Where to Go T he crowded Kowloon peninsula and the booming New Territories on the mainland call for some serious sightseeing; but we begin across Victoria Harbor on Hong Kong Island, where the city was first founded and which remains the center of government, business, and commerce. Hong Kong Central No matter how many tunnels and transit systems speed cross-harbor traffic, nothing matches the ride on the Star Ferry from Kowloon to the Central District across Victoria Harbor. As the double-decker boats get ready to leave the pier, bells ring, the gangplank is raised, deckhands in blue sailor suits man the hawsers, and a couple of hundred commuters begin a seven-minute sightseeing tour. The big green-and-white boat weaves its way through an ever-changing obstacle course of both large and small craft, and the soaring skyline of Hong Kong Island draws nearer. As you get off, the 52-story Jardine House with porthole-shaped windows catches the eye. There are restaurants and a Starbuck’s in the basement, and you can access the raised pedestrian crosswalk from the escalators on the ground floor. Next to the Jardine building is Exchange Square, a complex with a large shopping mall; just behind it is the General Post Office with a philatelic center on the ground floor. Farther west is the ferry terminal for the outlying islands. On Connaught Road Central, you’ll find one of Hong Kong’s curiosities, the 244-m- (800-ft-) long Mid-Levels outdoor escalator. It ferries commuters from the Mid-Levels apartment complexes downhill from 6 to 10am, and uphill from 10am to midnight. Nearby is Central Market, the wholesale food market of Hong Kong, and the Hang Seng building (private offices). Just east of the Star Ferry terminal, you’ll come to City Hall. No longer a center of government, it now functions as a cultural center. Go through the underground walkway to Statue Square; on the east side of the square is the Legislative Council Building, one of the few colonial buildings left in Hong Kong. So great is the pressure on the available land that most of Hong Kong’s colonial architectural heritage has been demolished and replaced by new skyscrapers. Despite protests by preservationists, there was little alternative. Nearby is Chater Garden and a number of notable architectural landmarks. Most famous is the striking 74-story I.M. Pei Bank of China Tower, not beloved by the people of Hong Kong — its triangular prisms and sharp angles violate the principles of feng shui (see box, page 68) and its radio masts stick up like an insect’s antennae. The rival Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank is by architect Norman Foster; built on a “coathanger frame,” its floors hang rather than ascend. From inside the vast atrium you can view the whole structure as well as the mechanical workings of the building. Two bronze lions, carrying out feng shui principles, guard its doors. You can catch one of Hong Kong’s historic trams along Des Voeux Road and ride from Central to Causeway Bay (see box, page 66). In 1904, the narrow, double-decker trams ran along the waterfront, but land reclamation has placed them far inland. From the Bank of China Tower, make a short detour up Garden Road and turn into Battery Path to reach the landmark St. John’s Cathe­dral. Built 1847–1849, this usually deserted Anglican foundation is Hong Kong’s oldest church. During World War II, the church was turned into a club for Japanese officers; it was restored after the war. Note the stained glass windows in the Quiet Chapel, designed by Joseph Edward Nuttgens in the late 1950s. Behind the church is the 1917 French Mission Building, now used as the Court of Final Appeal. Across from the I.M. Pei tower a winding path leads up to Hong Kong Park. The park’s 10.5 hectares (25 acres) of landscaped gardens and lakes contains a large greenhouse that holds many species of plants, and an aviary of exotic birds. In the park is the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware (see page 54). It’s in Hong Kong’s oldest colonial building, with exhibits describing the history of tea from the Warring States period (475–221 b.c. ) to the present. If you leave the park and walk up Cotton Tree Drive, you will find the Peak Tram terminal. To the Summit For more than a century, the most exhilarating way up Victoria Peak has been by funicular. The Peak Tram starts its scenic climb just across the street and around the corner from the American Consulate in Garden Road and makes its way, sometimes at a startlingly steep incline, to the summit at 398 m (1,305 ft). The right-of-way travels past fancy apartment blocks, bamboo stands, and jungle flowers. Passengers crane their necks for dizzying glimpses of the harbor. The Peak is still the most fashionable place to live in Hong Kong, but real estate prices here are astronomical; rents run around HK$50,000 a month. The Peak Tram, originally steam-powered, was built to speed the wealthy taipans to their mountainside retreats. Before the tram was built, sedan chairs and rickshaws were the only way to get here. Since the tram’s inauguration in 1888 it has stopped only for typhoons and World War II. The modern 120-passenger cars make the journey in around eight minutes. However, on sunny Saturdays and Sundays you may have to brave a crowd lining up at the lower terminal. During the spring and autumn festivals, when people traditionally seek out the hilltops, the throngs are so large you would be better advised to try another time. At the upper terminus there is a four-level shopping center, the Peak Galleria, and the Peak Tower, which resembles an airport control tower and has shops, entertainment, and restaurants. You can walk around the peak for impressive views of Hong Kong, the coastline, and the islands in 45 minutes on Lugard and Harlech roads. The view is especially effective at night. There are also souvenir stands, benches for a rest, and perhaps Hong Kong’s last surviving rickshaws — however these are not for rides, but are a tourist photo opportunity. If you’re up to a climb, take the Mount Austin road to the Victoria Peak Gardens. These gardens used to belong to the governor’s mountain lodge, but the building was demolished by the Japanese during the occupation of Hong Kong. From the lower terminal of the Peak Tram it’s only a short walk to the former governor’s residence, Government House, now a museum. Across from the mansion, the Zoological and Botanical Gardens (gardens open daily 6am–10pm; zoo 6am–7pm; admission free) provide a welcome oasis amid the big-city pressures. In the very early morning the park is taken over by people doing tai-chi exercises. Both young and old go through ballet-like movements in slow motion to discipline the mind and body. The park’s zoo has a collection of weird and wonderful chattering jungle birds. More Hong Kong Island Sights Western District The Western District is one of Hong Kong’s oldest neighborhoods, and its narrow streets hold a collection of fascinating traditional shops and enterprises. Opposite the Macau Ferry Terminal you’ll find the Western Market (open 10am–7pm). It is more interesting for its architecture than for its shopping; it’s situated in a four-story Edwardian building built in 1906. For an interesting glimpse of small and family-owned shops, walk along Bonham Strand East and West, Man Wa Lane, and Cleverly Street. You’ll find herb and medicine