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On January 26, 1988, the movie Bloodsport was released, featuring Belgian martial artist and actor Jean-Claude Van Damme in his first lead role. The story revolves around a ninjutsu practitioner who participates in a full-contact tournament known as the Kumite, which takes place in the infamous Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. The reason the tournament is held deep inside the Kowloon Walled City aligns perfectly with the city's real-life history, as police forces dared not

If you enjoy hiking in one of the numerous country parks in Hong Kong, chances are you've already spotted a snake or two. In fact, Hong Kong is home to 52 species of snakes, of which 46 are land snakes. However, while the moderately sized White-Lipped Viper, also known as the Bamboo Viper, accounts for 90% of the 100 snakebites recorded each year in Hong Kong, the city is also home to some of the longest and largest snakes in the world. Indeed, the longest venomous snake in t

In 1935, when HSBC’s third Hong Kong headquarters opened, British sculptor William Wheathly Wagstaff was commissioned to create two bronze lion statues. Inspired by, but not identical to, the original lions guarding HSBC’s Shanghai branch since 1923, the new lions symbolized strength and protection. The roaring lion was named Stephen, after Alexander Gordon Stephen, the HSBC chief manager when the original lions were cast, while the quiescent lion was named Stitt, after Gordo

Nowadays, Hong Kong is a bustling city with a population of 7,500,000 inhabitants. With a population density of 6,725 inhabitants per square kilometer, it is also one of the most densely populated territories in the world. However, this was not always the case. In fact, it is only relatively recently that Hong Kong became an influential city. On January 26th, 1841, when the British took possession of Hong Kong Island—later officially ceded to Britain following their victory i

When Hong Kong was officially handed over by Great Britain to the People’s Republic of China on July 1st, 1997, the Hong Kong Basic Law became the city’s constitutional framework. Although it is part of the national law of the People’s Republic of China, Article 5 of the Hong Kong Basic Law guarantees the "one country, two systems" principle until at least 2047. Under this principle, Hong Kong retained its common law system under Article 8 of the Basic Law, except for laws th

After Hong Kong Island was ceded to the British in 1842, British merchants quickly recognized the need for banks to finance the rapidly growing trade between China and India passing through Hong Kong. Thomas Sutherland, a Scottish banker and politician, seized this opportunity to establish a new bank. On March 3rd, 1865, the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank was founded in Hong Kong; and one month later, the Shanghai branch opened. In 1866, the bank was incorporated in Hong Kong as

Walking down the streets of Hong Kong Island, you will be reminded at every turn that Hong Kong Island was ceded to the British during Queen Victoria’s reign. There is Victoria Harbour, the life and blood of Hong Kong; Victoria Peak, the most prominent mountain on Hong Kong Island; and even the Central and Western District, which used to be known as the City of Victoria, or simply Victoria. In fact, between 1841, the year British sailors took possession of Hong Kong Island, a

On March 3, 1865, Thomas Sutherland established the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, known today as HSBC. Believing that good Feng Shui was crucial for his bank's success, he chose Wardley House as HSBC’s first headquarters, as the building was claimed to have one of the best Feng Shui in the city. Built at 1 Queen’s Road, Wardley House was located in the heart of the burgeoning colony. However, the premises quickly became too small; and in 1882, Wardley House was demolished to ma

If you ever visit Tung Chung Fort, on Lantau Island, you may be surprised to learn that the fort was neither built by the British nor constructed to defend Lantau Island against the British. Initially, the fort was built during the Song Dynasty, in the 12th century, to fight off salt smugglers which, uner the Song, was a very valuable commodity. In the 19th century, the fort was rebuilt by the Qing Dynasty to defend the coast from pirates active in the South China Sea. With

Usually, MTR stations in Hong Kong bear the name of the area in which they were built. Mong Kok Station, for instance, is located smack dab in the center of Mong Kok. Likewise, Central Station is situated in the heart of Hong Kong’s financial district. There are, of course, outliers; such as Tai Kok Tsui Station, in the working-class neighborhood of Tai Kok Tsui, which opened on June 22, 1998, but was later renamed Olympic Station after the 1996 Summer Olympics, in which Lee

