All you need to know about moon cakes in Hong Kong
You only need to take one look at moon cakes to feel full and with the excessive publicity, full racks in supermarkets and new flavors created for the occasion, overdosing is dangerously close! The ancestral recipe uses salty egg yolks (still prepared in Tai O village where visitors often take them for dry apricots … beware!) but has evolved and also...
Hungry like a Hungry Ghost!
On the 15th night of the 7th lunar month, the Hungry Ghosts Festival is taking place. This Chinese celebration is very popular in Hong Kong and in China but also in Singapore and other Chinese communities across Asia. The legend says that during that month, lonely spirits of dead ancestors come back to roam the living world. In order to stay...
Dragon Boat Festival
Every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Tuen Ng Festival, is organized. On that day, many Dragon Boat races take place throughout Hong Kong. The legend says that thousands of years ago, Qu Yuan, an elderly man disillusioned with the government in power, jumped in the river to protest. Villagers...
Cheung Chau Bun Festival
Today starts one of Hong Kong’s most popular events: Cheung Chau Bun Festival. From 9 to 13 may, the Taoist god Pak Tai will be praised in order to appease the island’s ghosts. The origin of this celebration dates back to the plague epidemics that took place on Cheung Chau Island in 1777 and towards the end of the 19th century....
West Kowloon train station
The closing of the old KCR train station situated on Tsim Sha Tsui’s waterfront, left great bitterness when it was demolished in 1978. Despite a vehement petition, the colonial landmark that had originally been built on reclaimed land in 1910, had to be taken down to make way to a new “cultural zone” with a pedestal, the controversially designed Kowloon...
A quick guide to Lai See (red envelopes)
What is it? You may have heard many stories about the origin of red envelopes; the most widespread dates back to the Qin Dynasty when elderly people would thread coins with a red string. The money was referred to as “money to avoid old age” and was believed to protect the person from sickness and death. It was eventually replaced by...
Warm welcome to the Xiqu Centre!
From Victoria Peak, it may look like a giant steel yogurt but traditional Chinese lanterns in fact inspired the new Xiqu Centre’s design. The centre is the first cultural venue to open in the West Kowloon Cultural District and is dedicated to showcase the finest in Chinese Traditional Opera (xiqu in Chinese). While the main entrance represent partly opened theatre...
Should you follow local superstitions while in Hong Kong?
Most of our clients are oblivious to superstitions and they are often amazed at the consideration Hong Kong people give to local beliefs when visiting landmarks, temples, and certain places. These are however century-old traditions that can, if not taken seriously, lead to bad omens. Local superstitions mostly derive from Feng Shui principles, which by using natural energy forces help individuals...
Invitation to Travel in Hong Kong (the filming of a TV show)
Hong Kong a la carte is an inbound travel agency that focuses on organizing private and tailor-made city tours throughout Hong Kong. Yet, thanks to our training and experience, we are regularly contacted to give assistance to various other projects such as the shooting of television shows. Helping on each of these projects has been very rewarding, as we often not...
Urban Feng Shui
Some of our guests believe they already know Hong Kong before they arrive. A private tour however always helps rediscover so-called familiar areas and shed light on features that did not seem important. It also helps recreate History and understand superstitions hiding amongst buildings. Feng Shui is one of these significant elements. Experts will tell you that Hong Kong’s remarkable destiny...