"Hong Kong" a Hong Kong Travel Page by AndreasK

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<center>Hong Kong is the front-line state of the Pacific Rim’s economic explosion. Its per capita GNP has doubled in a decade, overtaking that of the old imperial power Great Britain. With a population of just six million, the territory is the largest trading partner of the People's Republic of China, a country of over one billion people. Being German, I have experienced a re-unifcation where a sovereign but relatively poor country was handed over to a country with a well developed strong economy. The sovereignty handover of Hong Kong’s well functioning free economy to the Communist government in Beijing in 1997 was quite a different story. On June 30, 1997 the whole territory became a Special Administrative Region of China. From what I heard, Hong Kong has not changed: Street signs and announcements in the MTR trains are still in English as well as in Cantonese. There have been no major changes to visa requirements so far.

Hong Kong offers plenty of options to the tourist, ranging from a junk cruise to remote islands with century-old Chinese traditions to a hike over green hills to stunning white beaches and charming Chinese fishing villages. Hong Kong comprises 235 islands. There's the Kowloon peninsula with shops, temples, markets and restaurants and the New Territories which offer gardens and parks.