Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

Hong Kong consists of a mainland on the country’s southeastern coast and about 235 islands. It is bordered on the north by Guangdong Province and on the east, west and south by the South China Sea. Hong Kong was a British dependency from the 1840s until July 1, 1997, when it passed to Chinese sovereignty as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. When Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, it had existed as a British colony for 156 years. Stand amid the forest of skyscrapers in Central and try to imagine the ‘barren island with hardly a house upon it’ that British naval officers surveyed as they hoisted the Union Jack over the empire’s newest addition in 1841. It is difficult to picture, for in its headlong dash toward ever-greater prosperity, Hong Kong has worked hard to bury its humble origins. The total land area of Hong Kong is small, only 422 square miles (1092 square kilometers); and the surrounding territorial waters cover 707 square miles (1830 square kilometers). Hong Kong’s mainland consists of the urban area of Kowloon and a portion of the New Territories, a large area that became part of Hong Kong in 1898. Lantau Island (also called Tai Yue Island), ceded to Hong Kong as part of the New Territories but often considered separate from that region, is the largest island. Located about six miles (10 kilometers) east of Lantau Island and across Victoria Harbor from Kowloon is Hong Kong Island. The city of Hong Kong (also known as Victoria) faces the harbor on the northern part of the island. Hong Kong Island is separated from the mainland on its north side by a strait ½ to 3 miles wide, which comprises the harbor. Victoria, the capital city of the former colony, lies on the north side of the island, and on the mainland opposite lays the city of Kowloon. The harbor of Hong Kong has been the biggest and busiest port in Asia, but nowadays it has been surpassed in volume and size by the ports of Singapore and Shenzhen. None the less, still 220,000 ships visit this never sleeping city to load and offload their cargoes and passengers. In December 1984, the British agreed to hand over the entire colony when the lease on the New Territories ran out in 1997, rather than hang on to a truncated colony consisting of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. The agreement theoretically allows Hong Kong to retain its pre-1997 social, economic and legal systems for at least 50 years after 1997. As the handover approached, controversies raged over the building of Hong Kong’s expensive new airport and the amount of democracy the Chinese were willing to accept. Colors and Customs in Hong Kong There is more to a color than meets the eye, at least for the Chinese. White is the color of death and mourners at traditional Chinese funerals will often wear white cloaks, sometimes with a black ribbon. Black on white is traditionally associated with funerals, and if you ever see a large circular flower arrangement in black and white, it denotes someone’s passing. It used to be that sending a white sheet of paper with black writing on it was a bad omen. Red is a far happier color, symbolizing prosperity. In traditional Chinese weddings the bride would wear red; today the red gown is usually only reserved for the wedding reception. Restaurants, temples and other places where people congregate are often decked out in red. However, it is not considered good form to write notes, letters or sign one’s name in red ink. Hong Kong residents do not seem too clear on why this is, but Taiwanese say that it implies the writer lacks intelligence. Yellow, which was always the color of the emperor, is believed to repel evil spirits, which is why temple fortune papers are printed on yellow paper. Black also stands for treachery, but this idea wilted under the forces of fashion - black clothing was all the rage among stylish young women during the 1990’s. Extracted from mix sourses