MOVING TO HONG KONG

Our Moving to Hong Kong Guide is available from upon request.

The Moving to Hong Kong Guide is available online and has been created to help expatriate families moving to Hong Kong.

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KEY FACTS

Official Name: Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China

Capital City: Hong Kong

Type of Government: Special Administrative Region of China (limited democracy)

Official Languages: Chinese (Cantonese), English

Area: 1,074 sq. km/ 414.6 sq. mi

Population: 7.01 million

Religion: Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity

Currency: Hong Kong dollar, HK$

Number of Time Zones: 1

Greenwich Mean Time: (GMT) plus 8 hrs.; Eastern Standard Time (EST) plus 13 hrs.

Weights and Measures: Hong Kong uses a combination of the metric and imperial systems.

Country Domain: .hk

Country Tel Code: 852

<>H2AT A GLANCE
A glimpse of Hong Kong

Hong Kong today is a vibrant, bustling community of people from a multitude of ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds. There are elegant boutiques selling designer goods and expensive jewelry, large private boats in the marinas, and expansive residential estates behind grand gates. Street signs are written in English and Chinese, and many vestiges of British influence can be seen.

Hong Kong is also a country of dramatic contrasts. Many of the modern buildings, towering edifices of mirrored glass with imposing entrances, could be found in a North American city. In an adjoining alleyway one might see a street vendor who will sleep under the shelter of his makeshift booth at night. Expensive cars and ancient bicycles compete with crowds of pedestrians on the busy streets. The smells that assault visitors range from mouth-watering cooking to unappetizing drains.

Away from the city areas, beautiful green hills roll down to the shoreline, while an enormous cargo vessel seems to nudge a tiny fishing sampan out of the way as it steams ahead to the new container terminal.

Politics

Hand-over to China

During most of Hong Kong’s era of British control, since most government officials were bureaucrats appointed from London. Few local Chinese took notice of politics. Elections in the 1990s, however, brought increasing numbers of voters to the polls. The people sent a clear message of interest in democracy, and there are now several political parties with representation in the Legislative council.

In 1984, Britain and the Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) signed a treaty stipulating Hong Kong’s return PRC sovereignty in 1997. Beijing agreed to promulgate a Basic Law that would let Hong Kong keep its legal system, free-market status, individual liberties, and property ownership for 50 years as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Since the hand-over on July 1, 1997, Hong Kong has been ruled by a Chief Executive and a Legislative Council. The PRC handles foreign affairs and defense, and Hong Kong retains domestic autonomy.

In March 2005, eight-year Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa stepped down due to health reasons. Donald Tsang stepped in as Acting Chief Executive, and was elected in July 2005 as the new Chief Executive.

Resulting strains

Hong Kong has attempted in recent years to make strides towards increased democracy in government and its people have long enjoyed freedoms of speech and assembly. Some observers, however, question whether Beijing will be able to tolerate this kind of political and civil behavior in Hong Kong.

In 2004, a law passed in Beijing which gives China veto power over any proposed changes to Hong Kong’s political system. Those pushing for democracy were not pleased with this development.

Economy

Hong Kong and China are inseparably linked through culture, trade, and investment. Hong Kong is the major jumping-off point for access by the West to China. China’s importance in Hong Kong’s economy is evidenced by the fact that it has replaced the United States as Hong Kong’s single largest trading partner.

Investors’ sentiments towards Hong Kong fluctuate with every new political development. Because of its service- and trade-dependent economy, Asia-wide economic issues also have a bearing. As a result, Hong Kong was hit hard by the Asian economic crisis of the late 1990s. Since then, however, the economy has been recovering steadily. In 2004, Hong Kong’s GDP grew by 8.1 percent – the fastest growth since 2000.

Service-oriented industries are gaining ground in Hong Kong, and high hopes are set on venues like the Disneyland theme park which opened in 2005.

UNDERSTANDING THE PEOPLE

Home to about seven million people, Hong Kong is very densely populated – averaging 6,250 people per square kilometer.

The country’s culture is similar to that of China, with Western overtones. Confucian values are always present, sometimes fiercely adhered to and at others given a contemporary interpretation. Over the years, the colonial British and Hong Kong Chinese have learned to live and work side by side, creating an interesting combination of lifestyle and work ethic.

Family and elders

Respect for elders and family loyalty in particular have been instrumental in giving Hong Kong’s people their sense of past and continuity. There is a keen awareness of hierarchy and responsibility within the family and the company structure. The Confucian ethic of respect for and obedience to superiors and elders continues to influence structure and interactions in Hong Kong business. Age and rank are respected and treated with deference. Families are close-knit and become extended networks, and relationships between and within families and institutions go back for generations.

Other key Chinese concepts

The concept of guanxi – relationships or connections – is based on the Confucian ideal of family and responsibility to others as the structure within which business can best be conducted. Personal contacts are built slowly and the concept of guanxi is crucial in the contemporary Chinese business world.

Since Hong Kong is a stepping off point for many Western ventures into China, it is important to understand. Some define guanxi as knowing the right official to bribe – more relevant to mainland China than Hong Kong, so far – while others define it as developing close ties with business associates whom you know and trust. Foreigners and locals alike take advantage of guanxi, for example, to gain access to a person of influence.

