . Clockwise from top left: shrimp dumplings ( har gau ), chicken and vegetable congee ( juk ), jasmine tea, steamed dumplings, barbecued pork buns ( char siu bau ), rice noodle rolls with soy sauce ( cheong fun ) Hot and iced Hong Kong tea Cuisine plays an important part in many peoples lives in Hong Kong. Not only is it a showcase of Chinese cuisines with huge regional varieties, but there are also excellent Asian and Western choices. Although Western food is often adapted to local tastes, Hong Kong is a good place for homesick travellers who have had enough of Chinese food. The Michelin guide to Hong Kong is considered to be the benchmark of good restaurants. Open Rice also provides a great directory of local restaurants. This is a fairly safe way to find a few hole in the wall style restaurants or eating places, whilst still experiencing good, local food. According to Restaurant magazine, 4 of the best 100 restaurants in the world are in Hong Kong. You may meet some local people who havent cooked at home for a decade. Locals love to go out to eat since it is much more practical than socializing in crowded spaces at home. A long queue can be a local sport outside many good restaurants during peak hours. Normally, you need to register first, get a ticket and wait for empty seats. Reservations are usually only an option in upmarket restaurants. Eating etiquette Edit Chinese food is generally eaten with chopsticks. However, restaurants serving western food usually provide a knife, fork and spoon. Do not stick your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice, as this is reminiscent of incense sticks burning at the temple and has connotations of wishing death on those around you. In addition, chopsticks should not be used to move bowls and plates or make any noise. Dishes in smaller eateries might not come with a serving spoon, although staff will usually provide one if you request. A few Hong Kong customs to be aware of: To thank the person who pours your tea Cantonese style, tap two or three fingers on the table. The legend suggests a story involving a Chinese emperor travelling incognito and his loyal subjects wanting to kowtow (bow) to him without blowing their cover 8212 hence the finger kowtow. If you want more tea in the pot, leave the lid open, and it will be refilled. It is not unusual for customers to rinse their plates and utensils with hot tea before starting their meal, and a bowl is often provided for this very purpose. This is due to the fact that cheaper restaurants may often have washing residues on dishes or utensils. Except for very expensive places, there is no real dress code in Hong Kong. You will often see people in suits and others in t-shirts in the same restaurant. See also Chinese table manners for more details. While certain etiquette is different, Chinese manners for using chopsticks apply to Hong Kong too. Local foods, eating establishments, and costs Edit You can usually tell how cheap (or expensive) the food is from the decor of the restaurant (menus are not always displayed outside restaurants). Restaurants in Soho in Central, in 5-star restaurants, or in other high-rent areas are usually more expensive than restaurants that are off the beaten path. It is easy to find places selling mains for well under HK80, offering both local and international food. Local fast food chains such as Caf de Coral and Maxims MX offer meals in the vicinity of HK30, with standardised English menus for easy ordering. Yoshinoya (a Japanese chain) sell Japanese style Gyudon (beef and rice) and Teriyaki-style Chicken (with rice or noodles) for a very reasonable price. Mid-range restaurants generally charge in excess of HK100 for mains. At the top end, restaurants, such as Felix or Aqua, can easily see you leave with a bill in excess of HK1500 (including entres (appetizers), mains, desserts and drinks). A new rising trend worth checking out is PlateCulture where you can book local private restaurants. It offers a service similar to Airbnb but for food and is a great way to get to know locals and find private restaurants otherwise inaccessible to travellers. Dim sum Edit Dim sum (), literally means to touch (your) heart, is possibly the best known Cantonese dish. Served at breakfast and lunch, these delicately prepared morsels of Cantonese cuisine are often served with Chinese tea. Dim Sum comes in countless variations with a huge price range from 8 to more than 100 per order. Common items include steamed shrimp dumplings ( har gau), pork dumplings ( siu mai), barbecued pork buns ( char siu bau), and Hong Kong egg tarts ( dan tat). Expect more choice in upmarket restaurants. One pot of tea with two dishes, called yak chung liang gin is a typical serving for breakfast. Siu Mei Edit Siu mei a general name for roast meats made in a Hong Kong style, including roast pork belly, roasted over an open firepork ( char siu), roast duck or chicken. With the addition of a slightly crispy honey sauce layer, the final taste is of a unique, deep barbecue flavour. Rice with roasted pork ( char siu), roasted duck, pork with a crisp crackling, or Fragrant Queens chicken (), are common dishes that are enduring favourites for many, including local superstars. It is recommended to taste the roasted pork with rice in Sun-Can of PolyU. Congee Edit Cantonese congee (juk) is a thin porridge made with rice boiled in water. Served at breakfast, lunch or supper, the best version is as soft as floss, it takes up to 10 hours to cook the porridge to reach this quality. Congee is usually eaten with savoury Chinese doughnuts ( yau char kway) and steamed rice pastry ( cheong fun) which often has a meat or vegetable filling. Hong Kong has several restaurant chains that specialise in congee, but none of them have earned the word-of-mouth respect from local gourmets. The best congee places are usually in older districts, often owned by elderly people who are patient enough to spend hours making the best floss congee. Noodles Edit When asked what food makes Hong Kong people feel home, wonton noodles () is one of the favourite answers. Wonton are dumplings usually made from minced prawn but may contain small amounts of pork. Rice pastry is also a popular dish from southern China. Found particularly in Teochew and Hokkien areas in China, its popularity is widespread throughout east Asia. In Hong Kong, it is usually served in soup with beef and fish balls and sometimes with deep-fried crispy fish skins. Tong Sui Edit A popular Cantonese dessert is a sweet soup called tong sui (, literal: sugar water). Popular versions are usually made with black sesame paste(), walnuts () or sago () which are usually sticky in texture. Other traditional ones include red bean paste(), green bean paste() and tofu pudding(). Lo ye () is a similar dish. Juice is put into a ultra-cold pan to make an ice paste, it is usually served with fresh fruit and sago. Tea