Understand

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History

In January 1841, as a result of the defeat of the Qing Dynasty of China in the First Opium War, Hong Kong became a British colony, under the Convention of Chuen Pi. After the defeat of China in the Second Opium War, the Kowloon Peninsula was ceded to Britain in 1860. In 1898, the New Territories — a rural area north of Boundary Street in Kowloon district — were leased to Britain for 99 years.

In 1984, the Chinese and British Governments signed the Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong, giving Hong Kong back to China effective 1 July 1997. Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the Peoples Republic of China. Under the slogan "One Country, Two Systems", Hong Kong remains a capitalist economy without various restrictions that apply in mainland China such as news censorship and foreign exchange controls.

In accordance with the Joint Declaration, a Basic Law was enacted to serve in effect as a constitution for the Hong Kong SAR. In theory, Hong Kong enjoys "a high degree of autonomy" in most matters except foreign and defense affairs. In practice, it is more complex than that. Beijing exerts much influence and there are groups pushing for a more democratic regime.

Climate

Hong Kong can be a little chilly in the winter (10 degrees Celsius) and hot and humid in the summer. The best times of year to visit are thus late spring (March-April), when the average temperature is around 25°C and autumn between (September-November). Typhoons usually occur between June and September, can be dangerous and sometimes bring a halt to local business activities for a day or less. The weather in winter is unstable, ranging from under 10 to 20°C.

Festivals

Chinese (Lunar) New Year

Although this may seem like an ideal time to go to Hong Kong, many shops and restaurants close down during the Chinese New Year. However, unlike Christmas in Europe where you can hardly find shops open on this big day, you can still get food and daily products easily during Lunar New Year.

Spring Lantern Festival

If you go to Victoria Park of Hong Kong Island, you will have a great excursion of this tradition Chinese festival. A great deal of beautiful lanterns can be found.

Ching Ming Festival

This festival in Spring is also known as grave sweeping day. As a tradition, members of the Chinese family go to the grave of their ancestors, sweep away the leaves and remove weeds around the grave area, with a view to showing respect to the deceased. Paper offerings are also burned including fake money.

Cheung Chau Bun Festival

This is centered on the tiny island of Cheung Chau. In the past the festival has involved competitions with people climbing Bun Towers to snatch buns. After the accidental collapse of a bun tower in 1978 due to overload of people, the competition was abandoned. It was resumed in 2005 with new safety measures.

Tuen Ng Festival

This is a festival in memory of a national hero.

Mid Autumn Festival

This festival is celebrated on...