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“Why do you want to stay here?” he said, eyeing my large and frustratingly-heavy suitcase.

I wasn’t too sure how to reply and, before I was able to get any words out at all, he followed up: “This place is dirty and noisy. It’s not safe. It may be cheap but there are plenty of other places you could be staying.”

Mirador Mansion is right in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui, or TST has it is more commonly known.

“Er,” I mumbled non-committedly. “I don’t know.”

Only I did know. It wasn’t just that the accommodation where I was staying (Celltronik Hotel) was cheap – although, with the room costing me more than HK$700 a night, I slightly questioned this assertion. It was that TST has soul. It has character. And it has some great local food options.

Mind you, it was only the following day that I was relaxed enough to reflect on all the good points about staying in TST. I had had a bit of an ordeal to get here, to be honest, before I finally hauled my weary body into bed at nearly 1am.

My ordeal started around 8.30pm, when I turned up at another local hotel (Hang Ho Hostel), which was located slightly further along Nathan Road.

It took me more than hour to locate anyone that could help me check in, and when I eventually did, I found that they had given my room to someone else. Some frantic toing and froing with Booking.com ensued, with me getting more and more concerned about the lateness of the hour and the fact that there didn’t seem to be any single hotel nearby within my budget that had availability.

Booking.com eventually found me Celltronik Hotel, which I have to stay was quite a nice place to stay. It wasn’t dirty. It wasn’t particularly noisy. And I certainly didn’t find it unsafe.

Admittedly, when I did eventually turn up at Celltronik, I wasn’t feeling all that warm towards TST, but to be fair this wasn’t really TST’s fault. When I woke up the following morning, I had that electric buzz of being a traveller in a new place. Even though I had spent eight years living in Hong Kong, and knew TST extremely well.

Yes, I could have stayed in a fancier hotel somewhere else, but I wouldn’t have felt the same rush of excitement as I did staying somewhere more local.

So here are 10 reasons why you might want to consider going local in TST:

1. A great local vibe.
2. Feel less like a tourist, more like an explorer.
3. This is where many of the best museums are located: The Science Museum, The Museum of History, The Space Museum.
4. Ride the iconic Star Ferry, between Hong Kong Island and TST, to your heart’s content.
5. Amazing local restaurants, with some of the best chili crab that you will find anywhere in Hong Kong.
6. Some decent international restaurants here, too. Just head along nearby Mody Road. Well-known British chefs Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay both used to have good restaurants here, but they have both since closed down.
7. There is also arguably the best ice-cream place in the whole of Hong Kong in TST. We wrote a review about it.
8. So many interesting back streets to explore.
9. Kowloon Park is a great place to get away from the hustle-and-bustle of city life. It has flamingos, too.
10. So many interesting markets to explore: Goldfish Market, Flower Market, Bird Garden, Night Market, Ladies Market…

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Many dishes have become people’s favorites and this is especially thanks to Italy’s fresh and tasty ingredients.

Who doesn’t like some fresh burrata, some melon with parma ham, some buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil?

There are some dishes for which you don’t need to be a great cook or have a lot of time to make them yourself. You just need great Italian produce.

In Hong Kong Italian products are widely available in high-end supermarkets like Great Food Hall and City Super and at Italian grocery stores like Mercato by Giando and il Bel Paese. But the produce can be expensive and with the current Covid-19 situation people are less willing to enter supermarkets or travel across Hong Kong to reach those places (some of which do online delivery too).

A new wave of Italian online grocery stores have appeared in Hong Kong to make it possible to buy Italian food at more reasonable price and have this delivered to your doorstep.

Bella Ciao – this is the newest entry on the private market but it already stands out for great variety of products at competitive prices.

Products vary from Fresh and hard cheese to cold cuts and fresh vegetable and fruits, and even frozen pizzas from Naples. The Burrata is the best in Hong Kong at a great price price. Many products have DOP, IGP denominations and they taste just like you’d get in Italy. All fresh products are imported weekly to Hong Kong. Plus all the staple Italian food: fresh and dry pasta, Mutti tomato sauce and so on. It’s a website to explore to find all your favorite products.

