Trendy Foodie Tour

Welcome to China. Your first stop in China is Hong Kong. Your tour guide will wait for you in advance at the airport. And then, the tour guide will take you to the hotel. Hong Kong is located in southern China. Hong Kong is made up of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories, and the surrounding 262 islands, with a total land area of 1,106.66 square kilometers and a total population of 7,474,200. It is a highly prosperous free port and an international metropolis. It is also known as Nylonkong together with New York and London, and is the third largest financial center in the world. Besides, Hong Kong is also known as a gourmet paradise. So it’s an appropriate start of the trip for food lovers. In Hong Kong, you can taste some local food like Gulaorou (Sweet and Sour Pork), Yuwan (Fish Balls), Hong Kong-Style Milk Tea, Chezaimian (a type of instant noodles), and so on.

After a hearty breakfast, your tour guide will take you to Victoria Peak, which is your first stop in Hong Kong. Victoria Peak, Hong Kong’s premier tourist attraction, is a must-see spot in Hong Kong that integrates sightseeing, entertainment and shopping. With an altitude of 554 meters, it is the highest peak in Hong Kong. To bring you an interesting and special experience, we will arrange Peak Tram for you to ascend the peak. Taking the Peak Tram is the best way to get to the top of the Victoria Peak, and you can enjoy great scenery along the way. The Peak Tram was officially put into service on May 30, 1888, and was the earliest cable car system in Asia. In its history of more than 100 years, the Peak Tram has undergone many renovation and modernization projects. For instance, it has changed from the traditional coal-fired system to the current computer-controlled one, and from the original wooden cabin to the metal cabin. Besides going sightseeing at Victoria Peak, you can also buy some special souvenirs here. For example, there is a shop that makes furnishings and artworks with Chinese artistic characteristics, including seals, calligraphy works, paintings and so on. You can buy some as gifts for your family and friends!

Then, you will go to Aberdeen Fishing Village. It is a famous tourist attraction in Hong Kong. And it is a typical Hong Kong fishing village that you can take a close look at how the locals are living their lives. Traditional small sampans, fishing boats and luxury yachts are docked side by side next to the pier. To show the overall view of the village, we will arrange sampans for you to visit Aberdeen Fishing Village. And during the sampan ride, you can take some photos of this village, which will be a nice post on your Facebook and Instagram. And there is an interesting story about the local fishermen. Besides going fishing, the fishermen also have entertainment on weekdays, such as playing mahjong. They would meet to play mahjong on a boat in their leisure time, and occasionally they may get addicted as well as begin to gamble. As gambling is not allowed in Hong Kong, the marine police will go to catch the gambling fishermen when receiving a tip. But most of the time, all that the marine police would see is a boat of slippers with unknown owners. Because when the fishermen find out that the police is coming, they would jump off the boat from the other side and swim to wherever they belong.  As for lunch today, you will have it at Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant located at the Aberdeen Fishing Village. It is a large floating restaurant that is very famous among locals and tourists. We will arrange the local style dim-sum lunch for you.

In the afternoon, you will visit Repulse Bay first. The name “Repulse Bay” came from the name of a naval ship that patrolled here. The coastline here is in the shape of a meniscus. It was artificially widened many years ago to make the beach wider and longer. With fine sand and deep water, it is the most famous beach in Hong Kong. There are many barbecue grills in the shade of the trees at the eastern end of Repulse Bay. You might see the locals having their barbecue parties here. There are also many restaurants, cafes and supermarkets around the beach. The cafe near the sea is a good place to sit down and appreciate the sun as well as listen to the sound of the waves. The beautiful scenery of Repulse Bay has made it one of the famous high-end residential areas on Hong Kong Island. These buildings and surroundings like mountains as well as rivers constitute a unique scene in Repulse Bay.

Then, you will visit Temple Street. Located on Kowloon Peninsula, Temple Street gets its name because there is a temple in the street. It is a special street with its own characteristics and a famous night fair in Hong Kong. With a length of about 600 meters, it is famous for the inexpensive goods sold there. In the afternoon, the stalls on the roadside of Temple Street will open for business. There are all kinds of goods at a relatively low price, and so, you can buy some souvenirs with local charcteristics at a very good price. Besides, there are many food stalls on the street with various types of snacks for you to choose from: seafood, Indian cuisine, and local snacks like Fish Balls (made of fish meat and then mixed with spicy or sweet sauces) and Hong Kong-Style Milk Tea (made of black tea, milk and sugar).  You will understand why Hong Kong is praised as the gourmet paradise after your visit here.