cafes amp tea time Edit Hot milk tea Hong Kong style You might expect that after more than a century of colonial rule tea might be served British style - well, almost. Order a cup of hot Hong Kong tea () in a traditional cafe and what you will get will be a cup of the strongest brew imaginable. With the addition of evaporated milk, this is not a drink for the faint-hearted. A uniquely Hong Kong-style eatery starting to make waves elsewhere in Asia is the cha chaan teng (), literally tea cafe, but offering fusion fast food that happily mixes Western and Eastern fare: innovations include noodles with Spam, stir-fried spaghetti and baked rice with cheese. Usually a wide selection of drinks is also available, almost always including the popular tea-and-coffee mix yuenyeung (), and perhaps more oddities (to the Western palate) like boiled Coke with ginger or iced coffee with lemon. Orders are usually recorded on a chit at your table and you pay at the cashier as you leave. Showing signs of British colonial influence, tea time (Hang cha) plays an important role in Hong Kongs stressful office life. Usually starting at 2PM to 3PM, a typical tea set goes with a cup of silk-stocking tea, egg tarts and sandwiches with either minced beef, egg or ham, but without vegetables and cheese. Similar to Malaysian teh tarik, Hong Kongs variation shares a similar taste. The key difference is that a sackcloth bag is used to filter the tea leaves and the tea-dyed sackcloth resembles silk stockings, giving the name silk-stocking milk tea. Milk tea, to some Hong Kong people, is an important indicator on the quality of a restaurant. If a restaurant fails to serve reasonably good milk tea, locals might be very harsh with their criticism. Yuanyang is also a popular drink mixed with milk tea and coffee. A signal to tell you teatime has come is a small queue lining up in bakery to buy egg tarts (a teatime snack with outer pastry crust and filled with egg custard). Dont attempt to make a fool of yourself by telling people that the egg tart was brought to Hong Kong by the British - many locals are assertive in claiming sovereignty over their egg tarts. When a long-established egg tart shop in Central was closed due to skyrocketing rental payments, it became the SARs main news and many people came to help the owners look for a new place. Sample as many different egg tarts from local shops and find the best in your local area. To stuff your stomach in a grassroots Chaa Chan Teng () (local tea restaurant), expect to pay HK10-20 for milk, tea or coffee, HK8-10 for a toast, and HK25-50 for a dish of rice with meats. Wonton noodles generally cost HK20-30. Street food Edit The cheapest food is in the popular street stalls. Most of the people working there do not speak much English and there is no English on the menu. However if you could manage to communicate, street-style eating is an excellent way to experience local food. Point, use fingers (or Cantonese numbers) and smile. Theyre usually willing to help. Local specialities include curry fish meat balls (), fake shark fin soup () made with beans and vermicelli noodles, egg waffle (), fried three filled treasures (, vegetable filled with fish meat), fried intestines on a stick, fried squid or octopus and various meats on sticks (such as satay style chicken). Fast food Edit Most major fast food eateries are popular in Hong Kong and have reasonable prices. McDonalds sells a Happy Meal set for around 20-25. Seafood Edit Live seafood tanks, Sai Kung Seafood is very popular and is widely available. The best places to eat seafood include Sai Kung, Sam Shing, Po Doi O and Lau Fau Shan in the New Territories and Hong Kongs islands. particularly Lamma and Cheung Chau, are abound with seafood restaurants. Seafood is not cheap. Prices range from HK200 per head for a very basic dinner, to HK300-500 for better choices and much more for the best on offer. Expect to find a mismatch between the high prices for the food and the quality of the restaurant. Sometimes the best food is served in the most basic eateries where tables maybe covered in cheap plastic covers rather than a more formal tablecloth. Often, Cantonese people value the food more than the decor. If one of your travelling companions does not like seafood, dont panic, many seafood restaurants have extensive menus that cater for all tastes. A number of seafood restaurants specialise in high quality roast chicken that is especially flavoursome. Many exotic delicacies like abalone, conch and bamboo clam can be found for sale in many seafood restaurants but you might want to avoid endangered species such as shark and juvenile fish. Sushi Edit Sushi is very popular and there are several all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants with reasonable prices. Meats Edit While Hong Kong has long banned dog and cat meat and has strict rules on importing many meats of wild life animals, snake meat is commonly seen in winter in different restaurants that bear the name Snake King. Served in a sticky soup, it is believed to warm your body. Theres an ongoing debate over the consumption of shark fin in Hong Kong, which is the biggest importer of this exotic cuisine. Commonly served at wedding parties and other important dining events, shark fin is served in a carefully prepared stew usually at 80 per bowl to 1000. The consumption of shark fin is a controversial topic and the Hong Kong WWF is campaigning against consumption of this endangered species. Besides exotic meats, you will also see chicken feet, pigs noses and ears, lungs, stomachs, ducks heads, various types of intestines, livers, kidneys, black pudding (blood jelly) and ducks tongues on the Chinese dining tables. International Cuisine Edit Due to the large number of foreign residents in Hong Kong, there are many restaurants that serve authentic international cuisine at all price levels. This includes various types of Indian, Thai, Korean, Japanese and European foods. These can often be found in, though not restricted to, entertainment districts such as Lan Kwai Fong, Soho or Knutsford Terrace. Of these, Soho is probably the best for eating as Lan Kwai Fong is primarily saturated with bars and clubs. Top chefs are often invited or try to make their way to work in Hong Kong. Home-dining Edit Home-dining is catching on as a very popular trend in Hong Kong. PlateCulture and BonAppeTour are a great way to discover local chefs who would love to have you over for an evening dinner. Its a great way to make friends over home-made food, and company. Barbecue Edit Barbecue (BBQ) meals are a popular local pastime. Many areas feature free public barbecue pits where everybody roasts their own food, usually with long barbeque forks. Its not just sausages and burgers - the locals enjoy cooking a variety of things at BBQ parties, such as fish, beef meatballs, pork meatballs, chicken wings, and so on. A good spot is the