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It is a Small World

“You can leave Hong Kong, but it will never leave you.” – Nury Vittachi, Hong Kong: The City of Dreams

Continuing our global virtual tour to learn something new, our next stop is one of my favorite cities in the world, Hong Kong.

Did not know that the name Hong Kong means ‘fragrant harbor’ in Chinese. Kowloon which is part of Hong Kong where I have spent a lot of time really means ‘nine dragons’.

The Star Ferry which is what I took to this location for this picture started running in 1880. The skyline which is recognizable worldwide gets all the attention, but you might be surprised to know that 40% of the territory is made up of nature parks and reserves. Hong Kong is where I enjoyed one of my longest and most enjoyable nature hikes.

While in Hong Kong, one of my favorite meals consisted of ‘dim sum’, a delicacy which originated in Southern China and means ‘touch of heart’. In this city, you will not find many ‘number 4s’ as the word sounds like ‘death’. You will find many ‘8ths’ as it’s a lucky number representing wealth.

There are 263 islands in Hong Kong. The city ranks 2^nd or 3^rd in the world in population density and you can easily see it walking its streets. Cantonese (96%) is the most spoken language, followed by Mandarin (48%) and not surprisingly English (46%).

You might think that New York is the home with the most skyscrapers, but you would be wrong. Hong Kong has the most skyscrapers in the world (classified as buildings with more than 14 floors); double of what you will find in New York City.

The many stops in Hong Kong included meetings with global retailers, onstage presenting the future of retail, and more importantly establishing great friendships with the locals that continue to this day.

I am looking forward to revisiting again soon for this expansive city was a reminder that it’s a small world after all. Lights, Camera, and Action to great memories of Hong Kong.

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