Saturday, October 11, 2008

A different side of Hong Kong - the New Territory

Space in Hong Kong is a rare commodity. Hence I was pleasantly surprised by the vastness when I arrived at the New Territory. There is an uninterrupted view of the clear blue sky, puncutated only occasionally by the bowing fishing rods of the anglers. There is no tall office buildings. Cyclists peddled and pedestrians strolled along the river. I could even hear birds chirping. For the first time after spending 8 months in HK, I realized the MTR station actually play light music.
New Territory is a favourite getaway for the Hong Kong islanders who seek to get in touch with the nature. However my purpose was for the Hong Kong Heritage Museum located in the New Territory, or to be more precise, for the exhibition of 儿童乐园 in the museum. I reunited with the familiar 小园园and her many friends. I browsed other exhibitions in the museum, such as the history of Cantonese Opera and marvelled at the elaborate bead works of the stage costumes. I also traced the history of Hong Kong way back from the Song Dynasty, to the era of the boat people and down to where it is now, the financial hub of Asia.
As a whole, it was a plesant trip to the New Territory and a better appreciation of Hong Kong beyond its shopping and financial facade.