Southern Hong Kong Island. where almost every beach is equipped with many free BBQ spots. Just stop by a supermarket and buy food, drinks and BBQ equipment. The best spots are Shek O (under the trees at the left hand side of the beach) and Big Wave Bay. Foodie Tours Edit The number of restaurants in Hong Kong can make choosing one daunting, not to mention it is easy to find food, but not so easy to find great food. There are several licensed tour operators in Hong Kong specialising in food tours. Eating Adventures offers regular group tours of Mongkok and Hong Kong Island, with expert local guides. Wet markets Edit Wet markets are still prevalent. Freshness is a key ingredient to all Chinese food, so frozen meat and vegetables are frowned upon, and most markets display freshly butchered beef and pork (with entrails), live fish in markets, and more exotic shellfish . frogs . turtles and sea snails. Local people often go to the market everyday to buy fresh ingredients, just like the restaurants. Cooked food centres Edit Cooked food centres are often found in the same building as some of the indoor wet markets. Tables that were once located on the street have been swept into sterile concrete buildings. Inside, the atmosphere is like a food court without the frills. Cooked food centres provide economic solutions to diners, but you might need to take along a Cantonese speaker, or be brave. Supermarkets Edit Supermarkets include Wellcome and Park N Shop. Speciality supermarkets catering to Western and Japanese tastes include City Super and Great. 24 hour convenience stores 7-Eleven and Circle K can be found almost anywhere in urban areas. Drink Edit Tea is a popular beverage in Hong Kong. Chinese teas may be served in most chinese restaurants, though many places also serve Hongkong-style milk tea. Alcohol Edit Some Hong Kongers do drink a lot but do not expect the binge-drinking culture found in some western countries and parts of the mainland. There are many neighbourhoods in Hong Kong without much in the way of a bar or pub. Drinking alcohol with food is acceptable and youll often see older Chinese men and workers having a bottle with their meal from street vendors or dai pai dong . but there is no expectation to order alcohol with your meal in any restaurant. A number of popular eateries do not sell alcohol because of a licence restriction. Lan Kwai Fong (Central), Wan Chai and Knutsford Terrace (Kowloon) are the three main drinking areas where locals, expats and tourists mingle together. Here you will certainly find a party atmosphere, Hong Kong parties VERY hard every night of the week. The minimum age for drinking in a bar is 18 years. There is usually a requirement for young adults to prove their age, especially when going to a nightclub. The accepted ID in clubs is either your passport or a Hong Kong ID card. Photocopies are rarely accepted due to minors using fake documents. Some clubs in Lan Kwai Fong has imposed a dress code on customers and tourists are of no exception. As a general rule, shorts or pants that are above knee length should be avoided. Drinking out in Hong Kong can be expensive. Beer usually starts from HK50 for a pint and more in a bar popular among expats or specialist bars serving craft beer or American micro beer. However, away from the tourist trail, some Chinese restaurants may have a beer promotion aimed at meeting the needs of groups of diners. In cooked food centres, usually found at the wet markets, young women are often employed to promote a particular brand of beer. Convenience stores such as Circle-K, and supermarkets all sell a reasonable range of drinks at a very reasonable price, and are your best bet if you dont need to be in a bar to drink. In Lan Kwai Fong, the 7-Eleven there is a very popular bar for party-animals on a budget. The trick is to find a small niche pub frequented by locals (usually banking and finance working class) the prices at these places are much cheaper and the crowd is better too. Talk to your cab driver for more information. They usually know where these places are. Best time to discover them is after 1:00 AM in the morning. During Wednesdays and Thursdays Ladies night applies in some bars in Wan Chai and Lan Kwai Fong . which in most cases means that women can enter bars and clubs for free, and in some rare cases also get their drinks paid for the night. At weekends, several bars and clubs in these areas also have an open bar for some of the night, which means you can drink as much as you like. There is no longer any tax on wine or beer in Hong Kong. Check the district pages of this travel guide for recommended bars. Hong Kong Ritz-Carlton Hotel BAR Tobacco Edit Smoking Restrictions A no-smoking ban is currently in effect. The ban includes a number of outdoor locations such as university campuses, parks, gardens, bus stops, and beaches, extends to places such as bars, clubs and saunas. A substantial fine of up to 5,000 will be charged if caught smoking in the wrong place. There is also a penalty of 1,500 for dropping cigarette butts. Unlike mainland China the laws are strictly enforced and followed. Tourists are only allowed to import no more than 19 duty-free cigarettes or 25g of tobacco products. According to one local account, a man was fined 2000 after being found guilty of carrying five packs of cigarettes. Illegal duty-free cigarettes can be seen for sale in several locations, such as night markets, but both the buyer and seller may be charged for smuggling. Be aware that the police are known to launch frequent raids at any time. Once caught, ignorance is not an accepted defence. Cigarettes in Hong Kong cost around 50 for a pack of 20. Hand-rolling tobacco is available in speciality shops, but also in some convenience stores. Electronic Cigarettes Edit Electronic cigarettes have been introduced to Hong Kong dating back to 2004, but the sale, possession and use of nicotine-containing cartridges are illegal. The Hong Kong government has cracked down shops that sell nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, declaring it a pharmaceutical product which must be registered before sale under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, but the prohibitive cost of clinical and laboratory reports means that no e-cigarettes are registered. The Health Department also declared illegal to smoke non-nicotine e-cigarettes in an indoor area. 22 Sleep Edit Individual listings can be found in Hong Kongs district articles With more than 50,000 rooms available, Hong Kong offers a huge choice of accommodation from cheap digs to super luxury. However, budget travellers who are spoiled by cheap prices in the rest of Asia are often shocked that the accommodation cost in Hong Kong is closer to that of London and New York. Budget Edit While it is possible to get a dorm bed for HK120-150, a single room for HK270-400, and a double room for HK400-500, you