Hong Kong Chronicles: 40 Remarkable Food, Festivals, And Humorous Encounters

If you love traveling and seeing new places, one place that should be on your bucket list is Hong Kong. While every place is unique, read on and you’ll quickly understand why Hong Kong gets a special mention. The moment you land in the city, the first thing that will capture your attention is the towering skyscrapers. Aside from that, there are some sights, smells, and sounds that can only be found in Hong Kong.

The city means “Fragrant Harbor” in Chinese, and to be honest, it lives up to its name. If you’re a native English speaker, don’t worry. Hong Kong’s official languages are Cantonese and English, so you’ll be able to find your way around without using Google Translate too much.

Without further ado, let’s learn more about Hong Kong…

Umbrella Mishap

While we don’t know the exact reason someone’s umbrella is not with them in the train car, we have a few theories. The first is that this is part of protests that Hong Kong residents took part in, where they stuck their umbrellas in train car doors to prevent them from closing.

Or, perhaps this is just a commuter that didn’t manage to close their umbrella on time. If that’s the case, we applaud them for their consideration of others. No one wants to get splashed with rainwater from another passenger’s umbrella closing.

Video Game Hugs

Technology has affected almost every facet of the world we live in today. What will teenagers do without it? In Hong Kong, it seems like they won’t risk answering that question. It turns out that now, relationships have become interconnected with tech.

Technology advances so often, and thanks to AR and VR, it’s been taken to new levels. Presently, you can easily choose between virtual and real-life interaction. These two teenagers, for example, have chosen to express their mutual connection through a friendly hug while beating high scores in a game. A smart technique right here.

Snake Soup

The name of this meal may not do justice to its taste, but it’s a must-try. Elsewhere in the world, it’s rare to find snake soup, yet this delicacy is not uncommon in Hong Kong. Most people who tried this dish say it tastes like chicken, so you have nothing to worry about.

For tourists visiting Hong Kong, this soup should be on your list of things to try. Though you may still have doubts, the trick is just to close your eyes. Who knows, you may end up loving it and have a craving for more.

Jungle of Visual Pop-up Adverts

If you love Times Square in New York, you’ll love street advertising in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, advertising has both visual and auditory components, which may be a bit distracting. But if you’re on the lookout for certain products and services, you know where to start.

Though it’s a sight to behold if you’re visiting, we bet locals aren’t as amused. We doubt that many Hong Kong natives even pay any attention to these ever-changing, real-life pop-up ads. We just hope that the signs are relatively new, otherwise pedestrians might need to dodge falling debris.

Tech Taxicabs

Taxi drivers are in a league of their own. You might feel comfortable behind the wheel, but it takes special skill to navigate the busy streets of a city, all while chauffeuring strangers. And in Hong Kong, taxi drivers are even more unique.

There, taxi drivers need to be tech-savvy and adept at multi-tasking. Their car consoles are well-equipped technological command centers that are distracting to the average driver. Traffic is a nightmare in Hong Kong and commuters are everywhere — maybe this is why they use several devices at the same time.

Unique Advertising

If the advertisement-filled alley didn’t give you a clue, we are living in an age of consumerism. Companies need to be more aggressive and creative with their advertisements, especially since we’re growing used to seeing them and our eyes tend to slide over billboards.

Advertisements in Hong Kong can be pretty eye-catching. Take this one, for example. This “pothead” chef is happy to be letting off some steam while preparing her favorite meal. While creative advertisements aren’t unique to Hong Kong, you won’t find a shortage of them there.

The Unique Adverts II

If you thought the “pothead” ad was the only funny, creative advertisement we have for you, you’re sorely mistaken. Hong Kong has no shortage of weird ads for edible and inedible items alike. Like the previous model, this guy seems to be enjoying posing for this product.

What catches our eye here is that he seems to actually be eating the food. Oftentimes with food products, we don’t see the model actually eating the food. But not this guy. This really makes us believe that it’s a delicious product that we’d want to try.

Giant Billiards

Billiards is a very popular bar “sport” that has a history stretching back to the 15th century. The game is difficult to master, but it’s fun for players of all skill levels. Pool tables can be found in bars all over the world…

…but Hong Kong has a unique bar. At Player 11, a bar in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong, patrons can play giant games of billiards. There, the balls are as big as bowling balls, and players need to stand on the usually-well-preserved green table fabric.

Rabbitland Cafe in Hong Kong

You might have heard of cat cafes, but that’s too mainstream for the residents of Hong Kong. In Causeway Bay, you can visit the Rabbitland Cafe. As the name implies, it is a cafe…that has rabbits. We’re not trying to disparage anyone; we love the idea!