You can pay directly online with credits cards, Paypal, Apple or Google Pay. They deliver between 24 and 78 hours after an order is placed. They deliver with a thermal bag to your door or building reception. They will tell you the delivery day but not the time of the delivery. If they don’t find anyone at home they will leave it outside your door or at the reception. The minimum order to qualify for free delivery is HK$788 anywhere in Hong Kong (where they deliver).

Borgovivo is also another new entry in the Hong Kong market but it has been around for years in Italy. They import fresh products from Italy and have a vast selection of items. Their cold cuts are made to order, just like in Italy. And food lovers will appreciate the difference between freshly cut ham rather than packaged. They sell a big selection of fresh and hard cheese including some Italian favorites: stracchino, formaggini Bel Paese, pecorino, robiola and Parmesan. Price are competitive. They do have an express delivery service with same day delivery, at a charge but it s good to know that it’s possible.

For Hong Kong island they offer deliver the day after (if order is confirmed before 2pm of the day before). Delivery to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon is free for orders above HK$500, for the New Territories is free from HK$700 and for Discovery Bay/Tsing Yi/ Tung Chung is free from orders of HK$800. They don’t tell you the exact delivery time but only give you these timeslots: 10am–1pm or 2pm–6pm.

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Simply Fresh

On the market for about a year they sell a big varieties of Italian products including meat that are usually difficult to find in Hong Kong (ossobuco, veal, lamb and meat for tartare). They also sell a big selection of cheese (both Italian and French), cold cuts and Italian rice and pasta. Plus a selection of eco-friendly house products and a selection of gluten free items. Prices are good and they offer a 15% discount for first time clients.

For orders from placed before 2pm delivery is the following day. Delivery is free for orders over HK$800, otherwise a HK$140 charge applies.

Stable Trading

This is the shop that has been trading for the longest in Hong Kong. They sell everything, from Fiesta, mulino bianco to breasola, olives, porcini and many other Italian favorites. In Hong Kong island are the ones that deliver for free for the lowest minimum order (HK$350) and they deliver the next working day. They are well organised and deliver in polystyrene boxes with packed ice to keep things fresh.

The minimum order for Kowloon is still competitive (HK$500 ) but for Clearwater Bay and the new territories it is HK$1500, which is okay sometimes but it makes it difficult if you don’t need a lots of things.

Abrate and Son

It was an online only shop but in July 2020 opened its first shop to the public. Among those above it’s it’s probably the most expensive but it is also because some products are niche and more high-end brands. The shop specialises in Truffle (also fresh, not just in jars) and and sells a huge selection of extra virgin olive oil and chocolate specialties from the north of Italy. But also cheese, pasta and all you would expect from a grocery store.

The minimum order to qualify for free delivery in Hong Kong island is 500 HKD, while for Kowloon the minimum order is 700 HKD. For the New Territories they don’t usually send a driver; they advise customers to get a Lala van to collect the order and pay for that.

You can find more details about the Legoland Discovery Centre here.

Reviews that you can trust. Unlike many other online media that write reviews about attractions in Hong Kong, our reviews are always 100% independent. We never accept any payment whatsoever for favourable coverage. We simply tell things as they are. The only thing that we care about is providing value to our readers.

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I tried many looking for freshness and authentic flavors and I have been often disappointed.

Here are the restaurants that in my opinion deserve a visit:

Sangeetha

Found in a prime location in Tsim Sha Tsui, this place serves authentic and delicious Vegetarian Indian food at affordable prices. It specialises in South Indian cuisine but it offers some dishes from the North too, which are really tasty too.

Filled dosas – a sort of thin crêpe – are what you should really try. Sangeetha serves them filled with vegetables. There are a variety of options

Thali is served at weekends only.

