A Day Well-spent in Busy Hong Kong
IN JUST ONE DAY, FERRY DE BAKKER TOOK IN SOME OF HONG KONG’S MOST ICONIC SIGHTS, AND SURVIVED THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF THE CITY TO SHARE IT WITH YOU.
Who can resist the many charms of Hong Kong? It is a busy, fast-moving, bustling place with surprises at every corner of every street and district. It has 7.5 million inhabitants and no less than 60 million visitors a year, 75% of whom come from mainland China. They flock to the city’s shopping malls, restaurants and many tourist
attractions. How does one enjoy a fulfilling day in crowded Hong Kong, yet avoid the crowds?
THE PEAK TRAIN
We start early and take the MTR, exit at Admiralty Station and look up at I.M. Pei’s magnificent Bank of China Tower. To me, this building represents the most beautiful modern architecture in the world. I just love this sleek, elegant structure. However, not everyone agrees and there has been criticism as Mr. Pei, contrary to common practice, did not seek the advice of feng shui masters.
We walk to the Peak Tram Station and arrive shortly before 7:00am, when the first tram leaves. Fortunately, there are no queues yet, but if you get here around 10:00am, you might have to wait for over an hour to get on. The first cable car is only half full and, as we pass some of the most expensive real estate in Hong Kong and in the world, it doesn’t take long before we reach the Peak.
ON TOP OF THE WORLD
Now we must hope that we have chosen a clear day, as the views from here can be spectacular. There is a path around the Peak, which takes about 45 minutes to complete. When we return after our leisurely walk, we look for a place to have breakfast. There are several options, both inside the Peak Tower, and outside.
The Peak Tower, which I don’t find particularly attractive, is Hong Kong’s Number 1 destination. It houses such tourist attractions as Madame Tussaud and the Madness 3D Adventure. Not for us, these overcrowded mass-tourism horrors.
ON TO HONG KONG PARK
It is around 10:00am, when we arrive at the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware. Located inside Hong Kong Park, we discover Hong Kong’s oldest domestic building in the so-called Greek Revival style. Built between 1844 and 1846, it served as both the office and residence of the Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong until 1978, except during the Japanese occupation, when it was used to house high-ranking Japanese officers.
Like humans, the building has had its good and its bad days. It suffered extensive bomb damage in the last year of World War II.
THE FLAGSTAFF MUSEUM OF TEA WARE
It wasn’t until 1984 that the building was converted into the Flagstaff Museum of Tea Ware, a branch of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. It is home to a 600-piece collection of tea ware and related vessels, some dating back more than 2,000 years, and donated by Dr. K.S. Lo. This man was a successful entrepreneur and the founder of Vitasoy, a well-known soymilk drink in Asia.
In 1994, a year before his death at the age of 85, his K.S. Lo Foundation also donated his collection of ceramics and over 600 Chinese seals. A new wing, adjacent to the Flagstaff House Museum was built to exhibit these items on its first floor. More about the ground floor later.
HONG KONG POTTERS
The museum’s permanent exhibition Let’s Talk About Tea Through the Ages has all you need to know about tea, tea cups and tea pots. We were lucky enough to visit when the Annual Tea Ware by Hong Kong Potters took place.
This is a two-monthlong special event, held from December to February.
It is a competition that started in 1986 and has grown over time. Last year 332 participants submitted some 450 entries, with just over 100 selected and exhibited. There are different categories
and the quality, as well as the creativity of the pottery is astounding: beautiful, funny, serious.
LUNCH AT THE LOK CHA CHINESE TEAHOUSE
Back to the K.S. Lo Gallery and its ground floor. Here, we find the Lok Cha Chinese Teahouse. It is a beautiful, comfortable and cozy restaurant which serves an immense variety of tea, which actually makes it quite difficult to make a choice. However, the four types of tea we tried were very different, yet equally fragrant and for us it was as if a new world had opened up.
The Lok Cha Chinese Teahouse also serves vegetarian cuisine and to say that we highly recommend this place would be an understatement. All in all, it was one heck of a great experience.
XIQU CENTRE
It is 2:00pm and we have reached the newly opened Xiqu Centre. This is the first performance venue in West Kowloon’s Cultural District and is dedicated to promoting Xiqu, the rich Chinese heritage theatre, particularly Cantonese opera.
The building’s unusual structure is based on the concept of a Chinese pavilion and designed to combine tradition and modernity. Much thought went into creating a true user-friendly environment and the architects have taken this concept to a new level of sophistication.
XI QU ZHONG XIN
The centre has multiple entrances that lead straight into a spacious, 13m high atrium. The Grand Theatre is located on the top floor, so that street noise and the rumbling sounds of underground MRT trains are kept far away from the performances. Nobody will miss the inscription on the walls of the atrium displaying Prof Jao Tsung-i’s calligraphy of four characters, Xi Qu (yes, like the name of the centre) Zhong Xin, which refers to the venue’s position as a hub of Chinese culture and theatre.
TEA HOUSE THEATRE
There is a smaller, more intimate Tea House Theatre as well, with tables in-between two chairs, allowing the audience to enjoy dim sum and tea, while watching Cantonese opera. The Xiqu Centre houses a seminar hall, and large-scale studios, to allow performers to practice stunts often seen in Chinese opera, such as spear throwing and flagflourishing.
The Centre also features the Moon Lok Chinese Restaurant, famous for its Cantonese cuisine and its dim sum; as well as the not-tobe-missed GO Cakeshop, specialising in, as it is described in its leaflet, “freshly made Chinese pastries, designed to deliver Hong Kong flavours with creative concepts”. Wow!
121BC
It is almost 3.30pm when we come to the end of a highly informative tour and visit. It is time to head back to our Kowloon-side hotel and relax there, before returning to Hong Kong Island for dinner. We have selected 121BC, described by its owners as a restaurant that serves “traditional
and innovative Italian dishes and wine in a cozy, rustic space with shared tables.”
The name comes from the Falernian wine’s vintage of 121BC and was served at a banquet honouring Julius Caesar in 60BC for his conquest of Spain. Voilà. It is a wine bar, as much as a restaurant, and its Singaporean sommelier Vincent Kwong is extremely passionate about the wines he has selected for this restaurant and he is able to explain each and every one of them in great detail. This is how a day well-spent in Hong Kong comes to an end. Cheers!