Travel to Hong Kong

Spread across an area of 1,092 square kilometers, Hong Kong is the Special Administrative Region of China. Apart from being a hot tourist destination, Hong Kong is also an economic as well as trade center.



Due to its excellent legal and banking systems, many overseas business firms have made Hong Kong as their regional headquarters. This in turn has tremendously increased the demand for Hong Kong's commercial real estate, including office spaces, shopping malls, and retail stores.



The worldwide demand for commercial spaces also comes from arenas including law firms, financial institutions, and accountants. In addition to overseas investors, a growing number of mainland companies are also taking up office spaces in Hong Kong. In short, commercial real estate in Hong Kong has now turned out to be a demand-driven scenario. As a result, in recent years, the sale price of commercial property has been pushed up. Further, the rents charged on commercial real estate are exceptionally high, ranging from HK$22 to HK$105 per square foot per month.



Investing in commercial real estate in Hong Kong provides great benefits to investors. One of the prime benefits of investing in a Hong Kong commercial property is that it provides you access to one of the world's established markets. Another great benefit of investing in a commercial property is that not any kind of restrictions have been imposed on international investors to buy a property or asset. Further, purchasing a commercial real estate in Hong Kong is considered one of the best options for long term investment, as it can undoubtedly fetch you huge profits by way of renting and leasing.



Above all, the laws and regulations in connection with the process of buying commercial real estate are quite simple and liberal. Once you have found an appropriate property, an Agreement of Sale and Purchase would be signed between the property owner and investor, and this completes the sale procedure.



The buying processes related to the purchase of commercial property in Hong Kong are administered by the Conveyancing and Ordinance, which is structured in the form of English Law. In other words, the real estate law of Hong Kong is akin to one found in the UK, which in turn has attracted many American and British commercial real estate investors.



One of the unique things regarding the Hong Kong Property Law is that all of the land found here belongs to government, ie, each of the real estate in Hong Kong is held under leasehold title. Hence, those who are interested in property investment buy an agreement or a lease for a period ranging from 50 to 999 years.



A real estate or property in Hong Kong can be either solely owned by one person or through jointly by several investors. However, joint investment may be usually in the form of tenant or a joint tenancy. Further, a property can also be owned through a company structure. But, in case, if a company would like to conduct its business through the purchase of a property on lease, then it should be registered with the Hong Kong Companies Registry. In addition, every type of lease should be listed at the Hong Kong' Land Registry.



A plethora of real estate firms now operate in Hong Kong in order to help you find your dream commercial property. In other words, commercial real estate is one of core businesses of many real estate companies in Hong Kong. They offer a continuum of services in connection with the commercial real estate, such as, sale of commercial as well as retail property, office leasing, retail leasing, leasing and sales of industrial property, sale and acquisition of development sites, leasing and management of shopping centers, and asset management with regard to commercial, retail, and industrial.



Additionally, majority of them provide the services of professional lawyers to help you in effectively carrying out buying procedures, such as tax matters, Hong Kong Companies Registry, and negotiation of purchase. In addition, there are also real estate firms providing steps to arrange mortgages for the purchase of commercial property. But, prior to approaching a service provider, it is important to undertake an investigation with regard to their reputation and the quality as well as efficiency of service rendered.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/commercial-real-estate-in-hong-kong-234784.html

Wantanee Khamkongkaew is an independent author evaluating and commenting on leading International Property Consultants in Asia and Greater China, especially CB Richard Ellis.

With more than 250 islands, Hong Kong is the special administrative region of China. Earlier a British colony, Hong Kong became a part of China in 1997, under a special agreement. Hong Kong has now become one of the prominent economies of the region.



Since an ex-British colony, a strong westernized influence is prevalent in Hong Kong's culture. Al though, the majority of population of the city is the Chinese, the area does have a significant contingent of other nationals including Americans, Australians, British, Canadians, Japanese, and Koreans, as Hong Kong offers a great stop for Western business firms who want to crack the local market. Further, the liberal tax system has attracted many Expats to fill employment options in the region. Hence, it is no wonder why property market is booming in Hong Kong.



Among the accommodation options available in Hong Kong, perhaps the most sough after one is apartments. An apartment in Hong Kong is a self contained residential unit, which is mostly a part of a large building or property. For many reasons, both expatriates and natives choose to live in Hong Kong apartments. Perhaps the most important reasons are convenience and lifestyle it renders.



