Hong Kong: Still China

Special Administrative Region of China

Hong Kong is part of China. On July 1st, 1997, the United Kingdom ended its 156-year rule over Hong Kong. The area was given 50 years to slowly integrate into the economic and governing system of mainland China. In 2020, after passing a national security law, Beijing has been increasing its influence over Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is a city with many high rises, local neighborhoods, high-end shopping as well as “mom and pop businesses”. Victoria Peak is the highest point on the island. We took a funicular to the top. It was fun, however, once at the top, the fog prevented us from seeing the view.

The name Hong Kong means fragrant harbor. Well, some aromas were fragrant others not so much.

Tale of Two Fishing Villages

Tai O Fishing Village, Lantau Island

Tai O was on Lantau Island. Our journey towards Lantau Island started on one bus but we had to change buses once on the Island. Our original bus did not have the special permit needed to drive on Lantau Island.

This little fishing village dates back centuries. There are many legends about smuggling and piracy happening in the little village. Tai O means large inlet. Village lore describes the area as being protected from the weather in addition to affording a great hiding place for those not wanting to be found. These legends are just that, legends since they cannot be verified.

Today, Tai O is known for its restaurants serving freshly caught fish. Fish smells were very potent as we walked through the village streets. As you can see, we took a boat ride to get a better view of daily life in Tai O.

The lovely lady on the cover of this blog was sitting on her porch and she smiled at me when I took that picture.

Aberdeen Floating Fishing Village, Hong Kong Island

This village is located in the southern part of Hong Kong. It is also the place where the British first landed in Hong Kong. Today, it is a mixture of the old sampans and million-dollar yachts. The majority of the fishermen do not live on their sampans. They live in ultramodern high-rise buildings. Aberdeen fishermen are Tanka, who came to Hong Kong somewhere between the 7th -9th century. Records were not well kept back then. The name Tanka means “egg people”. They were given this name because they paid their taxes with eggs. They refer to themselves as Tanka but it is considered an insult when an outsider uses that name.

Getting into the sampan was a bit of a challenge. Steve has big feet and the steps are very narrow. Even the nimblest of our group needed a helping hand.

As we took the sampan ride, we saw the garbage scow come along collecting the yellow bags of garbage. It’s sad but you could see that in a few years, the yachts will completely take over the harbor.

Other Sites in Hong Kong

Ngong Ping

Ngong Ping is a tourist village also housing the giant Tian Tin Buddha. The giant statue was completed in 1993. The site was impressive even from down below the 268 steps to get up to the statue. Needless to say, we did not climb the steps.

Included in the tour was lunch at the Po Lin Monastery. The Monastery was founded in 1906 by three monks from mainland China. The monks are vegetarian. We sat down with some skepticism and were pleasantly surprised as the food came out. It was delicious. I need to look at how to cook veggies like that when we get home. It was that good!

After lunch, we walked the village and found a Starbucks. We sat down to enjoy mocha frappuccinos.

Did You Know?

Stanley Market

This is the oldest market in Hong Kong. Tourists go there looking for extraordinary deals. It certainly was the place for tour groups. We walked around and ended up buying a drink at the 7-Eleven store. We did see some really cool street art and signs.