A Glimpse of Hong Kong Island...

The Hong Kong skyline is a beautiful sight on a clear day. If you're lucky you can catch a glimpse of Central through the clouds/smog. Intense pollution from Guangdong's industrial Pearl River Delta has had a negative effect on Hong Kong Tourism. All year round you can see thick smog engulf the city making visibility from even "Victoria Peak'.

A view from Kowloon Bay
Hong Kong Island as seen from Star Ferry.



The famous laser light show at 8:00 PM

A brief history of Hong Kong...

Here's a little trivia for those of you who have yet to come visit me in Hong Kong. The 2006 census reported 7 million people living in Hong Kong, 95% being Chinese. Even though there is a vast Chinese majority Hong Kong remains one of the most vibrant cultural and financial centers in the world. Hong Kong is located in southeastern China at the base of the Pearl River. The city is divided into four major sections that include the New Territories, Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, and the Outlying Islands. The island was ceded to the British after the Opium Wars in 1841, but was finally restored to Chinese custody in 1997.

Hong Kong here I come!

For those of you who don't already know I have been living on Hong Kong Island since the end of June. I decided to start up another blog and can the last one because it had been over a year since my last post. This blog is meant to cover the next chapter of my life since returning to Asia. I returned home to Chicago last December when I realized I couldn't handle living near the smog infested factories in Dongguan for another day. Back home in the U.S. I found out that mandarin was in HIGH demand. Young business professionals with backgrounds in Asian studies and a working knowledge of the Chinese language were quickly being snatched up by large corporations hoping to expand their influence in the Asian market. It took a little longer than expected but I landed sourcing position with a large textile company in April and began my three month training stint in my sweet hometown of Chicago.

The training period in the United States went by quicker than anticipated and before I knew it I was packed up and on a 16 hour flight to Hong Kong....