shops, incense shops, chop makers’ shops (makers of Chinese seals), and more. Hong Kong University’s campus is spread along Bonham Road. When it opened in 1912, the university had a total of 72 students. At the top of a sloping driveway, the stately Edwardian structure that was the original university building presides over the institution’s newer buildings. The University’s Fung Ping Shan Museum, 94 Bonham Road (open Monday–Saturday 9:30am–6pm, admission free) holds a significant collection of antiquities: bronzes, dating from 3000 b.c. , and ceramics, including Han Dynasty tomb pottery. It also has the world’s largest collection of Nestorian crosses from the Yuan Dynasty period. Around Hollywood Road Take the Mid-Levels Escalator to Hollywood road, known for its antiques and curio shopping. Here the windows and open doors of the shops reveal an alluring selection of Asian furniture, carpets, carvings, tomb figures, porcelain, and bronze. Walk west along Hollywood Road until you come to Man Mo Temple, the island’s oldest house of worship (though the date of its founding is subject to dispute). Visitors entering the temple are confronted by a dense pall of smoke from all the burning joss sticks and the incense coils hanging from the ceiling (these will burn for as long as a month). The gold-plated sedan chairs on the left-hand side of the temple were once used for transporting the statues of the temple’s gods in religious processions. The statues in the main shrine represent Man, the god of literature, and Mo, the god of war, a curious juxtaposition. The temple is always crowded with worshipers. Just past the temple is the aptly named Ladder Street. Go down one flight of steps to Lascar Row, popularly known as Cat Street, for more antiques and curio shops. Walk up the steps to reach Caine Lane, where you’ll find the Museum of Medical Sciences (open Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5pm; admission by donation). The interesting Edwardian building was formerly the Pathological Institute, founded to combat the 19th century’s 30-year-long outbreak of bubonic plague. The old laboratory is still intact, and there are exhibits on Chinese pharmacology and the history of medicine in Hong Kong. Wan Chai Just to the east of the financial district, Wan Chai was once an area of sleazy clubs and topless bars; this was the setting for The World of Suzy Wong. Servicemen relaxing from the rigors of the Vietnam War poured millions of dollars into the Wan Chai boom of the 1960s. There are still bars and clubs here, but the area has become almost mainstream, and office towers are replacing many of the sinful old premises. The Wan Chai waterfront is dominated by the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the largest in Asia, which includes hotels, theaters, and exhibition halls. The convention center, an extension on reclaimed land, affords stunning views of the Wan Chai waterfront. Adjacent, just west of the convention center, is another modern highlight, the Academy for the Performing Arts on Gloucester Road. On Wan Chai’s Bowen Road, Maiden’s Rock, also called Lover’s Rock, is the gathering place for the annual Maiden’s festival. Although it is not a tourist attraction, the rock is steeped in tradition. Every August young women convene to light joss sticks and some even climb the nine-meter (30-ft) rock to pray for good husbands. Causeway Bay About 2 km (a mile) east of Wan Chai, Causeway Bay is second only to Tsim Sha Tsui as Hong Kong’s place to shop. A prosperous tourist district, it is full of shopping centers and department stores, along with a number of good restaurants. The busy night-and-day crowds make this area vibrant and lively. On the nautical side is the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter, where expensive yachts are anchored almost gunwale to gunwale, and the Hong Kong Yacht Club has its headquarters. Across Gloucester Road, opposite the World Trade Centre, is the Noonday Gun, which under British rule was sounded on the stroke of midday. Silent for a time, the tradition has been revived and is a tourist attraction. It’s not clear how the custom started. One story has it that traders Jardine, Matheson & Co fired a private salute for a visiting tycoon, an act that incensed the colonial authorities, who felt that they had the sole right to issue such a 21-gun welcome. As a result, the merchants were forced to limit their salvoes to one a day — and from then on, they signaled the noon hour daily for all to hear. The gun was made famous by Noel Coward’s satirical song, “Mad Dogs and Englishmen. ” Farther east is Hong Kong’s largest park, Victoria Park, with sports grounds and other facilities. On the eastern side of Victoria Park on Causeway Road is Tin Hau Temple, dedicated to Tin Hau, the Taoist Queen of Heaven and patroness of seafarers. Originally the temple was on the shore but reclamation projects have now left it high and dry. On the 23rd day of the Third Moon, the birthday of the goddess is celebrated here and in all Hong Kong fishing communities. Inland from the bay is Happy Valley. At one time it was a very miserable valley, a swampland conducive only to breeding malarial mosquitoes. It is home to Hong Kong’s first racetrack. Hong Kong’s gamblers are so eager to play the horses that, despite the opening of a bigger and better racetrack at Sha Tin, the Happy Valley Racecourse is thriving. Up Tai Hang Road behind Causeway Bay is Aw Boon Haw (Tiger Balm) Gardens (open daily 9:30am–4pm), founded in 1935 by the late Aw Boon Haw, who became a millionaire by producing the medicinal Tiger Balm. (It does not, in fact, contain any ingredients from tigers, but does promise to cure a wide range of problems such as colds, headaches, rheumatism, gout, toothache, and scorpion bites. ) With its garish pagodas, artificial caves, and brightly painted statues of well-known Taoist and Buddhist legends, the garden is an obvious photo opportunity. around the Coast Aberdeen, the island’s oldest settlement, once a pirate lair, is home to the “floating population” — the boat people who spend their entire lives on the junks in the harbor, some proudly claiming never to have set foot on land (except for funerals, which don’t count). The junks are a picturesque sight: children frolicking on the poop deck, women preparing food or playing mah-jong, elderly folk watching the sunset, dogs and cats underfoot, songbirds in bamboo cages overhead — and all afloat. The boats may appear deceptively primitive, but many of them have their own electric generators and all the modern conveniences. There are fewer boats now than in the past; many boat people, especially the younger generation, have moved to housing projects. You can take a tour of the port in one of the small sampans, propelled by hand by women drivers. A half-hour tour costs HK$50; pay at the end, or the driver may cut your trip short. Aberdeen’s theatrical floating restaurants have been a tourist attraction for many years. The food may not live up to expectations, but the fantasy environment makes up for it. If you can get up early enough, you can attend the pre-dawn auction held at the vast local wholesale fish market; otherwise, have a look at the street market that goes on later in the day. The peninsula opposite the east coast of Ap Lei Chau island contains Ocean Park (open daily 10am–6pm; admission HK$150 adults, HK$75 