48 Fun Facts About Hong Kong

Hong Kong's name is usually translated as what?

Hong Kong, from the local pronunciation heung gong, means 'Fragrant harbour'; one common theory ties the name to incense factories that once lined the Kowloon coast.

Which conflict led the Qing dynasty to cede Hong Kong Island to Britain in 1842?

Britain won the First Opium War (1839-42); the Treaty of Nanking that ended it ceded Hong Kong Island, with Kowloon following in 1860 and the New Territories lease in 1898.

For how many years did Britain lease the New Territories in 1898?

The Second Convention of Peking leased the New Territories to Britain for 99 years; the approaching expiry of that lease is what forced the handover negotiations of the 1980s.

On what date was Hong Kong handed over from the United Kingdom to China?

Sovereignty passed to China at midnight on 1 July 1997, ending 156 years of British rule that began with the occupation of Hong Kong Island in 1841.

Which British royal read the farewell speech at the handover ceremony?

Prince Charles, representing the Queen, read Britain's farewell speech at the midnight handover ceremony, alongside the newly elected prime minister Tony Blair.

Who was the last Governor of Hong Kong?

Chris Patten, governor from 1992 to 1997, was unusually a career politician rather than a diplomat, and his electoral reforms infuriated Beijing.

Who became Hong Kong's first Chief Executive in 1997?

Tung Chee-hwa, head of the Orient Overseas shipping line, was chosen by a 400-member Selection Committee in December 1996 to lead the new Special Administrative Region.

What is the principle under which Hong Kong keeps a separate government and economy from the mainland?

Under 'One country, two systems', devised by Deng Xiaoping, Hong Kong keeps its own capitalist economy and legal system, with those arrangements guaranteed for 50 years after the handover.

Which 1984 agreement set the terms of the handover?

The Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed by Margaret Thatcher and Zhao Ziyang in Beijing in December 1984, set the handover terms; Governor Murray MacLehose had first raised the lease with Deng Xiaoping in 1979.

Hong Kong's mini-constitution since 1997 is known as what?

The Basic Law, adopted by China's National People's Congress in April 1990, took effect at the handover; its Articles 45 and 68 name universal suffrage as an ultimate aim.

Japan attacked Hong Kong on 8 December 1941, the same morning as which other attack?

The Hong Kong assault began hours after the strike on Pearl Harbor across the date line; the occupation that followed lasted until the British resumed control on 30 August 1945.

Hong Kong borders which mainland Chinese city to the north?

Shenzhen lies across the Sham Chun (Shenzhen) River, which marks Hong Kong's northern boundary; it grew from a market town after becoming a Special Economic Zone in 1980.

What is Hong Kong's highest point?

Tai Mo Shan, in the central New Territories, reaches 957 metres; its fog-prone summit hosts the Hong Kong Observatory's weather radar station.

Hong Kong is administratively split into how many districts?

The 18 districts break down as four on Hong Kong Island, five in Kowloon and nine in the New Territories, each with its own District Council.

What share of Hong Kong's daily trips use public transport, the highest rate in the world?

Over 90% of daily passenger journeys are made on public transport; the MTR alone carries almost five million passengers on a typical weekday.

What is the name of Hong Kong's contactless smart payment system, launched in September 1997?

Octopus, launched on 1 September 1997, was the world's second contactless transit card after Seoul's Upass and became a model for London's Oyster card.

The line up to Victoria Peak, opened in 1888, was the first what in Asia?

It was Asia's first funicular railway, hauled by steam until 1926 and owned by the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels group, which also owns the Peninsula Hotel.

Hong Kong Tramways holds a Guinness World Record for the largest fleet of what?

Its 165 double-decker trams, running since 1904, form the world's largest such fleet in service and are nicknamed 'ding ding' after their bell.

The Star Ferry's main route crosses Victoria Harbour between Central and which Kowloon district?

The Central to Tsim Sha Tsui crossing has run since the company's founding as the Kowloon Ferry Company in 1888; it took the Star name in 1898 from its boats.

Hong Kong's old Kai Tak Airport closed in which year?

Kai Tak closed on 6 July 1998 when flights moved to the new airport; its approach required a low 47-degree right turn over Kowloon City's rooftops.

Kai Tak pilots lined up their final turn after spotting a hill painted with what pattern?

An orange-and-white checkerboard painted on a hillside in Kowloon Tsai marked the turning point; aircraft then dropped below 600 feet over Kowloon City's rooftops to reach runway 13.

Hong Kong International Airport is built on which island?

Chek Lap Kok was a small granite island that engineers flattened and merged with neighbouring Lam Chau and reclaimed land to form the 12.5-square-kilometre airport platform.

Which airline is Hong Kong's flag carrier?

Cathay Pacific, founded in 1946 by an American and an Australian pilot with a single DC-3, is the flag carrier and is based at the airport's Cathay City complex.

The 1,377-metre road-and-rail suspension bridge to Hong Kong's airport is named after which two islands?

The Tsing Ma Bridge takes its name from Tsing Yi and Ma Wan, the islands it links; at opening in 1997 its 1,377-metre span was the world's longest carrying both road and rail.

