After a little diversion in my last blog, I would like to continue relating our recent trip to Hong Kong:
Picture of part of the family at the Tung Chung gathering on Lantau. Missing: Jack, taking the picture, Jenny & CK (Melody) probably getting food!, and Ah Kan, working again.
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November 23rd - Yesterday Peggy & Mike had to visit some of Mike’s family, who moved to Hong Kong years ago, at a restaurant of course; I elected not to go since I don’t know them very well and also since Cantonese will be the language of choice!. I decided to go to Tsim Sha Shui (TST) and have lunch (spicy curry chicken), yes eating again, and then walk around the harbor and take some pictures. Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate, so I didn’t take any.
But just about everyone on the promenade was speaking Mandarin, which reinforces what I said about the number of Chinese visitors here. We are just not seeing many Americans, but we have met a number of Europeans.
Mike leaves for Guangzhou tomorrow to visit family there. He was born there and immigrated to LA when he was about thirteen years old. I’m anxious for him to tell me his impressions of the changes made in that city. He has only been back once, several years ago, since he and his family immigrated to the States. Anyway, I’ll be picking his brain when he returns!
Today we will have a big dinner with Jenny’s family; the first since Peggy and Mike arrived. I know you guys think we are eating a lot, and we are, but going to a restaurant for a family get-together is the way it is done here. Many homes are just not that large enough; certainly not large enough for a dinner for about fifteen. Anyway I promised not to eat too much!
The financial crisis is beginning to hit here about as hard as it has in the States. I talked with a banker yesterday and he is seeing a lot of lay-offs as well as very tight or frozen credit. With the slow down of consumer buying in the States and Europe, he said China is really feeling it. Companies in China just do not have the orders and many are closing. I’ll try to find some articles in the papers that re-enforces this information. One big announcement, as I’m sure you have seen, is the huge financial stimulus package introduced by the Chinese Government several days ago; it makes our $800 Billion package look small.
November 24th - We have been here a month and I have to admit it certainly seems like longer. I think after another month, trying to keep up with Jenny and her family, I will be sleeping though Christmas in LA.
Our family dinner last night was in Tung Chung, a town on Lantau Island. Lantau Island is the largest Island of the 200+ islands that is part of Hong Kong. In fact it is about twice the size of Hong Kong Island.
For years, Lantau was inhabited mostly by farmers and a few fishing villages along the coast; it was also used as a get away place for Hong Kongers to go hiking, picnicking and swimming. But a several big events changed all that:
First the Po Lin Monastery, established around 1900, built the world largest sitting Buddha in 1993 and the tourist started coming. Then, the government built a cable car system that opened in 2006 to connect Tung Chung with the Po Lin Monastery. Po Lin Monastery is located in the mountains and before the cable car; it was very difficult to get to the Monastery to see the giant Buddha.
The most important event that changed Lantau Island forever was the decision to build a new Chek Lap Kok Airport on Lantau and the entire infrastructure that goes with it; new roads, world’s largest road and rail suspension bridge, two subway lines: one express airport line and the other to connect other villages to the system. The airport opened in 1998 and was actually built in the Sea on the north part of the Island.
The final major event that happened on Lantau was the opening of a Hong Kong Disney Park in 2005; it was also built on reclaimed land and it is located east of the airport and across the Island.
In addition to the above, the major development of a residential community in the late 1970’s got more people to move to the Island and commute to Hong Kong Island or Kowloon to work; but this was slow to developed and at first mostly Gweilos (westerns) lived there. Today there are many self-contained residential communities on the Island with many locals deciding to live on the Island and commute to work, on Hong Kong Island or Kowloon, via the new subway system or the ferry.
But just about everyone on the promenade was speaking Mandarin, which reinforces what I said about the number of Chinese visitors here. We are just not seeing many Americans, but we have met a number of Europeans.
Mike leaves for Guangzhou tomorrow to visit family there. He was born there and immigrated to LA when he was about thirteen years old. I’m anxious for him to tell me his impressions of the changes made in that city. He has only been back once, several years ago, since he and his family immigrated to the States. Anyway, I’ll be picking his brain when he returns!
Today we will have a big dinner with Jenny’s family; the first since Peggy and Mike arrived. I know you guys think we are eating a lot, and we are, but going to a restaurant for a family get-together is the way it is done here. Many homes are just not that large enough; certainly not large enough for a dinner for about fifteen. Anyway I promised not to eat too much!
The financial crisis is beginning to hit here about as hard as it has in the States. I talked with a banker yesterday and he is seeing a lot of lay-offs as well as very tight or frozen credit. With the slow down of consumer buying in the States and Europe, he said China is really feeling it. Companies in China just do not have the orders and many are closing. I’ll try to find some articles in the papers that re-enforces this information. One big announcement, as I’m sure you have seen, is the huge financial stimulus package introduced by the Chinese Government several days ago; it makes our $800 Billion package look small.
November 24th - We have been here a month and I have to admit it certainly seems like longer. I think after another month, trying to keep up with Jenny and her family, I will be sleeping though Christmas in LA.
Our family dinner last night was in Tung Chung, a town on Lantau Island. Lantau Island is the largest Island of the 200+ islands that is part of Hong Kong. In fact it is about twice the size of Hong Kong Island.
For years, Lantau was inhabited mostly by farmers and a few fishing villages along the coast; it was also used as a get away place for Hong Kongers to go hiking, picnicking and swimming. But a several big events changed all that:
First the Po Lin Monastery, established around 1900, built the world largest sitting Buddha in 1993 and the tourist started coming. Then, the government built a cable car system that opened in 2006 to connect Tung Chung with the Po Lin Monastery. Po Lin Monastery is located in the mountains and before the cable car; it was very difficult to get to the Monastery to see the giant Buddha.
The most important event that changed Lantau Island forever was the decision to build a new Chek Lap Kok Airport on Lantau and the entire infrastructure that goes with it; new roads, world’s largest road and rail suspension bridge, two subway lines: one express airport line and the other to connect other villages to the system. The airport opened in 1998 and was actually built in the Sea on the north part of the Island.
The final major event that happened on Lantau was the opening of a Hong Kong Disney Park in 2005; it was also built on reclaimed land and it is located east of the airport and across the Island.
In addition to the above, the major development of a residential community in the late 1970’s got more people to move to the Island and commute to Hong Kong Island or Kowloon to work; but this was slow to developed and at first mostly Gweilos (westerns) lived there. Today there are many self-contained residential communities on the Island with many locals deciding to live on the Island and commute to work, on Hong Kong Island or Kowloon, via the new subway system or the ferry.
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