children), which has become one of Hong Kong’s biggest attractions. It is divided into three areas: a highland, a lowland, and the Middle Kingdom. Linking the lowland and highland sections of the park, a cable-car system offers spectacular views across to the islands of the South China Sea. The Oceanarium is said to be the largest in the world, and the Ocean Theatre features displays by dolphins, killer whales, seals, and pelicans. An enormous roller-coaster rising way above the sea, space wheels, and high-diving shows guarantee a day of excitement. The Middle Kingdom is a recreated “living” history of China’s past, presented through a number of full-size replicas of shrines, temples, pagodas, palaces, and street scenes. There are also demonstrations of traditional Chinese crafts, including silk-weaving, pottery, and p apermaking. Water World, formerly in the complex, has closed for redevelopment. Continuing around the coast in a counter-clockwise direction, Deep Water Bay offers a good beach and harbors. The next inlet is Repulse Bay, a roomy, sandy crescent, with green hills. It’s so attractive and so easy to reach that it’s packed with sunbathers all summer long. Stanley was once one of the main fishing villages on Hong Kong Island. The well-known Stanley Mar­ket (see page 55) is a major source for bargain clothing and other merchandise. Stanley is also a favorite place of residence for ex-pats. The waterfronts at Repulse Bay and Stanley are lined with good cafés and restaurants. Kowloon Though much smaller than Hong Kong Island, Kowloon has almost twice the population. In many areas, the density reaches the equivalent of 150,000 inhabitants per square km (a quarter square mile). Most of Kowloon’s attractions for visitors are centered near the tip of the peninsula in the district known as Tsim Sha Tsui. Adjacent to the Star Ferry terminal is Ocean Terminal, where international cruise ships dock, and the gigantic Harbour City, a complex of malls, hotels, and restaurants. If you walk east on the Star Ferry terminal concourse, you will find yourself on the wonderful Promenade, which begins at the clock tower, all that remains of the once grand Kowloon-Canton Railway Terminus. The waterfront here offers unparalled views of the harbor and Hong Kong Island. If you continue to the end of the promenade, you will be in Tsim Sha Tsui East, a busy commercial district built on more than 60 hectares (150 acres) of reclaimed land. Flanked by the clock tower is the imposing Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Hong Kong’s major venue for the performing arts, the building has been criticized for its fortress-like architecture and windowless façade. The interior is a comfortable amalgam of Chinese and Western design, with an impressive main lobby. The center contains a concert hall with acclaimed acoustics, theaters, a library, an exhibition gallery, shops, restaurants, and bars. Next door is the Hong Kong Space Museum and Theatre (open Monday, Wed­nesday–Friday 1–9pm; Sat­ur­day, Sunday 10am–9pm; closed Tuesday; admission HK$10 adults, HK$5 children; separate admission to theater). Its futuristic dome design is striking; inside are interactive exhibits, including one in which you can experience weightlessness. The theater presents “sky shows” and IMAX films. The Hong Kong Museum of Art (see page 54) stands behind the Space Museum next to the cultural center. It contains the Xubaizhi collection of painting and calligraphy; galleries devoted to antiquities and ceramics; and a gallery of modern Chinese art. Particularly interesting is the collection of paintings and photographs of old Hong Kong. The museum mounts special exhibitions and has an excellent gift shop. A few blocks up Chatham Road South are two more major museums. The Scien­ce Mus­eum (see page 55) is a state-of-the-art interactive museum that will teach you how everything and anything works from ancient sailing ships to the latest technology. The Museum of History (open Tuesday–Saturday 10am–6pm, Sunday 1–6pm; closed Monday; admission HK$10 adult, HK$5 child) opened its new permanent collection at the end of August 2001. The fascinating collection of artifacts pertaining showcases 6,000 years of Hong Kong’s history and Chinese culture. Just across Salisbury Road from the cultural center is the historic Peninsula Hotel, now expanded and modernized by a 32-story tower. Its restored lobby is Hong Kong’s most elegant gathering place; afternoon tea here is a visitors’ ritual. Alongside the hotel runs busy Nathan Road, Hong Kong’s fabled shopping street, lined with shops, hotels, and restaurants. Kowloon’s main street was created by Sir Matthew Nathan when he was governor of Hong Kong at the turn of the 19th century. At the time it was built, many thought it absurd to have a tree-lined boulevard running through what was practically a wilderness. Now the former “Nathan’s Folly” is known as the “Golden Mile. ” A few blocks up Nathan Road is Kowloon Park (open daily 6am–midnight), elegantly laid out with fountains, promenades, and ornamental gardens; be sure to go up the steps to see the Sculpture Walk. Farther up Nathan Street you will reach Yau Ma Tei, one of the older parts of Kowloon. Turn off Nathan and walk down Kansu Street to find the Jade Market (open 10am–3pm; see page 80), with more than 100 stalls spread out in a large tent, just before you reach the overpass. Hong Kong’s liveliest market scene is the Temple Street Night Market (see page 55), near Jordan Road. Everything is sold here, from clothing to souvenirs to electronic goods, and the market is known for its street-side food stalls, where you can dine inexpensively on seafood. The market runs all the way up to Tin Hau Temple, where you will find fortune tellers’ tables (some speak English) and possibly street performers singing Chinese opera or pop songs. The temple is one of the many dedicated to Tin Hau, goddess of seafarers; this one also houses an altar to Shing Wong, the city’s god. In the daytime the temple (open 8am–6pm) attracts worshipers, and its park attracts strollers and mah-jong players. Nathan Road goes all the way up to Boundary Street, which marks the boundary between Kowloon and the New Territories. Near Boundary Street, off Prince Edward Street West, is the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden (open 8am–7pm). Birds are favorite pets in Hong Kong, valued for their singing rather than their plumage, and here you’ll find all kinds of birds for sale as well as elaborate teak and bamboo cages. Off the beaten path in Sham Shui Po, west of the junction of Nathan Road and Boundary Street, is the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb and Museum on Tonkin Road (open Monday–Wednesday and Friday–Saturday 10am–6pm, Sunday 1–6pm; closed Thursday). This ancient burial vault is believed to date back to the Han Dynasty (a.d. 25–220). The barrel-vaulted chambers were discovered while excavating for a nearby housing project. New Territories Hong Kong’s New Territories begin at Boundary Street. Surprises spring up on all sides: new industrial complexes alongside sleepy farming villages, skyscraper towns blooming in the middle of nowhere, Hakka women in their traditional flat straw hats with hanging black curtains, water buffalo, and flashes of azalea everywhere. The New Territories can be explored by taking the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR), which