The Hong Kong Portal

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated regions in the world, and is famous for its energetic metropolitan area. It has a population of 7 million and has been continuously occupied for over 5 millennia. The modern city was founded by the United Kingdom, and became a British crown colony in 1842.

Despite its high population density, only about 17% of its land is built up, and greenery is everywhere. It is a place of contrasts - frenetically urban and adjacent to pristine greenery; extremely rich next to dirt poor; Western culture and Chinese culture. Victoria Harbour is world famous for its splendid nightview from the Peak. The central business district is heavily urbanised with skyscrapers all around, but country parks and beaches are just kilometres away. Traditional towns and villages, as well as natural reserves, are common in the suburban and rural New Territories, including the outlying islands. Public transport is very efficient, convenient, comfortable and reliable.

Hong Kong is currently a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, with its own government, judicial system, stamps, passports, customs policy, immigration control, currency etc. The rule of the road is different from the rest of China, and it has its own delegations to various international organisations and sport events.

Hong Kong is officially bilingual, with English widely spoken in business and education. The majority of the population speak Cantonese as mother tongue, with a few speaking Mandarin and other European and Asian languages. English and Chinese are used in all official matters. The popular culture of Hong Kong is best represented by cuisine, pop music and films. Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism, Islam are all common. Focusing on trade, tourism, banking and finance, Hong Kong is one of the wealthiest economies in the world.

Selected article

The Mass Transit Railway or MTR (地下鐵路, literally "underground railway"; usually abbreviated to 地鐵 or 地下鐵) is the main rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Since the MTR service first opened in 1979, the network has expanded to encompass seven lines and 53 stations along 91.0 km. Constructed and operated by MTR Corporation Limited, the MTR system is a very popular mode of public transport in Hong Kong, with an average of 2.46 million journeys recorded each day.

Much of this popularity is due to the efficiency and affordability of the MTR. For example, a taxi ride from Tsing Yi in the New Territories to Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island costs around HK$200, while the same trip on the MTR costs HK$11.80, and HK$5.70 on concessionary fare. The integration of the Octopus contactless smart card system into the MTR system in September 1997 has particularly enhanced the ease of use of the MTR.

Construction of the MTR was prompted by a government-commissioned study released in 1967. The Hong Kong Government commissioned the study in the 1960s to find solutions to the growing traffic problem caused by expansion of the colony's economy. Construction started soon after release of the study, and the first line was opened in 1979. The MTR was immediately popular with the residents of Hong Kong, and as a result subsequent lines have been built to cover more territory. There are continuing debates as to how and where to expand the MTR network, including new lines and a possible merger with Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation to create a combined network. (Read more...)

Selected biography

Leung Kwok-hung (born 27 March 1956), also known by his nickname "Long Hair", is a Hong Kong political activist. He is currently a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Geographical constituency, New Territories East). In 2006, he joined the League of Social Democrats.

He is best known for his long, below shoulder length hair, his frequent public protests, and nearly always wearing a T-shirt with the image of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. Leung has vowed not to cut his hair until the government of People's Republic of China apologizes for its crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, although it was cut once against his will when he was briefly imprisoned following a political action.

Selected picture for December

Did you know...

• ...that Water caltrop is eaten in Hong Kong?
• ...that Tung shing is a book published in Guangzhou and also Hong Kong?
• ...that the Chief Secretary position was called "Colonial Secretary" before 1976?
• ...that Portland Street is widely considered the city's most famous red-light district?
• ...that Cyberport is a state-of-the-art broadband network building?

Tasks you can do

• Please visit the Hong Kong Wikipedians' discussion board and help to write new Hong Kong-related articles, and expand and improve existing ones.
• Visit Wikipedia:WikiProject Hong Kong/Assessment, and help out by assessing unrated Hong Kong articles.
• Add the Project Banner to Hong Kong articles around Wikipedia.
• Help nominate and select new content for the Hong Kong portal.
• Clean up all MTR station pages. They are literally all over the place. Merger information is incomplete. Line pages are a mess too. Two model pages are Tsing Yi Station and Sheung Shui Station. They have a feature special to the station, Station layout, exit, and connections, as well as neighbouring stations.

Related projects

Hong Kong topics