The Fragrant Harbour

My first visit to Hong Kong was brief and hurried. I need to linger in the Fragrant Harbour a little longer and take in everything - the markets, food, the people. About 70% of Hong Kong region is rural, so lots of places to hike! I will return soon with more to tell about this city.


Why is this city the Fragrant Harbour (the meaning of words Hong Kong, or, as they are pronounced in Mandarin, Xiāng Găng 香港)? Well there are a few ideas - there used to be fragrant trees lining Hong Kong Island, the main island lying south across Victoria Harbour from Kowloon, and a good amount of incense was exported from the ports. Sadly and ironically, the Hong Kong of today is most often shrouded in a haze that just seems to hang there - the populated parts of the region are dense and polluted. My picture below, taken from the top of Victoria Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong, illustrates the problem. Nonetheless, Hong Kong still has a persona of beauty and cosmopolitanism surrounding it as a world marketplace, a shopping mecca and a historic harbour. Of course it's natural setting - the lush mountains and the harbour - is stunning. Many see this city as an exciting blend of eastern and western elements, and coming across the border from Shenzhen felt like stepping into a new country (complete with crowded immigration checkpoints!).