Everybody wants to pet a fluffy, tiny, cuddly rabbit while enjoying a short break. While holding your drink in one hand, you can use the other to make friends with an adorable bunny. It’s a nice, relaxing environment; just don’t let the rabbit get hold of your coffee.

Failproof Skyline

Tourists, and even locals, love taking pictures of the places they go. If it’s a new city, or just a particularly pretty spot in your neighborhood, people won’t hesitate to pull out their phones and capture a beautiful and/or scenic moment.

The tourism board in Hong Kong was frustrated with the lack of consistent, clear skies. As a solution, they put up some lengthy print-outs of what the skyline should look like. Now, tourists are guaranteed to get a good shot, no matter the weather.

Striking English Names

In Eastern Asian countries, it’s not uncommon for people to have an English name. Some choose to translate their given name, others go for similar-sounding names, and there are some that will go for whatever speaks to them. We think that this guy is in the former group…

We don’t know for certain if this is a Cantonese-to-English translation, and that’s really his name, or if it’s just a poor choice on his part. Whatever the reason, we can’t help but laugh at Never Wong. We trust what he says because he’s, well, never wrong.

Spicy Chicken Feet

The default taste comparison for most foods is to say that it “tastes like chicken.” There’s no conclusive answer as to why this is true, but we can confidently say that chicken has made its way into local cuisine all over the world.

In Western cultures, people usually only eat the meat and the rest, such as gizzards and feet, are disposed of. But in Hong Kong, you won’t see any poultry in the garbage. Instead, you might just find spicy chicken feet on the restaurant’s menu!

Romanizing Chinese Words

As stated earlier, transcribing and translating sentences between Eastern Asian languages and English can be difficult for some people. This is in part due to how different the languages are. Since there are two main official languages in Hong Kong, there’s an extra translation people tend to utilize…

Transliteration, also known as “Romanization,” is writing out Chinese words using Latin letters. In Hong Kong, you might come across this with Cantonese words transcribed into English. While charts like these don’t tell you what the words mean, if you need to learn how to say “where is the bathroom,” Romanization will be your best friend.

Go-Karting

If you’ve ever played Mario Kart, then you know that desire to give it a go in real life. You won’t be able to find Rainbow Road on Earth, but in Hong Kong, you can visit the Car Cafe for a go-karting adventure of your own.

You can zoom around the racetrack in the go-kart while also munching on a snack and trying not to spill your drink. While there’s no danger of getting hurt, you might have your pride bruised if you lose out to your friends on the track.

Vibrant Old Women

Contrary to the depiction of the elderly in Western culture, old women in China are a force to be reckoned with. They’re tough, physically and mentally, and their age certainly doesn’t show. If you don’t believe us, go to Hong Kong and see for yourself.

We’re in awe of this woman’s [will]power. We’re tired just looking at this picture! There’s a reason we don’t see any youngsters stopping to offer help here. This woman is more than capable of pushing her own cart, thank you very much.

Creative Smash

How many times a day do you find yourself wanting to bang your head against the wall? Hopefully, the answer is not very often, but even if you have a stress-free job, you know the feeling of total frustration that makes you want to just break something.

Hong Kong has the answer to this dilemma — rage rooms! That’s right; you can actually go into a room, armed with a baseball bat and protective gear, and let loose on discarded objects like bottles and TVs. And it’s a creative way to use of landfill fodder!

Ball Room

Hong Kong is full of innovative bars. In Kwun Tong, you can visit Ball Room; no, it’s not a dance hall, but in fact a game room! If there’s a sport that involves a ball, you can find it in the Ball Room.

Just like Player 11, Ball Room has a giant billiards table. You can also try out giant foosball, or challenge your friends to a game of air hockey and even curling. It’s also equipped with video games, making it the ultimate gaming area.

Buddha Statues

Since Buddhism made its appearance in China, the Chinese people have shown great spiritual commitment to this faith. In most parts of China, it is normal to come across Buddha statues, and Hong Kong is not an exception to this practice.

This picture comes from the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. As the same suggests, there are over 10,000 Buddha statues, though we think this one is the best. It looks like Mr. Fantastic reached spiritual enlightenment and is reaching out to call his friends to join him.

Hong Kong’s Virtual Reality Game

Speaking of video games, Hong Kong has plenty of specialty gaming spots for the VR/AR enthusiast. Eastern Asian countries, like Japan, are well-known for their innovation in technology, and Hong Kong is home to some of these developers. For example, you can visit Sandbox VR at Tsim Sha Tsui…

…and play against your friends in a game of humans versus zombies. Just strap on some VR goggles, pick up a blaster, and get your game on. Honestly, we are having a hard time wrapping our heads around how far technology has come.

