HK-568373 Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong

When it comes to evoking the mystery and charm of ancient China, few art forms can compare to Chinese opera, with its kaleidoscopic costumes, distinctive falsetto singing punctuated by gongs and intricate gestures rich with symbolism. Despite serious competition from more modern forms of entertainment, traditional Chinese performance art in the form of Cantonese opera continues to persevere in Hong Kong as a beautiful and timeless craft.

One of the major styles of Chinese opera, Cantonese opera is a highly respected and much-loved art form that blends Chinese legend, music and drama into a vibrant performance style that’s rich with symbolic meaning. Popular with audiences in southern China and parts of Southeast Asia, it was included as part of UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.  (extract from Hong Kong Tourism website)

This postcard from Hong Kong showing 崔鶯鶯 an actress in beautiful costume in the opera 西厢记.  Thanks to  Annie (Postcrossing, May 2018).  

The Star Ferry of Hong Kong

Logo of the Star Ferry

This postcard (20 August 2015) DS Postcrossing came from Yvonne. It shows a panoramic view of Hong Kong. On the bottom half is the iconic Star Ferry of Hong Kong.

The Star Ferry, or The "Star" Ferry Company, is a passenger ferry service operator and tourist attraction in Hong Kong. Its principal routes carry passengers across Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It was founded in 1888 as the Kowloon Ferry Company, adopting its present name in 1898.
The fleet of twelve ferries currently operates two routes (four prior to April 1, 2011) across the harbour, carrying over 70,000 passengers a day, or 26 million a year. Even though the harbour is crossed by railway and road tunnels, the Star Ferry continues to provide an inexpensive mode of harbour crossing. The company's main route runs between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui.  Unfortunately, since the Central Star Ferry Pier was moved from its old pier next to City Hall to the new location outside International Finance Centre, passenger numbers have fallen drastically to mainly tourists and a small number of commuters. This has meant the Star Ferry company has lost many millions of dollars since the relocation.

HK-359109 Trams of Hong Kong

Hong Kong Tramways (香港電車) is a tram system in Hong Kong. The first trams started running in 1904.

111 years later, the trains are still running. Currently, the trams are on a double track tramline built parallel to the northern coastline of Hong Kong Island from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan, with a single clockwise-running track of about 3 km (1.9 mi) around the Happy Valley Racecourse.

There are six major overlapping routes:

Shau Kei Wan ↔ Western Market

Shau Kei Wan ↔ Happy Valley
Shau Kei Wan ↔ Kennedy Town
North Point ↔ Whitty Street
Happy Valley ↔ Kennedy Town
Causeway Bay ↔ Whitty Street
Western Market ↔ Kennedy Town

Trams in Hong Kong are not only a form of commuter transport but they are also a major tourist attraction. It is one of the most environmentally friendly ways of travelling in Hong Kong and is the only tram system in the world operated exclusively with double-decker trams.

Hong Kong Tramways now owns 163 double axle double-decker trams, including two open-balcony dim-sum tourist trams for tourist trips and private hire.

The trams themselves are sometimes called the "Ding Ding" (叮叮) by Hong Kong people, being the onomatopoeia of the iconic double bell ring trams use to warn pedestrians of their approach. The term "ding ding" is now often used to refer to the whole tram system.

This postcard came from Yvonne (13 August 2015) Postcrossing.

HK-352759 Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad

The Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad (HKDLRR) is a narrow gauge railroad at Hong Kong Disneyland. It opened together with the park on September 12, 2005. The Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad is the first attraction seen when entering the park. The train transports guests around the park which is also known as the "Grand Circle Tour".

The Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad has two passenger trains:

Walter E. Disney - This train is named after Walt Disney, the founder of the Walt Disney Company. It has 5 cars which are named after cities in California, namely Anaheim, Burbank, Glendale, Los Angeles and California.

Roy O. Disney - This train is named after Roy O. Disney, the brother of Walt Disney and the co-founder of the Walt Disney Company. It also has 5 cars namely Chicago, Marceline, Kansas City, Hollywood and Orlando.

The ‘steam locomotives’ are actually fake. The tenders are the real locomotives that haul the trains. They run on diesel fuel while typical steam audio (chuffing, steam whistle, etc.) are emitted from speakers.

This postcard came from Rach (13 July 2015) Postcrossing.

HK-341982 Tai Mo Shan (大帽山)

Tai Mo Shan (大帽山) is the highest peak in Hong Kong, with an elevation of 957 m. It is located at approximately the geographical centre of the New Territories.

The Tai Mo Shan Country Park covers an area of 14.40 km² around Tai Mo Shan. It is located to the north of Tai Lam Country Park. It is noted to have the 35-metre Long Falls, the highest waterfall in Hong Kong.

As a former volcano, that has long been extinct, Tai Mo Shan is composed of volcanic rocks from the Jurassic age. Today a small hill that is part of Tai Mo Shan, known as "Kwun Yum Shan", still vents warm air though cracks in the rocks that lead all the way to the mantle. The holes that exhale warm air are known as "hot pots". When the surface temperature is cold, and the warmth of the expelled air is clearly discernible, this phenomenon is referred to by locals as "dragon's breath". If the air temperature at the summit is 6 degrees Celsius, then the air emerging from the interior of Kwun Yum Shan is somewhere between 13 and 21 degrees Celsius. These "hot pots" are now just mild remnants of the intense superheated steam vents of the volcanic past. The volcanic rocks are mainly coarse ash crystal tuff.

In the past, Tai Mo Shan was famous for a type of green tea, called mist or cloud tea, which grew wild on the mountain side. Occasionally, local people can still be seen picking the tea shoots for brewing green tea.

Source: Wikipedia

This postcard came from Augustus (3 June 2015) Postcrossing.

HK-319099 Free Speech in China

Here is an interesting postcard on free speech in China.  This anti-establishment card was probably drawn in the Mao's period (his portrait is in the background) when censorship was at its height. 

In fairness, in modern China, there is less curb on free expression of the people and the authorities have adopted a more relaxed attitude in some issues. 

This postcard came from Vicky (11 March 2015) Postcrossing.

SW FB-458 Hong Kong Kai Tak International Airport (1925-1998)

Kai Tak Airport 啟德機場 was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. It was officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, when it was closed and replaced by the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the west. In 2013, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal was opened on the site of the former airport's runway.

With numerous skyscrapers and mountains located to the north and its only runway jutting out into Victoria Harbour, landings at the airport were dramatic to experience and technically demanding for pilots.  As shown in the postcard, planes flying low over Kowloon City while landing or taking off from Kai Tak Airport were daily occurrences. 

 

Personal note:

I remember being with a friend in Mongkok trying to talk above the hum of the streets and the roar of jet engines above. 

This postcard came from Gloria C. (3 February 2015) Swap-bot.

SW EX-453 Food Map of Hong Kong

Hong Kong has a long history of being an international city of commerce.  It has a predominantly service-based economy and restaurant businesses serve as a main economic contributor. From the roadside stalls to the most upscale restaurants, Hong Kong provides an unlimited variety of food in every class.

Chinese ethnicity makes up 94% of the resident population of Hong Kong and the majority of the Chinese population is Cantonese although there are sizeable numbers of Hakka, Teochew and Shanghainese people. The cuisine of Hong Kong is therefore mainly influenced by Cantonese cuisine.  There are also food outlets for other Asian food and Western food. Hong Kong is well-known as a gourmet paradise.

This postcard from Gloria C. (28 January 2015) Swap-bot shows a food map of Hong Kong.