Another prime reason to choose apartments as dwelling place is that it allows to live in an environment of sophistication and luxury. When it comes to expatriates, these apartments provide them a feeling of living in their home country, thereby enabling them to lead a smoother life in the region. Additionally, living in Hong Kong apartments avoids the problems with the language barrier. Above all, a foreigner who wishes to own an apartment in Hong Kong need not have to comply with any specific legal requirement.



Based on your requirements, you can choose from a continuum of superb apartments, from garden and furnished apartments to self contained and serviced apartments. There are also apartments that are specially designed for students, such as, student apartments.



Mostly, this type of apartment comes complete with superb facilities including excellent accommodation, high speed internet access, and uninterrupted power as well as water supply. Further, many of these apartments are located within the easy reach of top academic institutions in Hong Kong. All of this provides a great atmosphere in order to promote your academic success. For those seeking luxury, then one of the best choices would be stunning serviced apartments coupled with extensive recreational as well as sporting facilities. Usually, these apartments range from 1000 to 5000 sq ft.



Different types of apartments in Hong Kong are further categorized into duplex apartments, studio apartments, and townhouses. Duplex apartments are mostly situated on the bottom floor, and range from small building with two to five apartments to large property with more than 50 or 60 apartments. A studio apartment is an accommodation facility with a large living area, apart from a kitchen and bath area. In townhouses, a family will get more space as well as a comfortable feel. One of the specialties of townhouses is that mostly they are located in rows.



Likewise, depending upon the members of the family, apartments types include apartments with one bedroom - which come with built-in wardrobes, luxury bathrooms, and fully equipped kitchen; two-bedroom apartments, which in most cases garage unit will be included in the price; and three-bedroom apartment, which is much spacious and inclusive of high end comforts such as kitchen, lounge, laundry, and a marvelous terrace.



One of the prime advantages of living in Hong Kong apartments is that it enables you to live amid diverse community. Another advantage is that you will be always surrounded by a large number of neighbors and friends. If you acquire apartments on rental or lease basis, then some of the apartments charge rent, which is sometimes inclusive of electricity, local telephone service, cable TV hook up, and trash disposal. Another great benefit of owning an apartment in Hong Kong is that it serves as an excellent long term investment.



For example, according to certain recent records, a luxury three-bedroom apartment in Hong Kong cost about $9000 per month to rent. Benefits of living in apartments also include low maintenance cost. Many of the people living in Hong Kong are engaged in high powered jobs, which make them difficult to maintain a single detached home. But, living in an apartment allows you to avoid lengthy commutes and eliminate high maintenance charges.



Owning or renting an apartment in Hong Kong is no longer a chaotic process. A plethora of real estate companies and construction companies are there in order to help finding your dream apartment. However, the prices of apartments in Hong Kong are exceptionally high.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/living-in-hong-kong-apartments-259521.html

Wantanee Khamkongkaew is an independent author evaluating and commenting on leading International Property Consultants in Asia and Greater China, especially CB Richard Ellis.

Hong Kong is one of the most vibrant destinations in the world, and each of its districts has its own distinctive atmosphere, character, and style. Akin to world's any cosmopolitan city, Hong Kong renders all that is required to make your stay here a great experience.



In deed, Hong Kong offers its residents an exciting, dynamic, and multi-ethnic lifestyle. However, acquiring a property or real estate in Hong Kong is not quite easy, since many of them have record prices.



Property market in Hong Kong has been categorized into residential market, commercial market, and industrial market.



Residential Market :

Residential real estate in Hong Kong is regarded as the most lucrative as well as the priciest in the world. Depending upon the requirements of investors, a variety of residential property choices are available in Hong Kong, such as, apartments, penthouses, single detached homes, villas, and flats. There are also special types of residential properties, especially designed for senior citizens, such as Housing for Senior Citizens and self-contained flats built by the Hong Kong Housing Authority.



People invest in residential real estate for a number of significant reasons. Mostly, people invest in residential properties in order to rent it out. According to records, a residential property in Hong Kong can fetch you a minimum of at least HK$ 100,000 per year. However, a residential property can get you profits only if your property is located in the city's posh areas with easy accessibility to almost all facilities and attractions in the area. If a residential property is acquired to sell it after some times, then go for a property located in such areas that have strong potential for growth.