The menu is small but what they do, they do everything well.

The restaurant is big enough that you don’t need to reserve in advance during the week. They do offer food delivery.

Decor is pretty simple so it won’t appear in any list for a romantic evening out, but the place is clean and tasty, which makes it an ideal place for lunch. It closes between 3 and 6pm

No alcohol is served.

UG 1-5 & 31, Wing On Plaza
62 Mody Road
East Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon, Hong Kong

Branto

Another Vegetarian Indian restaurant from the South of India with a more colourful but still simple decor. Located in a residential building, it would be hard to guess there was a good restaurant there unless was from word of mouth.

Dishes are good value, Fresh and delicious. The menu is quite large, plenty of things to try.

Dosa is again a hit but also the curries are good.

It also closes between 3 and 6pm but it’s usually open until 11pm.

No alcohol is served.

Karlock Building, 5-7A Lock Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Other highlights include a soft-play area, a craft workshop where instructors explain how to build certain Lego models and Lego pits where kids can just play.

Other highlights include a soft-play area, a craft workshop where instructors explain how to build certain Lego models and Lego pits where kids can just play.

Check out our best-selling guidebook to Hong Kong for more 100% independent reviews!

Gaylord Indian Restaurant

Spacious and with a beautiful decor, serves both Vegetarian and non vegetarian options, from the north of India. Loved by Indian but also well-know among the western community of Indian food lovers. It has a vast menu with a number of less well-known dishes. It serves alcohol and cocktails.

Lamb dishes are really tasty and service is friendly. It comes at a price but still not too bad. It’s possible to get discounts to this restaurants by booking in advance through eatego app.

Closes between 2.30 and 6pm.

5/F, Prince Tower, 12A Peking Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui

Bombay Dreams

In the heart of central, with a very nice decor and good Indian food, this restaurant is popular and requires booking especially on Friday and Saturday night. Belong to a big restaurant group (the same as other good western restaurant Braza, Spiga, Fiamma, Alto etc). Opens every day non stop and has been around for a decade.

1/F Winning Centre, HK Hong Kong Island, 46 Wyndham St, Central

Jo Jo Indian Cuisine

There is a shortage of good Indian restaurants in Wan Chai but this is good. It’s a popular place for lunch during the week for it’s good buffet deal. It’s recomanded to book in advance.

It serves both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. It has a lot of natural light.

2/ Floor, David House, 37-39 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai

New Punjab Club

It has a Michelin star since 2019, and serves authentic Punjab dishes. it’s part of the Black Sheep Group. The restaurant is quite small so prior booking is essential. The décor design has a post-colonial theme and it’s quite dark. It has some charms but despite being one of the most expensive Indian restaurants in town they don’t use a tablecloth so it’s okay for casual dining but not for a fancy dinner.

Food is really tasty.

Opens daily from 12 noon.

World Wide Commercial Building, 34 Wyndham St, Central

Reviews that you can trust. Unlike many other online media that write reviews about attractions in Hong Kong, our reviews are always 100% independent. We never accept any payment whatsoever for favourable coverage. We simply tell things as they are. The only thing that we care about is providing value to our readers.

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Covid-19 has hit the economy in Hong Kong resulting in many restaurants and shops to close down, including what was my favorite ice cream shop.

So I went on a mission to find another ice-cream parlour and I found one that tick all the boxes, which in Hong Kong isn’t easy:

✓ Made with fresh ingredients

✓ Delicious

✓ Artisanal

✓ Good value for money

✓ Friendly staff

✓ Not in a shopping mall which are already so cold

✓ At street level so I don’t have to go inside a high-raising building getting lost looking for it

✓ With a decent amount of tables and natural lights

✓ Close to a park so I can get it to take away too and eating in a beautiful environment

✓ Not too sweet (just the right amount)

And I was pleased to see that apart from Ice Cream they sell other things too.

I went to taste it with my family and we all loved it.

