Hong Kong Local Customs

 
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Most Viewed Local Customs in Hong Kong

1.

Do/Do Not!   Hong Kong

Do/Do Not!, Hong Kong

 28 Reviews  When buying stuffs in supermarkets, you must bring your own bag or you’ll be asked to purchase a plastic bag for the items you purchased. The plastic bag costs less than HK$1 and it’s not advisable to... 

2.

Eating and Drinking   Hong Kong

Eating and Drinking, Hong Kong

 34 Reviews  In Hong Kong, I think the best food to bring home is traditional Chinese bakery products like those offered in WING WAH BAKERY or KEE WAH BAKERY. Both have stores in Kowloon (WING WAH on Nathan Road... 

3.

Dress Code   Hong Kong

Dress Code, Hong Kong

 5 Reviews  Hong Kong is fairly fashion conscious especially for business. Hong Kong people are also very modest in their dress and you will attract some unwanted stares if you wear anything too... 

4.

Festivals   Hong Kong

Festivals, Hong Kong

 34 Reviews   Ninth Moon, Day 9 (in September/October) The Chung Yeung Festival is a day to respect and remember ancestors. Also known as Autumn Remembrance, this festival is similar to Ching Ming in the... 

5.

Language   Hong Kong

Language, Hong Kong

 21 Reviews  Cantonese:The franca lingua in HK. Though it's said that everyone here can speak English and Mandarin , the language of familiarity is still Cantonese. It's different in Singapore where all of us are... 

6.

Markets   Hong Kong

Markets, Hong Kong

 20 Reviews  In the night market, when you’re the first customer & you touch the item or ask for the price, be aware that they’ll never let you go until you buy the product. They believe it’s bad luck to touch an... 

7.

Climate   Hong Kong

Climate, Hong Kong

 7 Reviews  I hate dealing with umbrellas- mainly because I never know what to do with them once I get inside somewhere. Well, in Hong Kong it's a pleasure. When you get inside a building, there's a little stand... 

8.

Temples   Hong Kong

Temples, Hong Kong

 13 Reviews  The Chinese use of burning incense in the temples, filling them with smoke that pushes Fernanda quickly out, is done in Man Mo temple in a special way, with dozens of spirals hanging over your head,... 

9.

Chinese zodiac/Feng Shui and more   Hong Kong

Chinese zodiac/Feng Shui and more, Hong Kong

 11 Reviews  Sometimes even a traveller is exhausted or the weather is bad and so staying in hotel and looking regional TV- and so sometime we found suddenly the TV Series of the Chinese "White Snake Legend". Very... 

10.

Multicultural City   Hong Kong

Multicultural City, Hong Kong

 13 Reviews  As HK is a fairly westernised city, there aren't many unfamiliar Asian gestures that you need to avoid (i.e. in Greece your palms shouldn't face others with your fingers spread out like showing a... 

11.

Business Cards   Hong Kong

Business Cards, Hong Kong

 5 Reviews  In Singapore as in Hong Kong, don't ever toss your business card nonchalently to your would-be client/customer/acquaintance. Hand over business cards with both hands, as though you are handing over... 

12.

Cantonese Opera   Hong Kong

Cantonese Opera, Hong Kong

 7 Reviews  A great way to see and appreciate Chinese culture is to watch Cantonese Opera being performed but due to a declining audience there is little opportunity to do so anymore. The Sunbeam Theatre in... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

MTR FARE SAVER MACHINE.

by swissfondue

I wandered why locals were queueing briefly to scan their Octopus cards at a machine at the start of the Mid Levels Escalator so wanting to be a pretend local I joined the queue. When I got closer I found out it is an MTR Fare Saver Machine. Yay!!!MTR Fare Saver machines have been placed at various locations to reward people who choose to walk to certain designated MTR stations rather than take buses or taxis. The machines are located a few hundred metres from the designated station (in my case Sheung Wan, Central or Hong Kong) and allow Adult Octopus Card holders a discount of HK$2 on their next journey from the listed station provided the journey is made on the same day. The machine automatically adjusts the balance on the Octopus Card once you enter the designated station.The majority of these machines are not in tourist areas but I have also seen one at Harbour City Shopping Centre -...

Sunday is Maids "Freedom" day.

by swissfondue

If you happen to be in the vicinity of the IFC covered walkways in Central or Statue Square on a Sunday you cant help but notice the thousands of Filipino and Indonesian Maids spending their one day off per week outside.Maids turn the parks and footpaths into open air coffee shops spending the day eating, chatting and playing cards with their colleagues. Temporary hair and beauty salons are sometimes set up. Its a quirky sight and always puts a smile on my face, but it also reminds me of the affluence of Hong Kong that so many people can afford to employ maids. Its my understanding that many of these women live away from their own families and contribute to their own households financially.

Bonsai

by IreneMcKay

Yes I do realise bonsai is Japanese, but these miniature trees are also very popular in Hong Kong, too. You can buy them pretty cheaply at Hong Kong Flower Market, Mong Kok. I used to own several but was notvery successful with them, so sadly they are no more. There is also always a wonderful display of them at the Hong Kong Garden Festival. I love the ones that are used to create an entire mini-landscape as in my photo here.

