Hong Kong is renowned for be a uniquely global business city, strategically located in the heart of Asia. With a population of almost 7 million, and a per capita GDP of US$43,700 (CIA World Fact Book 2008), it is clear that Hong Kong's business environment is thriving. Hong Kong has a stable economy and a Chinese perspective, and consistently plays a key role for international entrepreneurs accessing the Chinese economy. Taking a look at key areas of consideration for international business entrepreneurs, demonstrates why Hong Kong is and will remain a popular and invaluable jurisdiction.

Location
As two thirds of the global middle class will soon be from Asia, entrepreneurs from all over the world are taking interest in the continent, and being in the heart of Asia, Hong Kong is often a first choice. Hong Kong is within four hours flight from all of Asia's key regional markets.

Strategically-located in close proximity to China, Hong Kong also plays a vital role in accessing the Chinese market. Indeed, Hong Kong has taken various measures to position itself as a gateway to China with developments like the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation Circle that encourages Chinese enterprises to undertake scientific research in Hong Kong. More obviously, Hong Kong's location being one hour's drive from the Pearl River Delta, the world's largest manufacturing region, gives Hong Kong access to the 450 million people consumer market in Southern China alone.

With Hong Kong's Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) with China, it is undoubtedly the most business friendly economy from which to take advantage of Asia's future opportunities.

Transport
Companies that incorporate in Hong Kong have access to its developed air, rail, road and sea links, that are both modern and efficient. Hong Kong's international airport is the busiest in all of Asia and the Pacific, handling almost 50 million passengers annually and hosting direct flights to over 150 international destinations. Transit between the city and the airport is convenient via the Airport Express, which takes a total of 23 minutes to Central. Furthermore, general commuting within Hong Kong is judged to be the best in the world by Forbes Magazine as taxis are affordable and public transport is well developed.

From a commercial perspective, Hong Kong's international cargo air port is the world's busiest and the Hong Kong international container port is the world's 3rd busiest. Over 100 international shipping lines operate from Hong Kong, connecting to over 5,000 destinations worldwide. A new rail link is in the process of development, names the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, and it will halve current journey times between Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Furthermore, Wuhan will be 5 hours from Hong Kong and Shanghai will be 8.


Culture
Hong Kong's history as a British colony and its current Chinese influences provide a bi-culture of two of the most dominant world economies today. The British influence within a Chinese culture is a significant business advantage, facilitating international entrepreneurs' understanding of the biggest Asian market, whilst avoiding dramatic culture shocks. Hong Kong is also home to a large expatriate community of about 350,000 people and 29 million international tourists annually, allowing for a diverse and open-minded population throughout the year.

The Hong Kong people have grown up in this bi-cultural and international environment and have picked up on key business customs from the western and eastern worlds. Hong Kong universities are increasing in the world rankings, with three universities in the top 50 worldwide, more than any other country in Asia. With their strong work ethic, a knack for efficiency and a can-do attitude, Hong Kong provides a motivated and skilled workforce for any business. Industrial action is indeed very rare.

English and Chinese are the official languages in Hong Kong, and in the work place, English is the common language of business with most contracts written in English.

The overall culture of the Hong Kong people is business-oriented and highly competitive. This culture is supported not only by the people but through the government, as the HK Trade Development Council supports SMEs in their international ventures, and immigration policies are structured to attract professionals, talents and investors globally, to maintain Hong Kong's competitiveness.

Policy and Taxes
In light of the fore stated business culture prevalent in Hong Kong, there is a logically business-friendly tax and legal infrastructure.

Hong Kong is ranked as the world's freest economy by the Heritage Organization's 2009 Index of Economic Freedom and is also the 12th least corrupt country in the world (Transparency International – Corruption Perceptions Index 2008). As a whole, Hong Kong is a secure, efficient and reliable jurisdiction to conduct international business.

Companies that incorporate in Hong Kong also benefit from its low and simple tax system. With corporate taxes limited to a maximum of 16.5% and income tax peaking at 15%, despite having few established double tax treaties, Hong Kong has the 3rd lowest tax misery in the world, as rated by Forbes' Tax Misery Index. Furthermore, in spite of Hong Kong's recent agreements to commit to OECD tax principles, their client confidentiality guidelines remain strong.

