Destination Guide

Hong Kong: a city that begins when you look up from the water

The Star Ferry cuts Victoria Harbour open; the hills stand behind the towers. Welcome to Hong Kong. The city grows up, the roads push into the sea, the neon is still here, and the steam from a cha chaan teng rises before the lights do. This is not one sight. It is a port where mountain, water, and building share the same harbour. What is Hong Kong like? Steep. Dense. Fast. All harbour temperament. Island and peninsula face each other across the water: the Peak looks down on the sea, the sea looks up at the towers, and one more ride puts you on a trail. Central is a slope, Kowloon is heat, the outlying islands turn the tempo down. The British left trams and a courthouse; Cantonese left the wok and the language. Weekends are short. This channel is not. The culture is written into the commute. The Star Ferry still crosses; a temple and a church share a street; a teahouse opens the morning with a basket and a pot. Eat first: dim sum (har gow translucent, siu mai gold), then roast goose, then a glass of Hong Kong milk tea. Sweet is the pineapple bun, fresh is the harbour, and the oil-scent is the dai pai dong. Then cross the water, climb the hill, and read the skyline from the sea. Hong Kong is not the skyline on a postcard. It is the city that starts when you sit on the ferry, and the mountain shows through the buildings.