A part of me wanted to keep this place secret because egoistically I still want to find a seat next time we go, but as a guide book writer, good things have to be shared.

So here it is: the place is called Gelato Go. For now it’s only in TST (close to Kowloon park) but I won’t be surprised to see more locations opening in Hong Kong in the future.

Address:  174 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui Tel:  +852 2383 9118 Store Hours: Mon – Thu: 8:00 am – 11:00 pm Fri – Sat 8:00 am – 12:00 am Sat 7:00 am – 12:00 am Sun 8:00 am – 11:00 pm

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Mindful that Chinese New Year is just around the corner – with all the family socialising that this entails – the Hong Kong government has wasted no time in slapping society with a fresh range of restrictions.

Here are the key ones that you should know about:

1. All large events will be cancelled.
2. Dining inside restaurants will be banned from 5:59pm until 4.59am each day.
3. There will be a limited number of diners on each table at restaurants, based on the category level that the restaurant has been assigned:
   1. At type B restaurants (where all staff are tested every 14 days): no more than two diners per table
   2. At type C restaurants (where all staff have had at least one does of vaccine): no more than four diners per table
   3. At type D restaurants (where all staff are fully vaccinated): no more than six diners per table
4. The following venues will all be closed: bars, karaoke spots, saunas, game centres, beauty clinics, mahjong parlours, swimming pools.
5. Cruise to No-where will be suspended.
6. Visits to hospitals and care homes will not be allowed.

These restrictions will be in place for two weeks, and will then be reassessed.

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The urban island of Tsing Yi will never make it on to the list of Hong Hong’s top beauty spots but there are some great reasons for taking the whole family here. Here are 10 of them:

1. The first big advantage is that, although Tsing Yi is technically an island, there is an MTR station there, so the place is easily reachable. Tsing Yi is also well connected by bus from both Tseun Wan and Ma Wan.

2. You will find a long and pleasant promenade with playgrounds and nice views, just outside exit A2 of the MTR. It is possible to use scooters, bikes, rollerblades and model cars along the promenade, with is 2.4 kilometres long. When you reach the promenade remember to head north (with the sea on your left), as this side is longer and more pleasant. Plus, most importantly, you’ll end up at Tsing Yi Northeast Park, which is a real blast for children.

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3. Tsing Yi Northeast Park at the end of the promenade is a great little park for all the family, it has grassy areas for picnicing and playing on, ponds for model boats, playgrounds, a bike rental kiosk (where you can rent both children and adult bikes, as well as rickshaws), two basketball and volleyball courts, an 11-a-side artificial turf soccer pitch and an outdoor gym area for adults. If you want to reach the park by car or taxi the address is 10 Tam Kon Shan Road. There is a car park. In the park there are drinking vending machines but nothing else in terms of food.

4. On a hot day head to a great public big swimming pool with water slides (Tsing Yi MTR Exit B). They have 4 swimming pools: the main pool, a teaching pool, a leisure pool and a toddlers’ pool. The pools re open from April to end of October and closed on Wednesdays. The first Session is between 6:30 in the morning and noon. The second session is from 1pm until 6.30pm. The third session is from 7.30pm to 10pm.

5. For a little more adventure take a taxi to the south or north entrance of the Tsing Yi nature trails. Here you’ll find several picnic spots and some great views over Ting Kau Bridge. There are quite a few steps to negotiate but the walk isn’t too difficult It takes around one hour to complete the circuit. You can spot birds and wildlife.

6. Located at the northwest corner of the island, the Lantau Link viewing platform is a great place from which to take pictures and see both Tsing Ma Bridge and the Ting Kau Bridge. The visitor centre has an interesting explanation about the area. It’s free of charge. The viewing platform is open daily between 7:30a.m. to 11pm, while the visitor centre closes at 5pm during the week and at 6.30pm during weekends and public holidays.

