The entire city of Hong Kong is almost like a living, breathing oxymoron. A city where the East truly meets the West, where insane levels of activity mesh seamlessly with hushed peace and the modern stands side-by-side with the traditional. Hong Kong can boast many seemingly contradictory titles.
Hong Kong has one of the most vibrant economies in Asia today. Despite numerous set-backs such as the Asian financial crisis in 1998, the global downturn in 2001-02 and an outbreak of SARS, Hong Kong continues to demonstrate its resilience and determination as it rises to face all of these challenges and thrive.
The city is heavily dependent on international trade, and thus is one of the few places in the world that can truly claim to have a global marketplace. Visitors can quickly observe why Aberdeen harbor is the busiest deepwater port in the world. It is alive with people working on the junks, dining at the floating restaurants, or hanging out on their luxury yachts. The global marketplace extends from the harbor to the city, which is known to have some of the largest and most glamorous malls in the world.
One of the attractions of the city itself is observing the pure flood of people living and working there, all jostling for room. Hong Kong is also known for its peaceful temples, however, and its rich roots in traditional Chinese culture. Ironically, despite the years that it spent under British control, Hong Kong has preserved its traditions much better than the rest of China, which suffered from years of communist rule.
People have been living in Hong Kong since the Stone Age, but until the British took over, Hong Kong was a fairly non-descript corner of the Qing dynasty. Following the Opium Wars, Britain moved on to the island in 1841 and Hong Kong was officially ceded to them the following year. In 1859 at the Convention of Peking they forced the Chinese to cede the Kowloon Penninsula and Stonecutter's Island to them, and in 1898 the British also gained a 99-year lease on the New Territories to protect their interests. It was not until 1997 when that lease ran out that control of Hong Kong was returned to China.
Interestingly, Hong Kong had democratic systems in place under British control that have been left in place with the return to China. The slogan is "one country, two systems," and under the agreement that returned Hong Kong to the British, the city is supposed to retain its pre-1997 social, economic, and legal systems for at least 50 years. It is interesting to observe how that is working in practice given that Chinese authorities have interfered somewhat in Hong Kong. However, it remains one of the freest societies in Asia despite not having full democracy.
For those looking to learn more about China or Asian, Hong Kong offers some of the best museums for doing so. The Hong Kong Museum of Art offers an unparalleled collection from Hong Kong, Macau and other parts of the Pearl River Delta as well as featuring Chinese antiquities, fine art, and visiting exhibits. The city has a wonderful science museum and history museum. Perhaps one of the more unique offerings is the Museum of Tea Ware that was built in the former residence of the commander of the British forces and chronicles the history of tea and its various accessories from the 7th century to today.
Hong Kong is a city of contradictions. The interplay of its many elements are what make it such a fascinating place to study and live. Take advantage of this complex city to learn how the best of complete opposites can exist and prosper together.
