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During Chinese New Year, and stretching into the following week, you may notice a flurry of red envelopes being exchanged almost everywhere you go. These fancy little red envelopes, called "lai see" (利是), are packets that contain good luck money. Giving lai see to people is a big part of Chinese New Year celebrations, so you don't want to miss out on giving (or receiving!) them in the following couple of weeks.

 

In other parts of the world, celebrating the New Year means spending one night getting together with friends, popping bubbly after bubbly, and giving each other slobbery New Year's Eve kisses. But in Hong Kong and China, it's celebrated for a whopping 15 days! There are plenty of things to do and traditions to honour during the 15 days – each with a specific meaning and activity corresponding to it.

As you’d expect from a modern and diverse city, Hong Kong’s restaurants serve food from all over the world. But Hong Kong isn’t just a place for foodies who dine out; it’s also great for stay-at-home chefs too. With a selection of the finest produce and ingredients sold at supermarkets, wet markets, and specialty stores, Hong Kong might just hold the secret to that recipe you can’t get quite right.

The average size of a home in Hong Kong is around 600 square feet which, compared to, say, the UK (820 square feet), America (2170 square feet), and Australia (2310 square feet) leaves little room for visitors. This doesn't mean your loved ones should feel unwelcome, but instead means you may have to get a little more creative than just making up the guest room.

You’ve seen them on posters splashed all over Hong Kong, as piles upon piles of glossy tin boxes stacked onto bakery floors, and in TV ads of people exchanging shopping bags with each other. Mid-Autumn Festival (which falls on Sept 27 this year) is just round the corner and mooncakes have popped up all over Hong Kong, with stores rushing to keep up with customer’s orders.

Choosing to live in Hong Kong could easily be the best decision of your life. It's a melting pot of cultures, weather and people. Unfortunately, the population density here means that you don't get the kind of space you may be used to in Europe, America or Australia. And as Hong Kong is one of the most expensive places to live, your money won't go far too.

As a transient pitstop, it is not uncommon for expatriates to pack up and leave only a couple years after arriving here in Hong Kong. With people constantly coming and going, Hong Kong’s the ideal place for meeting people from all over the world and boasts a diverse and friendly expat community. Unfortunately, the negative aspect is being abruptly separated from friendships you’ve invested in.

Is it time for you to pack up and jet off? Can you literally see the last few weeks of life in this vibrant metropolis before you? Leaving for good is no easy task; especially letting go of your comforts, and saying goodbye to the place that's become your home away from home.

April 01, 2015

City vs. Countryside

To live in the city or not to live in the city? That is the question.

 

Hong Kong is blessed with pretty much a little bit of everything; urban jungles, beaches, forest, hills, flat-land, rain, sun, you name it. The same applies for living conditions.

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