The Clock Tower - Sightseeing in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Clock Tower

The Clock Tower is an iconic Hong Kong landmark. It is all that remains of the Kowloon Station. The tower is located near Victoria Harbour and has been a declared monument since 1990.

Although officially a part of China, Hong Kong functions quite autonomously and is a lot more westernised than mainland China. This makes it the ideal place to start an exploration of the Orient- Western enough to feel familiar, yet unlike western city in the world. Although Hong Kong's cultural roots are firmly anchored in the exotic East, the cosmopolitan city does not overwhelm. Instead it eases visitors into a vibrant world of colours and sounds. Where opposites collide and meld, opening avenues for endless adventure and excitement.

Tourists wanting to get a feel for the history of Hong Kong can try visiting the Clock Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Erected in 1915, the granite and red brick building is about 44 metres in height, and is a graceful structure, adding to the elegance of the Hong Kong skyline. Originally the tower only had one clock face, but three more were added later on, and by 1929 all four clocks were working in synchronism. Historians believe that the clocks have been running ever since, except for a brief period during World War II. Although the tower still stands, the Kowloon- Canton Railway Terminal that it was once a part of is long gone.

What stands in place of the railway station is the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Space Museum. All of them slick buildings with futuristic architectural features, together forming an interesting and unusual backdrop to the tower. After viewing the tower, tourists can spend some time visiting these nearby attractions. The juxtaposition of the old and new is common in Hong Kong, and adds to its image of a historic place with grand ambitions for the future.

Travellers on the lookout for a luxury hotel in Hong Kong in the area can give the Langham Hong Kong a try. This Hong Kong hotel combines excellent service, choice location and elegant interiors to give guests an amazing vacation stay. It is located in the centre of the Tsimshatsui shopping and tourism district, and brings guests closer to the heart of Hong Kong.

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Hong Kong Museum of Art – Experience the Chinese Cultural Heritage

Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Amongst the various attractions in Hong Kong, the Museum of Art is a much visited place due to the valuable information it offers regarding the history and culture of this island. This museum is managed and functioned by the Department of Leisure and Cultural Services of Hong Kong and the Museum of Art was initiated in 1962. Back then it was housed is the City Hall and once its own premises were built by the Hong Kong Cultural Centre it moved to its new home in 1991. A smaller branch of the museum can be found at the Hong Kong Park in the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware.

The exhibits exceed 15,700 objects and the whole idea behind this establishment is to ensure the preservation of the Chinese cultural heritage and to promote local art and craft. The exhibits include calligraphy works, Chinese paintings, paintings of historical significance, antique objects, and even a collection of modern art inspired by the ancient traditions of China. There are various exhibition galleries under different themes.

The permanent exhibitions include calligraphy through the ages, animals in art, Chinese gold, Gems of Chinese Ceramics, and Chinese accessories. There are also various thematic exhibitions such as the Art of Feng Zikai, Wu Guanzhong: Painting, Dance and Music, and the Secret Garden of Emperor Qianlong, on display here. Other collections to look forward to are, Xubaizhai Collection of calligraphy and paintings, K.S. Lo Collection of seals and tea ware, Hong Kong Art, Historical Pictures, Chinese fine art and Chinese antiquities.

The Hong Kong Museum of Art also organizes a range of educational programmes to promote art amongst the general public and also to support and encourage local artists. These include, Art for Fun, Art for All, LoveArt Family, Art Alive, and Art Accessibility.

Explore the Museum of Art and various other attractions whilst visiting this island by booking into a hotel that allows you easy access to all the great sights. Any 4 star hotel Hong Kong has on offer can easily be found on the Internet. For those seeking unique accommodation options a Hong Kong boutique hotel such as Cosmo Hotel would meet the needs.

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Hong Kong Travel - Tips for Travelers Who Are Going to Hong Kong

Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong travel can be a real adventure, and is a key destination for many travelers. It has a population of more than seven million, scattered throughout more than 200 islands.

