18 Strange | Weird Hong Kong Images
Volume 1 - The Strange side of Hong Kong Culture
Discover the Real Hong Kong with Jamie
18 Strange | Weird 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.
The images are in a totally random order
The really funny Street Sign
Taken in Sai Kung, a town in the New Territories of Hong Kong and honestly a rather pleasant place to visit and like most districts there are one or two street signs that for some reason got past the busybodies in the Government, I suspect this one got past the censors because it is not the same spelling as the offending word although when you pronounce it you are in a whole heap of trouble.
It absolutely appeals to my juvenile sense of humour.
The Sleeping Soldier rock formation near Tai O Fishing Village on Lantau Island.
Hong Kong has it’s fair share of rock formations that resemble “things” this one does as well once you have looked at the image 50 times it does indeed look like a sleeping soldier.
The rock (s) are in the middle of nowhere and basically we saw this when we where on a boat that takes tourists to see the fabled pink dolphins near Tai O.
It is odd.
Pineapple Buns
Eh? what the heck? what is strange or weird about a pineapple bun?
You might have also heard the term Rock Bun, same thing - my Mother in Law has been eating them since the 1940’s
I wrote a blog post under my other company J3 Private Tours in April 2020 and I pull the text from that
Honestly the way people in Hong Kong rave about the iconic pineapple bun you would think it is the greatest single food item in the galaxy and …. I just do not get it.
It is funny over the years cake and sweet dessert shops have sprung up everywhere, Hong Konger’s love sweet stuff, just not in a Chinese Restaurant where a slice of fruit is supposed to do the trick.
I am in English terms, a fat git and a fat git that has spent a lifetime eating desserts first, main course after (my stupidly, irrational way of thinking is that trifle covers all the major food groups!) so in a nutshell I am a connoisseur of desserts, candy, puddings, cakes, cheese cake, sweet stuff, afters yada, yada.
I am incredulous that the pineapple bun has been dubbed by the Hong Kong Government no less as one of its 480 intangible cultural heritage items on a list in 2014, quite the accolade for a simple bakery item.
So I have laid down the marker.
First up, the pineapple bun has zero pineapple in it, zero, the term is simply because apparently (I do not see it) the crust looks like a pineapple, my way of thinking is that if it actually had some bloody pineapple in it, it might actually taste a lot better!, (and with 2 dollops of whipped cream) the thing here if you have the time to sit in a local cafe and split open the bun and shove a big slab of butter into the bun and then heat the bun to make it warm and soft…. and melt the butter… yuk.
Butter is NOT whipped cream
That crust is another issue, as soon as you pick up the darn thing the crust crumbles into a million pieces, it is extraordinarily messy, the crumbs stick to your fingers, your clothes and end up in places you can’t talk about in polite company…. and if you wonder why cockroaches are fat and 4 inches long here it is because they gorge on pineapple bun crumbs… it also helps explain why a lot of people eat them out of plastic bags whilst scoffing them in the streets which makes me slightly crazy.
Bland, yes this is word that best describes them from my point of view, they are only slightly sweeter than a standard bread roll, there are plenty of other bakery products in Hong Kong that are much better, not least of which is the egg tart which I love by the way, egg tart vs pineapple bun, no contest and yes, the egg tarts also crumble as only a tart can but they are so delicious by comparison.
Finally, my all time favourite local dessert is mango pudding which MUST be served with a cherry on top and carnation milk, simply awesome, I could actually live on mango pudding and a lot of traditional Chinese restaurants actually have it on the menu.
Next time you want to eat a pineapple bun, go instead to the food hall at Marks & Spencers, they have some awesome takeaway desserts or buy 6 egg tarts from the awesome Tai Cheong Bakery and pork out and feel terribly guilty afterwards.
ps. now you know why I don’t do food tours, never did, never will.
ps 2. I am also aware that 92% of the population in Hong Kong will disagree with my opinion and they would probably point out that chicken feet are iconic as well…. that is the sound of me shaking my head.
The Double Rainbow
For the past 15 years I have had this view from our balcony, we are quite high up and have this splendid view of the Airport Bridge, Lantau Island and Hong Kong Island in the distance.