makes 10 stops between the station in Kowloon and Sheung Shui, the last stop before entering China. Ask the tourist authority about its interesting Heritage Tour from Kowloon and other countryside tours (see page 113). The main highway makes a circuit of the New Territories, beginning with the new town of Tsuen Wan, situated in an area of heavy industry just west of Kowloon. North of the town, a commanding view over all the New Territories to the north can be seen from Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s highest peak at 957 m (3,140 ft). The highway continues parallel to the coast. One-third of all Hong Kong’s beaches are to be found in a single 14-km (9-mile) stretch of this region’s shoreline. Place names are often based on the distance to the nearest mile-post, as measured from the tip of the Kowloon peninsula. Thus you will find “191/2-mile Beach” at Castle Peak Bay. The main road continues clockwise around the New Territories. As you approach the border, you can glimpse the skyscrapers of Shenzhen. The lookout point at Lok Ma Chau was once known as Hong Kong’s “window on China” — in the years of China’s isolation from the West, tourists would come to the lookout point here and rent binoculars in order to get a glimpse of the great mystery beyond. Set amid Tseun Wan’s residential towers is the 18th-century walled village of Sam Tung Uk, now preserved as a museum, and a short walk from the MTR station. Not far away, at milepost 21 near the large new town of Tuen Mun, is a Taoist retreat known as Ching Chung Koon. This “Temple of Green Pines” is a spacious complex containing temples and pavilions, statues, and gardens. It is known for its collection of bonsai and houses a jade seal more than 1,000 years old. Among the ponds is one inhabited by turtles: Visitors toss in coins in the hope of bouncing one off a turtle’s head, a sure way of achieving good fortune. An even more interesting image out of Chinese history is the walled village of Kat Hing Wai, in the village of Kam Tin just outside the market town of Yuen Long. This is the most easily accessible of the New Territories’ walled villages. It is built in a square, and the only way in is through the gate in the brick defensive wall. Kat Hing Wai was built four or five centuries ago by the Hakka Tang clan, one of the Five Great Clans that migrated here from North China (see page 11). Many of the old houses in the village have been replaced by modern structures. The Tang clan’s earliest walled village was Lo Wai, which also has its defensive wall intact and is entered by a narrow gate. Adjacent to the village is the restored Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall. Few traditional ancestral halls remain in China since the anti-historical destruction during the Cultural Revolution, so these New Territories ancestral halls are rare survivors. Another such hall, belonging to the Liu Clan, is Liu Man Shek Tong in the village of Sheung Shui. One of the most interesting sites in the New Territories is Tai Fu Tai, another rare survivor, this one a mansion that belonged to a Confucian high official. The house was built in 1865 by a member of the Man clan who achieved the rank of tai fu (mandarin) by doing well in the Imperial Exam­inations. The preservation of this wonderful home is ongoing; a projected restoration of the original garden is still in progress. The traditional Qing Dyna­sty style of the mansion is enlivened by a few West­ern touches: a Baroque-style ceiling and stained glass above the doorways, showing the builder’s up-to-date attitude at the time of construction. The highway and the railway stay close together from Fanling, site of the best golf courses in the area. Tai Po, just south of Fanling, is known for its market, Tai Po Market, which buzzes with activity daily from 7am to 6pm. Just up a lane from the market is the Man Mo Temple, with long-burning incense coils hanging from its ceiling, a popular spot dedicated to the Taoist gods of war and literature. The railway line then curves gracefully around Tolo Harbor, an idyllic body of water well-protected from the open sea. You can take a ferryboat through the harbor, past the ingenious Plover Cove reservoir, a water catchment area appropriated by damming and draining a broad inlet from the sea. The boats go on to the friendly fishermen’s island of Tap Mun, in Mirs Bay, with stops in remote hamlets of the Sai Kung Peninsula. The Sai Kung area is the location of two official parks and nature preserves, while on the south side of the peninsula are some of the territory’s best beaches. From the next railway station, the modern campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong is visible. Teaching here is conducted in both Chinese and English. The Art Gallery in the Institute of Chinese Studies Building is worth a visit for its painting and calligraphy collections. Sha Tin is the site of the Monastery of 10,000 Buddhas, which looks down on a burgeoning town. There are hundreds of stone steps in the hillside to walk up before you reach Man Fat Temple with its regiments of small gilt statues of Buddha lining the walls. Some indefatigable climbers will want to go up to the top of the nine-story pink pagoda for a panoramic view. There is a total of 12,800 Buddha statues here, plus the remains of the monastery’s founder embalmed in gold leaf. Also here is the Hongkong Heritage Museum (call Tel. 2180 8188 for open hours). The museum has an art collection, and displays of toys and other artifacts. Down to earth, the Sha Tin Racecourse can accommodate over 80,000 spectators and is equipped with every imaginable luxury, including a giant video screen facing the stands, and for the horses, air-conditioned stables. Opposite the Sha Tin railway station, New Town Plaza features shops, cinemas, and even a computer-controlled musical fountain. Two natural rock formations are always pointed out on excursions. Sha Tin Rock, better known as Amah Rock, is actually a pile of several rocks that resemble a woman with a baby in a sling on her back. Legend has it that a local woman climbed the hill every day to watch for her husband returning from across the sea; one day the wife and her child were turned to stone as a permanent symbol of her enduring faith. Closer to town is Lion Rock, shaped like a lion lying in wait. It really looks the part; the tourists know its name even before the guide can translate it. The Islands Excursion companies sell a variety of orientation cruises of Hong Kong harbor that include a look at some of its 235 outlying islands. These pleasant, but expensive, outings can lay the foundation for your own explorations aboard the cheap but usually comfortable ferries used by the islanders themselves. From the ferry terminals on Hong Kong Island you can escape to islands without cars or cares, where the local people smile “hello” and, if you’re lucky, point you to a secret beach for the ultimate in quality leisure time. For ferry information, call Tel. 2542 3081 or 2525 1108. Lantau Island The mountainous island of Lantau is the biggest in the colony, and covers nearly twice the area of Hong Kong Island. Chek Lap Kok airport sits on reclaimed land just off Lantau; plans to build a bridge may change Lantau, but at present it is sparsely populated and makes a perfect getaway. At 934 m (3,064 ft), Lantau Peak is high enough to attract the