Galleries: 

• Peng Chau
• Shenzhen

Many travellers will have visited Hong Kong and almost all of those visits, quite rightly, will have started with the central sights: the harbour with the traditional junks, Star Ferry, the trams, Victoria Peak (now mostly referred to as ‘The Peak’, various temples and the streets of Kowloon. But in fact, the Hong Kong territory (Special Administrative Region) comprises 263 islands, of which just 20-30 are inhabited. Total population is 7.5m. The airport moved from its central location on Hong Kong Island to reclaimed land on Lantau Island in 1998 and continues to expand with taxi time for us taking a good 15 minutes from the runway to the parking spot.

Contemporary Hong Kong is still very much defined by tall skyscrapers and an east-meets-west culture with English co-existing alongside Cantonese but it is rapidly shifting towards greater integration with mainland China with a first formal Economic and Social Development Five-Year Plan, modernisation of infrastructure, a shift towards electric vehicles and rather less of traditional street dining. There is also a booming contemporary arts scene.

Having seen most of the traditional sights before, this time, we did something a little different, staying with friends on the small island of Peng Chau, half an hour by ferry from the central piers with a length of just 1km and a population of about 6000. This is very much an island for local Chinese residents.

Whilst Hong Kong is now very much part of China, its status as a Special Administrative Region and separate customs territory means that a formal border exists to its north with 6 land-based control points with passport checks. We took a day trip through one of these points to Shenzhen, China’s 3^rd largest city by core urban area with 18.5m residents. The city is continuing to expand rapidly and is very modern with a new Natural History Museum (which was full when we tried to visit it!) It is also to host the next APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (APEC Summit) in November 2026 with a further meeting between Presidents Trump and Xi.

Other attractions in the vicinity of the Natural History Museum include the historic Hakka village which dates back over 350 years, tracing its origins to the early Qing Dynasty, and the Dafen oil painting village which is a unique neighbourhood in Shenzhen's Longgang District recognised as the world's largest mass-producer of replica art. Described as the ‘world's art factory’, this compact enclave historically produced an estimated 60% of all new global oil paintings, supplying hotel lobbies, apartments, and retailers worldwide with hand-painted western masterpieces.

For those who haven’t been to Hong Kong before (or for a while) and are considering a trip, this is my list of ‘must do’ activities:

• Take the tram to Victoria Peak (now mostly known as ‘The Peak’). Here you’ll get classic views of HK skyline and harbour. No need to pay the HKD 80 (~£8/$11) to go to the viewing platform (Sky Terrace 428) as there is an acceptable view for free.
• Take a trip in the harbour on a traditional red-sailed junk.
• Ride a tram!
• Ride the escalators from central pier – apparently the world’s longest outdoor covered escalator system - and experience the shopping arcades.
• Cross the harbour on a Star Ferry. I believe that there is a nightly laser show at 8pm which can be seen from the ferry, though we haven’t seen it ourselves.
• Various temples but seek out Man Mo Temple in particular
• Shopping streets and street markets in Kowloon (you’ll need to Google them for specifics but also very dramatic at night).
• Day trip to Lantau Island (where the airport is). Ride the cable car and visit the Big Buddha