What to Do Shopping Inflation has taken its toll in Hong Kong. While it’s no longer the bargain shopping destination it once was, there are still some good buys to be had. Since Hong Kong is a duty-free port and charges no sales tax, goods are cheaper here than in the country where they were made. On photographic equipment, electronic goods, and watches, you avoid the luxury tax payable in your home country. Specialty goods and souvenirs, often handmade, come from Hong Kong and elsewhere in China. Custom-made garments by skillful Hong Kong tailors are still much in demand and cost less than elsewhere for comparable garments. Note that alcohol and tobacco are both exceptions to Hong Kong’s duty-free regime and are subject to tax. You’ll find that prices are about the same in Hong Kong Central and Kowloon, and somewhat cheaper in Causeway Bay, which caters to local shopping. Large shops on the fashionable thoroughfares tend to be more expensive than smaller “family” shops tucked away in the side streets. Stores do not open until 10am or later, but shopping goes on into the evening, up to 9:30pm. Most shops are open seven days a week. Shops in Central are an exception; they generally close at 6pm and are not open on Sunday. The only holiday on which all commerce comes to a halt is the Chinese New Year in January or February. Buyer Beware. Be aware that name brands, including electronics, are sometimes fakes, glass may be sold as jade, and that antique you bought may have been made last night. Always ask for a receipt that records information about the item, and if you buy an antique, be sure to get a certificate of authentication. Needless to say, avoid peddlers who approach you on the street and offer to take you to wondrous bargains. The large department stores have fixed prices, but elsewhere you should ask whether there is a discount, especially if you buy several items in one shop. Compare prices before you buy any significant item. Always ask to see the manufacturer’s guarantee when purchasing watches, cameras, and audio-visual and electronic equipment. Note that when haggling, the merchant assumes you are prepared to pay cash. If, after concluding a deal, you try to pay with a credit card, he may then boost the price in order to cover the card charges. It is advisable to shop at outlets that are members of the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA), identified by a red junk logo. Membership imposes an obligation to maintain standards of both quality and service, and provides dissatisfied customers with an officially recognized channel for redressing complaints; the number to call is Tel. 2508 1234. Pick up a copy of HKTA’s “The Official Dining, Entertainment & Shopping Directory” in which all member stores are listed. Shipping. Many stores will pack and ship purchases. Ask if automatic free insurance is provided. If the goods are very valuable or fragile, it is a good idea to buy an all-risk insurance for the shipment. Packages sent to the US or to Europe generally take six to eight weeks by surface mail, and one week by airmail. Shopping Areas. Major shopping areas are Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon, especially along Nathan Road; Central on Hong Kong Island, particularly for upscale designer goods; Causeway Bay for slightly better prices; and the Hollywood Road area. Department Stores. Look for Lane Crawford Ltd., an upscale store with branches at Pacific Place, 70 Queen’s Road, and Harbour City; Wing On, one of the oldest in Hong Kong; Marks and Spencer; and the Japanese department stores, Mitsukoshi, Sobo, and Seibu. Malls. Hong Kong is full of giant malls. Harbour City, just west of the Star Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui is one of the largest; Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, is Central’s biggest mall, with retail outlets and department stores; Times Square is a collection of retail outlets in Causeway Bay. In addition, most top-line hotels have upscale malls full of designer boutiques. Factory Outlets. These stores sell excess stock or factory overruns. Hong Kong is no longer a factory outlet center since much of its clothing manufacturing has moved elsewhere. There are factory showrooms in the Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, in Central. Markets. Markets are the places to use your bargaining skills. Hong Kong’s most famous and colorful market is the Temple Street Night Market near the Jordan MTR stop. Every conceivable kind of goods is sold here: clothing, all kinds of electronics, CDs, souvenirs, crafts, and jewelry. Stanley Market is located on Hong Kong’s southern coast, and is well-known for all kinds of clothing, including silk and cashmere. Bargain, and carefully examine any merchandise you buy here. The Jade Market, on Kansu Street in Yau Ma Tei, is known for both jade and freshwater pearls. This is not the place to make expensive purchases, but it’s great for inexpensive pendants, earrings, and gifts. What to Buy Antiques. Hollywood Road in the Mid-Levels above Central is the most famous antiques street in Hong Kong. Look for fine Chinese bronzes, embroidery, lacquerware and porcelain, tomb figures, and wood carvings, among other possibilities. The experts point out that it is not age alone that determines a Chinese antique’s value — the dynasties of the past had their creative ups and downs. For serious antiques, try Honeychurch Antiques at no. 29 for furniture and silver, Tai Sing