occasional rain cloud — refreshingly cool breezes blow on most hot summer days. More than half the island is parkland, and there is a 70-km (45-mile) circular hiking trail (see page 92). Ferries depart from Central every two hours between 6:10am and 10:30pm to Silvermine Bay (Mui Wo), where a bus terminal has buses to all parts of the island. There are also ferries to Discovery Bay. A short bus ride away is Cheung Sha Beach, 3 km (2 miles) long, and popular for its white sand and excellent facilities. The most famous site on the island is the world’s tallest seated bronze statue of Buddha at 22 m (72.6 ft), the Tiantan Buddha (see page 55). The statue and a small museum are on a peak, up 268 steps, above Po Lin Monastery. The monastery is strictly vegetarian, and visitors are warned not to bring any meat with them. You can have a delicious vegetarian lunch here. From the monastery, hikers enjoy the two-hour cross-country trek down to Silvermine Bay, but the authorities have warned walkers to be on the lookout for snakes, which can be plentiful in the Lantau hinterland, especially in summer. The hillsides that surround the monastery are the site of Hong Kong’s only tea plantation. Visitors are welcome to visit the 24-hectare (60-acre) establishment, and may sample the end product, Lantau tea. The island’s largest community is Tai O. The people of this picturesque village make their living by fishing, duck-breeding, and food-processing. Many of the inhabitants live — by choice, not necessarily through economic hardship — on the water, aboard houseboats or in houses on stilts in the main creek. A Trappist monastery, situated on a hillside overlooking the east coast of Lantau, is also open to visitors. To get here, follow the path from the southwest end of Discovery Bay; the walk takes about 30 minutes. Cheung Chau Some 10 km (6 miles) west of Hong Kong lies this small, crowded island, only one square mile in size. More than 25,000 people live here, mostly by fishing, but there are also ex-pats, attracted by its laid-back Mediterranean ambience. The island has a checkered past of smuggling and pira cy. That era is gone now, but other elements of the island’s old life are preserved. The people still carve jade and build seaworthy junks, all by hand. Fish (heads discreetly wrapped in paper) are still hung out to dry in the sun. Cheung Chau becomes the center of Hong Kong life once a year, usually in May, during the Bun Festival, a folklore extravaganza (see page 89). The rest of the year, life goes on at its accustomed pace: rickety machines chugging in two-man factories, children in school uniforms being ferried home to houseboats, and the old fishermen stirring shrimp paste. By way of formal tourist attractions, Pak Tai Temple, built in 1783, has some fine carvings and a great iron sword said to be 600 years old. But the most interesting thing to do here is to explore the two villages on the island, Cheung Chau and San Wai. They are an easy walk apart by the harbor road, or a longer 45-minute hike on the scenic Peak Road. The Praya, the promenade in front of the ferry pier, is a good place to observe the many junks and fishing boats in the harbor. There are also several open-air restaurants where you can enjoy fresh seafood. Lamma Island Only 35 minutes by ferry from Central, Lamma Island is perfect for swimming, hiking, picnicking, birdwatching, or just sitting back to watch the bananas grow. Hong Kong’s third largest island has a population of only about 12,000; it is still largely undeveloped, and life on Lamma, if not totally primitive, is close to the essentials. Archaeologists indicate that Lamma has probably been inhabited for some 4,000 years, and the island is known as “Hong Kong’s Stone Age Island. ” The principal settlements are Yung Shue Wan on Lamma’s northwest, and Sok Kwu Wan, on the east coast. Both villages offer good waterfront restaurants with homestyle Chinese food, principally seafood fresh from the tank. The ports are within hiking distance of several beautiful beaches, and within a one-hour hike of each other on a marked trail. You can build an appetite for dinner by making your way from the beach to the restaurant. Yung Shue Wan is still a very British residential enclave, with many nice pubs. An Excursion to Macau Macau, the final bastion of Portugal’s great 16th-century empire, is much more than just a quirk of history. Here, where East and West first met, life combines the spirit of Asia with something of the sunny atmosphere of the Mediterranean. Macau’s historic center, with its colonial architecture, has a distinctly Medit­er­ranean flavor. Col­­o­n­na­­ded public buildings, iron balconies, winding streets, flagstoned squares and the many churches all speak of the Portuguese inheritance as well as the Chinese, a fusion of East and West that has produced the unique Macanese culture. The story of the Western discovery of Macau begins in 1513 when Portuguese explorer, Jorge Alvares, reached the south coast of China. Traders followed in his wake, setting up bases in several parts of the Pearl River estuary. Finally, in 1557, they were all consolidated in Macau. It was the only European gateway to China, and through Macau flowed Western technology and religion. In 1576 Pope Gregory XIII created the Macau diocese, covering all of China and Japan. No less impressive were the secular challenges. China and Japan were not on speaking terms, so trade between them had to be channeled through a neutral middleman. Lucky Macau fit the specifications exactly. Portugal’s resulting near-monopoly of East–West trade understandably awakened the competitive instincts of other European powers. The Dutch sent an invasion flotilla to Macau in 1622, but the defenders triumphed. However, the end of the golden age was drawing near. China began to relax trade restrictions, and with the rise of Hong Kong, Macau became an isolated Portuguese outpost. A haven for persecuted Japanese Christians in the 17th century, Portugal’s neutrality during World War II assured the territory a flood of refugees. They were joined by a swarm of spies of all conceivable nationalities, and Macau won a name for international intrigue. Portugal’s very precarious foothold on the Asian coast ended in 1999 with a formal handover to China. Macau, now the Chinese Special Economic Zone of Zhuhai, is becoming something like a boomtown as an exporter of toys, furniture, and electronics. New construction in the past 10 years has changed the city’s skyline; with new, glittering hotels and highrise apartment blocks, the city is beginning to look a little more like Hong Kong. Macau’s population is estimated at around 450,000, an appallingly high figure for such a small area; recent land reclamation has eased the situation to some extent. If a trace of tropical lethargy still adds to the charm in this city of sidewalk cafés, palm trees, and pedicabs, any torpor definitely ends once inside the doors of Macau’s casinos, scene of some of the liveliest gambling west of Las Vegas. Gambling provides almost 40 percent of the government’s tax revenues, and is a major source of employment. Its spin-off industries, prostitution and pawn shops, also thrive. Arriving The easiest way to get to Macau is by jetfoil, operated by TurboJet (Tel. 2859-3333). The 40-mile trip takes about an hour. Departures are from the Macau Ferry Terminal, just west of Central in