---
type: Place
title: Hong Kong
description: The old British gateway to China, now one of the world's financial centres — Cantonese identity, Western apps that work, and the hotel rated best in the world.
tags: [hong-kong, china, kowloon, history, finance, hotels, cantonese]
coordinates: {lat: 22.2818, lng: 114.1583}
timestamp: 2026-08-05T12:00:00Z
---

# Hong Kong

A special administrative region of [China](/countries/china.md) with its own
legal system, currency and political system, and — like
[Macau](/places/macau.md) — strong ties to the mainland alongside a separate
identity.

Harry visits it as the last of three cities within an hour of each other, each
shaped by a different power: Macau by Portugal, [Shenzhen](/places/shenzhen.md)
by China, and this one by Britain.

## How it got British

- After the **Opium War**, Britain took Hong Kong Island, then Kowloon — the
  mainland side, where Harry stays — for its natural harbour.
- Like Macau under the Portuguese, it became **the gateway to China for trade**,
  in the British case.
- It has since become one of the world's leading **financial centres**, on free
  trade, low tax and easy company formation.

## What it's like now

- **Extremely dense**, with two full skylines facing each other across the
  harbour.
- **Extreme wealth alongside people priced out of the city.** Harry says the rent
  is among the highest in the world and flags on camera that he isn't certain
  it's the highest — he puts it alongside New York and London.
- **Cantonese identity is strong and distinct** — in the food, the traditions and
  how people describe themselves.
- **It feels far more Western than the mainland.** Google, Facebook and Instagram
  all work; far more people speak English.
- **The airport is among the best-connected in the world**, which is why the
  bridge to Macau exists.
- **Terrible weather is a real risk** — Harry's harbour view was completely
  obscured for his whole stay.

## The Rosewood

Rated the number one hotel in the world, in Kowloon, facing the island. Rosewood
is a Hong Kong company, which Harry thinks is why this is their flagship. What a
**standard** room — not a suite — contains:

- **Two showers**, a marble bathroom he rates the best part of the room, and a
  freestanding bath.
- **Octagonal everything** — table, sink, cups, lights — because eight is the
  lucky number in Chinese culture.
- **A full set of charging cables in every connector**, which is the detail he
  singles out as the one every hotel should copy.
- A welcome gift of champagne, caviar and salmon; free coffee, paid minibar.
- A soft bed, which he prefers, and a simple air conditioning control, which he
  cares about more than most reviewers.

His verdict is that he can see why it's rated where it is, and that he hadn't
seen enough of the competition to confirm it.

## Harry's tips

- **Do all three cities.** His closing recommendation: Macau, Shenzhen and Hong
  Kong are within an hour of each other, have three different systems and
  languages, and are worth doing together rather than separately.
- **Use Hong Kong as the exit** if you came into the mainland on a transit visa —
  see [use a transit visa](/tips/use-a-transit-visa.md).
- **You can transit to Macau without entering Hong Kong** at all, from the
  airport.

## Source

- [I Went to One of the Wealthiest and Most Advanced Cities](/videos/T263hFcMBoA.md) —
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T263hFcMBoA