Geography Paper Example: What Is Hong Kong?

Today Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, an autonomous territory on the Pearl River Delta of East Asia, is a world-famous metropolis with diverse culture and vivid East-meets-West charisma.

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Society

Hong Kongs population amounts to more than 7,167,403 people (The World Factbook). About 95% of Hong Kong residents are ethnic Chinese. Cantonese is the main language spoken in Hong Kong. The official languages are Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Bilingual signs in Chinese dialects and English are found everywhere in Hong Kong. The remaining 5% are non-Chinese ethnic groups, who, despite their small numbers, form a very prominent group (Leung). South Asian population of Hong Kong is made up of Indians, Pakistanis and a small number of Nepalis. Vietnamese who fled from the war have become permanent residents of Hong Kong. Many Filipinos and immigrants from Indonesia work as home helpers. Europeans, Americans, Australians, Canadians, Japanese and Koreans operate mostly in the commercial and financial sector.

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated countries (dependent territories) of the world with the population density of more than 6200 people per km2, though the birth rate is said to be very low (The World Factbook). The population of Hong Kong continues to grow due to the influx of immigrants from mainland China. Consequently, one of the serious social problems of the city is an acute shortage of living space (Leung).

Culture

Hong Kong is often described as a place where East meets West, which is reflected in its economic infrastructure, architecture, education and urban culture. In the same street, you can find traditional Chinese shops selling Chinese medicine, Buddhist incense or shark fin soup. But then around the corner you can see a film theater screening the latest Hollywood blockbuster, an English pub, a Catholic Church or a McDonald's. Even though the British rule ended in 1997, Western culture is deeply rooted in Hong Kong and coexists in harmony with the traditional Eastern philosophy and customs.

The cosmopolitan spirit of Hong Kong is also reflected in the variety of cuisines (About Hong Kong). The most popular one is the Chinese cuisine, especially seafood. Local cuisine can be found in cha chaan tengs (tea restaurants). At the same time a lot of European, American, Japanese, Korean restaurants enjoy a large clientele. In Hong Kong people are very serious about food, so the city attracts the best chefs from around the world.

Hong Kong is also a major exporter of entertainment icons, such as martial arts (About Hong Kong). Several Hollywood celebrities are from Hong Kong, including Bruce Lee, Chow Yun-Fat and Jackie Chan. Hong Kong also gave Hollywood a few prominent filmmakers such as John Woo, Wong Kar-wai, Tsui Hark, Yuen Woo-ping. A lot of Hong Kong films, e.g. "Chungking Express", "Infernal Affairs", "Rumble in the Bronx" and "In the Mood for Love", have won international acclaim multiple times. Hong Kong is also a major Cantopop center.

Administration of Hong Kong supports such cultural institutions as the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (Leung). In addition, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department subsidizes and sponsors international artists coming to Hong Kong. Since 2001, the city has been the home to the International Literary Festival, which is held annually.

Economy

The economy of Hong Kong is based on its being the free market territory, its low taxation and the state interference into the economy. Hong Kong is not an offshore area, but it is a free port and does not charge customs duties on imports, there is no value-added tax or its equivalent. Hong Kong is an important center of international finance and trade, and the level of concentration of headquarters is the highest in the Asia-Pacific region. In terms of per capita GDP, Hong Kong is the richest city in China. Moreover, in 2006, in terms of per capita GDP, Hong Kong was on the 6th place in the world, ahead of such countries as Switzerland and Japan (The World Factbook).

Despite the relatively high level of development of electronic, electrical, garment and textile industries in Hong Kong, the industry as a whole is underdeveloped. Banking, financial and commercial activities prevail, in particular, trade with China. Thus, most of the national wealth is produced in the "tertiary" sector, which includes trade, finance, business services, export-import ratio, restaurant and hotel business, and so on. 63% of the working population of Hong Kong are employed in the above-mentioned areas (Leung). The largest foreign trade partners are China, Taiwan, Japan, US, UK, and Singapore. The currency of Hong Kong is the Hong Kong dollar. Since 1983, it has been pegged to the US dollar.

Hong Kong has a small amount of arable land and few natural resources, so it has to import most of the food and raw materials. Agricultural production is small. However, to some extent, the production of poultry and fishing allow Hong Kong to slightly loosen the dependence on other countries in terms of agricultural production (Leung).

History

The territory of Hong Kong became part of China in the late 3rd millennium BC, but the first settlements appeared only in the XI century BC. By the time the British first appeared in Hong Kong, the territory hosted a population of about 5 000 people, mainly engaged in fishing, cattle breeding and agriculture (Leung).

In the annals of history, Hong Kong was first mentioned in the XVII century. Location near Dongjiang River made it a convenient port for ships from around the world. Despite the fact that China did not very much encourage trade with foreigners, in 1550, the Portuguese established a colony in neighboring Macau and traded Chinese goods. China was very successful in exporting tea, porcelain, and silk. The situation changed in the XVIII century when the British saw that China could import opium, which led to the Opium Wars (Leung).

In 1842, Hong Kong was captured by Britain and became its colony in accordance with the Treaty of Nanking. A large area of Hong Kong was leased in 1898 for 99 years, for this period it was a British colony. Although China declared itself an independent state only in 1911, and the contract was signed with the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Great Britain recognized the lease and never wavered from the obligation to transfer the New Territories to China by 1997. In 1997, the People's Republic gained sovereignty over the territory. According to the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Hong Kong, the territory was granted extensive autonomy until 2047, that is for 50 years, after the transfer of sovereignty. The principle of "One country, two systems" gives Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy: the Central People's Government of China takes on matters of defense and foreign policy, while Hong Kong retains control over the legislation, police force, monetary system, customs duties and immigration policy, as well as maintains representation in international organizations and events.

Features

Hong Kong is the world capital of skyscrapers. Mega-skyscrapers on the waterfront have become the most recognizable landmark. The bar has been raised very high, it is, in fact, unattainable to other cities in the world. The buildings below 30 stories have not been built for a long time and today skyscrapers host not only offices, but also apartments, nurseries, and churches. As a result, Hong Kong occupies the first place in the world with the total number of around 7700 high-rise buildings. It is almost a couple of thousand buildings more than in New York, which is number two on the list. In addition, Hong Kong is not the city of one island, it is comprised of the whole conurbation of 260 islands, plus the 20-kilometer area of the Kowloon Peninsula (The World Factbook).

Religion

In Hong Kong freedom of religion is guaranteed by the basic law. There are representatives of different religions, including Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism. This diversity is a consequence of a multiethnic and multicultural society formed by migrants, as well as the rich history of this small region (About Hong Kong).

Buddhism and Taoism have the most significant number of followers in Hong Kong (Leung). In the region, there are more than 600 temples. The history of some of them extends back more than 700 years, and some of them have been built in recent years. The most important temples include the Wong Tai Sin, located in the Kowloon district, and Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, which is known for its prominent statue of Buddha, that attracts many tourists.

Though once Hong Kong was nothing more than a nondescript island, in the XX century, it acquired an absolutely new status, being called "shopaholics paradise" and the "Asian financial heart".

Works Cited

About Hong Kong. About Hong Kong | Hong Kong Tourism Board, 2017, www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/plan-your-trip/traveller-info/about-hong-kong/index.jsp. Accessed 19 Feb. 2017.

Leung, Chi-Keung. Hong Kong. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, inc., 17 Oct. 2016, www.britannica.com/place/Hong-Kong. Accessed 19 Feb. 2017.

The World Factbook: HONG KONG. Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 12 Jan. 2017, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/hk.html. Accessed 19 Feb. 2017.

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