Company at 122 for porcelain. For fun you can visit the Low Price Shop at no. 47 or the Cat Street crafts stores and flea market. Brocades and Silks. Fabrics from China are a bargain and well worth taking home. Chinese-product department stores stock silk fabrics, silk scarves, finely embroidered blouses, and traditional padded jackets. Chinese Arts and Crafts is at Pacific Place in Central, and in Star House in Tsim Sha Tsui; CRC Department Store is on Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay. For fabrics, also try Western Market, Morrison Street, in Central. Cameras. Photo buffs know that Hong Kong is the place to buy some of the world’s most advanced photographic equipment, and there are some real bargains around. However, be sure you compare prices and models before buying. Two reliable places to start looking in Lan Kwai Fong are Photo Scientific in the Eurasia Building and Hing Lee Camera Company, 25 Lyndhurst Terrace. Carpets and Rugs. Hong Kong is a mecca for Chinese hand-knotted wool carpets and silk rugs. Hong Kong’s stores are usually able to arrange shipment. Caravan at 65 Hollywood Road and the shops in The Silk Road at Ocean Center in Tsim Sha Tsui are good places to start looking. China (Porcelain). In Hong Kong you can have a plate, or even a whole dinner service, hand-painted to your own design. Factories in Kowloon and the New Territories, producing traditional and modern china, are geared to entertain and instruct visiting tourists; prices are appealing. Two of the largest places to go are the Wah Tung China Company in the Grand Marine Industrial Building in Aberdeen; and the Overjoy Porcelain Factory in Block B of the Kwai Hing Industrial Building, Kwai Chung, in the New Territories. In antiques shops, look for highly valued porcelains from China. Note that because of the duty-free situation, good bargains may be found in European china, including Spode and Wedgwood. Electronics. The latest gadgets are sometimes available in Hong Kong before anywhere else. Before you begin shopping, pick up HKTA’s “Shopping Guide to Consumer Electronics. ” Prices on electronics have risen in the past two years; check prices at home before you buy here. Nathan Road has many electronics shops. Also check out Star Computer City in the Star House near the Star Ferry terminal. Furniture. The choice ranges from traditional hand-carved Chinese rosewood furniture to well-made reproductions of modern Western styles. Rattan furniture is highly popular. Hollywood Road has several furniture shops. Queen’s Road East in Wan Chai is a furniture manufacturing and retail area. Jade. “ Good for the health” is just one of the many magical qualities that are attributed to these beautiful emerald-green or turquoise stones. Real jade is extremely expensive, and you may be offered counterfeit jade, which looks exactly like the genuine article. Some people say you can test the authenticity by touch — real jade feels smooth and cool. Alternatively, you can shine a lamp on the stone — real jade shows no reflected light. Better still, go shopping with an expert. Jewelry. Thanks to the duty-free situation, prices in Hong Kong are lower than they are in some other places. You can buy gemstones loose or set, or have them made up to your own design. Popular purchases include diamonds and freshwater pearls. If you do plan to buy jewelry, be sure to consult the “Shopping Guide to Jewellery” published by the Hong Kong Tourist Authority to find a reputable dealer. Kitchen Equipment. Woks and any other gadgets essential for Chinese cookery make good purchases. Department stores sell all sorts of intriguing kitchen equipment. Leather Goods. Leather is not a great bargain in Hong Kong. Locally made items do not live up to their European models. However, the leather garment industry is growing, and there is a wide range of locally produced leather accessories, all at extremely attractive prices. For European imports, you will pay top dollar. Musical, Audio, and Video Equipment. Hong Kong has a vast range of the most high-tech audio-visual, sound, and screen equipment. Before purchasing, visitors should make sure of compatibility with systems in their own countries. Be sure to look around and compare before buying. Whatever you buy, you may be able to work out a discount. Ready-to-wear Clothes. Hong Kong’s shops carry almost every recognizable European and many American labels, from top-end designers to the moderately priced or trendy. Nathan Road, Central, and the hotel malls are places to look. There are still a great many factory outlet stores with reasonable prices. You’ll also find bargain clothes for sale at the markets and on push-carts. Tailoring. Tailor-made clothes are not as popular in Hong Kong as they were in the past, but hundreds of shops still remain. Local tailors are experts when it comes to producing custom-tailored garments for both men and women, and are also adept at copying patterns. The result can be a quality suit at a fair price — but made-to-measure clothing is not cheap. In choosing a tailor, look for HKTA membership. Many tailors have Web sites or are listed on Web sites. Tea. Shops all over town will sell you gift tins of exotic blends. If you want to learn something about tea, go to the Tea Shop at 149 Hollywood Road, or the Moon Garden Tea House at 5 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay. The owners will brew up a pot so you can taste before making a choice. Watches. The saying “Time