Hong Kong Society and Norms
Hong Kong is such a unique place that understanding the local culture can contribute to the enjoyment of your experiences.
Food Is All in Hong Kong
I recently attended the Hong Kong Food Expo at the Convention Center.
My wife, Pam, and I intended to go on Sunday afternoon, thinking it would be a pleasant way of killing a rainy PM, snacking our way around the hundreds of exhibitor booths.
WRONG! The crush to get anywhere near the entrance was such that we decided to hit the nearby Pacific Coffee outlet and have a light lunch.
The next day, which was the last day of the Expo, I decided to see what all the excitement was about. I figured since it was Monday and the last day the crowds would have diminshed considerably.
Date: August 23rd, 2006 |
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Back in Hong Kong: Missed the Chaos
Hong Kong was visited by a typhoon, Prapiroon, which threw the air traffic situation into total chaos. Hundreds of flights were cancelled or diverted. Thousands of people spent the night at the airport.
The Hong Kong Observatory hoisted a number 3 signal instead of a number 8. Their criteria had to do with the wind force at Victoria Harbor. So even though the winds did not reach 100 KMH there they were over 200 KMH at the airport. Times have changed since the current system was installed in 1917. Boats are not the major concern, anymore. In true bureaucratic fashion the Observatory said they acted just as they were supposed to without acknowledging that following the rules to the letter put people’s lives in danger and helped create a mess at Chek Lap Kok Airport.
Date: August 6th, 2006 |
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Marching for Democracy or Not!
Yesterday, July 1, was the 9th anniversary of the British hand-over of Hong Kong to the Chinese government. It was marked by two very different celebrations.
Date: July 2nd, 2006 |
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Ten Things to do in Hong Kong, #3
Eat!!!!!!!
I’m not talking about dining at your hotel or at the over-priced tourist traps or eating Western fast food or pub food to accompany your beers. I’m talking about eating the same kind of food the locals do.
I’ve written a number of postings about restaurants in Hong Kong but I’ve not really covered local, inexpensive Cantonese cuisine. I am certainly not an expert but after fourteen years, I’ve picked up some rules of thumb. One thing I know for sure: food is very important to Hong Kong people. The normal person to person greeting isn’t, “How are you?” but rather, “Have you eaten yet?” (Actually, “Have you had your rice, yet?”)
Date: June 19th, 2006 |
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Hong Kong’s Very Own World Cup - Shopping
The Hong Kong Tourism Board announced a two month Shopping Festival in an attempt to lure tourists who are not caught up in World Cup fever.
There has never been any doubt that Hong Kong people are World Class shoppers. I guess that now they will have some competition from tourists lured here by the opportunity to spend HK$300.00 in order to be eligible to win one of 113 prizes totally worth about HK$2.7 million.
Happy Shoppers Celebrating Maxing Out their Credit Cards!
Date: June 12th, 2006 |
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Lights Out in Hong Kong
Tonight’s the night for Hong Kong’s lights Out” campaign to focus attention on the deteriorating air quality in Hong Kong.
Not everyone is participating, though. Chief Executive Donald Tsang has opted out because he says it “could give adverse publicity to Hong Kong…” This means the Symphony of Lights will go on as usual at 8:00 PM.
Those participating will turn their lights out for three minutes at 8:00 PM in order to draw attention to the pollution issue in Hong Kong. I’m not sure that just stepping outside and taking a deep breath won’t do the job but activists will be …
Date: August 7th, 2006 |
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Good News and Bad News
Depending on how you look at it, both items could be good news.
In the same spirit that moves Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, the Liu family of Hong Kong announced that they are not going to sell the family 3 hectare garden in Kowloon to a developer as was originally planned but instead will set it up in a trust so that it can be made available to all.
This is good news for all the people of Hong Kong who are concerned at the continued development of both sides of the harbor. There must be some balance between development and …
Date: July 13th, 2006 |
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Pollution, Rent and Salaries in Hong Kong
In Sunday’s South China Morning Post I was not surprised to read that Western expatriates were asking for a premium to move to Hong Kong. This was particularly true if they were already based in Singapore.
Two reasons were given: pollution and high rents. Now that the SARS crisis has faded into a distant memory and the 1997 property price collapse is ancient history; rents, especially at the top end, are rising faster than a North Korean rocket. That is not even taking commercial and retail shop rents into account which are also moving up very fast.
Date: June 25th, 2006 |
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Shopping and Pollution in Hong Kong
At the risk of sounding less than humble, I noticed in today’s South China Morning Post that there has been verification of what I wrote in two of my recent postings.
One headline stated, “Hong Kong the world champion at sport of shopping.” The article went on to point out that an ACNielson study found Hong Kong had the highest concentration of “recreational shoppers,” those who shop for entertainment rather than necessities. The percentage is an astounding 93%, tied with Indonesia for highest in Asia. The regional average was 84% compared with 68% in the U.S. As I said in my recent posting Hong Kong people would run away with a Shopping World Cup.
As a member of the 7% minority I am at a loss to understand why this is true. Perhaps some of you readers have an idea or two. Maybe people just want to get indoors and away from the air pollution.
Date: June 16th, 2006 |
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Hong Kong’s Pollution
As a follow-up to yesterday’s posting, I noticed in today’s South China Morning Post that much of Hong Kong’s polution is blown down the Pearl River Delta from Foshan.
Foshan is the home of hundreds of ceramic, cement and furniture factories spewing stuff into the atmosphere. There is little enforcement of the already weak air-quality laws.
Foshan Ceramics Factory
Date: June 9th, 2006 |
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