Hong Kong Facts

Here are just a few Hong Kong facts that I am learning...

These are the characters that make up the word Hong Kong.

Here is Hong Kong's flag.

This is the logo for Hong Kong.

Hong Kong used to be just a little fishing village. Then the British arrived...the First and Second Opium Wars took place...HK was ceded to Britain in 1860 as part of the Treaty of Nanking. In 1898 Britain obtained a 99 year lease of Hong Kong. It returned to Chinese ownership in 1997. Thought officially part of China, it is more of "one country, two systems". As a special administrative region Hong Kong's political and economic policies are different than that of mainland China.

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Hong Kong means "fragrant harbor." Some think this comes from the incense that was exported from the area.

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The population of Hong Kong is 7 million. Compare that with Kentucky's population of 4.3 million for the whole state. It's amusing that I find myself going to crowded Asian cities year after year since I'd usually much prefer to be to be out in nature somewhere!

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Hong Kong is made up of over 200 islands. Many are small and not inhabited. Less than 25% of HK's landmass is developed due to the hilly and mountainous terrain. It is no surprise that due to the high population and little usable land that there are 7,650 skyscrapers in HK making it the world's "most vertical city." I sure hope I have a view of some mountains around where we'll be living. I definitely need a little green in my life!

The official language is Cantonese (as opposed to Mandarin for the majority of China). I'd love to learn a little bit more of the language (I think I know about 3 words), but I don't have any grand hopes of amazing language learning this summer. My ears just don't pick up on the different tones they have in the language. However, I will try!

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Religious freedom is allowed. 90% of the population follows a mix of local religions including Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. 8% of the population is Catholic and Protestant. We are actually staying at Hong Kong Baptist University, and Baptists are the leading Protestant denomination.