Hong Kong people also benefit from having no sales tax, capital gains tax or dividends tax and ultimately, despite providing such significant tax benefits, a Hong Kong offshore company is not perceived to be an international tax haven.


Current Business
Being the world's 2nd most competitive economy (IMD's 2009 World Competitiveness Yearbook) and the 2nd largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development – UNCTAD) places Hong Kong as one of the most important business centers in Asia. The government plays a key role in Hong Kong's competitiveness, and has implemented strong measures to encourage not only the world's biggest economies, but also more businesses from emerging markets to invest in HK.

Incidentally, Hong Kong holds impressive awards and rankings such as being the most business efficient, the 2nd most government efficient and the 3rd most economically efficient in the world (IMD World Competitiveness Yearnook). Hong Kong also ranks as having the 2nd lowest business costs and risks in the world (Milken Institute's Opacity Index). For these reasons it is not surprising that Hong Kong is the number one location for regional operations in Asia, with 1,252 regional headquarters and 2,328 regional offices.

Hong Kong is also a major and global financial powerhouse. In 2006 the Hong Kong Stock Exchange raised US$32 billion, amounting to 15% of total global capital raised, and higher than the capital raised in the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange that same year. Hong Kong ranks as 3rd in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI), after London and New York, and is therefore the financial capital of Asia.

Hong Kong also has a major presence in the technology field, being the premier digital city and telecommunications hub of Asia. The government is continuously promoting high valued, original and high technology activities to leverage on its strong services and manufacturing sectors from the Pearl River Delta. The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP), a state-of-the-art research and technology infrastructure, and Cyberport, a US$2 billion project for enterprise and professional development, further support Hong Kong's leading role in IT.

Company Incorporation
Incorporating a business in Hong Kong is not only a wise business decision but also simple and cost-effective. Hong Kong proudly ranks as the 4th easiest place to do business by the World Bank's Doing Business Survey (2009) and it can take as little as 2 weeks to legally incorporate a Hong Kong company.

Global corporate bank accounts are readily available and there is no requirement to rent a physical office to complete formation, virtual offices are also permissible. The main requirements for Hong Kong company formation are to have at least one company director, who can be from anywhere in the world, and a Hong Kong resident company secretary (the director and secretary cannot, however, be the same person). Although annual audited financial statements are a requirement for HK businesses, quarterly reports are not necessary, thus maintaining the security of Hong Kong business whilst being user-friendly.

With a minimum issued capital requirement of one share at HK$1, Hong Kong company incorporation is indeed a viable option for almost any entrepreneur.

Living
Whilst Hong Kong is an extremely cheap palce to do business, it is however a very expensive place to live. The Mercer Human Resources Cost of Living Survey ranks HK as the 6th most expensive nation in the world to live in. That being said, as Hong Kong's GDP per capita is high, cost of living is often not a critical problem for most residents.

Hong Kong residents benefit from a modern and well developed infrastructure, as US$7.8 billion has been invested into Hong Kong over the past ten years. Projects like the government's ‘go wireless stay connected' initiative have improved facilties for people living in Hong Kong, with over 7,900 WiFi hotsports available in public libraries, recreational and cultural venues and even major parks.

Hong Kong also boasts one of the lowest crime rates in the world, outperforming many other international cities. The HK electricity grid is reliable and state-of-the-art, and blackouts do not occur. Utilities are not only reliable but also affordable. With an immigration policy that is family friendly, and with a vast expat community, it is easy to meet new people and make friends in Hong Kong. Private clubs, chambers, consulates, associations, special interest groups and networking clubs are of the many ways for expats to meet other foreign nationals. In this way, despite its high cost of living, Hong Kong has achieved a score or 90.9 out of 100 in the Economist Intelligence Unit liveability survey.


With its business oriented culture, strong work ethic and international and bi-cultural background, Hong Kong is a prime location for any entrepreneur to set up their business, while benefiting from low taxes and easy access to the booming China economy. Hong Kong is an Asian leader in the finance industry and IT field, as well as holding impressive world rankings for ease of business and freedom from corruption. Overall, Hong Kong ticks all the boxes for entrepreneurs looking for a sensible and enjoyable jurisdiction to set up their company and possibly live in.

