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The Art Gallery in the Institute of Chinese Studies Building is worth a visit for its painting and calligraphy collections.
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Sha Tin is the site of the Monastery of 10,000 Buddhas, which looks down on a burgeoning town.
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There are hundreds of stone steps in the hillside to walk up before you reach Man Fat Temple with its regiments of small gilt statues of Buddha lining the walls.
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Some indefatigable climbers will want to go up to the top of the nine-story pink pagoda for a panoramic view.
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From inside the vast atrium you can view the whole structure as well as the mechanical workings of the building.
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Also here is the Hongkong Heritage Museum (call Tel. 2180 8188 for open hours).
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The museum has an art collection, and displays of toys and other artifacts.
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Down to earth, the Sha Tin Racecourse can accommodate over 80,000 spectators and is equipped with every imaginable luxury, including a giant video screen facing the stands, and for the horses, air-conditioned stables.
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Opposite the Sha Tin railway station, New Town Plaza features shops, cinemas, and even a computer-controlled musical fountain.
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Two natural rock formations are always pointed out on excursions.
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Two bronze lions, carrying out feng shui principles, guard its doors.
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It really looks the part; the tourists know its name even before the guide can translate it.
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Excursion companies sell a variety of orientation cruises of Hong Kong harbor that include a look at some of its 235 outlying islands.
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These pleasant, but expensive, outings can lay the foundation for your own explorations aboard the cheap but usually comfortable ferries used by the islanders themselves.
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You can catch one of Hong Kong’s historic trams along Des Voeux Road and ride from Central to Causeway Bay (see box, page 66).
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The mountainous island of Lantau is the biggest in the colony, and covers nearly twice the area of Hong Kong Island.
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Chek Lap Kok airport sits on reclaimed land just off Lantau; plans to build a bridge may change Lantau, but at present it is sparsely populated and makes a perfect getaway.
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At 934 m (3,064 ft), Lantau Peak is high enough to attract the occasional rain cloud — refreshingly cool breezes blow on most hot summer days.
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More than half the island is parkland, and there is a 70-km (45-mile) circular hiking trail (see page 92).
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Ferries depart from Central every two hours between 6:10am and 10:30pm to Silvermine Bay (Mui Wo), where a bus terminal has buses to all parts of the island.
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There are also ferries to Discovery Bay.
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A short bus ride away is Cheung Sha Beach, 3 km (2 miles) long, and popular for its white sand and excellent facilities.
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The most famous site on the island is the world’s tallest seated bronze statue of Buddha at 22 m (72.6 ft), the Tiantan Buddha (see page 55).
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You can have a delicious vegetarian lunch here.
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In 1904, the narrow, double-decker trams ran along the waterfront, but land reclamation has placed them far inland.
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From the monastery, hikers enjoy the two-hour cross-country trek down to Silvermine Bay, but the authorities have warned walkers to be on the lookout for snakes, which can be plentiful in the Lantau hinterland, especially in summer.
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The hillsides that surround the monastery are the site of Hong Kong’s only tea plantation.
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Visitors are welcome to visit the 24-hectare (60-acre) establishment, and may sample the end product, Lantau tea.
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A Trappist monastery, situated on a hillside overlooking the east coast of Lantau, is also open to visitors.
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More than 25,000 people live here, mostly by fishing, but there are also ex-pats, attracted by its laid-back Mediterranean ambience.
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From the Bank of China Tower, make a short detour up Garden Road and turn into Battery Path to reach the landmark St. John’s Cathedral.
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The island has a checkered past of smuggling and pira cy.
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The people still carve jade and build seaworthy junks, all by hand.
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Fish (heads discreetly wrapped in paper) are still hung out to dry in the sun.
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Cheung Chau becomes the center of Hong Kong life once a year, usually in May, during the Bun Festival, a folklore extravaganza (see page 89).
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The rest of the year, life goes on at its accustomed pace: rickety machines chugging in two-man factories, children in school uniforms being ferried home to houseboats, and the old fishermen stirring shrimp paste.
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By way of formal tourist attractions, Pak Tai Temple, built in 1783, has some fine carvings and a great iron sword said to be 600 years old.
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But the most interesting thing to do here is to explore the two villages on the island, Cheung Chau and San Wai.
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They are an easy walk apart by the harbor road, or a longer 45-minute hike on the scenic Peak Road.
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The Praya, the promenade in front of the ferry pier, is a good place to observe the many junks and fishing boats in the harbor.
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There are also several open-air restaurants where you can enjoy fresh seafood.
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Only 35 minutes by ferry from Central, Lamma Island is perfect for swimming, hiking, picnicking, birdwatching, or just sitting back to watch the bananas grow.
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Built 1847–1849, this usually deserted Anglican foundation is Hong Kong’s oldest church.
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Hong Kong’s third largest island has a population of only about 12,000; it is still largely undeveloped, and life on Lamma, if not totally primitive, is close to the essentials.
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Archaeologists indicate that Lamma has probably been inhabited for some 4,000 years, and the island is known as “Hong Kong’s Stone Age Island. ”
| 1 |
The principal settlements are Yung Shue Wan on Lamma’s northwest, and Sok Kwu Wan, on the east coast.
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Both villages offer good waterfront restaurants with homestyle Chinese food, principally seafood fresh from the tank.
| 1 |
The ports are within hiking distance of several beautiful beaches, and within a one-hour hike of each other on a marked trail.
| 1 |
You can build an appetite for dinner by making your way from the beach to the restaurant.
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Yung Shue Wan is still a very British residential enclave, with many nice pubs.
| 1 |
During World War II, the church was turned into a club for Japanese officers; it was restored after the war.
| 3 |
Macau, the final bastion of Portugal’s great 16th-century empire, is much more than just a quirk of history.