Smart Airport Terminal

If you’re visiting a new place, whether it’s a mall or a different country, having a map with major points of interest can be a huge relief. Paper maps can’t have a “you are here” spot because you are always moving; but those identifiers are perfect for stationary maps.

Someone forgot to tell this person that “you are here” is only good on maps. Obviously, the airport goers know where they are. If you ask us, the more appropriate phrasing here would be “where am I?” But even that doesn’t make sense to have written on a giant sign.

Variety Bumper Sticker

Funny tourist bumper stickers aren’t unique to Hong Kong, but we think that the ones found there are our favorites. For starters, we’re not sure if the slogans are translation fails, or if these messages were written nonsensically on purpose.

Either way, the light-hearted humor gets us laughing every time we see them. Though, it does make us wonder if there is some cultural thing about potatoes. Why else would it show up so often in these weird English phrasings?

The Flower Tunnel

If unique architecture and skyscrapers aren’t your thing, you should check out the gardens in Hong Kong. In Kowloon, you can visit the Flower Tunnel in the Un Chau Estate and walk through a magical underpass lined with vibrant, pink blooming flowers.

This is a memorable place and a great delight for all nature lovers. When the flower are in season, you should take a visit and stroll through the tunnel. We assure you that the light at the end of this one is just more pretty sights.

Valley of Abandoned Idols

If you want to go on a spiritual tour around Hong Kong, after you visit the Ten Thousand Buddha Monastery, you should take a trip here. On a hillside in the Wah Fu district, lay thousands of abandoned deity statues and Buddhas.

But don’t feel disheartened. They might have been abandoned by the owners, but not by everyone. There is someone taking care of these forgotten idols. A self-appointed caretaker spends his retirement cleaning up fallen leaves and giving these once-beloved statues the respect they deserve.

Dragon’s Beard Treat

If chicken feet and snake soup aren’t appealing to you, you should give Dragon Beard candy a try. Fortunately and unfortunately, there are no actual dragons in this tasty treat. The name is derived from the food’s similarity to fictional dragon beards.

Looking at it, you might think of cotton candy (aka candy floss) or halva, but dragon’s beard candy is unique. This candy is a super savory treat made mainly with rice. It has a well-balanced sweetness that’ll give you a rush within seconds.

Ordinary Section

As much as we dream of flying business or even first class, let’s be real — 99% of the time we get stuck in economy. And, airlines won’t let you forget what you’re missing out on and feel the need to remind you that you’re in the least expensive seats.

In Hong Kong, they won’t even bother with euphemisms. The “Ordinary Section” is for all of us who can’t afford to fly first class and would rather save our money and spend it on nice dinners and tourist hotspots instead.

Abandoned Villages and Town

With rapid city growth, nearby communities saw a massive decline in population. People moved to live closer to the city center where there was more work. But when people pack up their homes, they only take what’s inside. The rest remains…

You’ll find plenty of these around Hong Kong. These remnants of farming and fishing villages come from a time not so long ago. It’s like walking into the past. We wonder what pieces of history lie there, preserved and pure as the day the buildings were abandoned.

Indoor Fishing

Most people have a favorite sport, and for many, it’s fishing. Those salt beards can’t get enough of the big blue and would spend every waking hour on a boat or dock if they could. But if the weather is unfavorable, how can you fish safely?

In Hong Kong’s HA Cube, you can find the first indoor fishing venue. And, just like deep-sea fishing, you can eat what you catch. The facility is equipped with grilling equipment so patrons can cook their fresh meal right away.

Flower Marketplace

If you didn’t already know, Eastern Asian and Middle Eastern cultures celebrate a different New Year. For these cultures, calendars are calculated based on the moon, rather than the sun. In East Asia, the new year doesn’t begin on January 1st.

Every year, as part of the celebration, a flower festival takes place in Victoria Park in Hong Kong. This picture doesn’t do the event justice. The blooms are breathtaking and vendors sell all sorts of flowers at the, appropriately named, Flower Market.

A Goldfish Market

There are diverse and numerous street markets in Hong kong. One of the most surprising and tame “products” you can find are live goldfish. This puts us in mind of school fairs, where you’d do a ring toss and you’d walk home with a goldfish in a bag.

However, we don’t want to think about the turnover in these markets. Goldfish have notoriously short lifespans, and being strung up in closed baggies all day isn’t exactly promoting longetivity. We want to go in and buy up all the goldfish to put into a big aquarium at home.

Quarry Bay

Cities all over the world are constantly expanding. And, with limited space to build out, architects tend to build up. Major cities like Hong Kong are often nicknamed “concrete jungles.” If you love nature, you likely won’t feel at home here.

