Walk in Hong Kong
Christopher KL Lau
They say the essence of any city can be found by simply strolling around at your own pace and simply soaking up the atmosphere.
Saying this, it is easy for both Hong Kong's residents and tourists to be enraptured and entranced by the simple pleasures and beauty that Hong Kong's diverse neighborhoods can offer.
Now imagine beating down the same paths but with experienced and extremely knowledgable guides who can transform an average and mundane street into an unforgettable experience.
The tour guide organization, 'Walk In Hong Kong' delves deep into the heart of Hong Kong and its history, myths and legends.
To the casual observer, Hong Kong is a 24/7 urban hub of endless possibilities, but behind the glistening high rises and ivory towers are a myriad of stories and fables which make Hong Kong the unique city that it is. 'Walk In Hong Kong' provides a walking tour like no other that can reveal the true Hong Kong!
Hong Kong Walking Tours
'Walk in Hong Kong' have a whole host of lovingly-designed and well-researched walking tours in Hong Kong that are fun, informative and celebratory of the city's tales, past and present.
No stone is left unturned so the guides explore every nook and cranny of the city. They have two types of tours: by area - places that appear in tour guides as well as many that don't - and by theme - urban myths, cemeteries, old shops and more.
These well-crafted tours are open to all who love the opportunity to learn, absorb and experience the multitude of sights and sounds that Hong Kong offers. The guides are young, extensively travelled Hong Kong professionals who have joined many walking tours both locally and abroad and know what it takes for one to work. They live and breath the city and want to share their love of their home with all those who are keen to listen.
What unites the tour guides is a shared passion to promote Hong Kong as a multi-dimensional travel playground of under-appreciated heritage, a less than straight-forward history, and of course, much present-day flux.
Far away from the normal tourists destinations, 'Walk In HK' will present to even the most seasoned traveller a parallel universe where people will be able to both experience and reminiscence about rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods and ways of life which are slowly disappearing and maybe soon lost forever.
Urban Growth
'Walk in Hong Kong's' tours reflect Hong Kong's amazing levels of urban growth and relentless development. Seeped deep within the many new towering offices are deep layers of history and stories waiting to be told.
The different streets and communities of Hong Kong all have their own stories and 'Walk In Hong Kong' breaths life into these stories so that participants can experience the unique atmosphere and the city's unique development.
In-depth story-telling is key to the walks and active interaction and discussion with an open exchange of ideas. While Walk In Hong Kong is not an NGO or social enterprise of any kind, they do seek to influence local culture, stories, traditions and local ways of living into tourism resources for Hong Kong. Their tours can benefit local businesses and can offer a view of Hong Kong that many are unaware of yet would completely enjoy.
The tours are even suitable for long-term Hong Kong residents who may even be surprised by the rich historical and cultural stories of their communities. Any city is best seen by foot and 'Walk In Hong Kong' are happy to comply and literally bring the streets of Hong Kong to life.
For more, visit their official website: www.walkin.hk
Chung Wah Chow Interview
Exclusive Interview with Chung Wah Chow, one of the 'Walk in Hong Kong' team and well known travel writer.
So what distinguishes your walking tours from other ordinary tours and walking tours? Surely a tourist could simply walk around with their own guidebook and visit these areas?
We don't go sightseeing and we don't just talk about history. Most of our tours cover lesser-visited places in Hong Kong like North Point, Sham Shui Po and Happy Valley etc., and we link the past of the place to the present.
For example, our Sheung Wan tour has a life and death theme. We do not only talk about the bubonic plague that killed 90% of the population in the area in the 19th century, but how this disaster has had impact even up until now.
It was this disaster that both the government and a charity group (Tung Wah Hospital) founded by wealthy Chinese businessmen started providing proper medical service and set the foundation of hygiene policies for the city. A guidebook won't be covered the details of these lesser known but important facets of a place.
Are your walking tours a form of oral history?
Yes, but we do not only talk about (oral) history. We also talk about the reality. In our urban myths tour in Wanchai, we debunked the myth that no one is willing to buy a house that is haunted. The reality is, given the insanity of the property market in Hong Kong that most people spend all their savings just to pay the down payment and mortgage to buy a shoebox-sized flat, haunted houses, usually sell for 30% less, are of great demand!
I think there is a gap here. Why the government officials have no clue of the importance of conservation, the younger generations of the general public actually started to voice out why it is vital to preserve the city's history. The officials still see the city as a money-making place. The people see it as their home.
What type of people make up your team and where does the motivation come from to lead these tours?
We have four core team members: one former government official and now a banker (Paul Chan); one former human rights campaigner (Haider Kikabhoy), one journalist (Dora Choi) and I (a travel writer).
We all come from different backgrounds so even if we do the same tour we may have different focuses. But all of us believe that Hong Kong is not just what the official storyline goes, a fishing-village-turned-metropolis. There are actually more spectacular miracles to tell!
What type of person / tourists do you expect to attend these walks? What can an attendee expect to experience?
So far our participants are a good mix of locals and expats alike, with some visitors too, both from overseas and from the mainland.
We usually don't go off the beaten path as most of our walks are city walks. Instead, we reclaim the beaten path. An attendee can expect that they will be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, which I regard as one of the greatest rewards of traveling.
Some of the urban myths and legends mentioned on your website are fascinating? How did you find out about them or is it common knowledge which is passed down the generations?
Most of them are common knowledge. Some were re-discovered during the course of research of a place.
What does "Reclaiming the beaten path" mean? What cultural benefits do you hope to bring to the areas that you lead tours too?
Re: reclaiming the beaten path, please see the answer above. Re: cultural benefits: we hope to create more opportunities for people who are working in the culture-related sector. We recruited them as a guide, visit their workshops (we include a letterpress workshop in the Sheung Wan tour) etc.
In some countries as you walk through the streets, you feel a sense of history and community. This is not always the case in Hong Kong, how do you think this issue can be solved?
Now the preservation of heritage is only about preserving the building, but not the community, that's why old neighborhoods are vanishing so fast. Sadly this issue can hardly be solved, blame the developers.
What is your favourite part of Hong Kong and why?
My favourite part of Hong Kong is where you can chill amid the urban swirl. Ship Street in Wanchai used to be one of my favourite places, but the construction of the Mega Tower completely changed the vibes of this more than a century old street with stony walls and staircases.
The cemeteries in Happy Valley are always my favourite. They are beautiful, easy to access, and is like an outdoor museum that that you can study and learn about the history of Hong Kong. It's also a great place to repose as the old banyan tree and other fauna and flora (lots of birds there!) make it a nice place to amble.
Book Hotel Accommodation in Hong Kong China
Book Hotels in Hong Kong - Booking.com
Hotels in Hong Kong - Agoda
Find Hotels in Kowloon - Booking.com
Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong
Search Hotels in Macau - Booking.com
Venetian Macau Resort Hotel
Budget Hotels in Hong Kong - Booking.com