“Hong Kong has always been a city full of secrets and, like the rest of the world, had to reinvent itself after Covid-19. Is the city really less bustling than when I last visited five years ago? Has the ambience changed? Let’s get to work in Hong Kong featuring lots of culinaric bleisure.“ Kai Boecking
I’m here to prepare a TV documentary with a German Michelin star chef. You get to see corners and enjoy things that are not listed in every guidebook. Nevertheless, I always enjoy experiencing the Hong Kong classics again during my bleisure time – whether it’s the funicular ride to Victoria Peak, the Star Ferry tour from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon, the Graham Street Market or the still-crowded little restaurants that may not look chic but serve extremely delicious, fresh and inexpensive food.
Hong Kong is always online and always mobile. Free Wi-Fi is available everywhere, you are able to buy tourist SIM cards at the airport with large data packages at affordable prices..
Uber & Co. and local taxis (be aware of the language barrier!) are available around the clock.
But yes: it has become much quieter in the metropolis. Roads have been expanded or renovated, many electric cars move quietly through the urban canyons, and there are hardly any noisy and smelly mopeds left. At first glance, the city seems a bit more in order than before. As a visitor, you can only guess that the control of the Chinese rulers has been expanded, you don’t feel it.
The hotels have also made good use of time since my last visit. The Shangri-La, for example, on the Hong Kong side, has renovated many of its rooms, including desks and sufficient charging facilities. Recently, it has even added a colourful family floor with themed rooms and a club lounge. And great Wi-Fi by the impressive pool.
Real life on narrow streets
Hong Kong is also a food lover’s paradise for bleisure and workation travellers. Especially with its dumplings: dim sum – “which touch the heart“. These are not just small snacks in Hong Kong,, but a kind of culinary religion. They are available everywhere: on the streets, in small, hidden restaurants, and at Chef Chan Yan Tak’s Lung King Heen restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel. In the three-star restaurant, the refined little portions will warm your heart: fish, pork, beef, duck – the four-part harmony of Chinese diversity with a breathtaking view of Victoria Habour and its endlessly moving Star Ferrys.
Of course, five-star hotels have high standards and high prices. So after the business meeting and the work session at the desk, get out into the real life of Hong Kong, which takes place on the narrow streets. The Star Ferrys or car tunnels connect both sides of the mega city and thus somehow also two worlds: Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Many visitors believe that Hong Kong Island is the modern part of the metropolis and Kowloon is the traditional one., which is both true and false at the same time.. Although Sheung Wan is on the Hong Kong side, it is still as vibrant as a historic Chinatown. In addition to markets and shops, there is also all kinds of Chinese medicine, which range from legal to illegal in Europe. The legendary 24-herb tea is legal and available on almost every corner. But be warned: this is strong stuff, but it is said to help with almost every ailment.
I want to go to the restaurant Luk On Kui Dim Sum, which is not that easy to find. First, you take the lift to one of the two floors, and then you realise: this is no tourist hot spot. This is a Chinese (food) den of inequity in the best sense of the word. For decades, people have met here, huddled around narrow tables at lunchtime, surrounded by the chattering, smacking sounds of other diners, and grumpy waiters pushing steaming trolleys through the narrow rows, offering all kinds of freshly prepared dim sum. Those who manage to get to one of the trolleys should grab it tight with both hands before the other guests, with a lot more insider knowledge, do. Don’t worry, no matter what is served, it’s delicious.
At last, I found a special location from a TV show. When the makers of the Hollywood blockbuster series Transformers shipped the gigantic car machines to Hong Kong for a film, they certainly didn’t expect a huge, dark, state-owned apartment block to attract influencers from all over the world today. The film location is easy to find. Just google it. The Yick Cheong Building on Hong Kong Island has become an attraction. Much to the annoyance of the hundreds of residents, who have put up signs asking people not to take selfies or videos in their courtyard. So, anyone who tries it must be quick.
Kai Böcking …
… keeps saying “wow” to Hong Kong, especially because of the culinary bleisure opportunities here. Maybe one day he will create a “bleisure food atlas”.
Bleisure Tips
Even if you don’t know much about horse racing, an evening at the Happy Valley Racecourse is a must. The horses race, situated under floodlights and surrounded by huge apartment buildings, every Wednesday evening from September to July.
A museum dedicated to visual arts with a gigantic LED wall: this is M+, the new museum for visual art in Hong Kong. 17,000 sqm full
of installations, galleries, cinemas and restaurants. Spectacular architecture with a view of Victoria Harbour.
Info Destination
Hong Kong is a Chinese special administrative region.
Location and population: 7.4 million, located on the southern coast of China. The heart is Victoria Harbour, with Hong Kong Island to the south and the Kowloon Peninsula district to the north. Further north are the New Territories, which extend all the way to mainland China.
Currency: 1 Hong Kong dollar (HKD) = approx. 0.12 euros
Getting there: e.g. with Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific from Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Düsseldorf
Photos:© factoryxii.today, Hongong Tourism Board, Four seasons Hongkong, istock.com/ronniechua, istock.com/josephmok, istock.com/simonbradfield, Kai Böcking