the Shun Tak Centre, 200 Connaught Road, Central, in Hong Kong. Jetfoils leave every 15 to 30 minutes 24 hours a day. Entry procedures are similar to those in Hong Kong — most nationalities need only a passport to enter Macau. Macau’s own currency, the pataca, is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar, and you can use your Hong Kong currency freely in Macau. Upon arrival in Macau, be sure to stop by the Macau Government Tourist Office for a map, brochures, and directions. Outside the terminal, you will find taxis as well as buses to all points (take 3, 3A, 10, or 10A to the historic center; exact change is required). You’ll also be approached by pedicab drivers; these are tricycles carrying two passengers. Pedicabs were once the most common form of transportation in Macau, but today they are mainly a tourist attraction. Sights in Macau Directly across the street from the wharf where passengers arrive from Hong Kong is the first surprise to greet visitors to Macau — the vast Jai-alai Palace, said to be the world’s most luxurious frontón. In an effort to provide yet one more thing to bet on, players are imported from Spain to take part in this lightning-fast Basque ball game. The grandstand situated on the seaside road, the Avenida da Amizade (Friendship Avenue), marks the finishing line for the Macau Grand Prix, the international car-racing event held here every November. Also in front of the ferry terminal is a new Cyber fountain, with 86 water spouts that shoot up to 70 m (230 ft) and are illuminated at night by 288 spotlights producing 80 colors. Continuing around the peninsula in a clockwise direction brings you to the Rua da Praia Grande (Big Beach Street) — a pleasant promenade with shaded benches under the banyan trees. Along this elegant avenue is Government House, a modest pink palace. The central square of the historic city center is Largo do Senado. For an authentic feel of old Portugal, slip into the cool entrance hall of theimpressive Leal Senado (“Loyal Senate” building), a fine example of colonial architecture. On the inside walls are flowered blue tiles (azulejos) and coats of arms. The inscription over the archway reads, “Cidade do nome de Deus, não ha outra mais leal” (“City of the Name of God, None is More Loyal”) — a bit of praise attributed to Portugal’s King John IV in the 17th century. For all its historic grandeur, the loyal Senate now is the equivalent of a city council, its statesmanship dedicated to water supplies, sewage lines, and the establishment of playgrounds. Macau’s most memorable monument is the Baroque façade of the ruins of São Paulo, the only remains of a beautiful 17th-century Jesuit church. On top of a hill in the center of the city, it’s approached by a grand staircase. The rest of the building and an adjoining college were destroyed in a typhoon-fanned fire in 1835. The rich sculptural effects on the façade mix Eastern and Western symbols: familiar saints, Chinese dragons, and a Portuguese caravel. Beneath the church, the Museum of Sacred Art houses a collection of sacramental objects. The ambitious Museum of Macau (open Tuesday–Sunday 10am–6pm; admission HK$15) opened in 1998 in the lower levels of the Monte Fortress. Entrance is by escalator, near St. Paul’s. It gives an overview of Macau’s history and its daily life and traditions. A re-created street of colonial Macau is lined with traditional Chinese shops. The fort, built by the Jesuits in the 17th century as a defense against the Dutch, was largely destroyed by the same fire that burned St. Paul’s. Luís Vaz de Camões (1524–1580), the Portuguese national poet whose work immortalized that country’s golden age of discoveries, may have stayed in Macau. Local legend claims that he wrote part of his great saga, Os Lusíadas, in what is now called the Camões Grotto, situated in the spacious tropical Camões Garden. Next to the museum, behind a gate (opened to anyone who knocks), is the Old Protestant Cemetery. Those whose fate was to die on some far foreign field could not have wanted a more peaceful, lovely graveyard. The small, whitewashed chapelwas the first Protestant church built in China. For a different vision of Old China, spend a few quiet moments in the classic Lou Lim Ieoc Garden. Here, arched bridges, pagodas, fish ponds, and stands of bamboo create the mood of a timeless Chinese painting. Nearby is the Memorial House of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Chinese Republic. Photos and documents tell the life story of the physician-revolutionary-statesman, who lived for a time in Macau, but never in this building. Kun Iam Tong, off Avenida do Coronel Mesquita (open daily 8am–6pm), is a 17th-century Buddhist temple of considerable splendor and charm. Surrounded by statues, carvings, and incense burners, here the faithful make their devotions and check their fortunes, and traditional funerary displays give a cheerful send-off to the recently departed. An unexpected piece of historical memorabilia turns up in the monastery garden, where guides point out a small stone table used for a treaty-signing ceremony in 1844. The signatories, who were the Chinese viceroy from Canton and the minister plenipotentiary of the United States of America, put their names to a historic document — the first-ever treaty between the two countries. Another important ceremony took place in 1999 when Macau became part of China. The Handover Pavilion was meant to be a temporary structure, but public outcry ensured its preservation (located on Xian Xing Hai; open weekdays 10am–6pm, until 10pm weekends). Nearby is the Macau Cultural Center and the Museum of Art (open Tuesday–Sunday 10am–7pm; closed Monday; small admission). ­ Macau’s oldest museum, the Maritime Museum (Wednesday–Monday 10am–5:30pm; admission HK$10, HK$5 children over 10) traces the history of Macau’s connection to the sea. Exhibits cover fishing, seaborne trade, sea transport, and there is an aquarium. The museum also offers boat tours aboard a fishing junk. The museum is almost on the spot where the Portuguese first landed. When they came ashore they found the A-Ma Temple (properly called Ma Kok Temple; open daily dawn to dusk), dedicated to the favorite goddess of fishermen, who is also known as Tin Hau. The area was called A-Ma Gau (“Bay of A-Ma”), and in this way, Macau got its name. The ornate, picturesque temple dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and is the oldest building in Macau. The remains of the 17th-century Barra Fortress, which once defended the southern tip of the peninsula, contains the chapel of Santiago (St. James). The saint is much revered in the surrounding area. Among other legends surrounding the statue is a very modern one: During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, when Red Guards were running rampant on Wanchai island, just a swim away, the image of St. James is said to have stepped down from the altar and halted an invasion. Part of the fortress has been converted and is now used as a luxury inn. The northernmost point in Macau is the frontier between two contrasting worlds. The Barrier Gate (Portas do Cerco), which was built more than a century ago, marks the boundary between the enclave of Macau and the People’s Republic of China. Trying Your Luck Macau’s casinos are a source of non-stop excitement. There are 12 of them; you can’t miss the eye-popping Lisboa, which has