“Face”, or min – meaning how one is regarded – is also important. Face is lost when one is criticized or insulted in public; it is gained when one is praised or thanked for good work done. Great care must be taken in the preserving and “giving” of face, particularly if you enjoy seniority. The kind of light-hearted bantering or teasing common among friends in Western society would be regarded as a loss of face.

Religious beliefs

The complete freedom of, tolerant of, and respect for all religions which has prevailed in Hong Kong should continue to be enjoyed under the Chinese administration, but as with so many post-handover matters, only time will tell.

Most Chinese in Hong Kong, about 90 percent, are Buddhist or Taoist, but the religion is usually combined with a Confucian regard for family and ancestors. Numerous religious festivals par homage to a family’s ancestors, and the living present gifts and tend the graves of the dead. Shrines and altars are set up in homes and along the streets.

Certain beliefs that may seem foreign to Westerners are widely held. The spirits of the dead are a force to be reckoned with as well as taken care of, and the feng shui man must not be ignored. The Chinese place much stock in omens and signs, numbers and arrangement of their surroundings. Good fortune, or joss, is courted whenever possible. Sometimes large sums of money are paid for a lucky license plate, or for a consultation with the feng shui man, or the number 4, which represents death, may be omitted in floor numbering in high rise buildings.

There are approximately 500,000 Christians in Hong Kong, representing more than 50 denominations. Most are Roman Catholic, largely among the Filipino population. The remainder are Protestant, Mormon, and Christian Scientist. There are also small communities of Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Jews.

Language

Hong Kong has long had two official languages: Cantonese and English, although English has lost some of its status since the handover to China in 1997.

The predominant language is Cantonese, which is the Chinese dialect spoken in the Guandong region just across the border. Many educated residents also speak Mandarin (or Putonghua), which is a dialect of Beijing and the designated official language of the People’s Republic of China.

English is generally the language of business and government, and most of the population has some rudimentary grasp of it. Most persons whom the foreign visitor encounters speak fairly functional English, although recent emigration has reduced the number of competent English speakers available for the service sector. The degree of fluency among waiters, bellhops, bank tellers, store clerks, and especially taxi drivers is unpredictable, and communicating frequently calls for some gesticulation. Mastering a few essential words in Cantonese can be helpful. English-speaking policemen in tourist areas wear a red patch below their shoulder number.

Attitudes toward foreigners

Foreigners, as the mainstay of Hong Kong’s business, tourism, and media, are generally welcomed with open arms. The business contacts you meet will likely have a good grasp of English and be surprisingly direct in discussions. Chinese tend to be curious about foreigners’ habits and lifestyles.

Attitude toward work

Workers in Hong Kong typically share a strong work ethic. Despite official business hours posted, expect to find people working beyond them.

CITIES

Hong Kong and Kowloon

The country’s excellent natural harbor is bordered by Hong Kong’s two most important urban areas. Hong Kong, the capital, is a prosperous financial center and home to about 1.4 million people. Kowloon – across Victoria Harbor, north of the capital – is a dizzying urban honeycomb of just over two million people.

These urban areas account for less than 10 percent of Hong Kong’s total land mass; the rest is rolling hills and fertile valleys, some protected as territorial parks, although industry and housing are encroaching on the countryside. Towns are being constructed in the New Territories, where just recently rice paddies and remote temples provided the only human evidence.

Commercial hubs

Most office buildings and hotels are clustered in the Central, Causeway Bay, and Wanchai districts of Hong Kong Island and on the tip of Kowloon Peninsula, known as Tsim Sha Tsui. Some businesses are relocating to developments in the New Territories in search of lower office rents. These districts are linked by one of the world’s great subway systems, three cross-harbor tunnels, and the wonderful, slightly anachronistic Star Ferry.

Neighborhoods of most areas are known by an easily remembered name such as Central, Western, Hung Hom, Causeway Bay.

CLIMATE

Hong Kong has a tropical monsoon climate and a definite change of seasons. The summer lasts from mid-April to September and is hot, very humid, and rainy. The hottest months are June and July when temperatures average 28C/82F.

October, November, and December are pleasant months with cooler, drier weather. Winter lasts from January through March when temperatures average 15C/59F. Frost is almost never seen. Spring is also a pleasant season with showers and thunderstorms arriving in late April and May.

Typhoons

Typhoons, from the Chinese words dai fung meaning “big wind,” can be expected in Hong Kong from May to November. A typhoon is the regional equivalent of a hurricane, and should be taken seriously. If the storm passes close to Hong Kong, it brings heavy rains, strong winds, and high tides.

Warning signals on a scale of 1 to 10, are displayed in Victoria Harbor day and night and broadcast regularly on radio and television. What to do during typhoons of different “signals” will be advised to you by your building and office management, as well as by schools. For example, at signal 3, kindergartens close; at signal 8, everyone goes home and closes storm windows, brings in outdoor furniture; signal 10 is a direct hit stay indoors away from windows.

Information provided in association with Living Abroad