1st July: Hong Kong

Hong Kong's transfer of Sovereignty from the UK to China took place on 1 July 1997. A good excuse to come up with ten things you may not know about Hong Kong.

1. Hong Kong became a British colony after the First Opium War (1839–42), and aside from a period during the second world war when it was occupied by Japan, it remained so until 1 July 1997 when the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong took place and it became Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.
2. The name Hong Kong means Fragrant Harbour.
3. There is more to Hong Kong than the city (which has more Skyscrapers than New York). It includes Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories and about 200 other islands. Three quarters of the territory is actually rural and it has 24 country parks.
4. The Peak Tram was the first cable funicular in Asia. It's been going since 1888 and is one of the steepest and oldest funiculars in the world. An average of over 11,000 people ride the Peak Tram every day.
5. The saying, “only mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun”, by Noel Coward, referred to Hong Kong and the British custom of firing a Noonday Gun in Causeway Bay.
6. Feng Shui or Chinese geomancy plays a key role in shaping architecture in Hong Kong. Buildings are designed with the principles of Feng Shui in mind. The government even had to compensate people living near civil construction projects which affected their Feng Shui. Numerology is also important. Lucky numbers are 2, 3, 6, 8, and 9, while 1, 4, and 7 are avoided.
7. Hong Kong is the world's fourth most densely populated sovereign state or territory. The district of Mongkok has the world's highest population density with an average of 130,000 people per square kilometre.
8. It has the largest number of Rolls Royce cars per person than any other city in the world. The Peninsula Hotel ordered 14 Rolls Royce Phantoms, the largest single order. There are also some hugely expensive properties. On the Peak, HKD350 million will only buy you a 4,600 square foot villa. It has the world's highest property prices in general - HKD1.5 million buys only 500 square feet. Not everyone is rich. There are people who can only afford to live in small plywood “coffins” or iron cages, costing around US$200 a month.
9. Hong Kong is home to the world's longest suspension bridge, the Tsing Ma Bridge, with a main span of 1,377 metres. It is 100m longer than San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
10. Every year, a bun festival is held on Cheung Chau Island, which involves building a large tower of buns to feed the hungry ghosts. Although nowadays, the buns are made of plastic, so it seems unlikely the ghosts will find them very palatable.