When people think about the Blue House, they usually have in mind the building located on Stone Nullah Lane in Wan Chai. Named after the bright blue color it was painted after renovation, the Blue House is easily recognizable. However, people often fail to realize that the Blue House is only one of a set of three historic tong lau that form the so-called Blue House Cluster. Although the cluster is called the Blue House Cluster, only one building is actually blue. In fact, on

In Hong Kong, insane luxury coexists with miserable poverty. Seeing McLarens, Ferraris, or Lamborghinis parked on the streets of Sham Shui Po or Kwun Tong, the city’s poorest districts, is not uncommon. In Happy Valley, Ferraris and McLarens are so prevalent that these cars no longer turn heads. In fact, luxury cars, regardless of the brand, have become such a common sight in Hong Kong that their owners often resort to crazy color schemes to attract attention. In this environ

In Hong Kong, whenever the Bank of China is mentioned, the first image that usually comes to mind is Ieoh Ming Pei’s iconic masterpiece, the Bank of China Tower. Yet, forty years before the Tower was completed, the Bank of China’s headquarters in Hong Kong opened 180 meters (600 feet) from its current location. To this day, that building—the Bank of China Building—still stands tall in the heart of Hong Kong, albeit dwarfed by its neighboring skyscrapers; and it still serves a

The cession of Hong Kong Island to the British in 1842 is often regarded as the starting point of Hong Kong. Although it is true that British settlers transformed this barren rock, lost in the South China Sea, into a sprawling city bustling with activity, the territory has a history of its own well before the British took possession of the island in 1841—one year before the official cession of 1842. The earliest traces of human presence in the territory date back to approxima

In 2024, the United Nations published its Human Development Programme, which measures human development in countries and territories around the world. With a score of 0.956, Hong Kong was ranked as the fourth most developed territory in the world, only behind Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland. However, in 2024, the same United Nations published its World Happiness Report. With a score of 5.316, Hong Kong ranked 86th out of 143 countries and territories. That is, far behind Mai

The infamous Kowloon Walled City has fueled the imagination of many people. Its narrow, dark, and dirty alleyways, where the sun never reached ground level, are probably the closest to a claustrophobic dystopian hellscape that people have ever had to live in. Yet, it may come as a surprise that, at its height—in the early 1990s, right before its demolition—only 50,000 people lived in the Walled City. In a city of 5.7 million inhabitants in 1990, those 50,000 people did not ev

Hong Kong likes to call itself Asia’s World City, boasting its diverse population. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, with 91.6% of its population being ethnic Chinese, Hong Kong is a remarkably homogeneous city. Moreover, 4.6% of Hong Kong’s population consists of Filipino or Indonesian domestic helpers who have very few rights; and, unlike other ethnic minorities, they cannot obtain the status of permanent residents, let alone Hong Kong citizenship. In f

If you ever visit Hong Kong, the Big Buddha, or Tian Tan Buddha as it is known locally, on Lantau Island, has been a popular tourist attraction ever since its completion in 1993. Located about 5 kilometres (3 miles) southwest of Tung Chung, on Muk Yue Peak, at an elevation of 482 metres (1,580 feet) above sea level, it can be reached via the Tei Ton Tsai Country Trail. Alternatively, visitors can access it by bus or by the popular Ngong Ping 360 cable car; however, visitors s

On the first of April, people often like to prank their friends with benign jokes, while the media frequently include a harmless fake article in the day’s news to fool their readers or viewers. Hong Kong is no exception to this tradition. However, in 2003, April Fools’ Day took a dark turn in the city. As Hong Kongers opened their newspapers on April 1, 2003, one article stood out from the usual news: superstar singer and actor Leslie Cheung, famous throughout East Asia, had

Ever since it was first minted, the 1-cent coin has been Hong Kong's lowest denomination. Minted for a total of 78 years, it bore the portraits of four successive British monarchs. However, World War II had an unexpected impact on the last batch of 1-cent coins produced. The Government of Hong Kong had sent an order for new coins to the Royal Mint in London. 5,000,000 1-cent coins were produced, along with nearly 2,000,000 5-cent coins. However, as the war raged in Europe and