Healy Consultants is a leading corporate services firm that assists entrepreneurs and investors with their company incorporation requirements. The firm provides a range of services including Hong Kong Company Formation, tax planning and offshore investing. More information on company incorporation can be found by visiting http://www.healyconsultants.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/incentives-to-incorporate-in-hong-kong-why-to-form-a-company-in-hong-kong-1440847.html

Melissa Glotzer is a Marketing Assistant at Healy Consultants. She is a graduate of the University of Manchester Business School with a BSc (Honours) in Management with Accounting and Finance.

Introduction

Today, Hong Kong has been known as one of the successful in East Asian for economy in terms of business and trade. Hong Kong has create the reputation not only recently but far before that. The influence of being one of the British colonies from 1841 to 1997 has been seen as the main factor on what is Hong Kong today. We can see some similarity between Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand which all the colonies are now been well in terms of country development.

It has been a great scenario to see the development and the growth in Hong Kong and how its can survive during the economic crisis in 1997 and once again in 2008. Although it can’t be deny that some slow in the economic growth been monitored during this period, anyway the magnificence is to see how Hong Kong keep its economy surviving until today comparing to other developing countries.

We are going to discuss from the historical background of Hong Kong, the factor that keep Hong Kong to be always competitive as economy power, the influence and impact after the handover to China and future of Hong Kong business.

Historical Background

Hong Kong has been a unique colony as East Asian economy power to the British since been found in 1841. Before that, Hong Kong is a part of China. History began when in 19th century, Chinese tea has boom in Britain (Szczepanski, 2009). The demand is high but British are unable to deal with Qing Dynasty for better transaction rather than pay with gold or silver. As a result, British decided to introduce opium from India to China for an exchanged for tea. China government is not agreed with these and destroyed a lot of opium own by British. The British has declared war due to this and won the First Opium War thru Treaty of Nanking in 1841. Here is when the interference of foreign power started in Hong Kong. At the beginning Hong Kong is just become a military staging point to British around the area.

The strategic geographical location of Hong Kong has been the main reason of it economy growth since then. Since during the colonial area, Hong Kong has been know to its free-market, private-enterprise and capitalistic system which benefits a lot of traders in terms of a free port, low taxes and limited government intervention to the economic and social affairs.

Therefore during the early stage of colonial period, British is very concern about Hong Kong potential of being free port and the possible treat can be to Hong Kong due to its location, surrounding by area that are still in China control. Anyway in 1898 British are able to lease Kowloon from China after won the Second Opium War. And in 1898, British sign the Second Convention of Peking, where all island surround Hong Kong are under British control for 99 years which are known as New Territories.

In year 1984, the Sino-British Joint Declaration has been signed to agree that Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories shall be given back to China as well. China has made a promise to implement One Country, Two System regime where allowing Hong Kong people are free to continue and practice capitalism and politic freedoms for 50 years.

Above we can understand that Hong Kong has established the relationship with Europe country especially British for such long time. The experience and understanding of dealing with European countries has made a great success for Hong Kong textiles and garment industries in the economic growth. Although Hong Kong has been officially handover to China on 1st July 1997, the strong fundamental based that Hong Kong have has make its able to sustain in the Asia economic crisis 1997.

Evolution of Hong Kong Economy

In early stage, Hong Kong as other islanders, the economy is based on fishing and agriculture. Anyhow within the colony Hong Kong as adopt a journey in being developing country towards manufacturing and service industrial base. Formerly Hong Kong has been made as a military port to monitor British interest in East Asian, acting as an international financial centre.

Historically Hong Kong has been incorporated into China during Qin Dynasty (221BC to 206BC). During year 1941 to 1945, Hong Kong has been occupied by Japan. This period has been a falling in all of the initial economy and trade activities in Hong Kong.

In early 1950’s, monitoring a lot of immigrants from mainland China especially from Shanghai move to Hong Kong (Yu, 1999). These cheap refugees have brought together with them the skills and capital along with them that helped Hong Kong to revive the economy. Following this pattern, foreign companies also have relocated offices from Shanghai to Hong Kong where this movement has make a changes in Hong Kong from territory entrepot trade to industrial and manufacturing.?