This is the now famous “monster building.” The Yick Cheong building is actually five buildings, all connected and reaching up to the sky. Even looking at this picture we feel claustrophobic. But we give them credit for using the space efficiently.

Lightsabers

If you’ve always dreamed of fighting against Darth Vader and the Empire, you should visit Hong Kong. There, you’ll find a gaming experience like no other. Tourists can play in real-world iterations of Star Wars battles. What is it with Hong Kong and cool gaming experiences?

Don’t worry, the lightsaber doesn’t cause any real damage. Scientists might be experimenting with developing the technology, but it’ll never make it into gamers’ hands. This play area looks like a LARPer’s dream. Excuse us while we buy our tickets and take a trip to Hong Kong.

Wishing Tree

This kind of tree in Hong Kong is called a wishing tree. It is respected for its supposed ability to make wishes come true. While it is indeed very beautiful, the real motivation behind their fame is rather doubtful in practice.

What is considered magical about the trees is their unusual excessive adornment. Because of this, it seems to bear a noticeable resemblance to autumn leaves. We can’t guarantee that your wish will come true, but there’s no loss if your wish doesn’t come true.

Kowloon Walled City

If we thought the monster building was claustrophobia-inducing, this image of Kowloon Walled City makes our chests hurt. This image was taken back in 1989, and the area looks very different today — because it was demolished in the 1990s.

Now, the area is a park, named after the defunct block that once stood there. Supposedly, two of the reasons the building was condemned were insecurity and bad living conditions. At least the park is a nice place to relax.

Customs Declarations

When you fly internationally, you need to declare certain items at customs. The obvious one is fresh food, as fruit and vegetables might carry exotic pathogens that local ecosystems aren’t prepared for. In the same line, animals are a no-go if you don’t have explicit permission.

Sadly, people smuggle endangered animals and their products. Though the choice to use an elephant is comical here. There’s no way you can hide an elephant in your carry-on. Before you yell at us, yes, we know that they’re referring to ivory, but the image is amusing.

Rare Restriction Signs

Depending on where you live, you might be all too aware of car horns. City drivers are notorious for their excessive use of their horns. While it’s common courtesy to use your horn as little as possible, Hong Kong makes sure everyone knows not to.

It took us a few seconds to process this. At first glance, we thought that playing brass instruments was banned. But, this is just a simple yet creative way to say “no honking.” Do you think that geese know this rule, too?

Don’t Be A Pubber

We’ve already mentioned the prevalence of technology in society today, and while it has some benefits, there are plenty of drawbacks. For one, pedestrians often give more attention to their handheld devices rather than their surroundings. In fact, it’s become so common that there’s a word for it.

Surprisingly, “phubber” isn’t a Cantonese/English mash-up. It’s an all-English portmanteau of the words phone and snubber. In Hong Kong, they are aware of the issue of distracted cellphone users. To combat this, you’ll see signs like this on the streets.

Potato Sign

What is it with potatoes? Either there’s some translation mix-up happening here, or potatoes hold a special place in Hong Kong culture. We don’t even know where to start with this phrase. We at least appreciate that it’s in both languages to reflect the dual official languages.

We can’t read Cantonese, so we don’t know if this is an accurate translation or not. If it is, we need some explanation for it. If not, the translator needs to go back to school and brush up on their English.

Floating Restaurant

For people with good taste in architecture and culinary arts, this magnificent floating restaurant in Hong Kong is the place to dine. From the view to the food, everything associated with it are just top-notch. It’s a welcoming place for anyone.

Built with wood and in the semblance of Chinese imperial palaces (pagodas), this is a place you should visit without hesitation. If you want a fabulous place to go to create beautiful memories, then you must not miss this destination.

Boog?

Obviously, they meant to say “good,” but we like this version better. In fact, if there weren’t stick figures to go with the words, we’d be at a total loss as to what it’s supposed to mean. Our guess would be bog, but that’s a bit of a stretch.

We know that street markets with cheap, cheesy clothing won’t be top quality, but someone at least needs to run their phrase through Google Translate first. Something as simple as that could be the difference between being an internet joke or a novelty t-shirt.

Part-Time Pedestrian Area

According to statistics, most of the victims of car accidents are pedestrians. Especially in large and crowded cities, being a pedestrian could be risky. So in Hong Kong, you are advised to be a part-time pedestrian for your personal safety.

This may not make sense to a lot of Westerners, but it does to those living in Hong Kong. Being a part-time pedestrian also saves you a lot of stress as you’re assured of avoiding some problems other daily commuters face.