should not expect anything in these rooms except a bed, with barely enough space in the room to open the door. Accommodation with reasonable space, decoration, and cleanness is usually priced from HK150-200 for a dorm bed, HK450-600 for a single room, HK700 for a double room, and HK800 for a triple room. Most cheap guesthouses are located along Nathan Road between Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok. Expect a tiny, undecorated room with just enough room for a bed. Bathrooms are often shared and noise could be a problem for light sleepers. Be sure to read the online reviews before booking as bed bugs, dirty beds, and unclean bathrooms have been reported. Keep your expectations as realistically low as possible. Popular guesthouse clusters are inside the 17-floor Chungking Mansions Tower (Nathan Road 36-44) ( in Chinese, nicknamed Chungking Jungles by some local people), Mirador Mansions () in Tsim Sha Tsui, and New Lucky House () (15 Jordan Road). These towers are all located in the city centre and close to the buses tofrom the airport. While these towers are regarded as slums by the locals, if you ignore the fake watch sellers and disturbing pimps, the towers are well-patrolled and safe. Another cluster of hostels and guesthouses can be found on Paterson Street near Causeway Bay. While not as centrally-located as the mansions, the internet connections are more reliable and the rooms are generally clean. However, they are still small and cramped. Do not expect a great atmosphere or spacious rooms. Notice that some drab guesthouses, especially those in Kowloon Tong, Mong Kok, and Causeway Bay, may actually be love hotels . The Hong Kong Youth Hostel Association operates 7 youth hostels. All of them are located outside the city and cost HK100-300 to reach via taxi when public transport service is not operating. All but the one on Hong Kong Island also have strict curfew rules and require guests to leave the site from 10:00 to 16:00 (13:00 - 15:00 on public holidays). Free shuttle bus service is provided by several hostels but the service stops at 10:30pm. The government advises travellers to stay in hostels with licences, this website may help you a lot: The Office of Licensing Authority maintains an online list of licensed accommodation establishments. There are 41 camping sites in Hong Kong. The facilities are on a first-come-first-served basis and places are booked quickly during weekends and public holidays. You are not allowed to camp other than in a designated camp site (identified by the sign board erected by the Country and Marine Parks Authority) and this rule is strictly enforced. Mid-range Edit If the mansions and hostels are too cramped for you, Hong Kong is a good place to spend a bit extra and get a proper hotel room. Many rooms in basic business hotels in the city centre can be had for 700 per night. Splurge Edit For affluent travellers, Hong Kong houses some of the best world class hotels that run a fierce competition for your wallets by offering pick-up service by helicopter, a Michelin star restaurant, and extravagant spas. Major international chains are also well-represented. Five-star hotels include The Peninsula, Four Seasons, Le Meridien, W, InterContinental, JW Marriott, Ritz Carlton, Shangri-La, and Mandarin Oriental. Rooms usually start from HK3,000. There are also some four star hotels such as Marriott, Novotel. and Crowne Plaza. Prices start from around HK1,500, depending on the season. Stay safe Edit Hong Kong is one of the safest cities in the world. However, petty crimes can happen and travelers are reminded to use common sense and exercise caution during the stay in Hong Kong. Crime Edit With an effective legal system and public awareness, Hong Kong is one of the safest cities in the world. However, pickpockets are not uncommon in Hong Kong, especially in crowded areas. Needless to say, common sense should be used as you do in other parts of the world. Although local people feel safe to carry a knapsack with a wallet inside, one should be wary in crowded areas where pickpockets are likely to strike, particularly at the main tourist attractions. Do not wave your wallet in public, show the cash inside, or letting people know where you keep your wallet. When you travel to crowded areas, such as Sham Shui Po and Mong Kok have had bad reputation for crime by Hong Kong standards. As they are crowded and relatively poorer areas, involving pickpockets, and infamously acid spills in Mong Kok. Hong Kong films have often portrayed triads () as gun wielding gangsters who fear nobody, but that only happens in the movies. Even in their heyday, triads tended to engage only in prostitution (which is legal itself, but organised prostitution, i. e. pimping or brothels, are not), counterfeiting or loan-sharking and lived underground lives, and rarely targeted the average person on the street. Just stay away from the triads by avoiding loan sharks and illegal betting. Call 999 when you urgently need help from the Police, Fire and Ambulance services. Hong Kong has a strict service control system, so once you call 999, the police should show up within 10 minutes in most cases, usually less. For non-emergency police assistance, call 2527-7177. However, not all policemen are good. There is a culture for policemen to persuade reporters not to insisting on continuing the investigation. They may say that it is unlikely the suspects can be found or do whatever to close the file. Record their identity number and make complaints whenever necessary. Tourist traps Edit These have become increasing common, that some random strangers or shop keepers offer discounts on their products. The key to avoid tourist traps is if it sounds too good to be true, it is. - Know what you want. Do not allow the salesman to talk you into something else unless you know what you are doing - Check the goods and always ask for a receipt before walking out of the store - When buying electronics, always check there is an International warranty Legal matters Edit Most travellers who have got into trouble with the law are involved with illicit drugs. Drugs such as ecstasy (MDMA) and marijuana are subject to tight control and tourists risk immediate arrest if they are found in possession of even small amounts of banned substances. Most Hongkongers tend to have strong negative views against narcotics, including soft drugs such as marijuana. Under Hong Kong law, local residents are required to carry Identity Cards with them at all times, and the police frequently carry out spot checks when they have reasonable grounds for suspicion. Tourists are advised by the government to carry their passports but unless you think you are highly likely to be stopped by the police there is no great need most visitors choose to keep their passport in a safe place. People will not target you because you are dressed well. People in Hong Kong often