Hong Kong was not what I expected but I enjoyed touring the city and learning about the people and their culture.
Hong Kong returned to mainland China control 20 years ago with a 50 year agreement that China would not change any laws. If you live in Hong Kong you can cross into mainland China, work and live there. Cars that have two license tags on them have been approved to cross both boarders freely. If you are from mainland China you can not easily cross over into Hong Kong nor work or live there. They have set a number on how many people per year that are approved to move to Hong Kong from China.
Hong Kong has it's own currency, laws and government. They drive on the left like Britain does not on the right like China. Their signs are in English and Cantonese. Horse racing is legal in Hong Kong but gambling in China is illegal.
If you were to drive from one end of Hong Kong to the other with no traffic it would take 1 1/2 hours. 6% own cars and pay 120% import tax on each one.
60% of the population lives in government assisted housing due to the cost of housing. Hong Kong consist of two island connected by bridges and tunnels and a peninsula. Mostly mountains so not a lot of flat area for building. No manufacturing buildings in Hong Kong. Shipping and tourism are the largest industries.
Elderly care in Hong Kong is an issue as they did not have a system in place prior to the change of power from Britain to China. If the elderly have no family to take care of them they are still working or living in poverty. Hong Kong never had a one child law.
They have reclaimed land from the sea and built the new airport. According to my guides and several on the trip the old Hong Kong airport use to be one of the most dangerous to land in. The old airport area is now the port for cruise ships to arrive.