The good, bad and ugly sides to Hong Kong, for visitors and residents alike

THE GOOD

You can’t argue with 26 million tourists. For the seventh year in a row, Hong Kong has been ranked as the world’s most visited city, and while we are all familiar with The Peak, Ocean Park, the Big Buddha and so on, sometimes it’s the second-tier sights that provide a bigger thrill of discovery: a New Territories waterfall that tumbles into a temptingly clear pool; the wonderfully eccentric folly of Ng Yuen, on Lantau Island; or a reasonably priced restaurant tucked away in the backstreets of Kowloon.

While we are in a self-congratulatory mood, our city has also been crowned the world’s most competitive economy, ahead of Singapore. (It’s always good to finish above teacher’s pet.) To experience these two world-beating performances from the sharp end, head to Ladies Market, in Mong Kok, perhaps the most fiercely competitive 500 metres of real estate in the city. A TripAdvisor analysis of mobile GPS check-in data revealed the souk-like shopping strip to be Hong Kong’s most visited attraction, which must be a kick in the teeth for other, shinier sights.

A competitive economy benefits from a first-rate education system and the territory performs exceptionally well in global school rankings. But it isn’t all work and no play for students. Hong Kong enjoys the public holidays of two civilisations. We get time off to celebrate the birthdays of the Buddha and Jesus. Schools and businesses close at Ching Ming but also for Easter. Christmas is enjoyed as much by locals as the Dragon Boat Festival is by expat paddlers.

Then there’s the unexpected bonus of a typhoon or black rain signal, which provides the studious with the chance to catch up with their studies on the internet while the gregarious catch up with their friends at the pub.