10 REASONS TO VISIT HONG KONG
1 Marvel at the skyline and its rugged coastal setting from a Chinese junk.
It may come as a surprise given the iconic status of these traditional boats, but precious few junks remain in Hong Kong waters. One example is Aqua Luna ( aqualuna .com.hk), a purpose-built leisure craft often seen on Victoria Harbour. Aside from 45-minute evening cruises that pick up passengers in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, journeys aboard the Aqua Luna include a 90-minute voyage, run four times a week, to explore Hong Kong Island’s wilder south side. The excursion includes two hours of free time in the beachside town of Stanley. A quicker, more rustic alternative is the 15-minute harbor tour aboard Duk Ling
( dukling.com.hk), a 64-year-old vessel billed as the last original three-mast sailing junk in the territory.
2 Stretch your legs with a hike in the New Territories.
Winding for 100 kilometers across a series of protected country parks, the MacLehose Trail ( hiking.gov.hk) is divided into 10 sections that can be tackled separately depending on your level of fitness. On the idyllic Sai Kung peninsula, Section 2 takes in a string of postcard-perfect beaches including Ham Tin Wan, a popular weekend campsite backed by a creek and several open-air eateries. From there, a short clamber over the headland brings you to the wilder and even longer expanse of Tai Wan beach. Experienced hikers with a head for heights may want to take the detour to 468-meter Sharp Peak, where the steep, vertiginous climb is best attempted with the aid of trekking poles and hiking gloves. Over on Section 5, a separate trail allows walkers to scale Lion Rock, one of the territory’s most recognizable mountains. The summit beckons with panoramic views over Kowloon, extending across the harbor to Hong Kong Island on most days.
3 These five bars attest to the city’s boundarypushing cocktail culture.
Recently awarded top spot on the 2019 ranking of Asia’s 50 Best Bars, The Old Man ( theoldmanhk.com)
is a cozy Hemingway-inspired venue founded by celebrity bartender Agung Prabowo and two of his fellow industry veterans, James Tamang and Roman Ghale. The trio recently debuted their second bar, The Sea
( fb.com/theseabytheoldman), with 10 cocktails that turn the spotlight on mineral flavors derived from natural elements like rock, salt, and peat. Over at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel, you’ll find the first international outpost of famed New York speakeasy PDT (Please Don’t Tell), accessed through a “secret” phone booth within the MO Bar. Two other must-visits are Coa ( coa.com.hk), an agavefocused spot helmed by mixologist Jay Khan, and Quinary ( quinary.hk),
where Antonio Lai gives experimental cocktails—like his Earl Grey Caviar Martini—the molecular treatment.
4 On the Kowloon waterfront, a longstanding cultural institution gets a major upgrade.
November will see the reopening of the Hong Kong Museum of Art ( hk.art.museum) following a four-year overhaul and expansion to the tune of US$119 million. The peach-hued “bathroom tile” cladding of the original 1991 structure—designed by 1970s government architects—has been swapped out for textured wave-like patterns, and what was once a largely windowless building now sports a large glazed facade befitting the museum’s prime position on Victoria Harbour. Inside, the total exhibition area will increase by 40 percent to 10,000 square meters, with higher ceilings throughout to host large-scale showcases. A specially built annex features a nine-meter-tall space to make room for monumental contemporary pieces, while sweeping harbor vistas await at the new glass-walled rooftop gallery.
5 Revel in a three-day music festival that’s been described as Asia’s answer to Glastonbury.
Since its humble beginnings in 2008, Clockenflap ( clockenflap.com) has grown to become not just Hong Kong’s marquee music event of the year, but also a mainstay on the Asian festival circuit. What makes Clockenflap particularly appealing is its consistent balance of established international artists and up-and-coming acts, ensuring that there’s always space for emerging talent from the wider Asia-Pacific region. Last year’s event was headlined by New York indie band Interpol, and also featured Taiwanese singer-songwriter Anpu (a.k.a. Deserts Chang), Rock and Britpop legend Jarvis Cocker, as well as American R&B sensation Khalid. The lineup for the 2019 edition has not yet been revealed, though Clockenflap is set to take place on November 22–24.