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Currency

by cjg1

In the SAR, the Hong Kong Dollar is used. This runs about 7.75 to 1 US dollar. Bills go down to $10 each and coins will go up to $10. The other unique thing about Hong Kong Dollars is the design is different depending upon which bank issued them for the same amount. IE, a $20 from HSBC will have one pattern and a $20 from Bank of China, another.

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Food Offerings

by traveldave

Food offerings are one of the most prominent and important rituals in Buddhism. Making the offerings to the gods and hungry ghosts is a meritorious act that reminds practitioners not to be greedy or selfish, and connects them with the spiritual world. The types of food offered vary, but most consist of items such as fruit, rice, or even flowers.Hungry ghosts represent greed, thirst, and neediness which bind people to their sorrows and disappointments. By giving away something they crave, practitioners release themselves from their own sorrows and disappointments.The rituals involved in making offerings of food vary. They can be as simple as silently leaving food on the altar accompanied by a bow, or involve chanting and full prostrations. At most Buddhist temples, the altars are piled with fruit and other food items, such as pictured here. The food is put to good use, as the temple's...

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Incense Cones

by traveldave

These large spirals hanging from the ceiling of the Man Mo Temple are incense cones. Buddhist and Taoist belief holds that the smoke purifies the surroundings, attracts the attention of the gods, and carries prayers to heaven. It is also believed that the smoke is food for the spirits of ancestors who had previously died. After an incense cone is ignited at the end, it burns for weeks, carrying the worshipper's prayers and wishes up to the gods in heaven and ensuring good fortune and prosperity.Temples benefit financially from the sale of incense cones, each of which has a red tag with the name of the worshipper who made a donation to the temple.Those who cannot afford a large incense cone can light individual incense sticks, which they wave over their heads during prayer to attract the attention of the gods. Once the prayers are completed, the incense sticks are stuck into an urn placed...

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The Man Mo Temple

by traveldave

The Man Mo Temple, located on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan, Central, was built in 1847. It the largest and most important of several temples in Hong Kong dedicated to the gods of literature and martial arts. Man Cheong is the god of literature, and Mo, more appropriately called Kwan Yu, is the god of martial arts. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, scholars and students studying for the rigorous civil examinations prayed to these gods for success in their studies.The Man Mo Temple is part of a complex with three components, including the Man Mo Temple itself (for the worship of Man Cheong and Kwan Yu), the Lit Shing Temple (for the worship of all heavenly gods), and Kung So, an assembly hall where community affairs and disputes were resolved. (In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many Chinese preferred to have disputes resolved in accordance with traditional Chinese and Confucian...

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GOLDEN BAUHINIA SQUARE

by ancient_traveler

A gift from the Chinese government marking the 1 July 1997 return of Hong Kong to the China.Members of the Hong Kong Police Force, dressed in immaculate uniforms 11th and 21st of each month at 7:45am with the Police silver Band performing the national anthem and background music, conduct an impressive flag-raising ceremony at the square.1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong IslandMTR Wan Chai stn exit A5 then follow the signs to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

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weather in HK December

by soundchaseruk

Thanks John that is very encouraging. The only drawback is that it will be at the Xmas period and the flights expensive. My friend has said I can stay for free and eat for free so I guess it will still be quite a cheap week

How groomed dogs can be

by picek

We were walking on Hong Kong Island from Central to Victoria park one day in February - it was actually very cloudy and didn't see Kowloon from here. We went over Wanchai promenade which is great place to see dogs and people interact with eachother - because that is one of the few public areas where dogs are allowed to get some fun. Did you notice that dogs aren't that plentiful around HK? These whose we saw here were really taken good care of and well groomed - owners looked proud of them; but it also seems that there's latent competition on whose dog looks the best :) Wanchai promenade is actually nice place to sit down in weather like that - because when you cannot see views you can watch animals playing and people socializing. I think it's polite if you ask the carer before (if) you want to caress the dog; in the end you may enter some really interesting conversations.

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Local traditions and culture in Hong Kong

Top 3 Hotels in Hong Kong

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong  Hong Kong

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The Langham hotel Hong Kong  Kowloon

 3 Reviews and 553 Opinions  I stay there when I go on business trip to Hong-Kong. Very nice room ann I especially like the... 

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Royal Park Hotel  Sha Tin

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Reviews and photos of Hong Kong attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Hong Kong sightseeing.

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Local Customs: Cities in Hong Kong
  1. Kowloon Local Customs
  2. Hong Kong Island Local Customs
  3. Sai Kung Local Customs
  4. Tai O Local Customs
  5. Tai Po Local Customs
  6. Cheung Chau Local Customs
  7. Ngong Ping Local Customs

More Cities in Hong Kong

 

Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hi! Me and my friend are visiting Hong Kong in August, after touring through China for 4 weeks, and we just started planning our... 

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A: Kowloon section is the best area to stay in as it is in the thick of things, within easy access of transportation, shopping, sight seeing, markets, etc. As to what there... 

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