dress up. Caucasians are rarely targeted by policemen for ID checks. Mainland Chinese and South Asians, especially Pakistanis and Nepalis often get targeted by policemen. As long as you dress well (this does not mean formally), you are unlikely to be targeted You are expected to cooperate with the police during their investigations, and understand that they may search your pockets and bags. By the law, you can reject a request to search your bags and body in public. You also have the right to refuse to answer any questions, to contact your embassy and to apply for legal assistance. The police are obligated to comply with your request but they may detain you for up to 48 hours. Discrimination is known to happen. People with a good educational background and reputable jobs are usually better treated by the police, while young people, those from developing countries and western countries with loose regulations on drugs may experience more frequent checks. The police and the government are exempt from the Race Discrimination Ordinance. However, there is a law to ban any form of police brutality, including verbal attacks and any use of foul language. Call 2866-7700 for the official Independent Police Complaints Council and report the officers badge number displayed on hisher shoulder. The complaint will be taken seriously. Traffic Edit Traffic rules are seriously enforced in Hong Kong where penalties can be stringent, and road conditions are excellent, although road courtesy remains to have a room to improve. However, the driving speed can be so fast to claim more death toll when accidents happen. Signage on the roads in Hong Kong is similar to British usage. Zebra lines (zebra crossings) indicate crossing areas for pedestrians and traffic comes from the right. To stay safe, visit the Transport Departments website 23 for complete details. Crossing the road by foot should also be exercised with great care. Traffic in Hong Kong generally moves fast once the signal turns green. To help both the visually impaired and even people who are not, an audible aid is played at every intersection. Rapid bells indicate Walk intermittent bells (10 sets of 3 bells) indicate Do Not Start to Cross and slow bells indicate Do Not Walk. Jay-walking is an offence and police officers may be out patrolling accident black-spots. Its is not uncommon to see local people waiting to cross an empty road - when this happens, you should also wait because it maybe that they have noticed that the police are patrolling the crossing. Zero Tolerance on Corruption Edit Hong Kong is ranked as the worlds 13th cleanest region in the Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International which aims to put an end to corruption, outpacing the U. S and most European countries such as Germany and France. The territory has a powerful anti-corruption police force: the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), which has been taken as a role model by Interpol and the United Nations. A number of countries, such as Australia have adopted the Hong Kong system to combat corruption. In Hong Kong, corruption is a serious offense and giving bribes to civil servants will certainly result in a prison sentence. Money given for unfair and illegitimate competition may also be regarded as a bribe. Demonstrations Edit Protests are the national sport in Hong Kong. The biggest one usually happens in 1st July in the noon time. Participants range from dozens of thousands to 500,000. Public transportation along Causeway Bay, Wanchai, Central may be affected from noon to 6:00PM. On every 4th June, hundreds of thousands of people will also hold the biggest vigil night in the Victoria Park to commemorate the death of victims on the Tiananman Square Massacre in 1989. Hong Kong protests have a deserved reputation for its mildness, orderliness, non-violence and minimal annoyance to others. In recent years, local conservatives complain a growing extremist behaviours which refer to protesters who sleep on a traffic road outside the government offices and bring a paper coffin to the government buildings. These usually do not cause troubles to travellers. Hiking Edit Several hikers have lost their lives in the wilderness in the past decade. Hikers should equip themselves with detailed hiking maps, compass, mobile phones, snacks and adequate amounts of drinking water. Most areas of the countryside are covered by a mobile phone network but in some places you will only be able to pickup a mobile phone signal from mainland China. In this case, it is not possible to dial 999 for emergency assistance. A number of emergency telephones have been placed in Country Parks, their locations are clearly marked on all hiking maps. Heat stroke is a major problem for hikers who lack experience of walking in a warm climate. If you plan to walk a dog during the hot summer months, remember that dogs are more vulnerable to heat stroke than humans and owners should ensure their pets get adequate rest and water. The cooler hiking and camping season in October to February is also the time of the year when hill fires likely strike. At the entrances to country parks you will likely observe signs warning you of the current fire risk. With an average of 365 hill fires a year, you should take the risk of fire seriously and dispose of cigarettes and matches appropriately. According to some hikers accounts, in places where fires and camping is not allowed, the Staff of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) will most likely fine an offender. While its generally very safe to hike, the countryside can provide shelter to illegal immigrants and a few cases of robbery have been known. However, the police do patrol hiking routes and most major paths do offer the security of fellow hikers. Natural disasters Edit Natural disasters are not usually a major issue in Hong Kong. There are no nearby fault lines, so earthquakes are rare and relatively mild when they do happen. The main hazards that Hong Kong faces are typhoons and floods. Typhoons normally occur during the months of May to November, and are particularly prevalent during September. Whenever a typhoon approaches within 800km of Hong Kong, typhoon warning signal 1 is issued. Signal 3 is issued as the storm approaches. When winds reach speeds of 63-117 kmhour, signal 8 is issued. At this point, most nonessential activities shut down, including shops, restaurants and the transport system, offices and schools. Ferry services will be suspended, so visitors should return to their accommodation as soon as possible if they are dependent on these boat services to reach a place of safety. Signal 9 and 10 will be issued depending on the proximity and intensity of the storm. Winds may gust at speeds exceeding 220 kmhour causing masonry and other heavy objects to fall to the ground. During a typhoon, visitors should heed all warnings very seriously and