Early industrialization in Hong Kong only involves producing small items from buttons, artificial flowers, umbrellas and textiles. In the beginning of 1960’s, was a turning point for Hong Kong economy when the industrial and manufacturing is performing well and growing strong since. This is the period whereby the textile industry experienced a boom. The positive impact of the industrial development and growth in 1960’s was the development of multi storey building in Hong Kong. The potential of being an economy power from the industry has increase a massive number of immigrants from mainland China to Hong Kong where all of them acquire a place to start their life in Hong Kong. Hong Kong which is an island conceptually only has limited space for housing or building development. Therefore the multi storey building has been the best solution for this problem due to land scarcity. It helps the construction sector in Hong Kong to make it as one of the main economy source.

In 1997, China has decided to open their market for outsider. Anyway the China system is still far behind compare to what has Hong Kong established especially in terms of financial services, real estate, insurance, brokering and banking. Hong Kong has taken this opportunity as a gateway and resource for both China and foreign investor to success in their business. While China is starting to improve its skilled workers, Hong Kong already one step ahead to focus more on preparing themselves towards post industrial level in business and financial service sector.

During Asian Crisis 1997

Asian Financial Crisis (AFC) originally started in Thailand on 2nd July 1997 just after Hong Kong officially been hand over to China on 1st July 1997. Hong Kong as one of the power house economy in Asia also has no exception being affected by the crisis. It has been mentioned that Hong Kong was not well prepared to survive during the crisis. The crisis has spread quickly in Asia, where we can see financials problems in Japan and many corporate companies goes bankrupt in South Korea. During the crisis, phenomena seen are the falling stock markets prices, rising of interest rate, inflation, unemployment and growing social inequities.

The Surviving Factors for Hong Kong

Even though Hong Kong was handed to China, the impact of AFC in 1997 was not totally felt by Hong Kong. Hong Kong, during the recession the concerning factor was very much on the instability of the exchange rate (Floyd, 1998). The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HMKA) took actions forcing the interest rate higher than normal and intervened in the stock and future markets to cut off all the currency speculators.

Among other key factors that save Hong Kong from disastrous affect of AFC was sound corporate governance, good supervision in the banking and financial system, large foreign reserve and strong commitment from China to stabilize the financial health.

Besides of all the surviving factors mentioned earlier, Hong Kong as several natural competitive atmospheres such as Hong Kong has been successfully in manufacturing like electrical goods and services economy which like in finance.

Hong Kong stock market has the potential to play a vital role of rising capital for China and plays an international role in the world economy. Influences of western law and openness to trade have played a great part in Hong Kong success today. Hong Kong in has a labor force of 2.8 million (1998) and low rate of unemployment (2 percent) to add value on this they have a skillful labor who can work for longer hours independently. Low tax rates in Hong Kong attract many international companies to make investment example the tax rate for local companies are same as per foreign companies. Other tax benefits are no value added/ sales tax, no capital gain/ withholding tax, no estate duty and no global taxation.

Hong Kong Economic Link to China and Growth Factors

Hong Kong was described as a “barren island with hardly a house upon it” (Chan, 1991, p.21) when was established 160 years ago by the then-British Empire as a key port for the pursuit of British interests in China (Zhu, 2005). The visiting American journalist coined it “dying city” in 1951 (Ho, 1992). However, by 1971, the per capita income of Hong Kong had reached HK$6,096 and placing it second behind Japan in East Asia (Riedel, 1974). Since then, Hong Kong has been growing in average rate of 6.5 per cent between periods of 1987-1991 (Chau, 1993). In year 1992, Hong Kong GDP has reached HK$ 742, 582 million and has emerged as one of the richest economies in Asia (Chau, 1993). This stellar economic growth and performance has triggered development economist to search for an explanation (Yu, 1999).