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Here, where East and West first met, life combines the spirit of Asia with something of the sunny atmosphere of the Mediterranean.
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Macau’s historic center, with its colonial architecture, has a distinctly Mediterranean flavor.
| 1 |
No matter how many tunnels and transit systems speed cross-harbor traffic, nothing matches the ride on the Star Ferry from Kowloon to the Central District across Victoria Harbor.
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The story of the Western discovery of Macau begins in 1513 when Portuguese explorer, Jorge Alvares, reached the south coast of China.
| 1 |
Traders followed in his wake, setting up bases in several parts of the Pearl River estuary.
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Finally, in 1557, they were all consolidated in Macau.
| 1 |
It was the only European gateway to China, and through Macau flowed Western technology and religion.
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In 1576 Pope Gregory XIII created the Macau diocese, covering all of China and Japan.
| 3 |
Note the stained glass windows in the Quiet Chapel, designed by Joseph Edward Nuttgens in the late 1950s.
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No less impressive were the secular challenges.
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China and Japan were not on speaking terms, so trade between them had to be channeled through a neutral middleman.
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Lucky Macau fit the specifications exactly.
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Portugal’s resulting near-monopoly of East–West trade understandably awakened the competitive instincts of other European powers.
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The Dutch sent an invasion flotilla to Macau in 1622, but the defenders triumphed.
| 2 |
However, the end of the golden age was drawing near.
| 2 |
China began to relax trade restrictions, and with the rise of Hong Kong, Macau became an isolated Portuguese outpost.
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A haven for persecuted Japanese Christians in the 17th century, Portugal’s neutrality during World War II assured the territory a flood of refugees.
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They were joined by a swarm of spies of all conceivable nationalities, and Macau won a name for international intrigue.
| 2 |
Portugal’s very precarious foothold on the Asian coast ended in 1999 with a formal handover to China.
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Macau, now the Chinese Special Economic Zone of Zhuhai, is becoming something like a boomtown as an exporter of toys, furniture, and electronics.
| 1 |
Behind the church is the 1917 French Mission Building, now used as the Court of Final Appeal.
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Macau’s population is estimated at around 450,000, an appallingly high figure for such a small area; recent land reclamation has eased the situation to some extent.
| 1 |
If a trace of tropical lethargy still adds to the charm in this city of sidewalk cafés, palm trees, and pedicabs, any torpor definitely ends once inside the doors of Macau’s casinos, scene of some of the liveliest gambling west of Las Vegas.
| 1 |
Gambling provides almost 40 percent of the government’s tax revenues, and is a major source of employment.
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Its spin-off industries, prostitution and pawn shops, also thrive.
| 3 |
The easiest way to get to Macau is by jetfoil, operated by TurboJet (Tel. 2859-3333).
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The 40-mile trip takes about an hour.
| 3 |
Across from the I.M. Pei tower a winding path leads up to Hong Kong Park.
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Departures are from the Macau Ferry Terminal, just west of Central in the Shun Tak Centre, 200 Connaught Road, Central, in Hong Kong.
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Entry procedures are similar to those in Hong Kong — most nationalities need only a passport to enter Macau.
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Macau’s own currency, the pataca, is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar, and you can use your Hong Kong currency freely in Macau.
| 1 |
Upon arrival in Macau, be sure to stop by the Macau Government Tourist Office for a map, brochures, and directions.
| 3 |
Outside the terminal, you will find taxis as well as buses to all points (take 3, 3A, 10, or 10A to the historic center; exact change is required).
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You’ll also be approached by pedicab drivers; these are tricycles carrying two passengers.
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Pedicabs were once the most common form of transportation in Macau, but today they are mainly a tourist attraction.
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Directly across the street from the wharf where passengers arrive from Hong Kong is the first surprise to greet visitors to Macau — the vast Jai-alai Palace, said to be the world’s most luxurious frontón.
| 1 |
In an effort to provide yet one more thing to bet on, players are imported from Spain to take part in this lightning-fast Basque ball game.
| 2 |
The grandstand situated on the seaside road, the Avenida da Amizade (Friendship Avenue), marks the finishing line for the Macau Grand Prix, the international car-racing event held here every November.
| 3 |
Also in front of the ferry terminal is a new Cyber fountain, with 86 water spouts that shoot up to 70 m (230 ft) and are illuminated at night by 288 spotlights producing 80 colors.
| 1 |
Continuing around the peninsula in a clockwise direction brings you to the Rua da Praia Grande (Big Beach Street) — a pleasant promenade with shaded benches under the banyan trees.
| 1 |
The central square of the historic city center is Largo do Senado.
| 0 |
For an authentic feel of old Portugal, slip into the cool entrance hall of theimpressive Leal Senado (“Loyal Senate” building), a fine example of colonial architecture.
| 1 |
The inscription over the archway reads, “Cidade do nome de Deus, não ha outra mais leal” (“City of the Name of God, None is More Loyal”) — a bit of praise attributed to Portugal’s King John IV in the 17th century.
| 2 |
In the park is the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware (see page 54).
| 1 |
For all its historic grandeur, the loyal Senate now is the equivalent of a city council, its statesmanship dedicated to water supplies, sewage lines, and the establishment of playgrounds.
| 3 |
Macau’s most memorable monument is the Baroque façade of the ruins of São Paulo, the only remains of a beautiful 17th-century Jesuit church.
| 0 |
The rest of the building and an adjoining college were destroyed in a typhoon-fanned fire in 1835.
| 3 |
The rich sculptural effects on the façade mix Eastern and Western symbols: familiar saints, Chinese dragons, and a Portuguese caravel.
| 1 |
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