Hong Kong’s Top 50 Icons
Love 'em or hate 'em, these are the things that make Hong Kong home.
It’s ten years since the handover and Hong Kong is no longer a colony, nor will it be a fully legitimate mainland city until 2046. That means we’ve got 40 more years to really be ourselves. Hong Kongers who fled have come back in droves and we as a city have started to realize just how important our heritage is in defining our identity in a globalized world.
But all this begs the question, “What is Hong Kong”? Knowing that it is ultimately impossible to define, we present to you here, instead, the top 50 icons that define our everyday lives, here in the best city in the world. Here’s to 40 more years!
1) Peaceful protests
Long a part of Hong Kong’s political life, demonstrations have risen to new heights after the handover when 500,000 people took to the streets in 2003. The icons in our list all represent Hong Kong but nothing could represent the past decade better than this. We’ll see you again this year at the July 1 rally for democracy, 3pm in Victoria Park.
2) Cha chan tengs and dai pai dongs
Now that dai pai dongs are swiftly disappearing, the cha chan teng has become the iconic HK café for our favorite drink, yin-yeung.
3) Street barbers
Wu, 74, has been a street barber on Cannon Street for 46 years now. Pay him $56 and he’ll clean you up real nice.