7. Just outside the MTR there are two shopping malls with plenty of eating options: from pizza, to dim sum to well-known chains. Since there are quite a lot of restaurants the queues to eat don’t tend to be that long (even during bank holidays!). You can also bring your own picnic and eat it at Tsing Yi Northeast Park grass area, or at one of the picnic areas that punctuate the Tsing Yi nature trails.

8. If Tsing Yi is a bit too far away to come for just a day trip, you might want to think about staying overnight. There is some decent and reasonably-priced accommodation here. There are two big hotels, both with seasonal outdoor swimming pool and a gym. They are both around 10 minutes away by taxi from the station. Hotels The hotels are okay for a night, but don’t expect five star luxury!

9. If you you have already seen everything that there is to see on the island already you might consider visiting nearby Ma Wan. Here you’ll find a beach, a number of good restaurants opposite the beach, a garden and a large-scale replica of Noah’s Ark, complete with model animals an interesting exhibition on this particular Bible story. Occasional children activities are also held here.

10. A short taxi ride away you’ll find Shing Mun Reservoir: a great spot for picnics, walks and monkey-spotting.

Our articles are 100% independent, we do not accept any payments in exchange of positive reviews.

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For a grown-up Lego enthusiast, and aficionado of all things Hong Kong, this has to be the highlight of the museum. For the kids, though, there is more; although perhaps not quite as much as the ticket price might suggest.

So, give me the low-down

Hong Kong’s Legoland Discovery Centre is a nice place to spend a few hours with the kid. You probably won’t need much more than that. There are some excellent models of Hong Kong, a couple of rides to try out, a small play area, some Lego pits to get creative, a cafeteria and of course the obligatory gift shop.

A single entry ticket, for both adults and children, costs HK$240 – or you can go for an annual pass (HK$799 for unlimited entry during the weekdays, or HK$1099 for unlimited entry at any time). Given the size of the place – not terribly big – these prices are a little on the high side. All of this said, though, the place is still a big hit with the kids: after more than 80 years, Lego still has the power to capture children’s imagination.

What are the highlights?

For this particular researcher, the favourite part of the Legoland experience were the very life-like replicas of areas of Hong Kong. But kids are likely to prefer other parts of the Discovery Centre.

There are two theme park-style rides that are likely to captivate any kid’s imagination. One is a small ride through a mythical kingdom, where passengers are armed with a gun to zap skeletons and trolls, and rescue the kidnapped princess. The other is a merry-go-round through the magical chamber of legendary wizard Merlin; the harder you pedal the higher the magic will take you! Both are fairly simplistic rides – but kids tend to enjoy them.

Another top highlight is a 4D-cinema featuring a Lego cartoon, where the special glasses that everyone wears really brings the film to life!

Other highlights include a soft-play area, a craft workshop where instructors explain how to build certain Lego models and Lego pits where kids can just play.

Check out our best-selling guidebook to Hong Kong for more 100% independent reviews!

What about food?

There is a small cafeteria in the Discovery Centre, which serves passable food (though nothing particularly great). A basic spaghetti Bolognese costs HK$68, a pizza HK$89. At peak times it can be fairly hard to find a seat here.

Note that everything is served in plastic, and the eating utensils are all plastic – so if you are on a mission to save the environment, this is certainly not the place to come!

What do the kids say?

We went to the Legoland Discovery Centre with Flavio and Ken.

Asked what his favourite ride was, Ken said, without a moment’s hesitation, “The shooting game because it’s dangerous!”

Flavio nodded emphatically in agreement, and suggested it was on the par with the one at Disneyland. The rides are very different. At Disneyland it’s all about shooting the targets, whereas with the one at Legoland Discovery Centre is much slower and you get the chance to shoot animated monsters on the television screen (in much the same way as you would play a video game).

The other point that Flavio made, a little later, about the centre was that “it’s a bit on the small side”. That is certain something that is difficult to disagree with.

So what is the verdict?