Hong Kong is a good case study of the economic growth factors (Sung & Wong, 1998). There are three factors drives Hong Kong economic growth, namely, innovation, imitation and technology transfer. According to Sung & Wong, 1998, innovation is defined as effort to develop a new technology to improve productivity factor, invention a new product or improvement of the quality of some existing products. Imitation is defined as a learning effort and improvement of the technology developed by other firm. Based on Yu’s survey (1995), 88 per cent of the manufacturers imitated and supplied similar garments that already appeared in the market while only 8 per cent of them are attempting to make unique and novel products. On the technology transfer, this can be due to technology spillover through firm-to-firm or person-to-person contacts (the contagion effect) (Findlay, 1978). It is believed that Hong Kong growth can be attributed to accumulation of primary factors such as physical capital and labour force, technological progress, and human capital accumulation (Sung and Wong, 1998). The manufacturing sector in Hong Kong is learning by doing effect by conducted joint ventures with foreign firms to obtain foreign technology “know-how” from multinational corporation that have taken advantage of Asia’s low production costs (Engardio and Cross, 1992)

When China opens up its economy to foreign trade and investment on 1979, Hong Kong is China largest investor. The cumulative direct investment in China from 1979 to 1995 was US$78.6 billion (Sung and Wong, 1998). In 1995, the real investment of Hong Kong to China reached peak in 1994, with US$12.5 billion. Besides, outward investment of Hong Kong to China, Hong Kong is receiving capital from China as Hong Kong remains the prime destination of China investments. However, China’s direct investment is much smaller than Hong Kong’s direct investment in China. For illustration, in 1995, China’s direct investment in Hong Kong is just 17.7 percent or US$1.37 billion of Hong Kong’s direct investment in China. The imbalances of investments are due to the factors of many multinational companies are using their Hong Kong subsidiaries to test China investment environments as Hong Kong has the expertise.

As Hong Kong moving up the economic “value ladder”, the abundance of cheap labour which drives the growth during Hong Kong early industrialization period is slowly diminishing. Labour-intensive manufacturing had relocated from Hong Kong to China due to significant wage and rental differentials. With the relocation of the labour-intensive processing to China, Hong Kong manufacturers can focus on skill-intensive operations and services such as product design, production management, sourcing, order taking, financing and marketing (Sung and Wong, 1998). The relocation of the manufacturing sector in Hong Kong had spurred the entrepot trade between Hong Kong and China. From 1979 to 1996, China’s trade via Hong Kong with third countries had rose from US$1.2 billion to US$120 billion. With the entrepot trade with China, Hong Kong had served as middlemen between China and the rest of the world, where Hong Kong acquires the technology and finance for China firms in return of Hong Kong development and growth (Sung and Wong 1998).

Future of Hong Kong

The future of Hong Kong is depends on how well it can be integrated with China (Floyd 1998). Through out the years of British rules, Hong Kong economy has become internationalized and Hong Kong city has become one of the most international cities in the world (Vogel, 1989). With this, China had recognized Hong Kong’s economy as an important asset for the China’s development (Hook and Neves, 2002). To maintain Hong Kong positions as international hub for trade and finance and the main gateway to China after the reversion of Hong Kong, China had implemented the “one country, two systems” policy. Hong Kong capitalism will be allowed to continue and it will benefit the economic reform process in China (Floyd, 1998). On the economic front, Hong Kong had increasing important to East Asian economies as Hong Kong’ trade with Japan and China is rising. However, it is speculated that a resurgent of Shanghai would compete with Hong Kong directly or even replace Hong Kong’s role in China’s future economic development (Wong, 2004).

Hong Kong survivable in the future depends on how well it alert to opportunities, flexible and adaptable to the fast changing environment (Yu, 1999). Hong Kong producers have conducted joint ventures with multinational corporations, learnt foreign technologies and imitated their products. To continue enjoy healthy economic growth in future, Hong Kong economy needs to diversify and go through structural change from manufacturing to services (Clark, 1945). When the labour intensive relocated to China, Hong Kong manufacturers had become property developers and transforming their former factory sites into commercial complexes and make investment in real estate (Yu, 1999).

