You soon learn to take nothing for granted when in Hong Kong, because there’s always something new to experience.Next year is Discover Hong Kong Year, and to explore the city to its fullest, it’s always wise to get some insider knowledge

seafood restaurants.Ease of access — to the islands, rural

areas and beaches — is a characteristic ofHong Kong. The public transport system isthe envy of the world. Whether it’s via thebullet-speed airport express trains or theclanking trams that meander through themore populous districts of Hong KongIsland, nowhere is far away.

It is easy to pack a lot into a visit withoutever feeling too frantic. Wake up to a tai chisession before heading up to explore thePeak. Lunch on dim sum at a traditionalrestaurant and then pop into one of theshiny malls. Go for a late afternoon strollalong the harbour promenade and thenboard the Star Ferry for a sunset crossing ofthe waterway before dinner in a restaurantoverlooking the entire panoply. You cando it all in a day.

Hong Kong has what is arguably theworld’s most striking harbour, featuringmountains either side and a constantlybusy stream of container ships, sampans,cruise liners, fishing junks and pleasurecraft passing through the main channel.It was Hong Kong’s potential as a port,(the name translates as fragrant harbour),that persuaded the Brits to first plant theUnion Jack there in 1841, a decision thatreportedly underwhelmed the monarchof the day, Queen Victoria.

One of the first building projects under-taken by the colonials was a racetrack inHappy Valley, which is still the head-quarters of the Hong Kong Jockey Club today.Horse racing is the city’s most popular

A short distance from the Hong Kongharbour front lies the nervy hubbub ofCentral: a glorious urban collage ofbustling people, soaring buildings andnoisy energy. Up above it all, reachedquickly and easily by tram, are quiet andgentle walks around the Peak and, on theother side, a mountain path that cutsthrough thick jungle and passes by gentlytrickling streams.

This radical juxtaposition is typical ofHong Kong, a city of just 6.8 million peoplethat mixes and matches on a heroic scale; aplace where east and west, old and new,urban and rural rub shoulders.

When visualising the city, most peopleinstantly think of the skyline, with itsgrand portfolio of modern buildings. ThinkNorman Foster’s striking HSBC building,IM Pei’s triangular Bank of China andCesar Pelli’s silver 88-storey InternationalFinance Centre, the most recent additionto the water’s edge.

Operating underneath all of this epichigh-rise grandeur is the unassuming StarFerry. Its green vessels slowly chug acrossthe harbour as they have for the pastcentury, providing a steady, sereneantidote to the constantly changinglandscape to the north (Kowloon and,beyond, the China mainland) and south(Hong Kong Island).

Hong Kong has experienced radicaldevelopment in the past decade. A £12bnairport with train system that can whizzpassengers to downtown in 23 minutesflat, the world’s newest Disneyland, a

cluster of brand-new five-star hotels andnew malls galore have all arrived in recentyears. It is in the very DNA of the place tomove on, reinvent, restructure, to trysomething newer, bigger, better.

Yet underneath all of this vibrancy andflux there are certain constants. Few visitorsrealise that almost half the city is countrypark. A short cab ride away from the tightlypacked apartments and office blocks arevirtual wilderness zones with mountaintrails, vast expanses of beach, stretches ofturquoise ocean and dense jungle.

There are more than 260 outlyingislands, from Lantau, the largest of the lot,with its majestic peaks and stunning BigBuddha statue, to the smaller and easilyexplored Cheung Chau, home of Olympicgold medallist windsurfer Lee Lai Shan,and Lamma Island, famous for its al fresco

It is in the very DNA of the place to move on,reinvent, restructure,to try something newer,bigger, better

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Discover one of the world’s most colourful cities

Contents04 All-time favouritesStreet markets, bespoke suits, word-of-mouth restaurants, the opera — some ofthe things you just can’t afford to miss

06 New attractionsHong Kong lives up to its fast-movingreputation with a raft of new state-of-the-art attractions to visit

08 Nature trailClimb out of the city and into thewilderness for a totally different view ofHong Kong. Adrenaline-junkies rejoice.

11 Festivities and eventsWith a packed calendar of vibrantfestivals and celebrations, it’s easy to seeHong Kong in all its technicolour glory

14 Themed itineraries Delve beneath the shiny new skyscrapersand find that Hong Kong’s history is muchalive in one of many available itineraries

Editor Pas PaschaliDesign Cephas HowardPicture editor Marissa Keating Subeditor Sarah Akhurst Production Darren Gavigan

A Guardian Plus product: contact Margaret Canavan on 020-7713 4620 Produced by the Guardian and Observerdevelopment departmentAll editorial content is independent of the sponsor

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sport, generating a stupendous annualturnover of £5.4bn — more than the GDP ofmany small nations. In many ways, thesport epitomises the Hong Kong spirit: it ishigh energy, high risk and highly visual,seen at its most exciting at major Sha Tinrace meetings, where up to 80,000 punterspack into the showcase racecourse.