is money” is quite literally true in Hong Kong: more is spent on watches and clocks here than on cameras and optical goods. An enormous variety of makes and models are on sale. Be sure to get the manufacturer’s guarantee stamped or signed if you buy a watch. Entertainment Day and night, the action goes on in this vibrant city. To help you choose a nightlife scene, pick up a copy of Hong Kong Tourist Authority’s dining and entertainment guide for listings, or just simply wander through the maze of neon signs and take your pick. Hong Kong Diary published weekly by HKTA tells what’s happening in the arts. Hong Kong Life is published by the Hong Kong Standard on Sunday, and the South China Morning Post has an entertainment section on Friday. Culture buffs are well catered to, and there is always a varied program of events, ranging from world-class concerts to local amateur dramatic productions. A highlight of the arts calendar is the annual Hong Kong Arts Festival, a three-week dose of international culture in February, with concerts, recitals, plays, jazz, Chinese opera, and innovative productions put on by leading talent from both East and West. Tickets for the shows must be reserved well in advance. The Festival of Asian Arts takes place every other October, bringing to Hong Kong for two weeks orchestras, dance groups, opera, and drama companies from all over Asia. There are more than 30 cinemas in Hong Kong, and the latest Western releases are shown in some of the larger ones. English-language films have Chinese subtitles. Films with Mandarin dialogue also have Chinese subtitles, for the benefit of Cantonese speakers, and sometimes subtitles in English. The Hong Kong International Film Festival takes place in April. More than 200 films from all over the world are shown at this two-week event. Ask at City Hall center about advance reservations. The Performing Arts Performance Venues. The theaters in the Hong Kong Cultural Center in Tsim Sha Tsui are the main venues for concerts and opera. Other performance centers are the City Hall cultural complex, with exhibition halls and theaters that present concerts, plays, and films; the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts with two major theaters for dance, drama, and concert performances; and the Hong Kong Arts Centre in Wan Chai, where both local and visiting groups perform. Other centers for concerts, plays, and entertainment are Sha Tin Town Hall and Tsuen Wan Town Hall in the New Territories. Larger arenas, including the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, the Hong Kong Coliseum, and the Ko Shan Theater in Kowloon play host to various concerts, pop concerts, sporting events, and variety shows. Classical Music. The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra performs new and traditional works; a wide assortment of traditional and Chinese instruments are featured. The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1975. Under its conductor, David Atherton, it offers Western classical works and new works by Chinese composers in a September-to-June season. Chinese Opera. Cantonese opera is alive and well in Hong Kong, and the two other forms, Beijing and Kun, are sometimes presented. To most foreigners, this unique art form is likely to be inscrutable at first exposure, but everyone can appreciate the spectacle and the elaborate, glittering costumes. Although the music may seem strange to the unaccustomed ear, it certainly won’t put you to sleep; cymbals and drums guarantee your alertness. Dance. Hong Kong’s three professional dance companies — the Hong Kong Ballet Company, the Hong Kong Dance Company, and the newer City Contemporary Dance Company — perform regularly, often at the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. Theater. The two leading local troupes, the Chung Ying Theatre Company and the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, perform in Cantonese; there are English-language performances at the Fringe Club theaters, 2 Lower Albert Road, in Central. Puppet Shows. The classic Chinese puppet is the shadow puppet, manipulated behind a screen by three rods, but hand puppet and marionette shows are also on offer, often for free at public parks and playgrounds. Nightlife Hong Kong by night can suit any taste — riotous, sedate, raw, or cultured. Note that sometimes there is a cover charge of HK$50 to HK$200 at clubs, which may or may not include a couple of drinks. There are nightclubs in the principal hotels, with bands, dancing, and floor shows. Many restaurants and bars have live music. Jazz fans will find live jazz presented by international artists at the Jazz Club and Bar, 2/F, 34-36 D’Agular, Central; and at the Blue Note in the Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. The Frin ge Club, 21 Lower Albert Road, Central, is Hong Kong’s best-known alternate entertainment venue, with jazz, rock, and other live music, in addition to a gallery for visual arts. Bars with views and live music include Sky Lounge in the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Tsim Sha Tsui; and Cyrano in the Island Shangri-La in Pacific Place. Pubs are numerous. In Tsim Sha Tsui, Ned Kelly’s Last Stand on Ashley Road is an Aussie institution; Delaney’s, 71-77 Peking Road, is one of Hong Kong’s enduring Irish pubs. The clubs and bars of Wan Chai, long the center of seedy nightlife, have become almost respectable. Joe Bananas, 23 Luard Road, is a Wan Chai mainstay for all-night