Hong Kong

Hong Kong calls itself “Asia’s World City,” a nickname that’s hard to dispute. There’s no question that this Special Administrative Region of China is an urbanite’s wonderland: a place of skyscrapers, high-end (and internationally flavored) cuisine, epic shopping, and a culture famously influenced both by ancient Chinese tradition and Western society. That said, the territory is more than just paved-over cityscape: The hidden side of Hong Kong can manifest itself in a quiet mountain trail, a colonnade of volcanic rock, or a beachside sunset.

Lying astride the Pearl River Delta on the South China Sea, Hong Kong consists of three major regions: the New Territories (which includes both a mainland portion and the Islands District), the Kowloon Peninsula, and Hong Kong Island. All of this subtropical real estate lies in the shadow of mainland China’s heavily populated Guangdong Province, but the vibe in Hong Kong, as in nearby Macau, is strikingly different. The region, after all, has been influenced by the West since the mid-1800s, when Hong Kong Island became British territory; Kowloon and the New Territories eventually followed suit. Upon its return to China in 1997, Hong Kong’s autonomy in matters of politics and economics was safeguarded (on paper, anyway) for a half-century under the “one country, two systems” agreement.

It’s not hyperbolic to say that Hong Kong has something for everyone. From amusement parks (such as Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland) to street markets, from singular landmarks such as the Clock Tower and the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple to the celebration of Hong Kong’s legendary film industry along the Avenue of Stars, this is a city that can go toe-to-toe with any other in the sightseeing, shopping, and nightlife departments. And when it’s time to decompress from the urban crush, you’ve got an extensive system of parks and greenspaces in mountainous Hong Kong’s less developed countryside.

Epicureans can cherry-pick among the cuisines of the world in Hong Kong, which lays claim to some 12,000 restaurants and a long tradition of culinary diversity. You can sample flavors from across Asia, or select from European, American, and other international traditions that are well represented in both pure and fusion-style forms. Amid all this globalized dining, be sure to seek out distinct Hong Kong preparations—such as congee (or rice porridge), homegrown stir-fry, and poon choi, a communal hodgepodge feast hailing from the New Territories’ early walled villages—and the many outlets for topnotch Cantonese cookery.

A visit to Hong Kong is rather like a highly concentrated survey of the entire Asian continent—and a goodly span of the rest of the globe, for that matter—from a single perch. From nonstop city excitement to precious natural sanctuaries, it’s the sort of across-the-board destination that will keep calling you back for more.