stay indoors until the storm has passed. Remember that if the eye of the storm passes directly over there will be a temporary period of calm followed by a sudden resumption of strong winds from a different direction. Some taxis are available during signal 8 or above, but they are under no obligation to serve passengers as their insurance is no longer effective under such circumstances. Taxi passengers are expected to pay up to 100 more when a typhoon strikes. Rainstorms also have their own warning system. In increasing order of severity, the levels are amber, red and black. A red or black rainstorm is a serious event and visitors should take refuge inside buildings. A heavy rainstorm can turn a street into a river and cause serious landslides. The Hong Kong Observatory 24 is the best place to get detailed weather information when in Hong Kong. In summer a convectional rainstorm may affect only a small area and give you the false impression that all areas are wet. Stay healthy Edit The quality of medical care in Hong Kong is excellent but expensive for tourists who are not qualified to get a government subsidy. In cases of emergency, treatment is guaranteed, but you will be billed later if you cannot pay immediately. As a tourist, you are required to pay 570 for using emergency services (100 for Hong Kong residents). Waiting times at hospital emergency rooms can be lengthy for non emergency patients, since people are prioritised according to their situation. If you have a problem making payment in public hospitals, you can apply for financial assistance but you will need to prove your economic status to social workers based in the hospital. One common cause of sickness is the extreme temperature change between 35C humid summer weather outdoors and 18C air-conditioned buildings and shopping malls. Some people experience cold symptoms after moving between the two extremes. You are recommended to carry a sweater even in the summer-time. Heat stroke is also common when hiking. Carry enough water and take scheduled rests before you feel unwell. Find medical care Edit Healthcare standards in Hong Kong are on par with the West, and finding a reputable medical professional is not much of a problem should you get sick. Medical professionals come in two flavours: those that practice traditional Chinese medicine and the Western variety. Both are taken equally seriously in Hong Kong, but as a visitor the assumption will be to direct you to a Western professional. Professionals that practice Western medicine almost always speak English fluently, but you may find the receptionist to be more of a challenge. Seeing a professional is as easy as walking off the street and making an appointment with the receptionist. Generally you will be seen within an hour or less, but take note of the opening times displayed in the window of the office. A straightforward consultation for a minor ailment might cost around 150 to 500, but your bill will be inclusive of medicine. In Hong Kong, it is normal for a professional to sell you medicine. Most surgeries and hospitals will accept credit cards. Expect to pay more if you visit a swanky surgery in Central. Check the directory25 maintained by the Hong Kong Medical Association for information on doctors. Finding general practitioners, medical specialists, and dentists are available on forums and the web. A well-regarded physical therapy (physiotherapy) specialist is SOS Physiotherapy at 6F Shum Tower, 268 De Voeux Road, Sheung Wan (MTR Exit B), Central (852 2543 3218). Tap Water Edit Tap water in Hong Kong has been proven to be drinkable . although most of the local people still prefer to boil and chill their drinking water when it is taken from the tap. The official advice from the Water Board is that the water is perfectly safe to drink unless you are living in an old building with outdated plumbing and poorly maintained water tanks . Bottled water is strongly recommended by locals but remember that Hong Kongs landfill sites are filling up fast and plastic bottles are a major environmental problem, so use recycling bins where provided. Pollution Edit Despite Hong Kongs name meaning fragrant harbour, this is not always so. Air pollution is a big problem due to a high population density and industrial pollution from mainland China. During periods of very bad air pollution tourists will find visibility drastically reduced, especially from Victoria Peak. Persons with serious respiratory problems should seek medical advice before travelling to the territory and ensure that they bring ample supplies of any relevant medication. Pollution is a contentious topic in Hong Kong and is the number one issue among environmental campaigners. Much of the pollution originates from factories in mainland China and from Hong Kong motorists. Levels of pollution can vary according to the season. The winter monsoon can bring polluted air from the mainland, whilst the summer monsoon can bring cleaner air off the South China Sea. Respect Edit Culture and Politics Edit Hong Kong has significant cultural differences from mainland China due to its evasion of communist ideologies during the colonial age. After it was handed to China in 1997, the city has kept their independent and reputable legal system, effective anti-corruption measures, free press that cover a sensitive topic such as Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989. They speak a different language (Cantonese vs. Mandarin) and write with different Chinese characters (traditional vs. simplified). You will quickly annoy locals if you suggest that Hong Kongers are subjected to propaganda in the same way as people who live in Mainland China. In general, during a conversation, it is best to avoid subjects of politics. If you are asked your opinion, best to be neutral about it. However, there is no need to worry of getting into trouble solely by discussing politics. In Hong Kong, freedom of speech and the press are protected in law. Hong Kong people are free to criticize their government. Many foreigners are not certain whether to address Hong Kong people Chinese, or if it would cause offense. The Sino-Hong Kong relationship, as always, is a contentious topic. Hong Kong people seldom deny their Chinese roots and they do share pride in being Chinese at the same time they seek to distinguish themselves, both culturally and politically, from the mainland (such as speaking Cantonese and writing traditional Chinese). In general it is fine to address Hong Kong people Chinese on a cultural level, or ethnic-Chinese when it comes to ethnicity. Furthermore, opinions are very divided among whether Hong Kong should have a close relationship with China or not. Politics is split between pro-Beijing and pro-democracy camps. Some Hong Kong people think every Chinese person should love their country (a requirement for all candidates of the head of government). However, some