6 This ambitious heritage conversion project has breathed new life into a cluster of colonial buildings.
Once the preserve of criminals, police officers, and magistrates, Tai Kwun – Centre for Heritage and Arts ( taikwun.hk) opened last year following an extensive restoration done in step with a makeover by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron. Initial plans for an observation tower nodding to the city’s continued use of bamboo scaffolding were scaled back to create the simple, respectful volumes of the JC Cube and JC Contemporary art galleries, both clad in perforated aluminum facades inspired by the brickwork of their older neighbors. Visitors can tour the former jail, take stock of changing exhibitions, and kick back in the drinking and dining venues that flank the parade ground—an impressive courtyard with a towering mango tree planted by Sikh and Punjabi policemen brought over from India.
7 Cantonese cuisine is being reimagined as never before.
One-Michelin-starred Duddell’s ( duddells.co) puts a modern spin on dim sum with pan-fried wagyu buns and foie gras dumplings; meals are just as indulgent at the Four Seasons hotel’s Lung King Heen ( fourseasons.com), a venue that has maintained its three-Michelin-star rating for the past decade. Don’t miss the baked whole abalone puffs and spring rolls with sea bass and coconut curry sauce. A 10-minute walk away, Dragon Noodles Academy ( dragon-noodles.com) offers wonton noodles in lobster soup, as well as ginger poached chicken that has been deboned, rolled, and cooked sous-vide. Meanwhile, acclaimed chef May Chow pays tribute to Hong Kong’s beloved cha chaan teng, or neighborhood diners, at Happy Paradise
( happyparadise.hk). Her playful takes on local favorites include sourdough egg waffles and char siu rice bowls using roasted Ibérico pork. One of the newest arrivals to the scene is John Anthony ( johnanthony.hk), whose inventive bites range from black-truffle siu mai to mixed vegetable and beetroot dumplings.
8 Have your fill of Hong Kong’s food culture on a private small-group tour with local experts.
A recommended option is Little Adventures in Hong Kong
( littleadventuresinhongkong.com), which limits numbers to just three guests and customizes each walking tour according to the interests of participants. The outfit was founded by fluent Cantonese speaker Daisann McLane, a former New York Times and National Geographic Traveler columnist who divides her time between Hong Kong and her native Brooklyn. McLane’s multilingual team of hosts— all local professionals drawn from the media and culinary industries—will introduce you to some of their favorite haunts while providing the inside scoop on dining like a longtime resident, whether you wish to seek out classic cha chaan teng fare, feast on the best roast duck in town, or hop between the quintessentially Hong Kong (but endangered) open-air eateries known as dai pai dong. Another bonus? You’ll get an informed perspective on daily Hong Kong life and current affairs in the territory.
9 Once a haven for pirates, Lantau Island still offers glimpses of its colorful past.
History buffs are advised to steer clear of Disneyland and the cable-car ride to the fauxChinese “cultural village” at the foot of Tian Tan Buddha; Hong Kong’s biggest island has plenty more tricks up its sleeve. A short bus ride from Tung Chung new town brings you to the heritage-listed Tung Chung Fort ( amo.gov.hk) in Ha Ling Pei village. Built in 1832, it features sturdy granite walls punctuated by three arched gateways, with six Qing Dynasty–era cannons atop the ramparts. On the far western shore of Lantau lies Tai O, a traditional fishing village famed for its stilt houses, shrimp paste, and sunsets. Make your afternoon excursion an overnight stay by booking a room at the historic Tai O Heritage Hotel ( taioheritagehotel.com), a converted hilltop police station dating to 1902. The property’s glass-roofed restaurant utilizes local ingredients such as salted duck egg and shrimp paste in its signature dishes.
10 Traditional Cantonese opera finds a new home in a cutting-edge facility.
Steps away from the recently opened high-speed rail terminus, Xiqu Centre ( westkowloon.hk) is the first permanent attraction to debut in the West Kowloon Cultural District. Canadian studio Revery Architecture partnered with local firm Ronald Lu & Partners to create an ultramodern building inspired by Chinese lanterns and traditional concepts like the element of qi, which translates to “life force” or “energy flow.” The latter gave rise to the sweeping curves evident in the structure’s stark white atrium, a semi-indoor piazza whose ceiling doubles as the underbelly of the 1,073-seat Grand Theatre. Inside a smaller performance hall, the in-house troupe puts on 90-minute showcases designed to introduce new audiences to Chinese traditional theater, plying patrons with tea and dim sum to recreate the atmosphere of Hong Kong’s early-20th-century tea houses.