• Chinese New Year

  - the biggest festival to the Chinese; January / February. In HK, flower market, parade, & fireworks are now part of the celebrations. more...

• Dragon Boat festival

  - rice dumplings and dragon boat racing; usually in May / June. more...

• Mid-Autumn festival

  - moon-cakes and Chinese lanterns under a full moon; usually in September. more...

• Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance

  - a different kind of dragon dance; usually in Aug / Sept. more...

• Christmas

  - though HK is no longer a British colony, Christmas is still celebrated; December. more...

• weddings

  - weddings in Hong Kong have are a mix of traditions from east and west; usually on Saturday or Sunday, except if the couple or their parents want to do it on a "lucky day" to ensure a good marriage or plenty of offsprings. more...

• Ching Ming festival

  - a time to pay respects to dead ancestors. more...

• funerals

  - hopefully you won't have one here

See the Hong Kong Tourism Board website for other festivals

• street markets

  - some have become very touristy, but some are still fairly un-discovered and have retained very much a local feel more...

• 'cube shops'

  - as a result of the high rental costs in HK, there're these what I would call 'micro malls': cubic foot shops within shops within shopping centers!

• Snake soup

  - a local saying goes: 'autumn winds rise - three snakes fat' more...

• Worm veg?

  - you decide for yourself exactly what it is! more...

• Chicken feet soup

  - talk about "reaching from beneath"! more...

• Claypot rice

  - rice cooked with meat, winter favorite more...

• Thousand year egg

  - blackened preserved eggs, a local favorite. more...

• Pineapple bun

  - a favorite pastry. more...

• Cocktail bun

  - a favorite pastry.

• Steamed egg custard

  - a tasty dessert. more...

• dim sum dishes

  • fish head - a favorite dim sum dish. more...
  • lotus leaf rice
  • egg tarts
  • "cheung fan" - rice pasta, popular breakfast food more...
  • "cha siu" bun - roast pork bun
  • chicken feet
  • tofu jello - bean curd gelatin more...

• End product delivery

  - I don't want to give it away: you'll have to see it! more...

• Bamboo scaffolding

  - from renovation involving the outside wall of a 50-story building to erecting a neon sign hanging over a busy road, bamboo scaffolding is widely used. Just keep your eyes open and you will see them everywhere. more

• Herbal medicine

  - with a history of literally thousands of years in China, herbal medicine and treatment is quite common in Hong Kong. more

• Shoe smith

  - street-side shoe repair more

• Pawn shops

  - even when you see one, you may not recognize it since many of them don't display an English name. But there are ways to tell ... more

• Cantonese opera

  - the traditional form of opera set in ancient times. more...

• Mahjong

  - a favorite pastime for many. more...

• Chinese junk (boat)

  - fishermen families used to live in these. Tourists can ride one for free. more

• toilets

  - in some you are treated like royalty, in others... more...

• filming

  - you might just catch a glimpse of some local movie stars more...