several floors of gambling, but there’s also the Hyatt Regency, the Mandarian Oriental, and Taipa’s Jockey Club. The fancifully decorated Macau Palace, a floating casino moored on the western waterfront, is fitted out with gambling tables, slot machines (known locally as “hungry tigers”) and, for hungry humans, a restaurant. Gambling is wildly popular with the Chinese of Hong Kong, and they make up nearly 80 percent of all visitors to the casinos. The casinos offer familiar international games — baccarat, blackjack, boule, craps, roulette — along with more exotic Chinese pastimes. Watch the fantan dealer for a few minutes and you’ll almost be an expert: It’s simply a matter of how many odd buttons are left after he has divided a pile of them into groups of four. Dai-Siu (Big and Small) is a dice game in which the croupier throws three dice inside a glass container. Players bet on the numbers that will come up, and on whether the result will be “big” or “small. ” Keno is a variation of bingo in which the player chooses numbers to bet on before the draw is made. The casinos have no admission charge and formal dress is optional, though long pants for men are required. They keep busy 24 hours a day, but if you want a change of scene there are always more gambling opportunities available. You can try your luck at pari mutuel betting on jai-alai at pari mutuel, greyhound-racing at the Cani­drome (one of the largest in the world), and harness-racing on Taipa. Shopping in Macau Like Hong Kong, Macau is a duty-free port. It is famous for its gold jewelry. Market prices per tael (34 grams/1.2 ounces) of gold are set daily. You should always ask for a certificate of guarantee when you buy gold or jewelry. Look for jewelry shops along Avenida do Infante D. Henrique and Avenida de Almei­da Ribeiro. Browsing is a real pleasure in Macau’s main streets and byways, where shops aimed at the tourist market are interspersed with the more workaday ironmongers, herbalists, and noodle stalls. Knowle­dgeable visitors look for antiques — either Chinese heirlooms or leftovers from the gracious Portuguese colonial days. However, you are not likely to find bargains, and you should be aware that unless you are an expert, you can end up with a fake. Also worth investigating are contemporary handicrafts, both Portuguese and Chinese, from across the border. Food and Drink Gourmets award Macau high marks for dependable Chinese cooking with an exotic bonus: Portuguese food and wines. Macau’s own cuisine is a combination of Chinese flavors with the flavors imported from Portugal, Brazil, and Africa. Whether you choose to dine in one of the Macanese, Chinese, traditional Portuguese, or international-style restaurants, you will be treated to a hearty meal at a good price. The ingredients, especially the fresh fish and seafood, are first-rate. A delicate, delicious fish is Macau sole (linguado). Imported dried cod (bacalhao) is the Portuguese national dish; several varieties are available, usually baked. Macau has an ample supply of Portuguese wines. Try a vinho verde, a mildly sparkling young wine from northern Portugal, or a hearty red Dão or Colares. After dinner, a glass of Madeira or port is recommended to round off the meal. The more abstemious can stick to Portuguese mineral water. Taipa and Coloane Bridges link Macau with its two islands. Since the construction of the New Macau-Taipa Bridge has allowed easy access to the airport, the population has grown to more than 30,000, with industrial development, new apartment blocks, and luxury resort hotels. The quaint Taipa Village, with its narrow lanes and colonial buildings painted yellow, blue, and green, has almost been completely swallowed up by the development of nearby housing projects. The island is also the designated home of the University of East Asia. Pay a visit to the Casa Museu da Taipa, and you’ll be able to get a glimpse of how Macanese families lived in former days. A grand colonial house, fully restored and outfitted with period furnishings, provides the centerpiece for this expanding “cultural village. ” Farther away is Coloane, connected to Taipa by a causeway and a large land reclamation project. Not as developed as Taipa, it offers the joys of sand and sea and is known for its beaches. Cheoc Van and Hac Sa (“Black Sands”) are both popular resort areas, with lifeguards on duty in summer and windsurfing boards for rent. There are restaurants, swimming pools, and changing facilities. The village of Coloane is picturesque, with a central square lined with cafés. The waterfront drive parallels the shore of a Chinese island, and boats headed to China pass through the narrow waterway. The small Chapel of St. Francis Xavier is dedicated to the 16th-century patron saint of missionaries, and has on display the elbow of the saint, along with the bones of numerous Japanese and Vietnamese martyrs. Seac Pai Van Park, on the west coast of the island is an interesting natural preserve with aNatural History Museum. An Excursion to Guangzhou (Canton) Guangzhou was China’s major seaport for 2,000 years and the center for European traders in the 19th century. The city still maintains its important gateway role. Ever since 1957 the Canton Trade Fair (officially the Chinese Export Commodities Fair) has attracted throngs of international business people every spring and autumn. Guangzhou, with a population of more than 5 million, straddles the Pearl River — China’s fifth longest — which links the city to the South China Sea. This waterway accounts for much of the local charm and excitement, as the daily drama of the ferryboats, junks, sampans, freighters — and even small tankers and big gunboats — unfolds right in the center of town. The river also irrigates the carefully tended surrounding farmlands, creating a beautifully lush, subtropical scene. Guangdong Province has some of China’s most fertile land, and grows two crops of rice a year, along with vegetables of all kinds. Guangzhou today is mostly about business and industry, featuring new development, skyscrapers, a whole new business area, and raised expressways. The scary traffic is a real experience — vehicles of all kinds jockey for position on crowded streets, missing each other by inches, and speeding on the freeways is rampant. Guangzhou is interestingly one of China’s most prosperous cities, determinedly on the move into the modern world. It seems that the picturesque older sections with their old houses, narrow streets, and winding alleyways may not be around much longer. Arriving in Guangzhou There are many package tours to Guangzhou from Hong Kong (see page 113), and this may be the easiest way to visit the city. However, it’s also easy to get to Guangzhou by train or ferry. Four comfortable express trains depart the Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) Station in Hung Hom, Kowloon, making the trip in less than two hours. Turbo Cat ferries leave the China Hong Kong City (CHKC) terminal twice a day; the journey takes two hours. Citibus also travels to Guangzhou from CHKC; there are five round-trips a day, taking 31/2 hours. You will need a visa to enter China (see page 109 for information). Hong Kong currency is widely accepted in Guangzhou, or you can change your currency into RMB (yuan) at any bank or hotel. Note, however, that the exchange does not go the other way (see page 116). Guangzhou, like Hong Kong, is primarily Cantonese-speaking, but many people also speak Mandarin. English is spoken in hotels and tourist destinations. If you travel by train, you will arrive at the Guangzhou East Station, a large modern complex, which connects with the subway, buses, hotel transfer services, and taxis. The train station is in the newer business district; nearby is Asia’s third-tallest building, at 83 stories, which will often be pointed out to you. Sights in Guangzhou Yuexiu Park, situated near the Trade Fair in the northern part of the city, is Guangzhou’s largest; it covers a hilly 100 hectares (247 acres). The park is landscaped with lakes and gardens. In the park is the 1380 Zhenhai Tower, one of the city’s oldest buildings. Actually a five-story pavilion on a hilltop, it contains a fine collection of historical exhibits. Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Memorial Hall honors the founder of the Chinese Revolution, flanked by his heroic statue in copper. Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925) began his political career in Canton. This enormous, modern version of a traditional Chinese building, with sweeping blue tile roofs, contains an auditorium big enough to seat 4,700 people. It was built in 1931 with contributions from overseas Chinese. The center of the park is the Five Rams Statue. It celebrates the founding of Guangzhou, when five spirits rode their goats down from the celestial realm to present the inhabitants of the city with their very first grains of rice. Guangzhou’s most important Buddhist monument is the 1,400-year-old Temple of the Six Banyan Trees (open 8am–5pm). Although the banyan trees that once flourished here are now no more, the often-restored complex has remained a focus of local Buddhist activities. Golden Buddha statues in several of Buddha’s aspects adorn the temples, and overlooking them is the 17-story Flower Pagoda, a slender relic of the Song dynasty (a.d. 960–1279). In the early Middle Ages, Canton had a significant Muslim population as a result of its trade with the Middle East. This explains the presence in Guangzhou of the Huaisheng Mosque, reputed to be China’s oldest, and traditionally dated a.d. 627. Rebuilt in modern times, the mosque serves the small local community of Muslims. The modern minaret is known as the “Plain (or Naked) Pagoda,” in contrast to the Flower Pagoda of the Buddhist temple. Chen Jia Ci, the Chen Family Institute (open daily 8:30am–5pm), was built in the late 19th century to promote arts and crafts. An architectural wonder, it is itself a beautiful piece of craftsmanship with its sculpture and carved stone balustrades. Porcelain friezes adorn the rooftops and ridgepoles, telling the story of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Inside is a collection of ceramics, carvings, and furniture. There is also a market and a porcelain shop. A former Confucian temple is presently the home of the historic National Peasant Movement Institute, where the Chinese Communist Party trained its leaders in the 1920s. Mao Zedong himself directed the institute in 1926, and gave lectures on geography, rural education, and “The Problem of the Chinese Peasantry. ” Zhou Enlai also taught here. The atmosphere of 19th-century Canton is best evoked on Shamian Island, a haunting, nostalgic place in the Pearl River. This small formerly residential island, beautifully shaded by banyan trees, was the home of the closed community of the foreign colony in the era of “concessions. ” The bridges were barred by night with iron gates to keep the Chinese out. Its stately European-style buildings have since been restored, largely for use as government offices and foreign legations. The island also has Guangzhou’s first modern luxury resort hotel. A popular optional excursion is an hour’s detour to Guangzhou Zoo, founded in 1958. It houses more than 200 animal species, most famous of which is the giant panda, and has an imaginative monkey mountain behind a moat. Not to be missed is a visit to Guangzhou’s famous open-air market, Qing Ping. Guangzhou is famous for its food. The Cantonese love to eat and have the reputation of eating almost anything that walks on four legs. The market bears this out: Along with the usual ducks and chickens, you will see for sale snakes, dogs, bats, and sometimes monkeys — all are highly prized as delicacies. More pleasantly, you can browse among lanes of antiques, flowers, herbs, fruit, goldfish, songbirds, and more. A Side Trip to Foshan A very popular day-trip from Guangzhou goes to Foshan, a city of nearly 300,000 people, renowned for its handicrafts for more than a thousand years. The individual artisans’ shops are no longer here, but you can visit a silk-weaving factory, a ceramics plant, and the Foshan Folk Art Studio, where you can observe workers making Chinese lanterns, carving sculptures, painting scrolls, and cutting intricate designs in paper. The Foshan Art Porcelain Factory has traditional designs, but also some attractive modern pieces. Foshan’s most outstanding artistic monument is Zu Miao, the Taoist Ancestral Temple, a Sung dynasty establishment rebuilt in the 14th century and well worth visiting. Constructed in wood, brick, stone, ceramic, and bronze, this is a work of extravagant beauty, uniting many ancient art forms. The complex contains the oldest wooden stage in China, used by the Wan Fu Tai Chinese opera. An Excursion to Shenzhen Shenzhen was China’s first Special Economic Zone. Literally created out of rural farmland, it was set up in the 1970s as the answer to Hong Kong. From a population of 20,000 it has grown into a metropolis of 2.5 million, with tightly clustered skyscrapers and some of China’s highest grossing industries. Because Shenzhen is much cheaper than Hong Kong, it is a popular weekend destination for Hong Kong’s Chinese, who come to relax, dine in its resorts, and play golf — Shenzhen hosted the World Cup of Golf in 1995. It is even becoming something of a commuter town — owning or renting an apartment here costs a fraction of what it would in Hong Kong. Shenzhen is easy to reach — the KCR commuter train runs throughout the day, the trip taking about 40 minutes. Visitors need a visa to enter China, and must disembark at the border (now called “boundary”) checkpoint, Lo Wai. City buses also go to Shenzhen. A Turbo Cat ferry makes a one-hour trip (7am–7pm) from Hong Kong’s Macau Ferry Terminal to Shekou on the Natau Peninsula, which is part of the economic zone. Shenzhen is a premier shopping center, and much cheaper than Hong Kong. It is known for its inexpensive (but well-made) knock-off designer goods. You can use your Hong Kong dollars here, so there’s no need to change currency. Some places take credit cards, but cash is better for bargaining. Just across the border is the huge Lo Wu City shopping mall, to which you can walk; other shopping malls are nearby. Shenzhen’s main tourist attractions are its enormous theme parks. One of them — Splendid China — purports to show “all of China in one day. ” It contains elaborate replicas of China’s chief monuments in impressive detail, including a scaled-down version of the Great Wall. The 24 China Folk Culture Villages represent China’s ethnic variety; they feature craftspeople in traditional costumes along with folksong and dance performances. In Shekou is a large Free Market, and an exhibition of Xian’s terra-cotta warriors.