• Located in Eastern Asia, near China and the South China Sea. Formerly, leased to Great Britain, Hong Kong was officially returned to China in 1997. Hong Kong offers diversity in: culture, religion, and lifestyles.
• Chinese, (Cantonese) and English are both the official language here. So foreigners, who are planning to visit, should not have any problems exploring, and experiencing the culture of this vibrant place since English is widely spoken.
• Hong Kong dollar is the currency in use here. One American dollar roughly equals 7 Hong Kong dollars.
• Hong Kong is known for its unique energetic vibe, its wonderful food, and beautiful skylines. It's best to always bring a camera when roaming around in the city, so that you can try to capture the essence of this place, as it is truly unique.
• Hong Kong offers many great upscale shopping districts that rival the high end streets of Shanghai, London and Paris. But the best places to shop here are the unique shops and street markets that exhibit the charm and uniqueness of the locality.
• It is wise to look around at the various stores to compare prices before buying anything. One of the great things about shopping here is that sales tax is exempted on everything in Hong Kong.
• The best way to get around Hong Kong is to purchase an Octopus payment card. This card takes you everywhere. It can also be used on any public transportation system, except taxis. It can even be used in vending machines, restaurants, and convenience stores, fast food places, etc.

Some of the key places in Hong Kong are:

• Hong Kong Island is the most urbanized district. It's the heart and soul of the city.
• Kowloon is one of, if not, the most populated cities in the world. It also offers the best view of the skyline.
• Disney Land Hong Kong is located in Lantau Island. This is the third International sight for a main Disney theme park. It is best to make reservations ahead of time for lodging as it tends to be packed, especially during the holidays.

Hong Kong also has a great natural landscape that can be seen by riding a train that goes all the way up to the higher part of Hong Kong Island. With so many things to do and sights to be seen, Hong Kong is truly a must see for any traveler.

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Dining in Hong Kong - Let Your Taste Buds Go Wild

Hong Kong Dining Experience

Acclaimed as "Gourmet Paradise" and "World's Fair of Food", one word to describe the dining experiences in Hong Kong would be 'Variety'. There's no shortage of restaurants that differ not only on their menu but also price and ambience. The city has over 11,000 restaurants that offer Cantonese, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Pakistani, French, American and Italian cuisine, to name a few.

The origin of Hong Kong cuisine began when it functioned as a British colonial outpost, becoming a location that everyone from British merchants, Chinese coolies, farmers and fisherman all gathered. As most people in Hong Kong eat 5 times a day, portions per meal are relatively small. However meals are served with big portions of either rice or noodles.

Dining culture in can be broadly categorized into Hawker and restaurants. Hawker food is essentially food stalls operating on mobile carts, serving local snacks in the like of fish ball, roasted chestnuts and Put chai ko, a kind of rice pudding. Dim Sum is another Hong Kong specialty. Generally apart of either breakfast or lunch, these come served in exotic bamboo baskets and are generally accompanied by loads of Chinese tea.

Ashley Road, Lei Yu Men, Knutsford Terrace and Observatory Court, Kowloon City, Hillwood Soho, Hung Hom are some must taste areas in Kowloon. Ashley Road is a street full of different restaurants that -are open until late in the night while Lei Yu Men is a fishing village that specializes in seafood. You can pick your seafood live from the tank like in most seafood restaurant but the specialty is that you can also choose the restaurant where you want it cooked. Knutsford Terrace and Observatory court is slightly on a higher price range with around 30 restaurants, but walking down the streets of Kowloon City you will definitely come across many street food stalls as well.

Hong Kong hospitality is also as old as its cuisine. Serving as a British outpost meant that many lodgings came up to accommodate people.

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Savour Hong Kong’s Scrumptious Seafood Dining Experience!