China must maintain the government principles of “one country, two systems”, “a high degree of autonomy” and “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong” way beyond the 50 years of Sino British Joint Declaration 1984 of no intervention in Hong Kong administration. With this, the business and entrepreneurship are given the freedom to operate and remain as the main driver in economic transformation and adaptive to environment changes. Riedel (1974) has remarks that “Hong Kong entrepreneurs are left free to do what they can do best…”

Conclusion

Hong Kong economy evolution was influenced by historical, geographical, cultural and technology driven factor. Historically, being a colonial of British, has prepared Hong Kong in the early stage for capitalism and free market society. Geographically, it was strategically located in East Asian, easy gateway for China, Taiwan, South Korea & Japan for international financial and trade center. Culturally, Hong Kong people are hardworking, high ethic and independent. Furthermore Hong Kong is gifted with technologically driven factors such as good financial system, communication; good infrastructure and government back up on research and development.

During the Asian Financial Crisis, Hong Kong managed to overcome the crisis due to solid governance and financial system plus a strong foreign reserve. After the handover to China, Hong Kong capitalism still prevails and the people are still enjoy democratic atmosphere. Under the “One Country, Two Systems” concept, China will continue to fully support Hong Kong liberalization economy which ensure the free market as well as the investor confidence on Hong Kong’s future.

In future, Hong Kong needs to be more alert, sensitive and adopt flexibility to the changing economic environment to grabs the investment opportunities. This is will ensure Hong Kong future prosperity and continuous growth.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/hong-kong-from-junks-to-jets-the-rise-of-a-global-powerhouse-1384551.html

Stanley is a peninsula on the south-eastern area of Hong Kong Island that is positioned west of Shek O, east of Repulse Bay and also neighbours Chung Hom Kok.

Renowned as a common fishing village, Stanley is full of historically acclaimed sights and scenic beauty. Among its many intriguing attractions is Murray House which was originally built in 1844.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/a-remarkable-holiday-destination-738711.html

Naveen Marasinghe is an Online Marketing Executive at eMarketingEye which is a search engine marketing agency

that offers integrated Internet marketing solutions and specializes in serving the online travel and hospitality industry. (http://www.emarketingeye.com/ )

Repulse Bay is situated in the Southern District of Hong Kong, which is an area towards the south of the Hong Kong Island. There are basically two schools of thought as to how this bay area became named Repulse Bay. One version states that in 1841, this bay area was used by pirates as a place for their activities. The pirates would plunder and loot trading ships, especially foreign ones, which go towards China to trade. This became a serious menace and so the British Fleet had to ‘repulse’ the pirates in the area. Hence the bay was named Repulse Bay. The other idea is that the British ship HMS Repulse was kept at one point in time at the bay.

During the 1910s the Repulse Bay area was constructed into a beach. The beach area was artificially lengthened; hence the sand near the shore is seemingly rougher than the sand that lies more inland. The Repulse Bay Hotel was constructed here in the year 1920. The longest serving Hong Kong bus route also goes through the Repulse Bay; it was created in order to bring in swimmers to the area. The bus route runs from Central to the Repulse Bay.

In 1982 the Repulse Bay hotel was turned into a shopping mall. There are many shops, restaurants and cafeterias in the mall. The renowned Building with a Hole is situated a bit further up and overlooks the Repulse Bay. On the east end of the beach resides the Kwun Yam Shrine.

A Hong Kong hotel to be found in the area is the Cosmopolitan Hotel.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/repulse-bay-a-wonderful-vacation-spot-790858.html

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

Crowning the picturesque Ngong Ping plateau in Lantau Island, the Po Lin Monastery is a magnetic attraction to both Buddhist and non-Buddhist tourists to Hong Kong. Originally named Da Maopeng, the monastery was constructed as a small rural temple in 1924. With the passing of time Po Lin Monastery developed into a principal centre of religious and cultural significance in Hong Kong. The breathtaking beauty of the countryside has also contributed to the fame of the holy sanctuary.

The highlight of the Po Lin Monastery is undoubtedly the Tian Tan Big Buddha statue that has graced the summit of Muyu Mountain since 1993. The 34m tall statue depicting Lord Buddha in a meditative sitting posture upon a lotus is the world’s largest bronze Buddha statue. Wrought in China within a period of 10 years, the statue portrays the majestic dignity and depth of the Sakyamuni’s character. The slightly inclining head and raised hand show the Buddha delivering a universal blessing. The statue is placed on a pedestal which is composed of a three storied museum. Among the most notable exhibits are several Bodhisattva and Buddha statues as well as a large bell, decorated by engravings of Buddhist Sutras and Buddha images. The bell, which legend claims to be vested with the power to cure human vexations, is sounded every 7 minutes.

