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18 More Weird, Strange and Unusual Hong Kong Images

Volume 6 - The Strange side of Hong Kong Culture

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18 More Weird, Strange and Unusual Hong Kong Images

Hong Kong Culture 101

Being English and from Yorkshire and of a certain age I have what is called a very well developed sense of humour, honed on Monty Python humour for the most part…

Living in Hong Kong for 52 years has not affected my humour in any shape or form and I have over the years taken quite a few images that are strange, odd, perplexing and just plain weird and I hope they will make you smile and perhaps give you a little insight into Hong Kong Culture.

The images are as usual in a totally random order and yes, this is volume 6, for volume 1,2,3,4 and 5 click on the buttons below

All images taken by me unless I state otherwise

Hong Kong Iconic Buildings | King Yin Lei Mansion, est. 1937, on Stubbs Road above Happy Valley, Hong Kong

Quite unique and it is such a shame it’s location makes it impossible for it to become a bucket list must visit place in Hong Kong Kong. It is preserved and owned by the Hong Kong Government but it is only open to the Public a few times a year because it is located on a busy road leading to Victoria Peak and there are no parking facilities for coaches | cars and such and there is limited public transportation with the exception of the no. 15 bus to the Peak from Central.

You can like I did stand on the side walk on Stubbs Road to get some images, the photo does not do it justice, it is an amazing one of a kind house.

Food Delivery Couriers in Hong Kong

Nice to see what the Government calls an Ethnic Minority person doing gainful employment and to be honest you do not see many young ladies doing this essential job! I got a nice smile as well. I rather suspect food deliveries by scooter are on the way out as we are almost at the stage where Drones will be used (a priority for the Government) which will be a lot cheaper and more efficient than using scooters and humans.

The NP 360 Cable Car to and from Tung Chung and the Big Buddha on Lantau Island, Hong Kong

It is expensive but for me anyway, I just love it, the 20 minute ride is simply awesome with some stunning views and I love it even more when it is foggy and you cannot see anything, it can be quite scary! and at the end of it, the Big Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery both still amongst my favourite places to visit in Hong Kong.

The Golden Orb Spider, everywhere in Hong Kong

Not for everyone but I love them, they can be quite huge and as big as an adult hand and are pretty much everywhere where it is green in the summer and I do like to get up close and personal with them.

The secret behind Room 336 in the Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong

This is Room 336 of the Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong and very important at that....

Over its long history The Peninsula has been the scene of many historic events. In Room 336, the documents representing the surrender of Hong Kong to the Japanese were signed on Christmas Day, 1941 by General C. M. Maltby and Sir Mark Young, the Governor of Hong Kong.

It is a shame that there isn't a brass plaque on the wall to mention this, I imagine this is so it does not offend any Japanese guests.... and yes, I took the picture and yes I fully understand the Hotels reluctance to publicise this story.

Hong Kong Religion | Tsz Shan Monastery est. 2015, Tai Po, NT, Hong Kong

I first went there in 2015 a month or two before it opened and I have been back twice since and I love the place, particularly the museum, it is however such a shame that you have to book a “spot” to visit months in advance as visitor numbers are strictly limited, it is in the middle of nowhere which means transport options are limited but no matter, it is absolutely worth a visit and for me it has a mysterious aura about it on a cloudy | rainy day.

PLA Army Truck on the Streets of Hong Kong

They have been around since 1997 and it is quite rare to see them on the streets, however if you are patient and stand in the middle of Jordan Road at the junction of Jordan Road and Nathan Road in Kowloon you can see them most days (you have to be patient though), it was quite a thrill to capture this one I can tell you.

Waterfall Bay in Wah Fu Estate, Aberdeen, Hong Kong

On everyone’s bucket list hidden gem (a phrase I hate by the way) and recently in the news as it was the scene of a grisly murder in October 2024…. it is very, very difficult to access and if you are expecting a gigantic waterfall you will be disappointed but it does have a bit of history and some old WW2 Pillboxes.

Sky Full of God's + Buddha's, Wah Fu Estate, Aberdeen, Hong Kong

Basically next to Waterfall Bay and worth a visit if you like quirky and offbeat attractions in remote locations, it is very photogenic but you can easily spend a couple of hours just getting there and back from Central District, Hong Kong Island and best to hire a private guide to take you.

Sham Tseng Squatter Village, Sham Tseng, NT. Hong Kong

I have lived in Sham Tseng for 15 years, we like it and I have been known to take people there because it really is an interesting place.