Hong Kong

The dynamic and vibrant city of Hong Kong commands an expansive skyline and is one of the world's premier hubs for finance and business. For the discerning traveller, Hong Kong offers a veritable feast of interesting sights and attractions to experience and enjoy. From theme parks, to museums and places of religious significance, travellers to Hong Kong can be rest assured that there will be something of interest to all. Some of these attractions include the Victoria Peak, Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park, Repulse Bay and the Wong Tai Sin Temple. Hong Kong's shopping and nocturnal experiences are also quite happening.

Like in most East Asian countries seafood is king and no visit to Hong Kong will be complete without a traveller trying out its mouth-watering array of seafood dishes. The preparation of live seafood is not only a vocation in these parts but it's also considered a form of culinary art - and rightfully so. The city is dotted with hundreds of seafood restaurants and eateries that serve dishes made of almost anything that moves underneath the ocean surface. This includes, fish, prawns, lobsters, crabs, oysters and clams. The four main seafood areas in Hong Kong are Lei Yue Mun, Sai Kung and the islands of Cheung Chau and Lamma.

Sai Kung is home to a number of excellent alfresco restaurants along the waterfront serving an array of delectable seafood dishes while the tiny village of Lei Yue Mun also features many top notch yet affordable seafood eating houses. The islands of Cheung Chau and Lamma are two more areas where a number of seafood restaurants are available for visitors to indulge in. Most of the seafood restaurants in Hong Kong present the live specimen in giant tanks, and guests can choose for themselves what and how they consume it.

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Hong Kong Food Expo - An International Food Feast!

Hong Kong Food Expo

The Hong Kong Food Expo is an annual exhibition that is designed to showcase Hong Kong as the culinary capital in Asia. Being a multi-cultural and multi-racial nation, Hong Kong itself has enjoyed an eclectic mix in its culinary preparations. Through the Hong Kong Food Expo seeks to offer the unique tastes of Hong Kong together with International cuisine from the East and West.

The expo will be held under the categories of Food & Beverage Products, Kitchenware, Food Packaging, Safety & Logistic Products and Labelling, Machinery, Food Processing Products and other related services, and Government Organisations and Trade Associations.

The expo gives buyers, sellers and traders a unique opportunity to meet and discuss their relevant fields and gain knowledge and build contacts.

Games and competitions, Giveaways and discounts, Local artiste performances and Cooking demonstrations by world renowned chefs are all part of the Food Expo programme 2010.

Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, entry to the food expo will be by ticket admission. With over 350'000 visitors in its previous edition, Hong Kong Food Expo 2010 will look to attract a larger number this time around. Don't miss an opportunity to treat your palette to one of the world's finest culinary feasts.

If the traveller intends on visiting Hong Kong during this time and seeks a hotel Hong Kong then the Langham Place Mongkok Hong Kong with its unique blend of culture and modernity's will be an ideal choice from the many Hong Kong hotels.

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Hong Kong Food - The Cuisines Of Asia's World City

Dim Sum Variety

The cuisines of China (particularly the Cantonese) are dominating Hong Kong's culinary scene, and that is no surprise, as most Hong Kongers are of Cantonese origin.  Alongside the Chinese cuisines, you will find many restaurants specializing in other Far East cuisines, such as Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and others... European and British influence can also be found, as Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 150 years.

Yum cha ("drinking tea") is an integral part of Hong Kong's culinary culture.

This Cantonese term refers to the custom of eating small servings of different foods, mainly dim sum, while sipping Chinese tea.

Dim sum is probably Hong Kong's most popular dish. It literally translates to "touch the heart", which means "take what your heart picks" (that is because of the great variety you can choose from…)

Dim sum is typically served as a light meal or brunch that consists of various types of steamed buns, dumplings and rice-rolls, containing a range of fillings, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options…

It is normally eaten some time from morning to early afternoon and usually served with Chinese tea.

Visiting a traditional Hong Kong style teahouse for Yum Cha is strongly recommended.

Another true "Hong Kong institution" is the Cha Chaan Teng: A casual restaurant which can be described as a hybrid between a Chinese teahouse and a café… Those places are normally open from morning till evening and serve a variety of local favorites… from Hong Kong style toasts and milk tea to rice and noodle specialties.

