Hong Kong Culture

Hong Kong culture was born in a sophisticated fusion of East and West. It not only kept many Chinese traditions, but also experienced a baptism of western culture. This situation led to the diversity of its culture and the people there are open-minded to accept variety. To have a better understanding of this cultural phenomenon, you can give a research on the following aspects.

People in Hong Kong

The population of Hong Kong is formed by Cantonese, Shanghainese, British, Indians and Jews mainly. Cantonese is the majority and Cantonese culture is the mainstream there. Thus, many Chinese concepts like 'family solidarity', 'family glory', 'saving face' and 'modesty' carry significant weight in Hong Kong's culture. On the other hand, many locals adopted western ways of life.

Cantonese is used most widely. Since the city's reversion to China in 1997, local government has adopted the 'biliterate and trilingual' policy. That's to say, Chinese and English are regarded as the official languages; Cantonese, Chinese mandarin and English are spoken languages.
 

As a culinary capital of Asia, Hong Kong boasts various delicacies in the local or from overseas. The city is influenced by western countries and some of the foods there combine the flavors of Chinese cuisine and western cuisine.
 

Lan Kwai Fong on Christmas Day

In the city, people celebrate the Chinese traditional holidays, such as Chinese Lunar New Year, Ching Ming Festival (Qing Ming Festival) and Mid-Autumn Festival. And also they have a holiday on Good Friday, Eastern Monday, Christmas Day and other western festivals.

Kung Fu is accepted as a form of entertainment and exercise. Tai Chi, sometimes referred to as Shadow Boxing, was developed many years ago. There are groups of people practicing Tai Chi in the park at dawn. Kung Fu movie of HK is also well-known.
 

Founded in 1844 by British, Jockey Club in the city provides an avenue for horse racing and gambling. The club was closed for several years during the World War Two. In 1975, the lottery Marks Six was introduced into the club. In 2002, the club started to offer wagering for football world champion games.
 

Cantonese opera is a highly respected art form that blends Chinese legends, music and drama into an exciting performance. The city values Cantonese opera very much and it provides various trainings of Cantonese opera to its people. For instance, the Chinese University of Hong Kong offers the course of Cantonese opera. Additionally, in recent years, the English version of Cantonese opera came into being, which is very popular with foreigners. 
 

Taoism, Buddhism, Christianism, Islam and other religious beliefs exist in the region. Especially, Buddhism and Taoist temples are very common there. The Taoist concept of Fung Shui, or 'Wind and Water', is believed by many locals. It is a 3,000 years old system of geomantic divination teaching humans how to achieve harmony with the forces of nature and change, thereby gaining well-being and prosperity.