This is the double rainbow I captured a few years ago, the first and only time I have seen one!
The Public Service Message that is a complete failure
I did a blog post recently on my 10 favourite advertising signs in the MTR (Subway) this is no. 1
An absolute classic on how NOT to present your message, this is a Hong Kong Government message ( the Hong Government owns 75% of the MTR ) - taking upskirt images of young ladies on escalators is a crime in Hong Kong and there are lots of huge escalators all over Hong Kong, not just in MTR Stations and Shopping Malls.
This image is all wrong, the young male is decidedly shifty but hardly any males wear flat caps in Hong Kong and those that do will now be branded potential perverts, the wolf (I think it is a wolf or a dragon wolf) has a sly smile but the whole point of the advert goes down the toilet because the young lady has a slight smile as if enjoying the moment.
It is a crime for god’s sake! and it seems to happen every day somewhere in Hong Kong but generally peaks from May to September in our summer when the young ladies wear short skirts.
Hong Kong passed a law in 2021 about upskirt photography, you will go to jail and the maximum sentence is 5 years in jail, they really need to think about posters like this, it should be blunt and uncompromising, the lady smiling in the poster just sends out the wrong message.
Oh dear.
Monkeys and Toilets do NOT mix
You need you to have an open mind and a juvenile sense of humour (which I do) to get the punchline
This is at the 10,000 Buddha Monastery in Shatin in the New Territories and quite a popular place to visit if you can manage the 428 very steep steps you need to walk up to get there, something people do not dwell on because it really does put people off in the hot, wet and humid summer months.
For me the problem with the Monastery is that there is a resident population of monkeys
“The total population of wild monkeys in Hong Kong is about 2,000, they were distributed in 30 social troops. The existing species are the Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta), the Long-tailed Macaque (M. fascicularis) and their hybrids. They are mainly found in Kam Shan, Lion Rock, and Shing Mun Country Parks.”
A quote from the relevant Government Department which fails to mention they are specifically at the Monastery as well.
Personally I hate the darn things, they have no fear of humans and are aggressive and have a huge mouthful of giant teeth and bear in mind they do not floss or brush their teeth with Colgate toothpaste.
Therefore the bathroom sign at the 10,000 Buddha Monastery is not misplaced, it really is a problem.
My humour being what it is, is that a 3rd line is appropriate
Do not spank the Monkey
You have been warned
Woody, alive and kicking in Hong Kong
I am a car photographer, it is what I do (100,000 + and counting) and a bit of an authority on car licence places (click on the relevant menu link on this site)
This explains my interest in the Lexus with the BURBERRY licence plate
Only when I saw the image later did I notice Woody from TOY STORY clinging onto the back of a scooter!
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Not something you see every day.
This display is in the Tai O fishing village on Lantau Island and in general you will only see this rather weird display if you are with a Private Tour Guide and are exploring Tai O on foot rather than water.
Chinese Medicine Store in Hong Kong
Now you know what happened to Bambi
The dodgy food in an around the Temple Street Night Market in Hong Kong
A cheap Chinese Restaurant in the Temple Street Market in Hong Kong
Temple Street in Hong Kong has had a 2023 | 2024 makeover with a new section of street food stalls making the place come alive particularly at night and for once actually serving up some great food.
For as long as I can remember (and I have been to Temple Street hundreds and hundreds of times) this is what you see at the decidedly dodgy restaurants that seem to cater to Gen Z visitors on a budget.
Basic hygiene is not the greatest priority and from my perspective the food is just appalling and remember, there are 2 pricing structures, one for Hong Kong Chinese locals and one for everyone else at much higher prices.
Rickshaws, a fading Hong Kong icon
In the heyday of 1924 there where around 3,500 working rickshaws in Hong Kong and the number has gradually been whittled down to basically zero in 2024 as public transport and cars grew in popularity., I first encountered them in 1972 and it was not a pleasant experience.
This display at the Star Ferry Central Pier on Hong Kong Island has been there for years but I must stress that my sources indicate that these are not genuine rickshaws from 50 years ago but replica’s made over the border in a Mainland China factory for quite a low cost, hard to tell the difference I might add.
