Hong Kong 4K. Interesting Facts about Hong Kong: Protests, People and Cuisine

Oh hey guys and in this video we're going to talk about Hong Kong. If you've been following the world news you know that Hong Kong's been all over the news for the last six months. So let's take a look at it. Hong Kong is located on China's southern coast, about 60 kilometers east of Macau and neighboring the Chinese city of Shenzhen to the north. Hong Kong is a territory consisting of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, Lantau Island and the New Territories and over 200 smaller islands. Most of its territory is covered by tropical forests and mountains. What is the history of Hong Kong? Originally it was a sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages. Then in 1842 Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire. After Qin China ceded Hong Kong Island at the end of the First Opium War, the colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 after the Second Opium War and was further extended when Britain obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898. By the end of the 19th century Hong Kong was becoming one of the largest ports in Asia and was one of the most successful colonies of the British Empire. The population was growing rapidly. In 1945 it was only 600,000 but in the 1980s there were already 5 million people living there. People were fleeing from the civil war in China in which the communists were prevailing. Today Hong Kong has a population of 7.4 million and an area of 1,100 square kilometers or 426 square miles which makes it one of the most densely populated places in the world. What is the status of Hong Kong today? Hong Kong was transferred back to China in 1997 after 156 years of British rule as a special administrative region and today Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under the principle of one country two systems. Hong Kong is a highly developed territory and it has the largest number of skyscrapers of any city in the world. Also its residents have some of the longest life expectancies in the world. There are two official languages Chinese and English and most people speak Cantonese Chinese instead of Mandarin Chinese. Writing system here is different as well. They use traditional Chinese instead of simplified Chinese which they use in mainland China. When it comes to economy Hong Kong is the largest financial center in Asia and the third largest in the world after New York and London and it's one of the four Asian tigers. Nominal GDP per capita is $49,000 the 16th place in the world. Today it has the second largest number of billionaires 79 second only to New York leaving Moscow, Beijing, London and other cities behind. Why is Hong Kong so wealthy? Because of the low taxation, minimal government market intervention and an established international financial market which attracts overseas corporations wishing to establish a presence in Asia. It also has ranked at the top of the Heritage Foundation's economic freedom index since 1995. Also Hong Kong is one of the world's busiest container ports. Tourism is a major part of the economy accounting for 5% of the GDP. In 2016 26.6 million people visited Hong Kong making it the 14th most popular destination for international tourists. On the downside Hong Kong is among the most expansive cities in the world along with Paris and Singapore. The average salary after taxes is $2,500 which makes it a lucrative place for foreign workers. Filipinos constitute the largest ethnic minority in Hong Kong numbering approximately 130,000 people many of whom work as foreign domestic helpers. You can see them get together on Sundays in the parks. Over 90% of the local residents rely on public transportation and public transportation is great. Now it's a good idea to get a transport card called octopus card as soon as you arrive. This octopus card is widely accepted on the subway, buses and ferries and you can also use it for payments in most retail stores. What are you using to pay for this? Octopus. The MTR subway system is the quickest and most cost-effective way to get around. You can get to most tourist areas of the city by MTR except for a few spots which you can only get to by bus or taxi such as Stanley Market or Aberdeen. Double-decker tram system was founded in 1904. After more than 100 years the city now operates a fleet of 165 trams. The world's largest double-decker tram fleet carrying an average of 200,000 passengers every day. There are also double-decker buses and more than 18,000 taxi cabs. While New York is famous for its yellow taxis, Hong Kong taxis are red and white and they use the same car model Toyota Crown Comfort that had been in production for 22 years from 1995 to 2017. Now they're being replaced by newer models. There are over 500 private vehicles registered in Hong Kong and cars drive on the left side unlike in mainland China due to historical influence of the British Empire. Owning a car is super expensive and monthly parking alone will set you back four to five hundred dollars. Gas is very expensive too, 2.2 dollars per liter or eight dollars a gallon. A car in Hong Kong is only necessary if you live really far from the center and you can't do without it. But with the amount of wealthy people they