| If tranquility and serenity are adjectives | | | | nationals. At this time a visa is still not |
| you would use to describe the perfect trip, | | | | required unless traveling through China as |
| leave Hong Kong out of your itinerary. The | | | | well. English is still an official language |
| boisterous energy of 14 million inhabitants | | | | along with Chinese. |
| leaves the visitor wondering if insomnia is | | | | |
| contagious in this city. Hong Kong is the | | | | The Sights and Sounds of Hong Kong Travel |
| quintessential representation of east meets | | | | |
| west, boasting its own Times Square along | | | | The constant buzz of modern life and the |
| with artifacts from the Paleolithic Age. The | | | | ghostly prevalence of ancient life on the |
| far-reaching history and booming capitalist | | | | island will keep any traveler occupied |
| economy has propelled Hong Kong to the | | | | without a moment to spare. A unique |
| forefront of modern technology and commerce. | | | | attraction that pays homage to the Chinese |
| The best way to navigate this urban jungle is | | | | fixation with caged song birds is the Yuen Po |
| to allow extraordinary diversions to lead | | | | Street Bird Garden where 70 different bird |
| where they may, while visiting a few key | | | | stalls, each elaborately decorated, fill the |
| sites when you travel to Hong Kong. | | | | air with their own harmony. From anywhere in |
| | | | the city it is impossible to miss the looming |
| From Opium Wars to Opulence: Hong Kong | | | | Bank of China Tower, now Hong Kong's national |
| History | | | | monument and a modern declaration of China's |
| | | | mounting role in the global economy. In the |
| Since the Stone Age, the island of Hong Kong | | | | center of the city is Times Square, a |
| has supported a society rich with influences | | | | monumental 9-story shopping complex that |
| from Europeans and the Portuguese through | | | | dwarfs Western commercialism. Hong Kong |
| steady and moderate trade. During the 1700s, | | | | museums do not skip a beat, ranging from |
| increased commercial value of Asian luxury | | | | science and space to history and art. |
| goods sparked heightened global interest in | | | | |
| this once-neglected corner of China. | | | | When the sensory overload of the city center |
| Following the Opium Wars of the mid-19th | | | | begins to take a numbing effect it is easy to |
| century between the British and Chinese, Hong | | | | escape to one of Hong Kong's many parks and |
| Kong was officially ceded to the British | | | | monasteries. Victoria Peak is by far the most |
| Empire as a Crown Colony beginning in 1898 | | | | popular asylum, standing 1,810 feet above the |
| for a term of 99 years. During that term, | | | | city lights - only to offer more distractions |
| Hong Kong's economy blossomed onto the | | | | of a smaller commercial district. The famous |
| international stage to become one of the most | | | | Man Mo Temple and the Miu Fat Monastery |
| prosperous free markets of today. After 1997, | | | | provide a mind-calming sanctuary while |
| Hong Kong was returned to China as a Special | | | | Kowloon Walled City Park, which once |
| Administrative Region under the conditions | | | | protected a private Chinese enclave during |
| that the market and government would remain | | | | British rule, is a true natural refuge from |
| free and democratic (non-Communist) while | | | | Hong Kong's concrete. |
| Beijing would only handle national security | | | | |
| and foreign diplomacy ("one country, two | | | | Once in Hong Kong, the city will guide you |
| systems"). | | | | along its commercial corridors and through |
| | | | its ancient alleys. Tradition and history are |
| Today, Hong Kong has maintained a majority of | | | | alive in every corner of this modern |
| its autonomy and travel to Hong Kong has | | | | municipality, as long as you can turn away |
| remained relatively easy for Western | | | | from the neon distractions. |