Hong Kong 2009 – A Cultural Experience

I felt I had a more in-depth understanding of the lifestyle and the people of Hong Kong from this second trip to Hong Kong.

The interaction with Hong Kong 2 years ago was more superficial. I took on a route of typical tourist going to Lantau Island and Disneyland. These in addition to a day gone from falling ill in the Hotel and a day spent in visiting Macau, the remaining time was spent catching up on shopping. Although shopping was more of a national hobby to Hong Kongers than Singaporeans, it was only one aspect of the Hong Kong life.

The last four-and-a-half days spent solely in Hong Kong provided the luxury of time for me to be more acquainted with one of the faster-paced cities in the world. In many aspects, Hong Kong shared a similar background to Singapore. Both were former British colonies and were influenced by the British in many aspects. Both prided themselves on their economic development, especially in being leading financial hubs in Asia. Both were also touted as shopping heavens by their tourism boards. Many tourists who had visited both cities gave their thumbs up for their variety of food and great shopping.

Yet, wondering off the beaten path and stepping into the places more mundane, a more quintessential aspect of Hong Kong revealed itself. Is there a quintessential Hong Kong? Being a former British colony and later a Special Administration Region of China, Hong Kong seemed to link to one of the oldest cultures one-way or another. The infusion of the two cultures meant that Hong Kong could benefit from learning from the best practices and evolved into its unique ethnic culture.

When I was shopping in the high-end shopping belts, I came face-to-face with the glamour and vibrancy of the city. The flagship store of Louis Vuitton with its crystalline façade, the H&M stores which are only available in Hong Kong and Shanghai in Asia and the display of antique cars in the New World Centre highlighted the success of the economy. When I lost myself in the bargains along Fa Yuen Street, I became acutely aware of real living in Hong Kong. The teenagers who were fashionably dressed needed not be decked in branded attire. Instead, the various little boutiques along Fa Yuen Street seemed to be a favourite haunt among them for scouting a signature piece amidst the rolls of cramped clothing.

When I was gazing at the high rise apartments along Repulse Bay or at Lantau Island, the flats reminded me of the HDB flats in Singapore, albeit smaller, taller and more condensed. When I was looking at the older units in Kowloon with the aircon units hanging precariously on the outside without any ledge or structure supporting the units, it was reminiscent of Hong Kong in the seventies. There was even a well-known movie known as “Seventy-Two Households” depicting the many households in an estate. A word of caution. Do be mindful and avoid areas where you see puddles of water on the floor as the puddles formed from the dripping of water from the aircon units on higher floors above you.

Just like many fast growing economies, the development of civic and social mindedness often lags behind. Although Hong Kong has intricately linked rapid transit system which is enhanced by its equally accessible buses and minibus, the infrastructure of each MTR station still is not fully catered for the handicapped and the elderly. Many exits from the stations are with stairways and not even escalators. The long flight of stairs at least 1 storey high will be a challenge to the physically-challenged community. The narrow space of each gantry at the MTR station means that there is no space for pushing a pram through. This probably explains the apparent lack of any strollers or prams on the roads.

Spotting an open wet market along Graham Street in the heart of the CBD appeared bizarre and rather out of place. This is more so when the market place is situated on a slope which certainly makes grocery shopping an ‘uphill’ task. Taking the century-old tram leisurely along the busiest roads in Hong Kong Island seemed to insulate you from the fast-paced economy where I become a mere observer of the hustle and bustle. However, it is this intertwining of the old and the modern in a rather seamless manner that is quintessentially Hong Kong. The ability to take stray from the fast-paced to the slower-paced provided an interlude if you wish to take a respite from the rat-race.

It is these little signs that provided a peek into the underlying real living in Hong Kong that revealed the charms of Hong Kong in full resplendence. Hong Kong was not just a clinical fast-paced financial hub of Asia. Hong Kong people were not just a fashionably conscious community who led the trends of Asia. If you have a chance to visit Hong Kong in future, take a break from the shopping and eating for a while. Devote a day to engage in the mundane activities and go to the mundane places to lead the life of a typical Hong Kongers, you will be surprised at what you can discover.