Page 9 - Hong Kong Destination Guide PRINT

LANTAU LANGUAGE Lantau is steeped in history and blessed with Chinese and English are the official languages. magnificent mountains and fine beaches. Located in Historically, English was the sole official language of the far northwest corner of Lantau, Tai O fishing Hong Kong from 1883 to 1974. Only after numerous village is a rare example of a Chinese stilt-house demonstrations and petitions from the locals community. Its Tanka boatpeople do not feel safe on demanding an equal official status of Chinese as that land; they mostly live in tidy homes built on stilts in PAGE 3 of the English language. The majority of the Population | Time | Visas the creeks and tidal waters flanking Tai O's offshore population in Hong Kong are descendants of migrants Insurance | History inlet. Their world is enchanting. Sights to see from Mainland China and therefore mostly speak PAGE 4 include animist shrines (whose origins are Chinese, however most people speak some English in History & Government prehistoric), a rope-railed drawbridge, and a the shops, hotels and restaurants. photogenic three-centuries-old Hau Wong Temple, PAGE 5-9 set on a cove-sided foreshore at the foot of a knoll of Island Areas COMMON PHRASES in CHINESE trees beyond a short causeway. Hello Ni hao PAGE 9 How are you? Ni hao ma? Language On the northern coastline you will find the ancient Thank you Xiexie fishing village of Tung Chung. The last Sung PAGE 10 You're welcome Bu keqi Climate & Weather Dynasty emperors and their "traveling palace" stayed Goodbye Zaijian for a while in its farmer's valley. Historic monuments PAGE 11 include a renovated early 19th-century Qing Dynasty Please Quing The Land I'm sorry Duibuqi fort (whose cannon-decked walls now contain a What is your name? Ni jiao shenme mingzi? PAGE 12 village primary school), a harbor-side Qing dynasty My name is _________ Wo Jiao Currency | Credit Cards battery (erected to combat pirates as well as Changing Money | Tipping Yes No word in Chinese language for yes foreigners), and another ancient Hau Wong Temple, No No word in Chinese language for no dedicated to the minister who remained loyal to the PAGE 13 Where is the toilet? Cesuo zai nail? Etiquette | Health & Sung Dynasty to the fatal end. How do I get to ________? Zenme qu Vaccinations The most popular destination on Lantua is Po Lin Water Naam plao PAGE 14 How Much? Cudie a? Monastery on the 520-metre-high plateau of Ngong Communications | What to Pack Ping. Originally founded in 1921 as a monastic Mandarin does not have specific words for saying PAGE 15 retreat, it is now a major religious enterprise, blessed “yes” and “no.” Instead, the verb which is used in the Shopping | Customs with brightly decorated temples and floral gardens. Bartering Mandarin question is used to make a positive or There are three large bronze statues of Buddha in its negative reply. PAGE 16-17 main hall, but the monastery's outdoor, hill-top, 250- Food & Drinks tonne Giant Buddha is more breathtaking: it is the world's largest, seated, outdoor bronze statue of PAGE 18 Buddha, at 34 meters high (approximately 112 feet). Culture & The Arts | Religion LAMMA Hong Kong Island's major offshore island, Lamma boasts two attractive fishing harbors. Sok Kwu Wan and Yung Shue Wan are both famed for their seafood restaurants. Yung Shue Wan features a quaint, lively village and a Tin Hau Temple, built more than 100 years ago. There are two good beaches, Hung Shing Yeh Beach and Lo So Shing Beach.