If you are a traveler, then you should bucket list these 12 places, if you are in Hong Kong.
Yick Fat Building
Yick Fat Building is a public housing apartment building with a pop culture relevance. The building has long been a gem for photographers. It represents typical life of Hong Kong residents.
Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is the 552-meter hill overlooking Hong Kong. We recommend to buy “Peak Tram Sky Pass” that includes The Peak Tram and “Sky Terrace 428” for only 77 HK$. The Peak Tram was Asia’s first funicular railway and it began operating in 1888.
It remains one of the oldest and steepest tramways in the world. Once you get to the Peak we recommend seeing Sky Terrace which offers spectacular 360 panoramic views on Hong Kong. You can return from Victoria peak by double decker bus to avoid the crowd waiting for the tram and to experience beautiful views towards the sea, islands and the city.
Hong Kong Park
Hong Kong Park is a public park and oasis in the middle of Hong Kong Central District, right under Victoria Peak. It provides a relaxing environment with its Tai Chi garden, aviary, artificial waterfall, a sport center and many other surprises. It is hard to believe you are in a big city when you are in the park.
Wong Tai Sin Temple
Wong Tai Sin Temple is primarily a Taoist temple, but it also has Buddhist and Confucian worshipping halls. It is said that if you make a wish here, it might come true. There are many points to see there, for example: Main Altar, Good Wish Garden, the two-story fortune telling arcade, and many other sights to discover.
Tian Tan Buddha
This 34-meter Tian Tan Buddha Statue, known as The Big Buddha, was built in ‘93 and is a major center of Buddhism in Hong Kong. Usually, Buddha statues face south, but this one faces north, supposedly to look over the Chinese people. There are 268 steps to reach the platform of this remarkable statue. There are also six smaller bronze statues knows as “The Offering of the Six Devas”.
They are kneeing and offering Buddha the flowers, incense, lamp, ointment, fruit, and music. symbolizing the “Six Perfections” – which are: generosity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation and wisdom. According to the Buddhism, these are necessary to enter nirvana. Opposite to the Big Buddha is also Po Lin Monastery.
Fishing Village Tai O
Tai O is one of the few remaining fishing villages in Hong Kong. It is also called the Venice of Hong Kong, because of its stilt houses from 19th century with unique settings.
Tai O is known for its fishing culture with seafood market and salted egg yolks, salted dry fish, and shrimp paste which they dry under the sun. You will experience a very different Hong Kong from high rises and city life.
Kowloon Walled City Park
After the Second World War an influx of immigrants occupied Kowloon. The city was well known for drugs, prostitution, criminal hide-outs, small shops, dentists, and doctors without license, etc.
The police would rarely enter the city, because it had secret staircases and maze of passages with their own laws. An estimated 33,000 people lived within the Walled City and it was the densest populated area in the world. In ’87 the authorities decided to demolish it. They started in ’93. And two years later they opened a park.
Noonday Gun
Noonday gun is located on the first plot in Hong Kong to be sold by public auction in 1841, and was purchased by Jardine Matheson. The origin of the Jardine’s noonday gun salute is shrouded in the mists of time, but the story goes that on one occasion, the salute annoyed a senior naval officer, who was new to Hong Kong and had not heard of the practice.
It is said that, as a penalty, Jardine was ordered to fire a noonday gun as a time signal to Hong Kong. I know, a complicated story. And I’m literary reading from the flyer. Anyway, the gun is still fired every day at noon.
A Symphony of Lights
Symphony of Lights is recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s ‘Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show’ that celebrates the energy, spirit and diversity of Hong Kong.
This multimedia show involve more than 40 buildings on both sides of the Victoria harbor. It starts at 8 p.m. every day.
Bruce Lee Statue
Bruce Lee Statue is a memorial figure to honor deceased martial artist, Bruce Lee. The statue is located in the Avenue of Stars that pays tribute to the names that helped make Hong Kong the ‘Hollywood of the East’.
They are repairing the avenue so they moved all the statues on different location nearby. The renovation should be completed by the end of 2018.
Shenzhen
You can visit China’s Silicon Valley on a metro directly from Hong Kong. You can get a 5-day visa on arrival at the border.
This visa is only valid for the Shenzhen area. Shenzhen is a great day trip if you want to experience mainland China.
Macau
You can visit Las Vegas of China by ferry from Hong Kong. Macau is the largest gaming area in the world, with the largest casino in the world,
Venetian Macau. But don’t forget to exchange your money from Hong Kong Dollars to Macanese Patacas.