The monastery has several halls for prayers and for exhibitions. Xiong Bao Dian (the Great Hall of Treasure), Hall of Ti-tsang Bodhisattva and the Sutra-Collection Hall are among the principal sections of the holy premises. In addition, Po Lin Monastery regularly conducts exhibitions of Buddhist Relics for the benefit of pilgrims and the general public.

A visit to Po Lin Monastery and the other areas of Lantau Island is an excellent method for a visitor lodging at a hotel in Hong Kong to experience the traditional and spiritual aspects of the region. Visitors who wish to combine the convenience of a centrally located boutique hotel in Hong Kong with the comforts of warm hospitality and well-appointed rooms need search no further than Hotel Jen located in the Western District with easy access to the principal attractions of the city.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/po-lin-monastery-home-to-the-largest-bronze-buddha-statue-in-the-world-1071526.html

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

As the economic and financial center in East Asia, Hong Kong enjoys all the benefits of a dynamic and vibrant metropolis.

Hong Kong however still captures the romance and mystery of days gone by in the markets and lanes where East meets West.

In addition to its impressive modernity, Hong Kong has many accessible beaches and natural sights for outdoor lovers.

Lantua Island for example, provides a relaxing atmosphere for a holiday break.

#One: Hong Kong Park

Hong Kong Park is a small public city park on Hong Kong Island in Central. It is surrounded on one side by the skyscrapers and on the other side by Victoria Peak. But in the small 8 hectare (20 square acres) space between Cotton Tree Drive and Kennedy Road, the Hong Kong Provisional Urban Council and the Hong Kong Jockey Club opened this park in 1991. It is free and attracts a million visits a year. In the big garden is a pond that covers a former tennis court, waterfalls or rapids and several important facilities including a sports facility, a big aviary, museums, a plant conservatory and a children's playground. The park has won several awards including one from the United State Urban Services Department for its excellent design and facilities in the crowded urban area. The aviary is a walk through aviary. This means that you can walk on a walkway through the tree canopy so that you can see the birds flying around inside up close. The little Hong Kong Park has a lot of interesting attractions crammed into it and is a major highlight of a visit to Hong Kong Island.

#Two: Avenue of Stars

The Avenue of Stars is basically a sidewalk on the shore of Hong Kong's Victoria Bay that is modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The sidewalk and pedestrian area has the handprints and signatures of famous Hong Kong actors such as Jackie Chan and metal sculptures of Hong Kong actors or film industry figures such as Bruce Lee. It stretches for about 440 meters along the shoreline, and there are benches and decorative plants. To keep people from falling into the ocean below, there is a metal handrail along the sidewalk. Some local people go there to enjoy the sight of the bay and the passing ships, jog, and enjoy the harbor air, and tourists go to see the light show at night and to take photographs. This sidewalk attracts a lot of mainland Chinese. You can see most of the tall buildings on Hong Kong Island here, and at night as part of the light show, music and dialogue are played.

#Three: Man Mo Temple

It is the oldest temple in Hong Kong in the Mid-levels area of Hong Kong Island. It is half the way up Victoria Peak. In the temple, two idols are worshiped, the God of Literature and the God of War. It was built in 1847. People go to the Man Mo temples in China to pray for success in examinations or in their academic or literary endeavors. They also go to Man Mo temples to settle disputes. A bronze bell there was also made in 1847. Though it has been often renovated, the original appearance is preserved, and it is visited by lots of people.

It is said that the ceremony for settling disputes between people of cutting off a chicken's head and burning yellow paper originated during the Qing dynasty. In this ceremony, in order to avoid going to court, people invoke the gods to punish people who don't perform the vows that they publicly make in the ceremony.

