Hong Kong Tourism Guide

Weclome to Hong Kong

SINS AND VISAS

Most citizens of Hong Kong hold dual corporate/Hong Kong citizenship. If fact any citizen of a corportaion of the Hong Kong Executive Council is automatically granted dual citezenship by default. Hong Kong offers a Visa system for other natinalities and corporations. Visas can be obtained through corporate sponsorship, family or for students. Tempory tourist visas can also be obtained through the Matrix links, embassies or associated corporations.

> Large numbers of illegal workers come across the borders from the Canton Confederation either by land or by junk. The local triads run the protection for these worker and take a large chuck of teir nuyen too.
> Loyl-me-Daac

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION

A clean, modern underground system offers rapid transit to major locations on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Trains connect Kowloon and the New Territories. There is an extensive electricla bus and minibus system, and taxis are widely available. Following the British tradition, all traffic drives on the left-hand side of the road. The road network is good, with tunnels connecting Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, but at rush hours the roads get very congested. All of Hong Kong Island and all but most of Kowloon have Grid Link systems. All vehicles must have thier transponders registered with the Central Bureau Of Vehicles and Hong Kong offers a state of the art anti theft and vehicle tracking system. A ferry service runs between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, and there are ferries to the other islands as well as to Macau. International air links are excellent and semi ballistic and sub orbital flights can be obtained from the international island airport of Chep Lak Kok. Matrix services are first-rate and Hong Kong has one of the best Wire Less Matrix Systems outside of Japan.

POLICE AND SECURITY

The municiple police contract for all of Hong Kong is tender by the world famous Knight Errant Police Services. Hong Kong island has one of the lowest crime rates in all of Asia. Allthough citizens of Kowloon and the mainland may own firearms for personal defence Hong Kong Island has a srictly no firearm policy. there are tight security check on all foot passengers entering be train of ferry and random check on vehicles entering Hong Kong Island.

MAGIC

The use of magical spells, conjouring and foci is regulated within Hong Kong with licences being required for the use of powerful and harmful spells. Free Spirits and Awakenened have limited rights but are not entilied to full citizenship.

LANGUAGE

There are two official languages: Chinese and English. Street signs, matrix directories, and government documents are written in both. Although dialects from all provinces of China can be heard in Hong Kong, the Cantonese dialect dominates and is officially recognized. Most students study English, and English-speaking visitors have relatively few communication problems in business circles and tourist areas.

> Although Japanese is a widely used language in the region many people feel it is insulting to speak in Japanese in Hong Kong.
> Mei-Leuong

RELIGION

The Chinese have a diverse heritage with respect to moral philosophy and religion. Strong elements of Taoism and Confucianism, both of which originated in China, and Buddhism, with roots in India, form part of the religious life of many Hong Kong residents. Traditional religious practices and ancestor veneration are also widespread. Many homes contain brightly decorated boxes with pictures of deceased relatives, smouldering incense sticks, or symbolic offerings of fruit„Hall part of the Chinese custom of honouring ancestors. For the same purpose, they may perform informal rites on the pavement near their homes, for example burning offerings such as imitation money, cars, and houses. Marriages and funerals are special ceremonial events. Many people observe special occasions with visits to shrines and temples, but there is little communal worship in the Western sense. About 10 per cent of the population is Christian, and nearly all major Christian denominations are represented. Aftre the awakening a small number of the population turned to Shaministic followings.

DRESS

All styles of clothing are worn in Hong Kong, from traditional to modern. The cheongsam, a traditional Chinese dress with a high collar and slit skirt, is often worn by women. In the corporate sectors of Hong Kong tres chic is the only way to go. Not dressing approapriatly for work shows a lack of respect for your empolyer.

GREETINGS AND GESTURES

Many Hong Kong Chinese are quite Westernized in both language and manners, and a handshake is a fairly usual form of greeting. Although some native people of Hong Kong are very effusive and informal when meeting a foreigner for the first time, traditionally the Chinese are reserved and self-effacing and shun loud or demonstrative behaviour. In Chinese, the surname comes first in a name of two or three words, except in the case of the many Hong Kong Chinese who have Westernized their names. Although traditional Chinese do not cross their legs, others may do so without offending. Winking should be avoided. An open hand is usually used for pointing; beckoning is done with the palm down and all fingers waving. Waiters are beckoned by holding the arm straight up in the air and waving one's whole hand. In a private home or restaurant, it is customary to express thanks when tea is served by tapping on the table twice with one finger.

FAMILY

Chinese family members are bound by a strong tradition of loyalty, obedience, and respect. Hong Kong has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world. A trend away from the traditional large family is clear. The Chinese do not usually display affection in public, but this is changing among the younger generation. A source of stress for many families in Hong Kong is the sharp difference between traditional values and modern practices. Marriages arranged by the parents of the bride and groom are no longer common; Western-style dating and marriages have become the norm. The marriage rate is relatively high, although couples tend to marry later (in their mid- to late 20s) than in many countries. A large banquet is the highlight of the elaborate wedding celebration, often after an afternoon of mah-jong, a tile game that is a cross between dominoes and cards.