A great benefit of investing in residential real estate it serves as an excellent long term investments, yielding handsome profits. Since Hong Kong's property value is constantly increasing, you can sell it at a price 20-50% higher than the amount for which you purchased. Likewise, investing in residential property is a great way to earn safe income by renting out.



Commercial Real Estate :

Due to its excellent legal as well as banking systems, many overseas business firms have made Hong Kong as their regional headquarters. This in turn has tremendously increased the demand for Hong Kong's commercial real estate, including office spaces, shopping malls, and retail stores. In addition to overseas investors, a growing number of mainland companies are also taking up office spaces in Hong Kong.



In short, commercial real estate in Hong Kong has now turned out to be a demand-driven scenario. As a result, in recent years, the sale price of commercial property has been pushed up. Further, the rents charged on commercial real estate are exceptionally high, ranging from HK$22 to HK$105 per square foot per month.



Now we will discuss some of the most preferred location for investing in Hong Kong real estate market. The Peak, or Victoria Peak, is regarded as the most exclusive as well as the most expensive area in Hong Kong. With excellent views of the surroundings including the harbour and the outlying islands as well as easy accessibility of Central through the Peak Tram and public transport, the Peak is one of the most sought after residential areas.



Real estate found here range from up-market apartments and high-end flats to small ordinary housing structures. Due to its easy accessibility to Central and Causeway Bay, real estate in Mid-Levels region is also popular among the investors, especially expat community. Another popular area that is preferred by the expat community is Repulse Bay, which boasts of a resort-like ambience. Further, this area is within close proximity to several super markets and international schools in Hong Kong.



No matter it is for commercial or residential purposes or for your vacation needs, a host of service providers in the form of real estate firms and property developer firms are now in the scenario in order to help you find your dream property in Hong Kong. Many of these firms offer a variety of services in connection with the acquiring of a property in Hong Kong. Some of them even provide services of a professional attorney to verify the documents in order to check the authenticity of the property.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/hong-kong-property-market-trends-349570.html

Wantanee Khamkongkaew is an independent author evaluating and commenting on leading International Property Consultants in Asia and Greater China, especially CB Richard Ellis.

Thoroughbred horse racing in Hong Kong is a pivotal part not only of many lives but it is vital to the economy, contributing massive taxes and being the major supporter of most charities. Thoroughbred racing in Hong Kong is therefore naturally followed far more passionately than anywhere else in the world.



Hong Kong has two race courses, the main one situated at Shatin is a first class track with facilities equal to any track in the world. A big track with both turf and dirt surfaces and a straight 1200m, statistics show that horses get every chance to win from whatever draw.



However Happy Valley where the lesser grade Wednesday night races are held has to be the most spectacular race track in existence. To understand the full impact of this place you need to make the effort to go and experience it.



Situated on the island amidst major housing and retail complexes, Happy Valley is surrounded by the lights of multi level apartment blocks. It is a relatively small track which affords spectators a close up view of the races giving an I can not believe this place feel to visitors.

Tourists can also visit the Hong Kong Racing Museum at Happy Valley, which provides a fascinating historical insight into how the sport has evolved since its mid-19th century beginnings.



Over the last 15 years or so the quality of Hong Kong thoroughbred racing has developed substantially and nowadays it is difficult to imagine a more cosmopolitan racing circuit than can be experienced here. The prize money is so substantial that the champion riders and trainers from France, England, Australia and South Africa all eagerly vie for the few invitations to ride in Hong Kong. In fact the roster of riders in Hong Kong reads like an Academy Award nomination list for the best jockeys in the world.



Fourteen Group 1 races are run in Hong Kong each season, with the Hong Kong International Race day in December being the richest and most important meeting of the year. The Hong Kong International Races are now generally recognized to be the most international event in the racing world and the main meeting point for northern and southern hemisphere thoroughbreds.



Today the international event has been transformed into a set of four races: the Hong Kong International Sprint over 1200m, the Hong Kong Mile over 1600m, the Hong Kong Cup over 2000m and the Hong Kong Vase over 2400m.



The Champions Mile is on April 29, run at 1600 meters over the Shatin turf course and is already part of an international racing series, the Asian Mile Challenge, which comprises the Futurity in Australia, the Dubai Duty Free, the Champions Mile, and the Yasuda Kinen in Japan, all Group 1 races.



