Travel to Hong Kong

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

The Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences resides in a three storied refurbished structure at 2 Caine Lane, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences is also called the Old Pathological Institute. The museum was formed in the year 1996 and aims to advance the accumulation and conservation of historical artifacts which relate to the medicine and its industry in Hong Kong. At certain instances particular exhibitions are conducted by the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences so as to present advanced as well as basic news and information that pertains to the field of medicine.

One of the primary objectives of the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences is to raise the levels of public awareness regarding the medical history of Hong Kong as well as to instruct the people on issues regarding disease and health. The building that houses the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences was constructed in 1906 and has an Edwardian style to it. The building housed the Bacteriological Institute which was later named the Pathological Institute following World War II.

The building covers an area of 10, 000 square feet and comprises of one lecture room, one library, one game room, and one gallery for Tai Ping Shan View and eleven other galleries. The galleries are namely the Autopsy Room, History of Hong Kong Dentistry, Lower Gallery Exhibition Room, herbalist shop, The Old Laboratory, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Gallery, Class of 63 Gallery, Tung Wah Group of hospitals Gallery, Hong Kong College of Radiologists Gallery, Hong Kong Tuberculosis, Chest and Heart Disease Association Gallery and the Lui Hac Minh Gallery.

When travelling to Hong Kong make sure to stay at a Hong Kong hotel. A Kowloon hotel such as the Eaton Hotel Hong Kong is highly recommended.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/hong-kong-museum-of-medical-sciences-the-history-of-hong-kong-medicine-802147.html

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

The Hong Kong Arts Festival was established in 1973. The festival is a platform which gives the visitors a wide array of art programs from across the world. The festival has become an integral part of the Hong Kong Culture. The Hong Kong Arts Festival was the brainchild of Charles Hardy who wanted a festival in Hong Kong that would support the performing arts. He later broached his idea with Sir Run Run Shaw and Sir Kenneth Fung Pin-fan. The Hong Kong Arts Festival showcases local as well as internationally produced performing arts. The festival is held every year in Hong Kong during February and March. The venues include numerous halls and theatres, ranging from small enclosures to large arenas.

The Hong Kong Arts Festival includes events such as the Dance, Drama, Chinese Opera, Western Opera, World Music, Chinese Music, Classical Music, and also Family Choice. International performers also bring their act to the Hong Kong Arts Festival, international artists of the likes of Jose Carreras, Yo-Yo Ma, Shanghai Kunqu Theatre, San Francisco Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, Paris Opera Ballet, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Wiener Philharmoniker all make their appearances at the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Local artists such as Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra also perform at shows at the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

While travelling to Hong Kong a stay at a Kowloon hotel is best advised. Out of the many hotels in Hong Kong, the Langham Hotel Hong Kong would be a really good place to stay.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/hong-kong-arts-festival-a-blend-of-eastern-and-western-performing-arts-802206.html

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.