Cantonese Cuisine

The Cantonese cuisine comes from the area around the city of Guangzhou (Canton), in Guangdong Province, just a short drive from Hong Kong.

Of the different Chinese cuisines, Cantonese is the most popular outside China, probably thanks to the fact that it is not as spicy as some of its "counterparts"…

Great diversity of ingredients is, perhaps, what characterizes the Cantonese cuisine more than anything else… The Cantonese cuisine makes use of almost every ingredient under the sun and as the famous Chinese saying goes "The Cantonese will eat everything that swims except the boat, everything that flies except the airplane, and everything that runs except the car"...

The Cantonese cuisine is also characterized by the use of very mild and simple spices in combination.  Ginger, spring onion, sugar, salt, soy sauce, rice wine, corn starch and oil are sufficient for most Cantonese cooking, although garlic is also used abundantly.

Steaming, stir frying and deep frying seem to be the most popular cooking methods in Cantonese restaurants due to the short cooking time, and the philosophy of bringing out the flavor of the freshest ingredients.

Other than the ultimate Dim sum, recommended Cantonese dishes include Sweet and sour fish, Fried Garoupa fish, Deep-fried crispy chicken, Crispy pig belly, Roast Suckling Pig And, of course… the costly Braised Shark's fin and Abalone

Chiu Chow Cuisine

The Chiu Chow (Teochew) cuisine comes from Chiuchow (now called 'Chaozhou'), a city in China's Guangdong Province, not far from Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Expectedly, this cooking style is very similar to Cantonese cuisine, although Chiuchow cuisine does maintain a certain degree of culinary independence…

Poached cold crab, Baby oyster with omelets, Chiu Chow style roast duck and Chiu Chow soya goose are some of the recommended dishes.

Sichuan Cuisine

The Sichuan (Szechwan) cuisine originates from Sichuan Province in southwestern China and has an international reputation for being hot and spicy.

The most common ingredient is the Sichuan peppercorn, or Fagara: An indigenous plant whose peppercorns produce a fragrant, numbing, almost citrusy spice. Other common spices include Chilli, Ginger, Star anise, Fennel seed, Coriander, Chili bean paste, Garlic and Spicy herbs.

Common cooking methods include smoking, stir frying, braising and simmering, which allow peppers and aromatic seasonings time to infuse food with unforgettable tastes and aromas

Famous Sichuan dishes include Sichuan style dan-dan noodle, Pork slices in a garlic sauce with a hint of chili, Braised beef in Szechwan pepper sauce, Kung Pao chicken, Ma Por tofu and Twice Cooked Pork.

Beijing Cuisine

Peking/Beijing (Mandarin) cuisine originates from China's capital city.

It developed over the centuries by thousands of skilled cooks from China's different regions, who flocked to the "big city" to work for royal families and wealthy government officials.

Peking duck is, by far, the most popular Pekingese dish, and it is mostly prized for its thin and crispy skin. Other famous dishes of the Peking cuisine include Hot and sour soup, as well as Sautéed sliced beef with scallion and Drunken pigeon.


The Shanghainese cuisine originates from coastal provinces around the city of Shanghai and is characterized by the use of alcohol. Fish, eel, crab and chicken are "drunken" with spirits and usually served raw.

Salted meats and preserved vegetables are also commonly used to spice up the dish. Another "secret ingredient" of the Shanghainese cuisine is sugar…

Sweet and sour spare ribs, Beggar's Chicken, Shanghai hairy crab, "eight treasure" duck, "drunken" chicken, braised eel and yellow fish are the most popular dishes…

Contemporary fusion cuisine has made it big in Hong Kong over the last few years… The city's chefs keep on coming up with innovative culinary creations that combine China's different cooking styles with those of other regions, and the results are surprisingly delicious.

Japanese, Indian, Korean and Southeast Asian restaurants are very popular in Hong Kong and are well worth considering, especially if you are tired of Chinese food but still want to try something "authentic".

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