The standard of local thoroughbreds has also risen dramatically as can be seen by the number of hotly contested international races now taken out by locals even in the presence of top echelon European, American, Japanese and Australian thoroughbreds.



With a population of around 1,100 thoroughbreds from around the globe, Hong Kong racing works under an easy to understand handicap system, where gallopers gain or lose rating points from their performance on the racecourse, resulting in close and competitive racing.



The Hong Kong Jockey Club has a monopoly on racing and betting in the territory, a holdover from colonial days, and the HKJC is the territories largest taxpayer and charity. Massive betting pools are involved and Hong Kong racing officials understand that it is imperative to share every piece of information there is with the betting public.



The racing club website has easily the best information I have ever seen with full videos and extensive reporting of every race held. Trackwork data, performance history, weights carried, times, everything is easily found and exhaustively detailed.



To summarise, for any thoroughbred racing enthusiast Hong Kong racing is an absolute must see experience. The city is situated on one of the most spectacular harbors imaginable, hotels are plentiful and first class and the shopping and gastronomic delights are legendary.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/hong-kong-thoroughbred-horse-racing-442069.html

Dick Aronson has been heavily involved in Thoroughbred racing,breeding and buying for more than 30 years. He has developed his own proprietary software for selecting horses and articles on his work have several times been published in the HK Racing World magazine.Go to Consultlink Thoroughbreds

Discovered in 1955, the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb is a fine astral illustration of a Han Dynasty burial hall, which is about 2,000 years old. The tomb was unearthed during the excavation of the current Lei Cheng Uk estate. Since then the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb has gone through some widespread study and restoration and was opened in 1957.

Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb reveals abundant proof of the impact made by the Eastern Han Dynasty. It also includes a writing of Panyu on the bricks of the tomb. Panyu was back then a significant province of what is now called Hong Kong. The distinctive design and calligraphy of the tomb reveals its amazing history.

Currently covered but visible through a huge glass panel, the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb comes as a form of a cross with four chambers. However the design does not signify any sort of connection with Christianity since the religion was unknown in China during the time of Han Dynasty which was 25AD to 220AD.

Pottery, food storage and cooking vessels were among the artefacts discovered from the burial site. These artefacts reveal the Chinese importance on food. Two of the recovered artefacts were authentic and bronze utensils. Among the objects recovered were washing basins, bronze bells and mirrors.

Adjacent to the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb lies a massive exhibit hall. This exhibition hall displays videos and photographs that reveal the history of the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb and the efforts that were put in to excavate and conserve it.

Once the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb and grounds were located near the shore, however due to modern day land reclamations that takes place now these are positioned more than a mile inland. At present, visitors to this tomb site will not be able to witness an olden day Scottish-style or burial site of Egyptian-style. Instead, today, the burial place is bordered by contemporary style buildings and streets.

For further exploration of the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb travellers both local and international can plan their stay at a Hong Kong Hotel or Kowloon Hotel. For example, Eaton Hotel Hong Kong is renowned for offering world class facilities in an excellent location.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/a-han-dynasty-burial-hall-734989.html

Naveen Marasinghe is an Online Marketing Executive at eMarketingEye which is a search engine marketing company that offers integrated Internet marketing solutions and specializes in serving the online travel and hospitality industry. (http://www.emarketingeye.com/)

• Hong Kong has the most globalised economy in the world, according to the newly released Ernst & Young Globalisation Index (2011). The report analyzed 60 of the world's largest economies in regards to the five categories of i) openness to trade, ii) capital movements, iii) exchange of technology and ideas, iv) movement of labor and v) cultural integration.

• Hong Kong is the most economically free country in the world, rated by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal (2011).

• Hong Kong is positively ranked as the world's 13th least corrupt country, in the 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, a measure of corruption amongst public officials and politicians.

• A Hong Kong company is subject to one of the lowest tax rates in the world for a developed country, rated the world's 3rd friendliest tax system by Forbes' Tax Misery & Reform Index (2009).

• Retains well-established affiliations with local company agents in the Hong Kong

• Maintains an experienced staff with knowledge of legal requirements for company formation in Hong Kong

• Guarantees that all company filing fees and documents are up-to-date and notifies clients of all Hong Kong compliance changes

• We are NOT tax planners or advisers and as such cannot give advice to clients regarding the advantages / disadvantages of Hong Kong offshore structures