The very name Hong Kong immediately conjures up luxury boutiques, wild nightlife, street food and spectacular architecture. We asked Hong Kong-based Hollywood actress and model Angelababy (Yeung Wing) to help us get to the heart of this dynamic place with so much to offer.The mega-famous actress and model – known for starring in the Chinese gameshow Running Man as well as various high-profile action films – has lived here since the age of 13, when her father’s job brought the family from their native Shanghai.
“When I first arrived in Hong Kong, I was impressed by its skyline and harbour views,” reminisces Angelababy. “It’s a very dynamic city. I felt that living here would be fun.”
The future model soon found her new home was an exciting blend of cultures as well as modern and traditional architecture. “Hong Kong is a real mix of East and West,” explains Angelababy, about the former British colony. “This is particularly evident in street names, most of which are directly translated from English and sound quite interesting.”
Hong Kong’s cultural celebrations include epic festivities like Lunar New Year in January when Victoria Harbour’s sky is lit up with fireworks, the centuries old Cheung Chau Bun Festival in May when competitors scramble up a tower of steamed buns filled with lotus paste and the thrilling Victoria Harbour river races of the Dragon Boat Festival in June. “It’s the culture that makes the city so special,” says Angelababy.
Here are Angelababy’s favourite ways to explore Hong Kong.
1. Best for local culture: Cha chaan teng
To find the real Hong Kong, Angelababy recommends looking no further than a cha chaan teng (tea restaurant). “Tea houses are deeply rooted in Hong Kong’s culinary culture. Traditional Hongkongers enjoy going to tea houses for lunch with family or friends.”Locals and expats alike sit huddled around tables in these old-school cafes, which are decorated with whirling fans and patterned floor tiles. These iconic Hong Kong spots are known for serving European treats with an Asian twist, so expect cups of strong Hong Kong milk tea made with condensed or evaporated milk, flaky egg tarts and pineapple buns with a cracked surface resembling its spiky namesake fruit. “If you’re working on movies in Hong Kong, everybody stops at 15:15 for afternoon tea [and] we’ll all enjoy an egg tart or a pineapple bun,” says Angelababy. The actress has been hoping to try the newly renovated historic tea house Lin Heung Lau; originally established in the 1920s. “So many friends say it’s very good, but because it’s so busy and hard to get a table, I haven’t tried it yet,” she says. “But I know it will be worth it. You just have to see the videos.”
2. Best culinary experience: Dim sum
Another culinary custom synonymous with Hong Kong culture is dim sum; a traditional Chinese brunch where a dazzling variety of small, savoury bites in bamboo baskets are wheeled through the restaurant on carts, to be shared with the whole table. “[It’s] quality time with family,” says Angelababy. “It’s not just about filling the stomach; it’s an experience.” Hongkongers tuck into baskets of stewed, roasted or steamed dumplings such as char siu bao (doughy balls of sweet roast pork); siu mai (open-topped steamed dumplings); or soup dumplings filled with richly flavourful broth, which they wash down with tea.
Dim sum, which translates to “touch the heart” is believed to have originated in the port city of Ghangzhou and was brought by traders to Hong Kong in the 19th Century. It is now served across the city in five-star hotels and in tea houses. “Hongkongers have a diverse palate, and dim sum encompasses a wide variety of dishes, perfectly catering to everyone’s [tastes],” says Angelababy. “I believe the flavours of Hong Kong dim sum are unique; no matter how people from other countries try to imitate them, they seem unable to replicate those tastes.”
Angelababy loves to stop for dim sum at Lung Keen Heen in the newly renovated Four Seasons Hong Kong overlooking Victoria Harbour. “I do prefer a window seat, but I don’t mind any seat actually,” she says. “As long as I can get a table to dine there, I’ll be happy.” Her picks: baked pineapple buns with barbecued pork and pine nuts along with a seasonal soup.
3. Best for place for souvenir shopping: Hollywood Road
Hollywood Road was recently dubbed the second coolest street in the world by Time Out for its long history and constantly changing offerings. This historic street running between the Central and Sheung Wan neighbourhoods is filled with landmarks such as the 19th-Century Taoist Man Mo Temple, Michelin-starred restaurants, antique shops and galleries. Angelababy recommends a visit to G.O.D (Goods of Desire), which has quirky home buys. “I love to stop at Hong Kong’s creative art hub PMQ,” she says, referencing the seven-storey 1950s former “Police Married Quarters”, where the police and their families lived. “There are many local designers’ studios and workshops at PMQ. It’s a very interesting place for creative exploration. [I’ll visit] PMQ’s [Night] Market, which has many small items, vintage goods and snacks.”
4. Best place for hiking: Dragon’s Back
Hong Kong’s hilly and mountainous terrain makes it great for outdoor sport. “If I have visitors in Hong Kong, I will take them hiking,” says Angelababy. “That’s one of the special things about Hong Kong. There are not that many cities where you can go hiking in nature in 30 or 40 minutes. You can just [pick up a bottle of] water and go.”
Angelababy recommends holidaymakers pull on their hiking shoes and hit Dragon’s Back Mountain at Shek O Country Park; a curvy mountain trail that overlooks Tai Tam Bay. “It’s not a hard walk and it comes with panoramic views,” she says.
5. Best for place for island hopping: Tai O
Hong Kong is home to 263 islands, including Lantau Island – known as “the lungs of Hong Kong for its great swaths of indigenous forest – and the idyllic Lamma Island; a popular escape from the chaos of the mainland. Angelababy’s Hong Kong island pick is the tranquil island of Tai O.Home to the Tanka boat people, Tai O’s Venice-like canal is lined with 200-year-old fishermen’s stilt houses. The fishermen on this island are famous for producing the island’s salty shrimp paste used to add flavour and umami to many curries and sauces. Visitors can observe the fishermen puttering around the island in colourful sampan boats with their fresh daily catch.Recently, film crews have taken a shine to the historic island with its vintage shophouses; one even appeared on the Netflix show Restaurants on the Edge. But Angelababy loves heading to Tai O to see the island’s famous pink dolphins. Despite their name, these beautiful, endangered creatures are actually white, only appearing pink due to the blood vessels that run close to the surface of their skin.
“I used to visit the island when I was young,” she says. ” Now I take my son to see the pink dolphins. Last time, we arrived Tai O at 10:00 and then took a 30-minute boat tour out to sea to look for dolphins. I think you need some luck to see them, but not much. If you go there in the good weather, you’ve got a good chance.”
6. Best place for families: Ocean Park
Proud mum Angelababy recommends that visitors check out Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau Island or Hong Kong’s own Ocean Park. First opened in the 1970s, this zoological theme park with more than 80 attractions has become one of the biggest theme parks in the world. “It’s really good for families,” says Angelababy, who also enjoyed visiting as a teenager. “The park has two parts. It’s so big, you need to take the cable car. You can see Hong Kong south and [the] mountainside.”Found within the park is a grand aquarium with more than 5,000 fish, as well as golden snub-nosed monkeys, penguins and now six pandas. “There are two new pandas, and the park [has] new born [babies] too,” says Angelababy. The Thai people may have Moo Deng, but the Hong Kongers have new baby pandas for visitors to peek at in February.