The noise is phenomenal, as it is duringthe many festivals throughout the year.Most important of all is the Chinese NewYear festival, which will straddle lateJanuary and early February in 2006. AsChina welcomes in the Year of the Dog,Hong Kong will celebrate with a massiveharbour fireworks display, plus a streetparade of lion dancers, dragon dancers,marching bands and majorettes. Othermajor events on the calendar include theDragon Boat Festival, Winterfest, theRugby Sevens, the Mid-Autumn Festivaland the Arts Festival, as well as ad hoccarnivals that celebrate everything fromsalsa dancing to German beer.

People who want to do more thanscratch the surface of Chinese culture canopt for various tours — some free — thatgive insights into the local way of life.Although Hong Kong appears ultra-modern, many of its customs andtraditions can be traced back through6,000 years of Chinese history and 150years of colonial heritage.

Take tai chi, for example. Groups ofdevotees perform its graceful and fluidmovements every morning in local parks,and visitors, too, can opt for a basic

introduction to discover how it can helpphysical and mental wellbeing. Likewisewith kung fu, made world famous by HongKong’s most famous son, Bruce Lee, fengshui and even Chinese medicine, itsnatural-based potions and remedies basedon some 5,000 years of ongoing research.

These looks at Hong Kong life, whichalso include experts divulging the secretsand skills of colourful Cantonese opera, aride on a traditional Chinese junk, the DukLing, and appreciation of Chinese tea, arefound under the Cultural Kaleidoscopeprogramme (see the Hong Kong TourismBoard for details). Don’t be too surprised,though, if the ancient-art practitioner isdressed in a snazzy suit and tie rather thansilk robes and a Confucian beard; anotherHong Kong speciality is putting the deeplytraditional in a radically modern setting.

It is that glorious collision of east andwest, provincial and international,sophisticated and simple, that makes HongKong such an endlessly fascinating city.Turn any corner and the chances are therewill be an ironic, amusing or jaw-droppingcontrast to observe. The designer-cladexecutive sharing the sidewalk with theold dear muttering imprecations to thespirits. A pinstriped banker slurping downstreetside noodles with constructionworkers, as his chauffeured limo stands by.Japanese office ladies queuing for Englishcream teas at the Peninsula hotel. Naturalbeauty at its most stunning, cheek by jowlwith modern man’s most creative andambitious feats of engineering.

Hong Kong is a city that thinks big but, atthe same time, is relatively compact.Almost everyone knows the big picture;on the following pages are smaller-scalevignettes of life in Hong Kong, offeringinsiders’ suggestions on how to reallyappreciate and understand this mostvibrant of urban centres during theforthcoming Discover Hong Kong Year.

Exploring its intricacies can take a day, aweek, a month, a year or a lifetime. Nobodyreally ever knows it all. Hong Kong is awork in progress, forever changing itsphysical shape, incorporating lifestyleinfluences from far and wide, while atthe same time being proud of the colonialBritish heritage that makes it such a specialand unique part of China.Mark Graham

2 Introduction Hong Kong: An insider’s guide 3

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Win a holidayin Hong KongIn association with Hong KongTourism Board we are offering youthe chance to discover this great cityfor yourself. The prize includes a pairof return economy class flights fromLondon to Hong Kong, five nights’twin-share accommodation for twopeople including breakfast at afirst-class hotel, a Hong Kong Islandtour and airport/hotel/ airport coachtransfers in Hong Kong.

For full details and to enter thefree prize draw simply go toguardian.co.uk/hongkongcompetition

Competition

Longevity Bridge in Repulse Bay:tradition has it that walking acrossit adds three days to one’s life.HKTB

People watch lasers and spotlights as theylight up the sky over Hong Kong's famousVictoria Harbour Getty

Chinese New Year FestivalNational Geographic

Tsing Ma Bridge, one of three bridging theislands, and the longest single-span roadand rail suspension bridge in the worldView Pictures

The greener aspects ofHong Kong are a shorttrek from the cityBob Davis

Hiking along one of the manytrails in Chi Ma Wa PenBob Davis