DIET AND EATING

Rice is the staple food. Chinese dishes are often prepared with pork, chicken, and vegetables, although soya is very common in modern cuisine. Seafood was once the most common ingredient in Hong Kong cooking but due to heavy water polution is now either a luxury (taken from sterile man made tanks) or a lottery! A large variety of fruit is also available. Business is often conducted during lunch or dinner. Lavish restaurant meals are traditional for weddings and other special events. The Chinese use chopsticks for eating most meals, and visitors should always try to use them when being entertained in a Chinese home or restaurant. Dishes of food are placed in the centre of the table and the diners serve themselves by taking portions of food with chopsticks and placing the food in their individual bowls of rice. It is proper to hold the rice bowl close to the mouth when eating. A host will refill a guest's bowl until the guest politely refuses. Although Chinese restaurants are in the majority, many different types of cuisine are available in Hong Kong, including French, Mexican, German, Italian, and Japanese.

SOCIAL LIFE

On most occasions when a gift would be appropriate (such as weddings, festivals, or when visiting someone's home), the usual choice is money in a red envelope. At Chinese New Year, single people receive envelopes of money from their families, and it is traditional for a guest to bring a gift of fruit or confectionery for the host. People offer and receive all gifts with both hands. The Chinese are generous and solicitous hosts, and visitors should let themselves be guided as to when to sit, and so on. It is important to show respect for one's hosts and their home, not only through good manners but also by maintaining good posture. As in many countries in the region, age is revered and older people should be treated with particular respect. Dignity and 'face' are also valued; any line of conversation that may lead to a 'loss of face' for anyone in the party should be avoided. It is always polite to compliment one's hosts, who are likely to say that they are not worthy of the praise.

RECREATION

Trid, Simsense and Matrix games are perhaps the most popular forms of entertainment, and people also enjoy going on picnics and to the beach. Favourite sports include table tennis, soccer, martial arts, skating, squash, tennis, swimming, basketball, and boating. Major spectator events include the Seven-a-Side Rugby Invitation Sevens, the Open Golf Championship, and the Super Tennis Classic. But horse racing is Hong Kong's passion the Chinese are extremely keen gamblers, and this is the only legal form of gambling. Races are organized by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and held at Sha Tin Wai in the New Territories and in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island between September and May. The noise of mah-jong tiles being slapped on a board often fills the streets, as people enjoy playing the game in parks or on the pavements (particularly on Sundays).

MUSIC

Hong Kong is a truly international and cosmopolitan city, with musical influences from all over the world. All forms of Chinese music are cultivated, from the dominant styles of the mainland capital to regional forms such as Cantonese opera. There are many institutions providing training in Chinese traditional music, with an accompanying recording industry. These coexist with Western classical, popular and simcast music, as well as music from other Asian cultures. Simsense music is very popular and many clubs offer wireless simlinks. As one of the great centres of the Pacific Rim, both geographically and economically, Hong Kong is also fertile ground for research and performance in the music of Asia and Oceania.

HOLIDAYS AND CELEBRATIONS

Holidays are based on the lunar calendar and thus fall on different days of the Gregorian calendar each year. The Chinese New Year is in January or February and is the most important holiday. The Ching Ming Festival in April is a time for honouring the dead and includes ancestor veneration. In June the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated with dragon boat races. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a harvest holiday celebrated with lanterns and moon cakes. Other holidays include the British Queen Elizabeth II's birthday (June), Liberation Day (last Saturday in August), Chung Yeung (in October, also a time to honour the dead), Easter (Good Friday to Easter Monday), and Christmas Day (25 December). Although the International New Year is observed on 1 January, the celebrations for the lunar, or Chinese, New Year in February are far more exuberant. There are many superstitions associated with this holiday, which lasts around two weeks although most people go back to work after three or four days of revelry. Some of the most widespread practices include making offerings to household gods, cleaning the house, wearing new clothes, settling personal debts, feasting at large banquets, and setting off firecrackers. Noise and the colour red both said to drive off devils or wild beasts, are two hallmarks of this celebration. Another custom is to display on doorways messages of prosperity and longevity written on red paper. It is a tradition in Hong Kong to go to flower markets after a New Year's Eve feast. Some time in March or April, the birthday of Kuan Yin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, is celebrated„Hmainly by women, who make pilgrimages to her temple to pray and leave offerings of fruit, flowers, and cakes. The Tin Han festival, also in May, is a birthday celebration of Tin Han, the Queen of Heaven and Goddess of the Sea. She is one of the most popular deities in Hong Kong and is said to protect against shipwrecks, sickness, and rough seas. Festivities on this day include parades, Chinese opera performances, and visits to her temples in brightly coloured vessels. On Chung Yeung in October, people tend the gravestones of family and friends, make offerings of food, and fly kites. In Hong Kong it is believed that kites carry misfortune away into the skies.

EDUCATION

Scholarship is a long-standing Chinese tradition, and formal education is valued highly by citizens of Hong Kong. Schooling is free and compulsory for nine years, and entrance to the better secondary schools is based on competitive examinations. Nearly all children complete the primary level, and three-quarters proceed from primary to secondary school. The three universities accommodate about 19,000 students, while more than 100,000 attend seven other higher education institutions, full-time or part-time. In addition, many people go abroad for higher education. Wanatabee Matrix Services currenly holds the contact for state education services.

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Excellent low-cost medical care is available in all hospitals and clinics, although the government facilities are often crowded. Hong Kong has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the worldestimated at 79 years in 1995. crae should be taken in some parts of Kawloon due to minor drugs and BTL issues.