have in Hong Kong this doesn't stop people from having cars. Just look at the traffic flow. For a long period Tesla was the electric car in Hong Kong. Elon Musk once called Hong Kong a beacon city for electric cars. That's until the local government took away a generous tax incentive and Tesla sales went down and really never recovered after that. The number of supercars on the city streets will make you turn your head all the time if you love cars of course. For an additional fee you can have an extraordinary license plate something like beloved, I'm okay, original and so on. People are trying to be original with their license plate names and this guy just picked up origin as his license plate name. We are in this kind of industrial part of Hong Kong. It's not just the skyscrapers you know and tourism it's actual everyday business you know. You still gotta have a Tesla or a Porsche if you can afford that but yeah you got forklifts and everything's just so close to each other. On the weekend supercar owners get together at different remote spots of the island and they take their cars for a spin. What's your name? My name is Tim. I'm Michael. Are you guys locals of Hong Kong? Yeah we're local. What are some of the cool things about living in Hong Kong? Cool thing I think like you get the modern lifestyle on one hand but you also get like countryside and awesome roads, awesome driving roads like this. I love going for morning drives and especially in this place you get to see all different cars here. What car are you driving? I'm driving that gray one but I wish that was my car. Welcome to Hong Kong. I've tried driving here and it's really hard. They drive on the left side of the road and roads are pretty narrow and so it takes time to get used to this. The center of Hong Kong is extremely densely populated. Skyscrapers, shopping malls, business centers and banks are all concentrated here. Just get off at the central metro station and find yourself in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. There's this interesting district called Soho and the name is derived from its location south of Hollywood Road and it's a district that's filled with bars, restaurants and shops and that's not far from central metro station as well. These steps will take you to the former Central Police Station which is located at the eastern end of Hollywood Road and it has been redeveloped into a cultural and shopping destination generally called Tycoon. Hey guys we are on the Times Square but this is not New York. This is Hong Kong but it's just as crowded maybe even more crowded. I mean look at this the sea of people. Did you know that Hong Kong has more skyscrapers than New York City? 317 versus 257. But Hong Kong is more than just a concrete jungle. Actually there are a lot of places to spend time outdoors, enjoy nature from amazing hiking trails to the sandy beaches where people can get away from the noise of the city. A great example is Stanley. This is a seaside village with a laid-back vibe popular for day trips. Casual eateries and cafes line the promenade on Stanley Bay. Very popular with Europeans. Let's talk to the locals. So we are now in Sydney. In Hong Kong it's so easy to travel around from the countryside to the center of Hong Kong. It's like you can spend 20 minutes and travel to different places. I think this is the most popular place we can travel and also you can take the ferry from central to Lantau Island, Lema Island. It's all islands so you can have like a weekend just really completely different from Hong Kong, central Hong Kong. Beautiful. Thank you for the introduction. No problem. Have a good day. Hong Kong is made up of over 200 islands meaning there are endless stretches of golden sands. Actually you can go surfing at one of the Hong Kong's beaches. This one's called Big Wave Bay. What are the sights of Hong Kong? What you might want to start with is taking a trip on the Star Ferry which is more than a hundred years old. These classic ferries still go from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island and back. Running every few minutes these ferries offer superb views of the skyline. You can actually pay for that fare using that same octopus card. Sadly today you hardly see any of those bat-winged boats that were once one of Hong Kong's signature symbols until they have been superseded by fast ferries. Another great idea is to spend a day on Lantau Island. The Ngon Pin cable car is a spectacular 5.6 kilometer journey. The longest by cable ropeway in Asia. The 25 minute long cable car ride to the mountaintop is a great experience. You'll get to see the Hong Kong International Airport and the mountainous terrain of Lantau Island. The cable car will take you to Ngon Pin village. It has somewhat of a theme park atmosphere complete with souvenir shops, tea houses, as well as fast food. Most people want to take a picture with the big Buddha statue and visit Pauline Monastery. The Hong Kong Buddha and Lantau Island is one of the largest seated Buddha statues in the world. 