Hong Kong is not only Business
Hong Kong people have a life besides working. They really enjoy
eating, especially at times of celebration, though delicious food
is an important topic throughout the whole year. Notable festivals
in Hong Kong are the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Chinese New Year.
Last but not least, one can find a lot of very cheap or even
cost-free opportunities to explore Hong Kong; this comes as a
surprise as the city otherwise is driven by uncoated capitalism.
Eating in Hong Kong
Eating is important in both China and Hong Kong. People love
spending time and money on eating. A common activity amongst
students is to go eating out in the evening, and prices in
restaurants are affordable for both local and international
students.
Dim Sum is a famous class of dishes in Hong Kong. Dim Sum consists
of small dishes with various tasty ingredients, and is usually
served in noisy and buzzing tea houses. Seafood is famous for Hong
Kong as well. The freshly caught fish is sold at big markets and
directly sold to seafood restaurants.
Cheung Chau Bun Festival
The Cheung Chau Bun Festival is a traditional festival whose major
attraction is the snatching of buns from towers that are covered
with buns (a bun is a Chinese kind of bakery product)
[1].
Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autmn Festival is a traditional get-together for the
family. Moon cakes are specialities that are produced and eaten at
this festival. Hong Kong people take the celebrations of this
festival seriously. A special event at Mid-Autumn which attracts a
large number of spectators is the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, where
a huge model of a dragon is carried through the streets
[2].
Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year does not follow the Gregorian calendar and
usually takes place around end of January or in the beginning of
February and lasts for several days. It is the most important
festival in the year and all the family gathers for celebration;
hence the days around Chinese New Year are special also because
almost the whole city seems to shut down - this is unique
throughout the whole year.
Celebration, surprise, includes a lot of delicious food. A
widespread custom is to give away red envelopes with money. The
private use of fireworks is prohibited in Hong Kong but there is an
insanely huge and decadent public fireworks display at Chinese New
Year over Victoria Harbour
[3].
Concerts and Museums
The Concert halls in Hong Kong host both classical concerts with
Chinese-style instruments and classical concerts with European
instruments. The tickets for such concerts are rarely sold out and
it seems that concerts are not top priority on the list of
activities. In any case, spending some time and efforts on
acquiring tickets at discount rates pays off. Close to the concert
hall in Kowloon, one can find the Hong Kong Museum of History
[4],
which is a must-see for all visitors.
Sources
- Cheung Chau Bun Festival. http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/events/festival-cheung-chau-bun.html accessed 2011-12-22
- Mid-Autumn Festival. http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/events/festival-mid-autumn.html accessed 2011-12-22
- Hong Kong Chinese New Year Celebrations.http://www.discoverhongkong.com/chinesenewyear/en accessed 2011-12-22
- Hong Kong Museum of History. http://hk.history.museum accessed 2011-12-22
Breakfast in a canteen at HKUST
Dried shrimp sold in Tai O village (photo courtesy: Adam Resnick)
Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance (photo courtesy: Michael Xu)
Chinese opera