Local laws and etiquette
Forget those 1970s
Cantonese martial-arts films: unless you intend getting into a fight in a
Mongkok brothel, you’re not going to encounter triads. Hong Kong (learn
more via Hong Kong city guide)
is a law-abiding place which can feel unexpectedly quaint: this is a
city where you see orderly bus queues, policemen on the beat, park
attendants, signs about proper behaviour, and Ovaltine and Horlicks on
the menus in local cafes. Public drunkenness, beyond the bar districts
of Lan Kwai Fong and Wanchai, is rare. For all its street clamour and
21-century-pizzazz, it’s a conservative society where modest behaviour
is expected, children are adored (blonde ones have their heads
continually patted for good luck) and family life is still crucial.
Don’t
be alarmed by ubiquitous face masks. Ever since Sars, in 2003, the city
has become more hygiene conscious, and it is considered polite but not
obligatory to wear one if you have a cold. Cough and cold etiquette
hints are posted on some of the buses. Hand-sanitizers are available in
the big shopping malls. In the flu season (February/March) it’s probably
a good idea to use them.
Even if you’re not on business, there’s
likely to be an occasion when someone will produce a name card. Receive
it with both hands, read it and treat it respectfully. In the same way,
when you’re handing over a credit card, it’s polite to use both hands.
Smoking is banned in all public places, including beaches and public parks.
Be
aware of the concept of “face” – don’t persist, for example, in asking
directions from someone who is clearly not at ease with English. And try
not to ask questions (“Is this the way to the Star Ferry?”) which can
be answered “Yes” or “No” – people, wishing to save your face, will say
yes, whether or not that’s right.
Visas
After
1997, Hong Kong officially became a Special Administrative Region of
the People’s Republic of China. British passport-holders can stay in the
SAR for 90 days without a Chinese visa
but are not allowed to work. If, however, you’re planning to cross the
border into the rest of China (apart from Macau, the other SAR), you
must have a visa. China has a visa office in Hong Kong but it currently
requires tourists to apply for visas in their home countries
(fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng) so allow enough time in advance for this.
Weather
Hong
Kong’s typhoon season runs from May to October. The city has a
typhoon-signal warning system: the number 1 standby signal goes up when a
typhoon is 800km from Hong Kong; the number 3 when it’s moving closer
to Hong Kong (Hong Kong tour
is a must for your travel); the number 8 when the storm is expected to
pass very near to Hong Kong. Once a number 8 is hoisted, everything
shuts down. Local television and radio stations keep the public informed
about the storm’s progress so that people can get home before the
transport network closes. After the number 1 signal has been issued, you
can chart the expected track of a typhoon on the Hong Kong
Observatory’s website,hko.gov.hk
The Observatory also has a
rain-warning system graded from amber (the lowest), through red to black
(the highest). Heavy downpours in the summer months can cause serious
flooding and landslips. If a black warning has been issued, you should
stay where you are unless you think there’s immediate danger from a
landslide.
Year round advice about clothing: No matter when you’re
visiting subtropical Hong Kong, bring at least one warm layer. Don’t
under-estimate how chilly it can become in winter. Visitors find it
amusing when the Hong Kong Observatory issues its Cold Weather Warnings
at 12 degrees but temperatures can drop from balmy to piercing very
quickly. Buildings aren’t insulated, most places don’t have central
heating and the air-conditioning keeps on working in buses, ferries,
restaurants and shopping malls whether it’s needed or not. If you’re
planning on hiking to see Hong Kong attractions, bring gloves and hats.
As
for summer . . .despite pleas by Friends of the Earth, this is still an
extravagantly air-conditioned city where cinemas have shawl-lending
schemes to protect patrons from pneumonia in August. It may be 36
degrees with 95 per cent humidity in the world outside but you’ll be
freezing, so bring a jumper or cardigan.
And if you’re visiting in the rainy season, pack your least-favourite shoes because they’ll probably be ruined.
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