1. Avenue of Stars
Stunning views of the harbour tower above you, while the names of Hong Kong’s movie icons lie beneath your feet.
Thanks to the efforts of Hong Kong’s movie industry over the past century, many in Asia and farther afield are familiar with the city’s sights before they’ve even set foot here. The Avenue of Stars pays tribute to the names that helped make Hong Kong the ‘Hollywood of the East’, while giving visitors a panoramic view of the city’s most iconic sight: its glorious skyline, dramatically set against The Peak.
With commemorative plaques, celebrity handprints, descriptive milestones, movie memorabilia, a life-size statue of kung fu action hero Bruce Lee and a bronze rendering of popular cartoon character McDull, the Avenue of Stars fittingly sets the glamour of Hong Kong’s film industry against the captivating dazzle of Victoria Harbour.
The atmosphere here is always lively, with around 30 performances, including music, drama and dance, organised each month. This is also the perfect vantage point to catch the A Symphony of Lights multimedia show.
2. The Peak
If there is only one thing you can do in Hong Kong, go to The Peak. If you have many things to do here, still go to The Peak. The highest point on Hong Kong Island, this has been the city’s most exclusive neighbourhood since colonial times – back then it was the cooler air that attracted the rich and famous; in the post air-conditioning era, the views of one of the world’s most spectacular cityscapes keep them coming.
That view is also what makes The Peak one of the most popular attractions in Hong Kong. By day your eyes stretch across sparkling skyscrapers and Victoria Harbour all the way to the green hills of the New Territories. In early evening this panorama melts into pink and orange before reincarnating as a dazzling galaxy of light, shimmering beneath you. And if you listen carefully enough, you can hear Asia’s world city humming below
3. Ocean Park Hong Kong
Opened in 1977, Ocean Park Hong Kong is a marine-life theme park featuring animal exhibits, thrill rides and shows. In 2012, its impressive ability to offer guests a world-class experience that blends entertainment with education and conservation was confirmed when it became the first Asian winner of the biannual Applause Award, the most prestigious award in the amusement and theme park industry.
The park is located on the southern side of Hong Kong Island, covering more than 870,000 square metres. The Waterfront and The Summit areas are connected by the Cable Car and Ocean Express funicular train.
4. Hong Kong
You can never be sure what mysteries will be unlocked during your visit to Mystic Point Hong Kong Disneyland’s latest and exclusive attraction. This summer, Lord Henry Mystic, an eccentric explorer has graciously opened his home to everyone. Here, visitors can ride in his latest invention, the ‘Mystic Magneto-Electric Carriage’, to view his acquisitions from around the world. At Mystic Point, you can’t always trust your senses. Discover for yourself what is real and what is not!
5. Ladies' Market
With over 100 stalls of bargain clothing, accessories and souvenirs, the Ladies’ Market on Tung Choi Street provides a one-kilometre stretch on which to practise your haggling skills. It gets its name from the huge amount of clothing and accessories on sale for women of all ages; however, with watches, cosmetics, bags, home furnishings, CDs and trinkets also up for grabs, you don’t need to be just in the market for a pair of nylon stockings to find something within its crowded aisles.
6. Temple Street Night Market
When the sun goes down, the traders have already laid out their wares and the opera singers and fortune tellers begin to emerge. Welcome to the Temple Street Night Market, a popular street bazaar, named after a Tin Hau temple located in the centre of its main drag, and a place so steeped in local atmosphere that it has served as the backdrop to many a memorable movie.
Trinkets, tea ware, electronics, watches, menswear, jade and antiques are scrutinised and haggled over, while claypot rice, seafood, noodles and other treats are consumed with gusto.
7. Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
With its vast curtain of glass and 40,000 square-metre aluminium roof sculpted to echo a seabird soaring in flight, the striking Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is a major landmark on the Hong Kong Island skyline. Known worldwide as HKCEC, this harbour-front expansion used top-down construction techniques to meet a challenge of limited land supply; its highly innovative methods winning many industry accolades.
8. Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade
Starting at the colonial-era Clock Tower and stretching all the way to Hung Hom, a stroll along the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade takes one past the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Hong Kong Space Museum, the Hong Kong Museum of Art and Avenue of Stars. But like most of the love birds and shutterbugs on the promenade, your gaze will be drawn south to the dramatic topographical and architectural spectacle that is the Hong Kong Island skyline towering over the busy waters of Victoria Harbour.
9. Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple
The Wong Tai Sin Temple’s claim to ‘make every wish come true upon request’ might have something to do with its popularity. Home to three religions (Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism) its natural setting and beautifully ornamented buildings make it as much a scenic attraction as an important religious centre.The temple commemorates the famous monk of yore, Wong Tai Sin (also known as Huang Chu-ping), who was born in the 4th century and became a deity at Heng Shan (Red Pine Hill). In 1915, Taoist priest Liang Ren-an carried a sacred portrait of Wong Tai Sin from Guangdong in southern China to Hong Kong. Now housing this precious portrait, the Wong Tai Sin Temple is where worshippers pray for good fortune through offerings, divine guidance and fortune telling.
Feng Shui enthusiasts may notice structures representing the five geomantic elements: the Bronze Pavilion (metal); the Archives Hall (wood); the Yuk Yik Fountain (water); the Yue Heung Shrine (fire), where the Buddha of the Lighting Lamp is worshipped; and the Earth Wall (earth). Other areas of the complex include the Three Saints Hall, the Confucian Hall and the extravagantly colourful Good Wish Garden that is lavishly decorated with chinoiserie.
10. Clock Tower
Standing 44-metres tall, the old Clock Tower was erected in 1915 as part of the Kowloon–Canton Railway terminus. The once-bustling station is long gone, but this red brick and granite tower, now preserved as a Declared Monument, survives as an elegant reminder of the Age of Steam. It has also been a memorable landmark for the millions of Chinese immigrants who passed through the terminus to begin new lives not just in Hong Kong, but in other parts of the world via the city’s harbour.