I have mixed feelings about them, I love the history behind them and looking at old photographs but I also hated with a passion the old geezers that operated them, let’s just say they were social misfits and absolutely hated the foreigners that paid their wages so to speak.
It is strange and a little sad to see these rickshaws, but I am glad they are still there.
The Thunderstorm from Hell
Another weather shot from my balcony
Hong Kong get’s it’s fair share of violent weather in the summer (typhoons for the main part) but every now and then we get thunderstorms with the roiling clouds and it almost turns pitch black - very armageddonish!
Eu Yan Sang | Chinese Medicine Company
The founder of the company in the 1870’s was from Mainland China but set up the company in Malaysia and sold it’s goods all across Asia and is now world famous.
This rather strange statue has always been a fixture in their Central store in Hong Kong on Queens Road Central
Chucky has brothers and sisters in Hong Kong
Human like dolls at the Star Ferry Pier, TST Kowloon
I did a double take when I saw these dolls, they were eerily human like and quite fascinating…. memories of Chucky and M3GAN spring to mind.
The Pink Rolls Royce
Parked on Stanley Street in Hong Kong
Probably the most visible and famous car in Hong Kong and a fixture on my car blogs - whatever your feelings about a pink Rolls Royce are (very Lady Penelope from the Thunderbirds) I thought this image was fascinating.
Hong Konger’s are famous for being totally oblivious to their surroundings, even more so in today’s smart phone | social media age and I was interested in this chaps reaction, he actually NOTICED that is was a Pink Rolls Royce Phantom!
The Cheung Chau Bun Festival
Held in May every year, I always thought it was one of the very best local festivals but over the years Government busybodies and Covid 19 have watered down the celebrations in the interest of safety and such.
These are edible buns that are attached to a giant metal structure (shaped like a parking cone) and participants have to climb to the top of the tower and collect as many buns as possible… it was always quite exciting and quite dangerous for the climbers (those who where daft enough to take part) and for some reason more often than not, it rained non stop for days prior to the even, a recipe for disaster!
I was always fascinated by this pile of buns
The Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Hong Kong
Strange and weird do not even come close to describing this Hong Kong Icon and it gained worldwide attention in 2022
We all know that in 2022 due to Covid the restaurant closed down (despite many attempts to save it because of it’s iconic status) and it was sold apparently to a mystery buyer and sent on a journey to Cambodia (next to Thailand) in South East Asia.
Long story short, this was not a vessel that was seaworthy in any shape or form particularly for a long journey in the turbulent South China Sea and it sank on a reef a few days into it’s journey and apparently is still there snagged upside down on the reef.
For 2 years now there has been a total news blackout about the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, no one seems to know anything which I guess just adds to the legend.
HK$15,050,000 or US$1,935,000 Jade Bracelet
This is NOT a Jade product from the Hong Kong Jade Market! this is the famous Luk Fook Jewellery Jade Bangle on sale for US$1,935,000 !
I always used to make a point of stopping at this shop window which is handily located on Nathan Road, TST Kowloon opposite the Kowloon Mosque And Islamic Centre.
Just another random jewellery store amongst the many thousands of them or so you thought.
I loved to point out this Jade Bracelet, just sat there in the window with a price tag of almost US$2 Million, not exactly an every day purchase! they rotate the window display a lot so it is not always there but it will be inside the shop!
So there you have it - as and when I collect more strange and weird images I will do another blog post.
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Jamie, your friend in Hong Kong
52 years living in Hong Kong, our family arrived on January 2nd 1972
I have lived here for 25 years under British Rule, 27 years under Chinese Rule
I have 45 years of Business Consultancy experience in Hong Kong
My wife is a local & has lived her entire life in Hong Kong, her first language is Cantonese
We have 3 Adult sons all born and educated in Hong Kong, 2 still live in Hong Kong
I pioneered the Private Tour Industry in Hong Kong in 2010
2,324 completed award winning Private Tours of Hong Kong from 2011 - 2020
……and yes, I am a bit of an expert on the Hong Kong car culture!
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