partying. Rick’s Cafe, 78-82 Jaffe Road, is a long-time disco that’s still popular. A lot of the raunchy action has moved across the harbor to Tsim Sha Tsui East; this is also where you’ll find pricey hostess clubs, popular with Japanese tourists, but definitely not for those on a budget. Today’s trendy spot is Soho (SOuth of HOllywood) around Hollywood Road, Elgin, and Stauton streets. Soho, along with the Lan Kwai Fong area, is popular with chuppies (Hong Kong yuppies) and has a lively bar scene. Causeway Bay also has a variety of bars and clubs. TOTT’s, in the Excelsior Hotel, is a restaurant with live music and dancing and a harbor view. Japanese karaoke bars have now become extremely popular with the locals. There are a number of these on Chatham Road South and around Cameron Street in Tsim Sha Tsui. Nightlife tours are offered by a number of companies. The most typical of these are harbor cruises, usually including dinner and dancing on board an air-conditioned floating nightclub. There are evening bus tours that include visits to a restaurant and night spots; some tours combine a Chinese banquet with a visit to an open-air market and the panorama from Victoria Peak. Sports Participant Sports Beaches. In subtropical Hong Kong you can swim from April to early November. There are more than 40 beaches in Hong Kong that are free to the public. Most have lifeguards on duty from April to October, changing rooms, toilets, and snack stands. On Hong Kong Island, Repulse Bay is the most popular; others are Shek O on the east coast and Stanley and Deep Water Bay on the south coast. They are very crowded, especially on summer weekends. On the outlying islands, Cheung Chau and Cheung Sha are on Lantau, and Hung Shing Ye and Lo So Shing on Lamma; inquire about water pollution levels. Golf. The Hong Kong Golf Club (Tel. 2812 7070) welcomes visitors to its three 18-hole courses at Fanling in the New Territories, or the 9-hole course at Deep Water Bay. The Discovery Bay Golf Club on Lantau island (Tel. 2987 7273) has an 18-hole Robert Trent Jones Jr. course, open to visitors Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. Many Hong Kong residents and visitors take the express train to Guangzhou to play at the Guangzhou Luhu Golf and Country Club (Tel. 2317 1933 in Hong Kong or 020-8350 7777). The 72-par course was designed by Dave Thomas. Hiking. In the New Territories the famous MacLehose Trail stretches 97 km (60 miles) from Sai Kung Peninsula to Tuen Mun. The Lantau Trail is a 69-km (43-mile) circular trail on Lantau Island that begins and ends at Silvermine Bay. Both trails are divided into smaller segments of varying difficulty. Maps of hiking trails are available at the Government Publications Center, Low Block, Government Offices, 66 Queensway in Central. HKTA also has trail maps and sponsors the Guided Nature Walks, led by rangers, that include hikes in all the different regions of Hong Kong. Jogging. Victoria Park has a jogging track in Causeway Bay. Sailing. Because of the heavy harbor traffic, only sailors licensed by the Hong Kong authorities can run pleasure boats in local waters. Contact the Hong Kong Yacht Club at Tel. 2832 2817 for information. Taijiquan (Tai Chi). HKTA offers lessons in these exercises that improve concentration and balance at Garden Plaza, Hong Kong Park, Admiralty (Tel. 2058 1234). Tennis. There are 13 public courts at Victoria Park Tennis Centre (Tel. 2570 6168), near Tin Hau Station. Spectator Sports Horseracing. All levels of society share a feverish interest in the Sport of Kings. The racing schedule is September to June, and Hong Kong maintains two tracks — the older Happy Valley course on Hong Kong Island and the striking Sha Tin track in the New Territories. The Hong Kong Tourist Association runs a “Come Horseracing Tour,” which includes entry to the Hong Kong Jockey Club visitors’ box and members’ enclosure, and a buffet-style meal. Cricket. The Hong Kong International Cricket Series, held in late September, brings teams from all over the world. Rugby. The Rugby Sevens sees teams come together from all over the world for 15 matches in March or early April. Children’s Hong Kong Hong Kong has many attractions that appeal to children of all ages. Hong Kong’s many beaches are especially fun for children. Children love riding on Hong Kong’s antique trams. A ride on the Peak Tram is sure to provide a thrill, and in the Peak Tower they’ll enjoy the Peak Explorer ride and Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Ocean Park (see page 32) is popular with children of all ages. There’s a special Kid’s World that those under 12 can enter free when accompanied by a paying adult. The more daring can try out the terrifying roller-coaster rides. Hong Kong’s state-of-the-art interactive museums will interest children of all ages. The Science Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui East allows children to get their hands on over half of its 500 exhibits, while the nearby Space Museum has regular screenings on an enormous Omnimax screen in its Space Theater, making the night sky come vibrantly alive. For children who love boats, riding the Star Ferry or ferry trips to outlying islands will be exciting, and the Dolphin Watch trip (see page 113) is certain to appeal. If you plan to visit during May, the carnival atmosphere of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, with its high bamboo-and-paper towers covered in sticky buns, will fascinate the young ones.