jwalker9328: 50 reasons Hong Kong is the world's greatest city

Monday, July 2, 2012

50 reasons Hong Kong is the world's greatest city

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor, Tiffany Lam, Christopher DeWolf, Virginia Lau

Editor's note: Today is the 15-year anniversary since Hong Kong's handover from British to Chinese rule. While there have been some changes in that period, for the most part Hong Kong is still a colorful, chaotic, fantastic place to live and visit. Here are just a few reasons why. Article first published October 2009, updated July 2012

1. Public transportation rules

Hong Kong is no place for motorists, with about 380,000 private vehicles for a population of over seven million. But it's a public transit utopia. Big buses, little buses, ferries, railways, a tramway -- you name it, we have it, and they're all interconnected, making Hong Kong’s network one of the most sophisticated in the world.

2. Anger-activated camera phones

It all began with the 'bus uncle' clip, in which a bus rider was told to lower his voice while talking on his cell phone. Then came 'MTR couple,' in which a middle-aged couple launched a tsunami of insults upon some poor sap who bumped into them on the subway. Finally, last February came the absolutely golden 'airport auntie' video, in which an air traveller flipped out upon missing her flight home. Each is a hilarious representation of what happens when Hong Kongers finally lose it. Just stay out of our way, especially on public transport.

3. The stripper strip that won't be outstripped

Wanchai’s Lockhart Road is the heart of Hong Kong’s historic girlie bar district, once thriving with off-duty sailors and soldiers. Nowadays, world-weary ladies entice passersby into their establishments without warning of the pricey tabs. The area is gentrifying fast, with trendy restaurants and funky clubs moving in each day. Despite it all, Lockhart retains a Suzy Wong mystique.

4. We are the world

Now fully 115 countries have consulates in Hong Kong, more than any other city in the world.

5. Star-quality tutors

To become a “tutor king” is a legitimate life-goal here. Competition within the million-dollar tutoring industry is so fierce that tutors market themselves like celebrities, plastering their inordinately well-groomed images on billboards and bus panels. A recent court case involved "tutor god" K Oten, who was ordered to pay HK$8.8 million in damages for breaching his contract with King’s Glory Education.