the a+ student exchange
HONG KONG
guide to
I believe Hong Kong should be a popular choice for an exchange destination since the food there is superb and the standard of living there is quite high! Most Hong Kongers are able to converse in English well so there should be no problem for you to spend a few months there!
There are many prestigious universities in Hong Kong -The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
tell me more about hong kong!
Hong Kong is a special administrative region on the eastern side of Pearl River estuary in southern China. With over 7.4 million people of various nationalities in a 1,104 kilometre square territory, Hong Kong is the world’s fourth most densely populated region! Hong Kong is divided down into 3 main regions -New Territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
Source: Wikipedia
WHAT DO HONGKONGERS SPEAK?
Chinese and English are both official languages of Hong Kong under the Hong Kong Basic Law. As a result of immigration of the Canton people into Hong Kong, Cantonese became the dominant Chinese variant spoken in Hong Kong. About 89% of the population speak Cantonese at home daily and the education, broadcasting, government administration, legislation and judiciary and daily communication takes place in Cantonese.
Many Hong Kongers use both Cantonese and English in the same sentence when speaking.
If you’re interested on how to speak Cantonese, you can watch this 6 min Youtube video!
here are some common phrases:
Currency in hong kong
The Hong Kong dollar is the official currency of Hong Kong. A picture of the common denominations of the Hong Kong dollar is shown below. For more information regarding the exchange rate, you can find it here!
Source: ShoreExcursions.asia
WEATHER IN HONG KONG
The city has an average temperature of 23 degrees Celsius. From May to November, it may be attacked by tropical cyclones of various strengths and occasional thunderstorms. The ideal season to be in Hong Kong is from October to Christmas period when it gets more cooling.
Spring: March to mid May
Warm and humid, accompanied by fog and drizzle. Average temperature of 18 degrees Celsius but it might turn slightly colder at night!
Summer: Late May to mid September
Extremely hot and humid, with frequent thunderstorms and occasional typhoons. Average temperature of 28 degrees Celsius with the hottest temperature at 32 degrees Celsius in July and August.
Autumn: Late September to end November
Cool and dry climate with plenty of sunshine
Winter: December to end February
Average temperature of 17 degrees Celsius. The temperature is changeable and might even drop to below zero in the northern New Territories and Tai Mo Shan area. Do be prepared to carry around thick wooly sweaters and coats!
Source: Travelchinaguide
PLACES OF INTEREST
1. Hong Kong Disneyland
When you’re in Hong Kong, you should definitely visit the Disneyland! Being one of the only two Disneylands located in Asia, it is a good opportunity for you to visit the Happiest place on Earth! It is also the largest theme park in Hong Kong! One day is enough for you get around the disneyland to explore the 7 lands, take the rides and snap some photos with your favourite disney characters!
I believe I do not need to say more for Disneyland….So what are you waiting for?
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Address: Lantau Island, Hong Kong
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Opening hours:
Weekdays: 1030-2000
Weekends: 1030-2015
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Source: Hong Kong Disneyland
2. Ocean Park
Ocean Park Hong Kong is a marine mammal park and an animal theme park. It is the second largest theme park in Hong Kong, following right behind Hong Kong Disneyland. At Ocean Park, you can choose to spend some quality time with the marine animals, getting more educated about the conservation efforts or you can choose to spend your day shouting your lungs out! Ocean Park is recommended for the thrill-seekers, who prefer the adrenaline-packed rides to the cutesy disney rides and characters.
Source: Wikipedia
Address: 180 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong
Opening hours: 1000-1800/1900, Daily
You can check the daily schedule over here as the opening hours vary day to day!
Source: Ocean Park
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3. Dragon Back's Trail
The Dragon’s Back Trail is probably the most popular hiking trail in Hong Kong as it is easy to complete and you will get rewarded with a beautiful scenic view of the ocean! The trail up looks like the shape of a Chinese dragon’s back and hence its name! The whole trail is about 7 kilometres long and you will take 2 to 3 hours depending on your physical stamina!
There are lots of way to hike Dragon's back, and here's how you can do it!
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Source: Discover HongKong
PLACES to eat
1. One Dim Sum
What is the one thing you MUST eat when you come to Hong Kong?
It’s DIM SUM (duh!)
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Dim Sum is a Chinese cuisine of small bite sized portions of food served on small plates or in small steam baskets. There is such a huge variety of dim sum available, you will be spoilt for choice! Some of my personal favourites are: Siu Mai (pork & prawn dumpling), Har Gao (prawn dumpling), Char Siu Bao (braised pork bun), Feng Zhao (chicken feet) and Chee Cheong Fun (rice noodles)!
There are many dim sum restaurants around in Hong Kong for sure, but I recommend you to go to One Dim Sum! One Dim Sum is a Michelin star restaurant and it serves up authentic and delicious dim sums at a really affordable price!
Address: Address: Hong Kong, Prince Edward, Playing Field Rd, 15號號 號 地舖 1-2 號 Kenwood Mansion
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Opening hours:
Weekdays: 1030-0030
Weekends: 0930-0030
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Source: One Dim Sum Trip Advisor
2. Roast Goose
Roast goose oh roast goose! Roast goose is one of the popular dishes in Hong Kong and many restaurants pride themselves for making this roasted delicacy that is so authentic to the Hong Kongers. There are so many roast goose restaurants in Hong Kong you can just find one that is relatively packed and it shouldn’t go wrong!
3. Australian Dairy Company
Australia Dairy Company serves up traditional Hong Kong food and is a popular cha chaan teng in Hong Kong! This restaurant is famous for its scrambled eggs and macaronis! The milk and egg pudding is worth a try too!
However the waiters here all look very gangster-ish and are quite fierce so make sure you can speak good Cantonese or Chinese and order fast!
Address: 47號 Parkes St, Jordan, Hong Kong
Opening hours: 0730-2300. Closed on Thursdays
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nightlife in hong kong
Lan Kwai Fong
Lan Kwai Fong is one of the most popular nightlife place for fashionable locals and fun-long tourists to hang out and have fun. The Lan Kwai Fong street is joined together D’Anguilar Street to form a rectangle area. The bars and clubs in Lan Kwai Fong cater to the more upmarket customers so be prepared to burn a hole in your pocket if you want to visit Lan Kwai Fong for the experience! Lan Kwai Fong usually many huge festivals like Christmas and New Year so you know where to be at if you’re in Hong Kong during the festive period!
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Lan Kwai Fong