Hong Kong - This city has come a long way fromFrom a British colony to the business center of Asia. It is called the most modern city in China, a state within a state. A "tail" that managed to wag a huge "dog", forcing the Chinese authorities to reconsider their view of the market economy. Its architects, in an effort to reach the heavens, consider it beneath their dignity to construct buildings lower than thirty floors. It is here that the highest quality fakes of all famous brands are produced: fashionable clothes, accessories and equipment. Hong Kong has proven itself capable of mixing two completely opposite cultures with centuries-old history and combining Chinese and Europeans in a bizarre cocktail, thereby creating a new nation - the people of Hong Kong. There is no other place on earth like Hong Kong: a city that has grown on a relatively small piece of land makes one suppose the intervention of higher powers in the process of its construction and prosperity. Almost 90% of Hong Kong is mountains, and the surprises of the weather vary from typhoons and storms to sweltering heat with one hundred percent humidity. But higher powers have nothing to do with it. Everything that the world knows about Hong Kong - ancient landmarks, modern skyscrapers, park complexes, multi-kilometer tunnels, canals and bridges - is the creation of human genius and the result of persistent and painstaking work. One hundred and fifty years ago, the inhabitants of two hundred and sixty islands, on which the special administrative region of China Hong Kong is now located, could not even imagine what their "fragrant bay" would become. Once a haven for filibusters and fishermen, the city has rushed into the future with seven-league strides, turning into a tourist and business center of China. The most important thing is that, despite the influence of various cultures, American and European, Hong Kong carefully preserves ancient Chinese roots and cultivates the mysticism inherent in all Asians.
Miracles of Hong Kong
In fact, Hong Kong is so rich in wonders thatyour eyes run wild. And each miracle is worthy of a separate mention. And the most important thing is that they are located very compactly, so a tourist who has come in search of new impressions has no problem with what to see. Rather, there is a problem of how to manage to see as much as possible. We tried to select for you those attractions of Hong Kong that will help you understand and get to know this city from the inside, becoming a part of it for a while, seeing it as it appears to local residents.
Spice market
Hong Kong, like any other popular destinationtourists, the metropolis suffers from the fact that the opinion that is formed about it is determined by the usual tourist routes. Following the instructions of guides and tour guides, you visit this or that attraction. But if you want to get to know the real Hong Kong, you can avoid stereotypes by going to the Central Market. It is from here that you should start to get to know Hong Kong, soaking up the subtle, exquisite aroma of spices, listening to the bizarre speech of the locals, imbued with their unhurried life. Along the way, you can buy real spices, which the Chinese have always known a lot about. Brown vanilla pods twisted into tubes, cumin, nutmeg. Here and only here will you have the opportunity to buy a real "mixture of five flavors" - wuxianmian.
Goldfish Market
This place is pure exoticism.If you didn't get enough of the sensations and emotions at the Central Market, you have a chance to get some of the missing color at the Goldfish Market. The same unhurried native Chinese and goldfish for every taste. Very few people have the luxury of having a huge dog in Hong Kong. But the Chinese look at it philosophically and breed Goldfish in their apartments. Just imagine: aquariums, jars and just plastic bags with silent captives are placed along Tung Choi Street. Come up and make a wish if you can't buy one. However, this beauty is so breathtaking that few people remember about wishes! But Goldfish are far from all that can be seen behind the glass of aquariums: rainbow seahorses, jellyfish and even sea turtles silently look through the thickness of the water, as if they have access to something that we, people, can only dream of. However, the twittering of Chinese speech will dilute this silence. Just like the light of Chinese lanterns will paint everything around with a mysterious light. If you were looking for a place with a truly Chinese flavor, then you have chosen the right one to get acquainted with what is called the real Hong Kong.
Knockin 'on Heaven
Now that the city has opened its doors to youtrue face, when you, albeit fleetingly, but have soaked up its atmosphere, you can begin to explore the sights of Hong Kong. The city, like the teeth of a huge dragon, cuts the sky with the silhouettes of skyscrapers. From their height, as the locals say, it is easier to shout to God, and you can see the neighboring islands. So - forward, to the highest tower, from where all of Hong Kong is in the palm of your hand! The observation deck on the hundredth floor of the Sky100 tower is almost 400 meters from the ground. From such a height, the surrounding skyscrapers seem like toys, and the magnificent view of Victoria Bay looks like the canvas of a brilliant marine artist, and Hong Kong itself resembles a doll city. Those who do not have enough adrenaline can climb another 18 floors and splash in the pool, which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest pool. Hong Kong offers a unique opportunity to walk in the sky, and the choice of skyscraper depends only on your preferences: the International Financial Center, Central Plaza, the Headquarters of the Bank of China. Each building has a unique architectural design, not to mention the interior decoration. At every step there are pools with goldfish and stylized waterfalls. Everything is strictly according to the rules of Feng Shui.
