BEYOND PARADISE

A resilient desire to shift perceptions yet preserve heritage is driving a new energy in Hong Kong as the next generation are creating a bold new capital of culture

- LAUREN HO

Few skylines are as instantly recognisable as Hong Kong’s. With its serrated silhouette of glass towers pressed up against jade-coloured peaks, it’s a city built on drama and contrast.

But beneath this indelible cityscape lies a complex, multilayered metropolis, where colonial legacy, Cantonese tradition, entrepreneurial spirit and everyday street life intersect in one of the most densely populated environments on earth. From its landmark hotels and soaring luxury malls to the bustling street markets, Hong Kong has long been defined by its appetite for both the refined and the real. But to see only the surface is to miss what truly drives it.

Hong Kong's golden age, in an economic sense, may have peaked in the 1980s and 1990s, when it was crowned the world’s gateway to China. Back then, it was the place where East met West, where deals were inked over long lunches, and the Star Ferry was both a symbol and a commute. Distinctive structures such as IM Pei’s Bank of China Tower, Norman Foster’s HSBC Building, and the Lippo Centre came to define the city’s vertical ambition.

But there’s far more to Hong Kong than serving as a global financial centre and a shopping paradise. Geographically, it borders Shenzhen to the north, with the South China Sea unfurling to its south. It’s made up of more than 260 islands and a swathe of peninsulas and bays, giving it a surprisingly vast spread of green space. In fact, more than 40 per cent of the land is protected country park, laced with hiking trails and secret beaches.