2 S u 0 Ye m ars m e r Re 2 0 pl a 09 y
Hong Kong - In Search of My Chinese Roots
by Greg James
hinese New Year in Hong Kong! What a wonderful time to visit this dynamic world-class city that rises so dramatically on the northern shores of the South China Sea! However, this was going be much more than just another trip to yet another exotic foreign destination. For me, this would be a long-anticipated voyage to explore one of my many far-flung and multi-hued ethic roots!
English continues to be widely understood and spoken in Hong Kong, but don't be fooled by this. Centuries-old Chinese traditions, superstitions, religious fervour, clan affiliation, ancestral veneration and respect for one's elders are still strongly adhered to by even the most chic and worldly of young Hongkongers!
A Chinese Grandfather
The inimitable charm of the Chinese swept me away the minute I got in line at the for my late-night Cathay Pacific flight from Toronto to Hong Kong. Graceful, smiling, female attendants, wearing cheongsams (traditional Chinese close-fitting long silk dresses) and stiletto heels, immediately came up to greet me. Taking note of my six-foot height, they hastened to assure me in perfect English that I would have a seat with plenty of legroom for the 14hour-plus, non-stop flight to Hong Kong!
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My maternal grandfather was born to Chinese indentured workers. Following the Britain's abolition of slavery in 1833, Cantonese peasant farmers were taken halfway around the world to replace the freed slaves on the sugar plantations in what was then British Guiana, Britain's only South American colony, sometime back in the mid-to-late 1800s. I never knew my Chinese great grandparents, but growing up 'half-Chinese', I always wondered what it would be like to stroll down streets where almost everyone was Asian. Now at last, I was about to find out on my brief but incredibly intriguing seven-day sojourn in Hong Kong! One Country, Two Systems Hong Kong would prove to be the ideal place to begin my search for my long-lost 'Chinese' heritage. Like Guyana where I was born, Hong Kong had also been a British colony. On July 1, 1997, Britain ceded Hong Kong to China, but much of the territory's previous way of life as a British possession was guaranteed under the "One Country, Two Systems" agreement, signed by the governments of the UK and the People's Republic of China. For today's Western visitor, this means that
Gracious Beginning
Lay of the Land Using Hong Kong's surprisingly unclogged network of super highways, bridges and tunnels, it was just a short ride to the Harbour Plaza Metropolis Hotel on Kowloon’s waterfront. Until my visit, I did not realize that the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong consists of the Island of Hong Kong; Lantau Island; Kowloon City, located on the north bank of Hong Kong's natural Victoria Harbour; and the New Territories, which extend northward from Kowloon to the border of the Mainland Chinese Province of Guangdong (often referred to in English as Canton). Sea of Islands Hong Kong also counts some 260 islets as
World Traveler - Already 20 Years!
part of its region for a total land area of 1,108 km2 (427 square miles). But with its burgeoning population of just over 7 million, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Feng Shui Aesthetics The Bank of China building, though not the tallest, is still one of Hong Kong's most recognizable landmarks. However, we discovered that it sparked lots of controversy when it was completed in 1990. Many thought that it did not conform to Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese guiding principle of positive aesthetics. A Market For Every Reason After disembarking on Hong Kong Island, we made our way through the forest of ultramodern high-rise office buildings to some of the most interesting urban side streets that I have ever had the good fortune to stroll. On our wonderful walk through the Graham Street Wet Market, the Dried Seafood Street, the Herbal Medicine Street and the Ginseng Street, the sights, smells and sounds of what I envisioned the Orient to be all about came vividly to life.The narrow, crowded and often slightly inclined side streets were a joy to explore. Stalls selling every imaginable type of fresh and dried fish and seafood competed with those offering farm-fresh vegetables, fruits and greens. Thousand-year-old eggs were available next to a mind-blowing variety of teas and herbs. Dried Ginseng roots and other remedies for promoting one's health and curing ailments were yours for the asking. Because this was the week preceding Chinese New Year, many of the stalls offered multi-
