Hong Kong Culture and Beliefs

The people of Hong Kong have their own culture and beliefs, which helps differentiate this region from others in the world. Read on to know about its people, language, food, martial arts and festivals, all of which form an indispensable part of Hong Kong culture and beliefs.

Winifred and her mother sat in their beautiful garden sipping glasses of cold lemonade when suddenly her mother brought up the topic of her sisters. They sat there talking, soaking up the sun and sipping lemonade for a long time when Winifred was struck with the idea of looking for her long lost relatives using the Internet. She knew that it would be the perfect gift for her mother's birthday which was in about 4 month's time! The important day finally arrived and Winifred came home with a large bouquet and a bottle of champagne, which she put on the table and then gave her mother a hug and slid an envelope into her hand. Tears rolled down her mother's eyes when she opened the envelope because inside it were two tickets to Hong Kong along with a printout of a mail from her sister Pam, inviting them there. The next day when Winfred came home from work she found the house full of books about Hong Kong culture and beliefs....She smiled, her mother was doing her homework alright!

Previously described as a barren rock, Hong Kong has today become a world-class financial, trading and business center. Hong Kong has one of the finest deep-water ports in the world along with a hardworking, adaptable and well-educated workforce.

Hong Kong Culture and Beliefs

People
Hong Kong has a hybrid culture of the east and west, though most of the people belong to the ethnic Chinese group and naturally lean towards their own culture. There are of course many of them who have adopted western ways. There is a heavy influence derived from Cantonese culture too.

Language
The most widely spoken language in Hong Kong is Cantonese. It was after the 1997 handover that the government adopted the biliterate and trilingual policy, according to which Chinese and English both must be acknowledged as official languages. Cantonese has been acknowledged as the de facto official spoken dialect of the Chinese in Hong Kong. Standard Mandarin is also spoken in Hong Kong.

Food
The food in Hong Kong is a fusion of eastern and western style cuisine. In Hong Kong you are sure to find an unlimited variety of food. Hong Kong has been given the reputable labels of Gourmet Paradise and World's fair of Food because of its complex combinations and international gourmet expertise.

Dress
Traditional dresses like the pien-fu, the ch'ang-p'ao, and the shen-I are very popular among the women of Hong Kong. The people of Hong Kong, like those in China, associate specific colors with different seasons. According to this, green is the color of spring, red the color of summer, white the color of autumn and black the color of winter. The fashion of Hong Kong as well as the entire country revolves around these colors throughout the year. Western clothes have also entered the Hong Kong culture with jeans, skirts and other forms of dresses.

The traditional designs for men include embroidered clothes with unique designs like phoenixes, dragons and lightening. The men in Hong Kong also wear the traditional long gown.

Martial Arts
In Hong Kong martial arts is accepted as a form of exercise and entertainment with Tai Chi being the most popular. Every park in Hong Kong has people practicing this art at dawn. Most of the martial art forms have been passed down from different generations of Chinese ancestry, with styles like the praying mantis, snake fist and crane being the most recognized.

Leisure
People in Hong Kong spend time playing games like Mahjong, which is played in relaxation or with plenty of money at stake. Hong Kong has lots of Mahjong shops and parlors available, which makes this game easily accessible. In Hong Kong, people of all age groups also play video games. Today Hong Kong has some of the most up-to-date arcades games available outside Japan. Middle-aged locals in Hong Kong also spend time on horse racing and gambling.

Beliefs
Chinese beliefs form an integral part of the culture of Hong Kong. The people in Hong Kong pray and make offerings at more than 600 old and new temples, shrines and monasteries that are found across the territory. Feng Shui is taken very seriously here with expensive construction projects often hiring consultants that are believed to make or break a business. The Bagua mirror is also regularly used to shield evils. People in Hong Kong also believe in numbers, with the Number 4 being avoided at all costs (since it is similar to the Chinese word for die). The people here believe in avoiding the use of scissors on Chinese New Year too.

Festivals
Chinese New Year, Ching Ming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival are the most celebrated festivals in Hong Kong.
Chinese New Year
This is one of the most celebrated festivals in Hong Kong, with most shops and small restaurants being closed for 3 days and some even up to 8 days. During this time new clothes are worn to signify the New Year with the color red being used liberally in all decorations. Married people and elders also give red packets to juniors and children. The festivities may vary from one region to region and from family and family.
Ching Ming Festival
The Ching Ming festival is also known as Remembrance of Ancestors Day and is celebrated in April. Since this day is devoted to honoring relatives who have died, thousands of Chinese visit cemeteries to clean the graves of their loved ones. Young Chinese children are taught to pray to ancestors and for, the family spirits. In Chinese culture the symbol of light and enemy of darkness is the willow. Some people carry willow branches or hang it on the front door on Ching Ming.
Dragon Boat Festival
This festival is undoubtedly one of Hong Kong's most popular events. The dragon boat festival draws thousands of spectators and racing teams from around the globe. This event is growing more and more popular around the world, especially in places like the USA, Canada and Europe.
Mid-Autumn Festival
This festival is also known as the Moon Festival and takes place on the 15th day of the 8th months of the lunar calendar. This festival is a time for members of a family to get together wherever it is possible. Mooncakes form an important part of this festival and is given to relatives and friends during the festival. According to tradition, children carried lanterns of animal shapes lit by candles. During this festival, the hills of Hong Kong, Victoria Park, the beaches and the Peak are shimmering with the glow of lanterns as darkness approaches.