people interpret this as supporting the current communist party. Some people think closer economic ties with China will benefit Hong Kong. Some people think Hong Kong has always been self-sufficient since colonial days. The arguments go on. Manners and Etiquette Edit Hong Kong is a fast-paced society where the phrase m goi (, m sounds like hmm), which literally means I should not (bother you), is used pervasively in a situation that you would say Excuse me or Thank you. Spitting and littering, an offence subject to a penalty of 1,500, is considered rude because it disturbs others. Smoking in most indoor places and train stations (including bus-stops) is prohibited. Also, the authority in Hong Kong is quite strict in enforcing the law relating to all those above. When smoking in front of a non-smoker, always ask for a permission because a lot of locals do not smoke (in comparison to Westerners) and some are even allergic to the smell. Similarly, many locals do not drink alcohol but will not mind if you do. While Hong Kong has a generally good reputation when it comes to customer service, it is considered strange to strike up pleasantries with a stranger unless they are pregnant, disabled or senior citizens who are obviously in need. Saying good morning to a person you dont know at a bus stop will probably be viewed with suspicion. It is unusual for people to hold doors for strangers and supermarket staff or bank cashier seldom ask about your day. Staff in shops and restaurants might not even say thank you when you pay. All these do not necessarily mean that people in Hong Kong are less polite than others. It is just they dont have that relaxed and slow-paced culture as in the West. In recent years, there is a large influx of mainland tourists and their behaviour has made headlines in Hong Kong. Some of their behaviours were seen as gross by Hong Kong standard (or most countries standards). This has unfortunately led to discrimination against mainland tourists. If you are a mainlander (or a Chinese-looking person speaking Mandarin), be prepared you may be treated in an unfriendly way by the locals. However, if you are well-behaved, the locals will soon realise that and you will be welcomed just like any others. People have found substitutes to splash their love, attention and money on - in the form of some very pampered pooches. Superstition Edit Superstition is the Hong Kong psyche and it can be observed everywhere. Many buildings are influenced by the Fengshui principles which refer to a decoration style that blend the Five Elements (Gold, Lumber, Water, Fire, Earth) together, which will turn out to bring you luck, fortune, better health, good examination results, good relationships, and even a baby boy, according to their believers. Many buildings come without 14th and 24th floors, which phonetically means you must die and you die easily. They love the number 18 (you will get rich), 369 (liveliness, longevity, lasting), 28 (easy to get rich), 168 (get rich forever). Hong Kong people love to tease at their superstition thoughts but they dont mean to ignore it. When visiting your friend in Hong Kong, never give them a clock as a gift because giving a clock phonetically means attending ones funeral. No pears will be served in a wedding party because sharing a pear sounds like separation. Some people refuse to open an umbrella indoor because a ghost spirit, who is thought to fear sunshine, will hide themselves into it. Breaking a mirror will bring you 7 unlucky years. Religion Edit Swastikas (reversed) are commonly seen in Buddhist temples and are regarded as a religious symbol. They do not represent Nazism or anti-Semitism, so visitors should not be offended when seeing them among the possessions of locals. Business Edit When you give or receive a business card, always do it with both hands and with a slight dip of your head or you will be seen either disrespectful and ignorant, even if you are a foreigner. Welcoming someone should also be done with a slight dip of the head and with a customary firm handshake, but there is no need to bow. You will find that the cashier may hand receipts or change with both hands too. This is considered a gesture of respect. Because youre the patron, it is up to you to do the same or not when handing cash to the cashier. Dress Edit When the thermometer hits 30 degrees, expect to see many local people wearing warm clothing - this is to protect against the harsh air-conditioning often found on public transport and in places like shopping malls or cinemas. Hong Kong women are known for their fairly conservative dress code, although wearing halter-necks and sleeveless tops are not uncommon and acceptable. Public nudity is prohibited. Being completely naked on the beach is also prohibited. The dress code for men, especially tourists, is less conservative than it might have been. Even in 5-star hotels, smart casual is usually acceptable although you might want to make your own enquiries in advance before dining in those places. Tourists from colder climates sometimes assume that wearing shorts in the tropics is a sensible idea, but hairy knees can look out of place in urban Hong Kong. Gay and Lesbian Hong Kong Edit Homosexuality was decriminalised in 1991. The age of consent between two males is 16 according to the ruling by the Hong Kong Court of Appeal in 2006, while there is no law concerning that between two females. Same sex marriages are not recognised and there is no anti-discrimination legislation on the grounds of sexuality. The display of public affection, while not common, is generally tolerated, but it will almost certainly attract curious stares. Gay bashing is unheard of, although an effeminate boy could be a target for school bullying. Hong Kong people generally respect personal freedom on sexuality. The prominent celebrity film star, Leslie Cheung, openly admitted that he was bisexual but his work and his personality has still been widely respected. His suicide in 2003 shocked many, and his fans, mainly female, showed considerable support for his partner. However, while gay pride parades have recently been held in Hong Kong, there is no obvious gay community in daily life, and same-sex marriages are not legally recognised. Coming out to strangers or in the office is still regarded as peculiar and most tend to remain silent on this topic. Gay bars and clubs are concentrated in Central, Sheung Wan. Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui (TST). The quality of these venues varies considerably and will perhaps disappoint those expecting something similar to London, Paris or New York. Dim Sum magazine, available for free in most cafes, eateries, bars and clubs, is Hong Kongs bilingual GLBT magazine which gives a pretty good idea about gay and lesbian parties and events happening in Hong Kong. Theres also a gay and lesbian section in TimeOut Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival is one of the longest running GLBT events in Hong Kong, and indeed in Asia. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2009, it brings to Hong Kong various international and regional GLBT films. The festival is usually held in November. Hong Kong also held its second Gay Pride ever on 1 Nov 2009, attracting over 1,800 people, gay and straight, to the event. Contact Edit Postal services are efficient and of high quality. Post offices are ubiquitous and coin-operated stamp vending machines provide service when the post offices are closed. You can also buy stamps in sets of 10 from many convenience stores such as 7-Eleven or Circle K (OK). Postal rates are viewable online. Internet access Edit Unlike in Mainland China, the Internet access is not filtered in Hong Kong. All web sites are accessible in Hong Kong. Internet cafes Edit Internet cafes are rare as most people have smartphones and wifi-enabled devices. When available, internet cafes charge HK20-30 per hour. Mobile data Edit Many operators offer temporary 3G plans for as little as HK78 per week. Obtaining a sim card is quick and hassle free - just go to a mobile phone shop, and buy a prepaid card - the price paid will already be loaded on the card and the card can be activated by making a call or sending an SMS. Prepaid data planspasses can be activated with a USSD code listed on the card. No registration of personal information is required. Wi-Fi Edit Free Wi-Fi is available at most hotels, shopping malls, coffee shops, the airport, certain buses, bus stopstermini, MTR stations, government buildings, and public libraries. You can also pay for access at commercial hotspots managed by PCCW and Y5ZONE . The cost is approximately 70 per week. Telephone Edit Hong Kongs country-code is 852 (different from mainland China (86) and Macau (853)). Local phone numbers (mobile and landlines) are typically 8 digits no area codes are used. All numbers that begin with 5, 6, 8, or 9 are mobile numbers, while numbers beginning with 2 or 3 are fixed line numbers. For calls from Hong Kong, the standard IDD prefix is 001, so you would dial 001-(country code)-(area code)-(telephone number). Note that calls to Macau or mainland China require international dialling. For the operator, dial 1000. For police, fire or ambulance services dial 999 . Mobile phones Edit Hong Kong has a world class communications infrastructure. Mobile phone usage is cheap. Hong Kong has many mobile operators. The best choices for tourists are Three. SmarTone and CSLone2free. All three operators offer prepaid SIM cards in micro, nano, and standard sizes. Unlimited data plans cost around HK28 per day. Recharging your credit can be done online with a Hong Kong credit card or by purchasing vouchers from retail stores, resellers, convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and supermarkets. Mobile phone numbers have eight digits and begin with 5, 6, or 9. Note that the telephone system is separate from Mainland China, and using Chinese SIM card would incur roaming charges. Subscriptions are available that cover both Hong Kong and mainland China, although these are longer term contracts. Samsung Galaxy Note or Nexus phones can be rented from counters A03 or B12 in the Arrivals Hall of Hong Kong International Airport for HK68 per day, which includes all local and international calls, 3G internet access, and a built-in city guide. Note that all mobile phone companies charge for BOTH incoming and outgoing calls (similar to USA, but different from most European countries, Japan, Taiwan, or South Korea). Coverage is excellent, except in remote mountainous areas. Almost all operators provide a good signal, even when underground in such places as the MTR system, on board trains and in cross-harbour and other road tunnels. Coverage is decent across all Hong Kong operators, comparison of the coverage and speeds of the networks can be found on Hong Kong Coverage maps created by OpenSignal. In general Hong Kong has advanced mobile infrastructure and was found to have the second fastest LTE in the world. after that of Sweden. Landline phones Edit Landline phones for local calls are charged on a monthly basis with unlimited access, but be careful that hotels may charge you per call. Payphones are available at the airport, shopping malls, government buildings, and MTR stations and cost HK1 for a local call for 5 minutes. If you dont have a mobile phone and need to make a short local call, most restaurants, supermarkets, and shops will allow you to use their phone if you ask nicely. Consulates-General, Consulates and Representative Offices Edit Representative office Edit China ( The Commissioners Office of the P. R.C. Foreign Ministry ), 7F, Lower Block, China Resources Bldg, 26 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai ( Use Wanchai MTR station and walk from there ), 852 3413 2300 (fmcovisahkmfa. gov. c. fax. 852 34132312 ). M-F 9AM-noon and 2PM-5PM. Visas to Mainland China can be obtained from here. The normal visa service takes four working days including the day when the application is submitted but an express service of two or three working days is available for an extra fee. Nationals of the Schengen countries pay 200 for single entry visas. 160edit For a full list, check out the Governments website 48. Get out Edit Macau. the former Portuguese colony and present largest gambling haven in the world, is just an hour away by TurboJet 50 ferry. Ticket prices start at 159 one-way for the one-hour ride to Macau. The ferry building is near the Sheung Wan MTR station on Hong Kong Island. Less frequent ferries are also available in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon and the Hong Kong International Airport. Zhuhai in mainland China, across the border from Macau. is 70 minutes away by ferry. Taiwan a World-Class Technology hub. Tickets to Taipei are cheap, and the flight takes just a little longer than an hour. From there, its easy to explore the rest of the island. Shenzhen. mainland Chinas boomtown just across the border can be reached by MTR train services in about 40 minutes. The train is convenient if you are keen on shopping as it terminates in the Lo Wu commercial centre. Another alternative, especially if you are starting from the island is the ferry to Shekou which takes around 50 minutes and costs around 100. Note that if you arent a Hong Kong resident, Japanese nor Singaporean citizen, you will need to pre-arrange a visa to enter Shenzhen. Guangzhou. capital of mainland Chinas Guangdong Province can be reached by train within 2 hours 51. If you are on a budget, many cross border buses are available throughout Hong Kong. The trip will take more than 3 hours, including going through customs at the border and changing buses. Check bus schedules and fares online 52 . This is a guide article. 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