What is Hong Kong's tallest building?

The International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon, completed in 2010, rises 484 metres over 108 storeys, making it the city's only building with more than 100 floors.

Hong Kong has more of what than any other city in the world?

Hong Kong has more skyscrapers than any other city, with over 550 buildings taller than 150 metres, well ahead of New York City.

A Symphony of Lights over Victoria Harbour holds a Guinness record as the world's largest permanent what?

Guinness listed A Symphony of Lights as the largest permanent light and sound show; by 2017 more than 40 harbourfront buildings joined the nightly 8 pm display.

Kowloon Walled City, demolished in 1993-94, was famous for being what?

It was one of the most densely populated places on Earth: by 1987 about 33,000 people lived in its 2.6 hectares, roughly 1.2 million per square kilometre.

Why did Kowloon Walled City end up ungoverned for decades?

The 1898 lease excluded it and neither Britain nor China took control: Chinese Civil War refugees then swelled the Walled City into a labyrinth of unregulated high-rises built without engineers.

Victoria Peak rises to roughly what height?

Victoria Peak rises to 552 metres, the highest point on Hong Kong Island, though dozens of hills in the New Territories and on the outlying islands stand taller.

Lion Rock sits between Kowloon Tong and which New Territories town?

Lion Rock's 495-metre ridge divides Kowloon Tong from Tai Wai in Sha Tin district; its crouching-lion profile is clearest from the Kowloon side.

The Big Buddha at Ngong Ping is on which island?

The Tian Tan Buddha sits on Lantau, Hong Kong's largest island; the 34-metre bronze statue was completed in 1993 beside Po Lin Monastery.

Hong Kong Disneyland opened in which year?

Hong Kong Disneyland opened on 12 September 2005 at Penny's Bay, becoming Asia's second Disney resort after Tokyo.

Which three commercial banks issue Hong Kong's banknotes?

HSBC, Bank of China and Standard Chartered each print notes of HK$20 and above under the Hong Kong Monetary Authority; the HK$10 note and all coins are issued by the government itself.

What is the predominant spoken language of Hong Kong?

Cantonese is the usual spoken language of about 88% of residents; Chinese and English are the official languages, with Cantonese the everyday spoken form of Chinese.

Hong Kong-style milk tea is nicknamed after which item of clothing?

'Silk stockings' milk tea (si mat naai cha) takes its name from the fine sackcloth filter, which stains tea-brown like a stocking; the tea is mixed with evaporated milk.

What does 'cha chaan teng' literally mean?

Cha chaan teng means 'tea restaurant'; these diners, which spread after the 1950s, serve everything from baked pork chop rice to pineapple buns to bankers and builders alike.

The Hong Kong egg tart is derived from the English custard tart and which Portuguese pastry?

Pastel de nata, the Portuguese custard tart, reached the region via Macau; Hong Kong's egg tart blends that lineage with the English custard tart and is sold in bakeries and cha chaan tengs.

Which two Bruce Lee films of 1972 and 1973 made Hong Kong productions popular abroad?

The Way of the Dragon and Enter the Dragon, released in 1972 and 1973, made Hong Kong action films an export; Enter the Dragon premiered in Hong Kong six days after Lee's death.

Cantopop's popularity peaked in the 1990s under which quartet of singers?

The Four Heavenly Kings, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok and Leon Lai, dominated Cantopop and Asian charts through the 1990s.

Which organisation is the territory's largest taxpayer and holds a monopoly on gambling?

The Jockey Club, founded in 1884, holds the territory's only betting licences, for horse racing, football and the Mark Six lottery, and pays more tax than any other single organisation.

Hong Kong's two horse racing tracks are at Sha Tin and where?

Happy Valley, opened in 1846 on Hong Kong Island, hosts Wednesday night racing; the larger Sha Tin course in the New Territories followed in 1978.

Dragon boat racing in Hong Kong began as a religious ceremony during which festival?

Tuen Ng, the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, honours the poet Qu Yuan; the first international races were staged in 1976 to promote the city abroad.

Hong Kong's 2019 protests were sparked by a proposed bill allowing what?

The bill would have allowed extradition of fugitives to mainland China; organisers claimed nearly two million marched on 16 June 2019, the largest protest in the city's history.

The 2014 protests over pre-screening of Chief Executive candidates became known as what?

The Umbrella Revolution (or Umbrella Movement) took its name from the umbrellas protesters raised against pepper spray during the 79-day occupation that began in late September 2014.

Hong Kong was the first of which group of economies to industrialise in the 1950s?

The Four Asian Tigers (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan) industrialised rapidly after the 1950s; Hong Kong's GDP grew 180-fold between 1961 and 1997.

By the late 2010s, Hong Kong led the world in which statistic for its people?

Hong Kong had the highest life expectancy of any territory in the late 2010s: women born in 2019 could expect about 88 years and men about 82.

Which explorer, in 1513, was the earliest known European visitor to Hong Kong?

Jorge Álvares, a Portuguese explorer, landed at Tamão near present-day Tuen Mun in 1513; traders who followed set up a post there before being expelled in the 1520s.