So what do we have in Sham Tseng then that is so fascinating?

  • two 7 - 11's a Circle K and two supermarkets

  • three big Chinese gates (like what you see in Chinatown's around the world)

  • The Garden Bakery Factory, lots of bread and cakes made in my town

  • 4 fast food restaurants including a McDonalds

  • really, really tall apartment blocks

  • a statue of a goose that cost US$153,845

  • the worlds most famous Roast Goose Restaurant (which is why we have the goose statue) The Yue Kee Roast Goose Restaurant is the place

  • a load of not so famous restaurants which I stay well clear off

  • one of the best views of the Airport Bridge and Lantau Island

  • a nice beach

  • amazing public transport links

and the squatter village.

This squatter village I find fascinating, in a nutshell it is what in western terms is called a shanty town and is legal within a very strict framework of rules and regulations.

Starting in the early 1950's Hong Kong was overrun with refugees fleeing strife in China and these shanty towns sprung up everywhere and were essentially replaced by Public Housing Estates built by the Hong Kong Government to the extent that only a few remain.

I do not live in the Squatter Village but it is a real contrast as Sham Tseng is quite middle class and I love bringing people here to see it as it shows a side to Hong Kong which hardly anyone see's and it is great for photography..

The Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen in Hong Kong and the view of the kitchen at the back which no one ever saw!

The Jumbo Restaurant is long gone now but I always loved this image of the kitchen at the back of the floating Jumbo Restaurant, to say that it was a fire hazard and a death trap was a classic understatement.

A typical Hong Kong Chinese Wedding

My wife has probably been to over 60 of these wedding celebrations, I have only been to a few as I find them to be tedious but they are culturally fascinating with no expense spared, they certainly know how to throw a party and enjoy the big day!

According to recent reports, the average cost of a typical Hong Kong wedding in 2024 is roughly US$54,000!!!

The Venerable Yuet Kai’s mummified remains in the 10,000 Buddha Monastery in Shatin, Hong Kong

To quote from a Zolima Magazine article :-

“Yuet Kai died aged 87 in 1965. His final wish was to be buried and exhumed after eight years. Following his instructions, his disciples raised his body out of the ground only to discover that it had not decayed. They covered the master’s body in lacquer and gold leaf and placed him on the altar, where his perfectly preserved “diamond body” remains in its golden cover. This temple’s most potent treasure, doted with a life-like face, smiles out at all who come to visit the master.”

So that’s him in the glass case, he was the founder of the place., just one of the many reasons to visit this amazing place (and yes, there are 431 very steep steps to ascend and the chance of being accosted by monkeys)

Hong Kong Places | Statue Square, old Colonial Hong Kong, est. 1962, Central, Hong Kong

I love this place, I have sat there many thousands of times since 1972 just watching the world go by., and here is a little bit of historical knowledge that not many people know, the famous bronze statue is Sir Thomas Jackson who was instrumental in putting HSBC on the map both in Hong Kong and the world at large, well, he used to face right, looking towards HSBC Headquarters (which is to the right) and now he faces the Court of Final Appeal. Go figure!

Hong Kong youngsters and role play

Not exactly a rarity on the Streets of Hong Kong, the young folk copying their Japanese and Korean brethren, normally young ladies and normally 20 yards behind, middle aged men with camera’s.

The unhappy and short lives of fish in Hong Kong

I have always been a fan of Hong Kong wet markets, Hong Konger’s like fresh food and it is not unusual for them to hit the markets 3 times a day to ensure everything from meat, to fish and vegetables are as fresh as possible and fish probably have the most miserable time of their short lives, it is not uncommon to see fish that have been sliced and diced into 12 parts and you can see the heart still pumping away. not for the faint hearted.

Scooter Girls

My parents were Mods back in the 1960’s and my mum had her own Vespa, I still smile when I see young ladies carrying on the scooter tradition in Hong Kong!

…..and who doesn’t like a Nestle ice cream drumstick

It is nice to see even in this day and age ice cream trucks and scooters on the streets of Hong Kong




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| Cultural Tourism At It’s Very Best |

J3 Premium Private Hong Kong Tours and Experiences

Jamie, Your Passionate Hong Kong Expert & Storyteller

Discover Hong Kong - Pearl of the Orient

Learn about the unbiased, real Hong Kong | forget what you read in the press!


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