Small-Group Walking Tour: Introduction of Hong Kong

Your tour begins in Statue Square, once lined with statues dedicated to British Royalty, the only remaining one today being that of Sir Thomas Jackson, an early Chief Manager of HSBC, a coincidental foreshadowing of the powerful connection of the banking sector and the many headquarters towering over the small square. Your tour will continue through Central and past the Former Legislative Council Building and St. John's Cathedral, both of which will allow you to talk about the 19th century and British rule—while the enormous skyscrapers that crowd in from all side raise questions about the skyrocketing value of Hong Kong's land. We will also visit the modernist City Hall to discuss the handover to local Hongkongers over the course of the 20th century.

Weaving your way through the smaller streets of Central, and you will discover more of the traditional Cantonese character of Hong Kong and learn more about the cohabitation with the British, not always an easy one as you will see at Victoria Prison. You will travel up some of the vast escalators, granting you a perspective into the density of the city as well as the social classes that these levels imply.

You will eventually end up in hip Sheung Wan, now home to antique shops, trendy cafés in additional to traditional medicine shops giving us first-hand insight into contemporary life demonstrating both the city's westernization and promotion of traditional culture.