34 meters or 112 feet high. Now let's go back to Kowloon. There's lots to see and do here. You can visit street markets like You can visit the fish market. We can get all kinds of fishes for your aquarium. Red, yellow, tropical, any kind. Visit the sneaker street if you're looking for some shoes. And you can visit the flower market. A very good choice of flowers and they even had Christmas trees for sale. Now that's pretty cool. Kowloon Walled City Park is quite a place. It used to be an ungoverned densely populated settlement from the 1950s to the 1970s. Back then it was controlled by local triads, the Chinese mafia. Originally a Chinese military fort, the walled city became an enclave after the new territories were leased to the UK by China. Today it's called Kowloon Walled City Park and it's been turned into a park obviously. What a transition. Situated on the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade right on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour, Avenue of Stars is a walking road dedicated to the stars of Hong Kong's film industry. It's a very popular place among tourists. Here you can see handprints of celebrities, stalls with souvenirs, sculptures and the full-size statue of Bruce Lee. I mean who doesn't like Bruce Lee right? Musea K-11 shopping mall is easily one of the most beautiful shopping malls I've ever been to. There's an amazing food court and its interior and space design are some of the best in the world. There's a bohemian garden on the seventh floor. Nathan Road was the first road built in Kowloon and today it's the main street of the peninsula. It's always crowded and there are many shops and restaurants to choose from. Every evening on Tsim Sha Tsui promenade they have a Symphony of Lights light show. It is held every night at 8 p.m and it's completely free. Now back to Hong Kong Island. A great idea is actually to just take a trip on a tram. Hong Kong's iconic double-decker trams are just like London's famous double-decker buses. Winding through the heart of Central and Causeway Bay districts, these trams pass through the city's busiest streets and take in some of its key sites. Take a seat on the top deck and watch the busy streets below. For just 2.6 Hong Kong dollars, that's close to about 30 cents US, you can cross the whole of Hong Kong Island and see most of the in the process. And that's how you make friends on a tram. Hong Kong is not just cars and buildings, there are many parks here. So even though Hong Kong is so densely populated, it still has a lot of parks. Because we need them. Well I'm glad you have them. We actually have them. Victoria Park, named after Queen Victoria, is one of the biggest ones. Visitors can enjoy a wide range of sports facilities from tennis, football and basketball courts to outdoor and indoor swimming pools. The local climate allows you to spend time outdoors for the most part of the year. Another great park is the Hong Kong Park, surrounded by looming skyscrapers. It's a great place for visitors to take a break from the fast pace of the city. The highlight of this park is the Edward Ute Avery, which is a 3,000 square meter aviary built over a natural valley at the From the Bird's Park, it's a three-minute walk to the tram that will take you to Victoria Peak. This is the highest point in Hong Kong Island. This peak is also named after the English queen Victoria. Crowds of tourists come here to enjoy the skyline of the city. Now I definitely recommend you get a hotel with a view, preferably with a pool. Ever since the protests began, prices went down dramatically and now actually it's a great time to visit Hong Kong. What are the challenges of Hong Kong today? Well number one is obviously housing. There's so many residential skyscrapers standing side by side and some apartments don't get any sunlight at all. And if your view from the window is anything but other people's windows, consider yourself lucky. Although there's no guarantee there won't be another tower blocking the view in the future. Demand is high but the area suitable for development is limited, so apartment blocks just keep going higher and higher. The landscape of Hong Kong is mountains, so you wonder how do they manage to build skyscrapers in such places. Sometimes to get to your house you need to do a lot of walking uphill and you're lucky if they have escalators that will help you get on top. Yes, they have escalators on the street and if you want to shop for some real estate, you're looking at 30k per square meter in the When it comes to housing, this is what a poor area in Hong Kong looks like. This is me walking out of some shady building and this is an example of a very fancy neighborhood. But no matter poor or wealthy neighborhood, you're always going to be fine in Hong Kong. Crime is almost non-existent. I know they say poverty brings crime but not in Hong Kong. What's your name? My name is Ying. The cost of living is expensive especially the houses and the area. They're really really quite small and some of the houses when the toilet is really really small but when you stand up it's already a wall in front of you. On the bright side, only 24% of Hong Kong's land has been developed, so you still have 78% that can be developed at a later stage but it's very challenging. Many people cannot afford to rent let alone buy their own apartments so they keep living with their parents. Another challenge is the tensions with mainland China. Is Hong Kong different from mainland China? Yes, they can speak English here and all the internet services and apps like Facebook and YouTube and Instagram are available. And even when it comes to manners, you'll see a difference. I don't want to sound too negative but they don't smoke here as much and they don't spit on the street. But most importantly, Hong Kong residents love and they value their freedom. Something they're ready to fight for. Hong Kong's protests started in June against plans to allow extradition to mainland China. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets and after several months of protests, the bill was withdrawn. But the demonstrations continue and now they have five demands. Number one, to withdraw the extradition bill. Number two, to stop labeling protesters as rioters. Number three, to drop charges against protesters. Number four, to conduct an independent inquiry into police behavior. And number five, to implement genuine universal suffrage for both the legislative council and the chief executive. People have become very politically aware and active. When they held Hong Kong's district council elections on November 24th this year, they had a record turnout. Nearly 3 million people voted. That's 71 percent of registered voters. Normally it's only 10 to 20 percent. The pro-democracy bloc won 392 out of 452 seats, while the pro-establishment rivals took the remaining 60. Hey Paisley. Hello. You're a Hong Kong local. Cool. So what what do you like about living in Hong Kong? What makes it a special place for you? Well I think the best part of this city is is convenience. I don't drive but I can go anywhere anytime here. The food, I like the food here, I like trains and the nightlife. Yeah. People have been hearing about this protest happening in the streets that clashes with the police. So what was that all about? It all started with the extradition bill that people are very worried about the the ruining of our independent law system because we are supposed to be an independent city. But people are just very worried that we will become just a typical Chinese city and also life here has been that we cannot afford buying houses and everything is expensive. When you're young you and you cannot see a bright future. People are mad about the government for the for their work in the past few years. Yeah. It seems they are using our the people's money to build infrastructure that only facilitates mainlanders coming to Hong Kong. Okay. Hong Kong is so packed, right? So many people in in small area. How much more do you think Hong Kong can grow? It's already at the climax. I think because especially due to this movement many people are thinking of thinking about immigration. Oh. Leaving Hong Kong. Oh wow. Yeah. Like many of my friends are seriously thinking of leaving this place. Oh. Immigrating to like Australia, Taiwan, Canada. Free HK and fight for freedom stand with Hong Kong. Graffiti on the streets will tell you the real story so let's take a look. All the numbers you see refer to some dates like 831 refers to 31st of August when they had Prince Edward station incident. Protesters had been expecting some support from the U.S. for a long time and they got it when Donald Trump signed two bills supporting the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is one of the best cities in Asia for foodies. It offers a crazy 15,000 restaurants often in restaurants to give you a menu and a pencil and you need to check what. When we do we just take the boxes. Right. Yeah. And then you give it to the waiter? Yeah. Okay. But first you have to choose the tea and I've chosen my favorite which is Tie Guan Yi. Tie Guan Yi. What makes it special? What makes this tea special? Um the aftertaste. Sweet? Yeah. Okay. A little bit. All right. And the smell. The smell. All right. The city's cuisine is mostly Cantonese based and my friend Pacey will now show us some of the local dishes. This is Nai Wan Bo or Cantonese steamed custard buns. Rice noodle rolls stuffed with pork, beef, shrimp or green onions served with soy sauce. Like this and then when you pick something like this. Chicken feet is a traditional snack. Dim sum or steamed dumplings with various fillings. Chicken hot pot. It starts with a dose of marinated chicken stew cooked on a tabletop stove. After all the tasty bits of meat are devoured water is added to the pot for the next round and then regular hot potting with the usual ingredients like sliced beef and veggies begins. When it comes to drinks they love lemon tea and milk tea. The best thing of Hong Kong to me. Okay. I cannot leave Hong Kong because I cannot live without lemon tea. There is a huge selection of fresh catch at the local market. Crabs, mussels, shrimp and fish. Nice catch. Do you love dessert? Well then you can try the local favorites egg tarts and egg waffles. Now let's sum it up. Hong Kong has come a long way from being a Chinese fishing village and it has been at the top of economic freedom ranking for a number of years. Today it is not clear whether Hong Kong will be able to retain its independence in the long run but I certainly would like to think so. What do you guys think about Hong Kong and the protests and which side are you on? Hey thanks for watching this video guys. If you like it share it. There'll be more videos coming soon. Good deal.