Hong Kong Part 1

I spent this past weekend in Hong Kong, a place that I have wanted to visit since I first came to China. I was amazed at both the similarities and differences between this great city and Beijing, constantly remarking on the ways that Hong Kong felt both intensely Western while also leaving no question that it was an Asian city. This juxtaposition left my head spinning at times, though by and large this combination made me very happy. Throughout the weekend, I tried to approach my time as if I had just come from the west instead of another Asian capital. I was constantly amazed by the ways the city was western, though I suspect that had I arrived from home, instead of Beijing, I would have noticed many more Asian aspects of the city.

Small things, things that I never realized how much I miss, constantly reminded me of the differences. People waited in lines, they did not push, even when in a hurry, and generally behaved in public situations. Spitting was noticeably absent, as was loudly clearing of the throat. This does not even begin to address the ease of getting around, the english that accompanied Chinese on all signs of the very convenient subways. These were the ever present reminders that even though the Chinese government is in charge of Hong Kong, there is still a large degree of Autonomy.

It was, however, at the same time an Asian city. Hong Kong resembled the great Chinatowns of the U.S., filled with neon, restaurants emitting intoxicating smells and crowded with life. The streets of Hong Kong are more narrow, more filled with life than most streets in Beijing. Hong Kong surrounds you, takes you in, constantly reminding you that you are in one of the leading cities of the world. The skyscrapers rise up everywhere, reminding you of the business and shopping that the city has built its reputation around. The government has done a much better job protecting the legacy of Hong Kong, keeping the old to complement the new, allowing history to sit side by side with progress, something that seems to have been forgotten in Beijing, where the only thing that matters is the new, the shiny, the innovative.

Throughout my two days in Hong Kong I was reminded of the little decisions that had been made, the focus on making the city as accessible and livable as possible. The subway system matches any found throughout the world. It is clean, fast and convenient, actually dropping you off close to where you want to be. Transfers are easy, a walk across the station instead of out the station, up the stairs and finally, after a ten minute walk, another 5 minute wait for a train, Beijing’s idea of a subway transfer. The airport express offered a quick, comfortable, cheap trip into the city, with trains leaving every 12 minutes, ensuring that you are able to get into the city quickly and easily. The city government though, did not stop at mass transit, they also made sure that on the ground level people could get around easily. There are pedestrian bridges and subways throughout the city, making the compact city very walkable. There is, however, the difficulty that the city is on the side of a mountain, with the inconvenience of walking uphill a constant reminder of the topography. There is a solution though, a series of outdoor escalators that whisk you up to the mid levels of Victoria’s Peak. These run down the mountain during morning rush hour, reversing course and going uphill the remainder of the day. This is a perfect way to get home, get to hotels and visit other parts of the city, neighborhoods that would be excluded from most people’s trips simply because of the difficulty in going uphill.

I am sure that Hong Kong is not a perfect place, but there were times throughout my weekend there when it felt that way. In many ways, this place seemed to encapsulate my life, the mix of east and west, an appreciation and focus on architecture,a place filled with adventure and excitement, but at the same time a comfortable one.