Legoland Discovery Centre a nice place to entertain the kids for two or three hours, but very over-priced for what it is. Do not expect anything even close to what you might get in Legoland in the UK or in Malaysia. The place is more like a glorified playroom than a bona fide theme park, which is why the prices seem so eye-wateringly high.

Think hard about whether it is worth investing in the annual pass. As already noted the place is not terribly big and families are unlikely to want to visit too many times in a year – although Ken did point out that he has already been eight times in the past six months, so this might depend on the kid too!

If you enjoy Lego – as we certainly do – you’ll probably want to check this place out at least once. And the kids really love it. But, once you’ve seen everything that the place has to offer, it might be a little while before you think about returning.

Give me a fun fact

Lego comes from the Danish word leg godt, which means “play well”.

Where is it?

Just next to the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, inside the K11 Mall.

You can find more details about the Legoland Discovery Centre here.

Reviews that you can trust. Unlike many other online media that write reviews about attractions in Hong Kong, our reviews are always 100% independent. We never accept any payment whatsoever for favourable coverage. We simply tell things as they are. The only thing that we care about is providing value to our readers.

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This would mean that any visitors from the country will now have to spend their first week of quarantine in a special government isolation facility known as Penny Bay before being spending their remaining 14 days of quarantine in a designated hotel. The government has not yet made an announcement on this but the SCMP says that one is expected “soon”.

Britain is already listed as a Group A high-risk country for Covid-19, which means that travellers from the country are subjected to a 21-day period of hotel quarantine in any case. They must also be fully vaccinated before they are allowed to enter Hong Kong.

But they do not currently have to spend any time at Penny Bay – unless there is a Covid-19 outbreak whilst they are staying at their hotel, and the government considers that additional isolation measures are needed.

On December 13, the UK reported the first official death caused by the omicron variant of Covid-19. Omicron has been rapidly spreading in the UK, and is set to completely displace the delta variant, which had previously been the dominant strain.

In response to the omicron crisis, British prime minister Boris Johnson has offered a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot to every adult over the age of 18, and imposed some new work-from-home measures. However he has stopped short of the kind of lockdown restrictions that were seen earlier in the year.

This is not the first time that Hong Kong has imposed an elevated risk status on the UK. Over the summer, Hong Kong banned anyone who had spent the last 21 days in the UK from entering Hong Kong. These restrictions lasted six weeks.

At the moment nearly 50,000 new cases of Covid-19 are being reported in the UK each day. Around 50 people per day are reported as dying from the virus.

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Here then are the top 10 cultural tips worth knowing for living in Hong Kong:

1. Chopstick etiquette. When eating in a group you will usually be given two sets of chopsticks — one for serving from the communal dishes and a personal set of chopsticks for putting food in your mouth. Make sure you know which is which and do not confuse the two. Serving chopsticks tend to be slightly larger than personal ones and are often beige or ivory. Personal chopsticks are typically black. Never — and I repeat, never — stick your chopsticks pointing upwards in a dish. This makes the chopsticks look like a marker for a grave, and therefore symbolises death or misfortune.
2. Birthdays. It is usual to throw a party for a baby after the first month of his birth, in celebration of the fact that he or she has survived these early critical weeks. Guests will receive brightly coloured eggs, painted red for good luck. Guests should bring presents or red lai see envelopes containing money for the newly-born. A persons sixtieth birthday is also very important, and usually occasion for a grand celebration. Every birthday after that takes on a renewed significance.
3. Weddings and funerals. Money is usually given at both weddings and funerals, but with an important difference. At a wedding make sure that you enclose an even number of notes in the envelope, since this signifies togetherness. But at a funeral make sure that the number of notes in the envelope is odd. At either event you should make sure that the amount of money that you give does not add up to a number that is considered unlucky. Do not give 400 dollars, for example — better to give 300 or 500 instead; the word ‘four’ in Cantonese (‘si’) signifies ‘death’.
4. Gifts. Always give and receive gifts with both hands. Pay attention to the colour of the wrapping paper. Red is a lucky colour. Pink and yellow are symbols of happiness and prosperity. Grey and black, on the other hand, must be avoided at all costs since they are the colours used during funerals. There are also some gifts that you should avoid giving. White or yellow flowers, especially chrysanthemums, are a bad idea since these are used at funerals. Clocks also make poor gifts, since they suggest you are counting down the hours until the death of the recipient. Don’t give a green hat, especially to a married man, since this indicates that his wife will be unfaithful or that she is already. In Cantonese, the Chinese characters for ‘cuckold’ sound a lot like ‘wearing a green hat’ (‘dai mao‘).
5. Numbers and symbols. In Hong Kong words and numbers take on special significance when they sound like something else. For example, the number ‘four’ (‘si’) sounds like the word for ‘death’ in Cantonese and therefore Hong Kongers try to avoid things that have this number in: buildings will not generally have a floor ‘four’ or ‘fourteen’, for example. Conversely, the word for ‘bat’ (‘fu’) is a homonym for ‘good luck’, so you will often find bats printed on clothing and decorating houses.
6. Office hierarchy. The office structure in Hong Kong is, like its society, hierarchical. If you are working in a Hong Kong office environment make sure that you pay attention to the hierarchy. Do not ask a junior clerk to give a message to the department head especially if that message could be construed as an order. Do not ask a secretary to go down to the post office or to change a light bulb. If there is someone whose job it is to make a cup of tea, do not do so yourself. This hierarchical structure explains why Hong Kong people will often not clear away their tray in a fast food restaurant, as might be the norm in other societies. The assumption is that this is not their job, and someone else has that particular role in the hierarchy.
7. Tipping. Tipping is not traditionally part of the culture in Hong Kong and you will rarely see locals tip. However, it is becoming more and more common among the expat community. Many restaurants, especially high-end ones, already include a 10% service charge in the bill — so tipping is not really necessary.
8. Feng shui. Literally meaning ‘wind and water’, feng shui is perhaps the single most important Chinese concept that is universally embraced in Hong Kong. Feng shui is a major factor to think about before any plans to erect new buildings are put into action. It looks at things such as the selection of the site, orientation of the building, alignment of the doors and windows and placing of furniture. If you work in an office that also employs local Hong Kong staff, make sure that you ask before you move any of the interior plants — locals take feng shui extremely seriously! Feng shui is considered no less important for choosing a burial site, in order to give the departed a peaceful rest and to make sure that their descendents enjoy wealth and longevity in this life.
9. Religion. Food is put on tombs in the belief that it will reach those in the afterlife. Copies of fake things — such as money and cars — are often burnt in the belief that they will reach the spirit world. Offerings to the gods are also burnt to appease them, for forgiveness or to bring good luck (before a wedding takes place, for example). You can see this practice in many of the temples around Hong Kong, particularly during religious celebrations. If you want a quirky look at how ancestor worship has gripped the Hong Kong populace, walk along Lockhart Road in Wan Chai just before nightfall. This is where many of the strip joints and unofficial houses of ill repute are located. Each evening, just before they get into full swing, the working girls can be found outside, burning bucket-loads of coloured paper in order to appease the gods for the business that they conduct.
10. Food and health. The Cantonese table reveals a lot about Hong Kong culture, particularly their strong belief in staying healthy. Many of the traditional dishes that are widely available in Hong Kong have some perceived health or cosmetic benefit associated with them. For example, women especially like to dine on fish eyes because it is believed to be good for the beauty of their own eyes. Similarly, the local delicacy of chicken feet is held to be good for both skin and bone. Turtle jelly — an acrid black dessert, which certainly benefits from a good dousing in honey or sugar — is also highly valued for its healing properties. Similar beliefs and traditions exist for many other dishes.

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Check out our best-selling guidebook to Hong Kong.

Are there any cultural tips that you would like to suggest? Why not put them in the comments below?

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