Situated along the South China Sea, this city-state includes the Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong Island, as well as over 200 off-shore islands. It was occupied by the UK until 1997 when China resumed control, creating China’s first “Special Administrative Region.” Hong Kong continues to have much autonomy in economic, financial, and civil freedoms; while the region still relies on the People’s Republic of China to oversee it’s defense and foreign affairs.

It’s a tropical region with a beautiful landscape and clean environment. A short 2.5 hour flight from Shanghai, Hong Kong was the perfect last-minute escape for a long holiday weekend…especially Dragon Boat Festival.

This lunar year, Dragon Boat Festival landed on June 2nd. Although various theories exist as to the origins of this public holiday, the most popular story revolves around China’s first-known and respected poet, Qu Yuan. It is believed that around 278 BC, Qu Yuan drown himself in a river in opposition to the Qin state capturing and taking over rule of his beloved Ying province. Local people raced out to save him and retrieve his body. It is also said that balls of sticky rice were thrown into the river to deter fish from Qu Yuan’s body.

To this day, the traditional Dragon Boat Festival includes dragon boat racing and the eating of zongzi (a sticky rice dumpling wrapped in a bamboo leaf).

 

 

 

 

We managed to explore Hong Kong using almost every possible mode of transportation: including land, sea, and sky.

Land: taxi, subway, tram, and a lot of walking:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sea : ferry

 

 

 

Sky: Helicopter