Runs-runs the path
In our daily life we encounter so manywith the wonders of science, that we look at them with the tired indifference of jaded spectators. But, having arrived in Hong Kong, you simply lose the right to this: rub your eyes - there it is, the path for lazy people! You stand, and it moves past you or together with you. These are travelators - part of the city's transport system, which in itself is a real miracle. Double-decker trams, escalators and travelators running here and there, super-modern subway trains controlled by computers. A complete feeling that you have found yourself in a bright future, where everything is invented and thought out with care for people. An ordinary sidewalk, nothing special, but Hong Kong is ahead of the rest of the world here too. Many sidewalks are equipped with moving belts of travelators. No schedules - you will never be late for this type of transport. The main thing is not to get carried away and not to pass by your destination. Or subway trains in Hong Kong - they can well claim to be the most comfortable. Everything is at the customer's service: TVs, soft seats, and even a view outside the window. Sometimes the road goes through underwater tunnels and suspension bridges. By the way, you will see this miracle immediately upon arrival in Hong Kong. You will travel from the airport to the center of Hong Kong on one of these miracle trains.
The Path of Wisdom
Having admired the achievements of science andtechnology, walking along the "Bar Street", Lan Kwai Fong, where there are parties and beer of all sorts and prices at every step, remember about the soul and leave the noisy Hong Kong for a while. Try to get a grain of centuries-old wisdom in the Po Lin Monastery. The monastery is located on Lantau Island, not far from Hong Kong. You can get there either by taxi on a suspension bridge or by cable car. However, it would not be superfluous to warn you that such a trip is not for the faint of heart. But if you want to see the sights of Hong Kong from a bird's eye view, a cabin swaying in the wind will not be an obstacle for you. In order to get to the Po Lin Monastery, you will have to overcome 268 steps in order to humble your spirit and purify your heart. Everything is strictly according to Buddhist traditions. To know wisdom, you must be worthy of it. Your path will justify itself, as you will have the opportunity to see all of Hong Kong and a 34-meter statue of a seated Buddha. But if you want to take a photo of it, it is better to do it at the bottom, at the very foot of the stairs. Otherwise it will not work, Buddha will not fit into any lens, he is too huge. But tourists come to the monastery not only because of the statue of Buddha. The nature itself is so beautiful here that memories of the big city fade, becoming ghostly, like a dream. There is a complete feeling that time has frozen here forever. Next to the statue of Buddha there is a path of wisdom: a sutra written on wooden columns in the shape of an infinity sign. It looks a little mystical, near it the sounds die down and fog covers the foot of the columns.
Welcome with ... a whip?
Numerous tourists come to the place every yearHong Kong just to visit the Taoist monastery Ching Chung Kung. By the way, Hong Kong residents are very tolerant of various religious denominations and teachings. And Taoism is the most mysterious of them. It is the followers of this teaching who possess the secret of prolonging life. Although they themselves say with a smile that if you follow all the canons of faith, longevity will come by itself. But in the monastery itself you can see the weapons of ancient warriors who fought demons, and a whip, the blows of which can heal the body and soul. Be prepared for the fact that you will not be allowed into some rooms. But you should definitely come here: there is a wonderful bonsai garden, in which you clearly feel like Gulliver in the Lilliputian forest.
Attraction of unseen fish
What is really a must see when you get there?Hong Kong, so this is Ocean Park, a corner of nature in the middle of the metropolis. This amusement park and entertainment in Hong Kong is not the only one. It managed to create worthy competition for Disneyland. There is no less entertainment here, and here you can also see a real panda bear. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, the oceanarium is divided into several zones. The first one is home to endangered species of birds and butterflies. Several enclosures with pandas, who are so accustomed to spectators that they continue to do their business, not paying attention to the noise and flashes of cameras. The next part is dedicated to extinct species of animals. You will have the opportunity to follow the history of the development of vertebrates that lived on earth 65 million years ago. Realistic models of dinosaurs, reconstructions of prehistoric crocodiles and salamanders. Just like Jurassic Park! The Chinese sturgeon, a representative of the oldest vertebrates on earth, was brought to Hong Kong on the eve of the Olympic Games in China and became the main attraction of the oceanarium. 500-kilogram specimens splash around in a huge pool to the delight of visitors. No park in the world can boast such a large and diverse collection of fish. More than 500 species of deep-sea and about 400 shallow-water marine inhabitants swim behind the thickness of glass. The pool with sharks is arranged in the form of a bowl with a transparent tunnel running through it. The level of adrenaline in the blood begins to rise involuntarily when a toothy monster from the movie "Jaws" approaches you. Not everyone manages to not be scared and remember in time that you are separated from it by strong tempered glass. Hong Kong is an amazing city. It is difficult to say and, even more so, to measure in percentage terms what is more in it: European charm or calm wisdom and playful cunning of the East. But the main thing is tune in and be able to see it as it really is, never ceasing to be amazed at the harmony in which the wonders of modern science and the centuries-old traditions of mysterious China coexist.