#Four: Hong Kong Aberdeen

Aberdeen Harbor is on the southern side of Hong Kong Island. It is on the other side of Victoria Peak from the main Hong Kong urban area. Aberdeen is the largest town on Hong Kong Island outside the main urban area, and the harbor was famous as the place where the Hong Kong boat people lived in the 1960s and 1970s. Movies such as a James Bond movie and a Bruce Lee movie were filmed there, so the harbor is recognized world wide. Now, the harbor area is mainly an anchorage for the yachts and pleasure boats of the Hong Kong suburban dwellers in the area. But there are still some famous floating restaurants and local fisherman using the bay, so it is a place to go for seafood on a boat and to see the scenery and the area tourist destinations like Hong Kong Ocean Park.

#Five: Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak is the highest peak in Hong Kong Island with an altitude of 554 meters and has been considered as a landmark of the island.

It is the best spot to have a bird's eye view of the Victoria Harbor and the whole thriving island. Viewed from the peak, the scenes are different between day time and night. At day time, you can see high and crowded buildings and the busy Victoria Harbor. At night, lit up by colorful lights, the whole scene is dazzling as a fairly-tale world. The best spot to enjoy the scene is the Peak Tower and the Lion Kiosk beside the peak tram terminal.

To reach the Victoria Peak, you can take the peak tram which was put into service in 1888. Its steepest point has an angle of 27 degree which definitely can give you an unforgettable experience.

Recommended Hong Kong Travel, Hong Kong attractions and Tours to Hong Kong.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-tips-articles/top-sightseeing-spots-in-hong-kong-2314834.html

Top China Travel Destinations are Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, Yangtze River Cruise and Tibet.

Hong Kong – small yet substantial tourist destination! Every year numerous people take cheap flights to Hong Kong to visit Disneyland, spend relaxed holiday at its beaches and to admire magnificent contemporary architecture. If you want to peep into the culture, history and arts of the region, visiting museums in Hong Kong would be the best option.

Following are the most popular museums in Hong Kong:

Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Ifyou want to know about the rich past of Hong Kong, nothing can beat the collections of Hong Kong Heritage Museum. It is strategically located on the banks of Shing Mun River. Travelers interested in exploring traditional and cultural significance of the region, take flights to Hong Kong and visit this museum. The museum features six galleries exhibiting great collection of art pieces, archeological items and magnificent paintings. There are six other galleries that are dedicated to temporary exhibitions. Notable permanent galleries in the museum are Chao Shao-an Gallery, Cantonese Opera Heritage Hall and Children\'s Discovery Gallery. Museum also features a theater featuring variety of performing arts.

Hong Kong Cultural Center

Hong Kong Cultural center is the place that defines the traditional and cultural expression of the region in best possible way. You can be a part of variety of shows, concerts and plays. If you are traveling with your kids after taking Hong Kong flights, you must take them to this cultural center. It is because the center organizes several educational programmes all the year round. In other words, the culture center has something for everyone. Hong Kong Museum of Art and Hong Kong Space Museum are just few steps away from the cultural center.

Hong Kong Museum of Art

Art lovers cannot refrain from visiting Hong Kong Museum of Art. The museum is known for its extensive collections of Chinese paintings, antiques, Calligraphy works and historical art pieces. While walking around the museum, you will come across collection of over 14,000 pieces. The objects displayed in the exhibitions features great impression of oriental cultures. Numerous travelers take flights to Hong Kong and visit this museum especially to take a closer look at the paintings made from water colors, oil and pencil sketches.

Hong Kong Museum of History

There are several museums that feature history of Hong Kong. However, this is the museum that features rich history as well as cultural heritage of Hong Kong. Visit the museum to increase your knowledge on local culture, beliefs and religion. There are several permanent historical exhibitions. But highlight of the museum is its themed exhibitions displaying various cultural aspects of the exuberant island. If you are taking Hong Kong Flights, I\'d recommend you to visit Hong Kong Museum of History.

Law Uk Folk Museum

The museum is one of a kind. It gives you extensive knowledge on the culture and life of squatters and fishermen. It is a branch of Hong Kong Museum of History. Every traveler who is taking cheap flights to Hong Kong can visit the museum as it remains open all through the week. Best part is that there is no entry fee. The unique structure of the museum has given it the status of Historic Building in China.

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Chrish Watson is an expert content writer at crystal travel for business development. If you want to know about Hong Kong Flights then you must visit www.crystaltravel.co.uk or call 0800 368 0300 for book your Flights to Hong Kong.