Hong Kong, newly re-absorbed into China (March 21-24, 1998)

Pretty dense part of the world. The best way to describe it is like this:

Imagine San Francisco Chinatown, the size of Manhattan, crammed into a space about the size of Mission Bay.
3 million people in 6 square miles.

This is Kowloon side looking across the harbor




Largest outdoor sitting bronze buddha in the world @ Po Lin Monastery on Lantau island.




View of Po Lin monastery from base of buddha.




View of Po Lin monastery from base of buddha (zoomed).




What is that symbol on his chest?.




OH NO! The buddha is a nazi!
Just kidding. That is the Chinese & Japanese symbol for temple.




Now those are some big incense sticks.




Bank of China. Very powerful in this part of the world.




The REAL Noble House. Jardine & Matheson & Co., Exchange square.




Man Mo temple. Gods of literature and war, respectively.




Self-held shot from Victoria peak.




HK, Kowloon, and New Territories. China is over that far mountain range.




'JUMBO' floating restaurant in Aberdeen harbor.




Sampan floating village, Aberdeen.




Check out all the hanging octopus'.




Kowloon at night. Remind you of Blade Runner?



The official name of Hong Kong is:

The People's Republic of China, Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong.

Now they just call it SAR. All in all nothing has changed since the turnover. People wonder what will happen in fifty years. Will Hong Kong revert to China's way of life?
Everybody in Hong Kong thinks that China will come up to Hong Kong's way of life!

Either way. All I can say is Look Out World. The sleeping giant will not sleep much longer...