SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONOnce a haven for
pirates, Lantau Island
still offers glimpses of
its colorful past.
History buffs are advised to steer clear of
Disneyland and the cable-car ride to the faux-
Chinese “cultural village” at the foot of Tian Tan
Buddha; Hong Kong’s biggest island has plenty
more tricks up its sleeve. A short bus ride
from Tung Chung new town brings you to the
heritage-listed Tung Chung Fort (amo.gov.hk)
in Ha Ling Pei village. Built in 1832, it features
sturdy granite walls punctuated by three
arched gateways, with six Qing Dynasty–era
cannons atop the ramparts. On the far western
shore of Lantau lies Tai O, a traditional fishing
village famed for its stilt houses, shrimp paste,
and sunsets. Make your afternoon excursion an
overnight stay by booking a room at the historic
Tai O Heritage Hotel (taioheritagehotel.com),
a converted hilltop police station dating to- The property’s glass-roofed restaurant
utilizes local ingredients such as salted duck
egg and shrimp paste in its signature dishes.
Traditional Cantonese opera finds a new
home in a cutting-edge facility.
Steps away from the recently opened high-speed rail
terminus, Xiqu Centre (westkowloon.hk) is the first
permanent attraction to debut in the West Kowloon
Cultural District. Canadian studio Revery Architecture
partnered with local firm Ronald Lu & Partners to create an ultramodern building
inspired by Chinese lanterns and traditional concepts like the element of qi, which
translates to “life force” or “energy flow.” The latter gave rise to the sweeping
curves evident in the structure’s stark white atrium, a semi-indoor piazza whose
ceiling doubles as the underbelly of the 1,073-seat Grand Theatre. Inside a smaller
performance hall, the in-house troupe puts on 90-minute showcases designed to
introduce new audiences to Chinese traditional theater, plying patrons with tea and
dim sum to recreate the atmosphere of Hong Kong’s early-20th-century tea houses.Have your fill of Hong Kong’s food culture on a
private small-group tour with local experts.
A recommended option is Little Adventures in Hong Kong
(littleadventuresinhongkong.com), which limits numbers to just three
guests and customizes each walking tour according to the interests of participants.
The outfit was founded by fluent Cantonese speaker Daisann McLane, a former
New York Times and National Geographic Traveler columnist who divides her time
between Hong Kong and her native Brooklyn. McLane’s multilingual team of hosts—
all local professionals drawn from the media and culinary industries—will introduce
you to some of their favorite haunts while providing the inside scoop on dining like
a longtime resident, whether you wish to seek out classic cha chaan teng fare, feast
on the best roast duck in town, or hop between the quintessentially Hong Kong (but
endangered) open-air eateries known as dai pai dong. Another bonus? You’ll get an
informed perspective on daily Hong Kong life and current affairs in the territory.10
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Riverside stilt
houses in Tai O.JOSEPHINEROZMAN(BOTTOM)