Going out of the street, your trip today will come to an end. Your tour guide will send you back to the hotel. After today’s foodie tour, which gives you the chance to taste the local food of Hong Kong, all you need to do is to have a good rest.

Temple Street

Aberdeen Fishing Village

In the morning, you will be driven west to Tung Chung Station in Lantau Island, which will take you about 40 minutes. After arrival, you will take the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car from Tung Chung Station to the top of Lantau Island. The whole journey will take you about 25 minutes, during which you can see the beautiful scenery of Lantau Island. What deserves to be mentioned is that there are different cabin choices for you: the standard cabin and crystal cabin. For standard cabin, only the windows are transparent, which is suitable for everyone. The wide field of vision allows people to have a great view of the mountains, rivers and vast forests of Lantau Island. Being different from standard cabin, crystal cabin has a transparent bottom, which is suitable for those who are seeking excitement. Looking down, you will see a world of green plants. With a more panoramic view, you will have a more exciting experience. And if you are brave enough, you can as well lie down in the cabin and take a selfie with Lantau Island. This will make a cool post on your social media! We will arrange standard cabin for you by default, just contact us if you want to choose the later one.  

After arriving at the top, you will visit the Bronze Buddha. The Bronze Buddha is the world’s largest outdoor bronze seated Buddha statue in the world. It is made with 202 pieces of bronze and weighs 250 tons. The height of the Buddha statue itself is 23 meters, and together with the base make the whole statue about 34 meters high. What’s more, there is a museum in the base, where various Buddhist artworks such as murals, paintings and relics of Buddha Shakyamuni are displayed. Facing north, the right hand of the Buddha is raised at the chest level, and the five fingers are stretched out, which represents the removal of pain; the left hand hangs down on the foot, the palm is turned outward, and the fingertips are slightly downward, which means giving happiness to others. All of these show the loving and kindness of Buddhism.

Your next station is Polin Monastery. Polin Monastery is located in the middle of Lantau Island. It was founded in 1906 and has a history of more than 100 years. For decades, the incessant work has made the architectures of the temple more and more magnificent today. There are Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas, Main Shrine Hall of Buddha, The tripod commemorating Hong Kong’s return to China, Skanda Hall and many other halls for you to visit. What’s more, if you want to taste the vegetarian food of the temple, you can choose to go to the Abstinence Hall to take a break and enjoy the special dishes of Polin Monastery (not included in our arranged itineraries). The dishes generally include soup, fried food, vegetables and rice.

After lunch, you will have some free time at Ngong Ping Village. Close to the Big Buddha, Ngong Ping Village covers an area of 1.34 hectares. The architectural and design of Ngong Ping Village demonstrates the unique spiritual outlook and cultural atmosphere of Ngong Ping. What’s more, it has 3 tourist attractions and a total of 25 restaurants, as well as shopping and entertainment facilities. Sometimes there are also street performances such as kung fu, juggling or Cantonese opera in the village. What’s more, there are special events accassionally, for example, there was once an event called “Be with the Buddha”. It was a multi-media program that enlightens the soul. It showed the journey of Sakyamuni’s Buddhahood through a video. And there were exhibition boards to introduce the mantras of Buddhism, so that people can have a more detailed and profound experience. Besides, you can pick and buy some souvenirs here.

Optional Activity：

If you like, we can take you to Tai O Fishing Village by public transportations. Located in the southwestern of Hong Kong, it has a total area of 146.75 square kilometers and a total population of more than 2,000. The stilt house is the symbol of Tai O Fishing Village, and it is also one of the most unique buildings in Hong Kong. You can watch them from a distance on the bridge or you can choose to take a sampan to experience the life of the people on the water in the fishing village. Strolling through the streets of Tai O Fishing Village, you will have a completely different experience from the fast-paced life in the metropolis. Besides, as a fishing village, there are various kinds of seafood. If you want to taste some fresh seafood here, you can go into local restaurants, none of which will disappoint you. What’s more, the local salted fish and shrimp paste also have excellent flavors, and you can buy some back with you.

Polin Monastery

Bronze Buddha

Today, your food tour in China is coming to an end. And it’s time to say goodbye.. Then, all you need to do is to pack your baggage and wait for your tour guide. According to your flight information, your tour guide will pick you up at your hotel and send you to the airport in advance. Welcome to China again.

Author: Li Jiaqi

Proofreader: Li Yiwen