Editor""s note:Gang wei, or literally Hong Kong taste, is a concept often talked about, but almost impossible to define. No one can tell what the taste is exactly, yet it can be found everywhere in the city: the ting-a-ling of the trams, the shumai in tea houses and the burning incense in the Tin Hau Temple. As the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region celebrates the 20th anniversary of its return to China, we bring thisA piece of Hong Kong series to try and explore the spirit of Hong Kong from some of the most intriguing aspects of the city.
The tramway (ding ding)
Local residents call these double-decker trams ""ding ding"" due to the double bell ring the trams use to warn pedestrians of their approach.
Since 1904, trams have been running east and west along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island. The tramway is a living, evolving connection between Hong Kong""s colorful history and modern culture.
Currently there are a total of 164 tramcars running through Hong Kong, including two antique trams and one sightseeing tram. It is the world""s largest double-decker tram fleet still in operation, carrying an average of 200,000 passengers everyday.
There are ongoing debates about whether or not to remove ding ding to give way for more modern vehicles like buses and cars on such a congested island. But Hong Kong people stood up to keep them around for nostalgic purposes.
The Star Ferry
The Hong Kong Star Ferry is one of the city""s most iconic tourist attractions and has been plying Victoria Harbor, between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, since the late 1800s.
With its distinctive green and white exterior, the Star Ferry is an integral part of the city""s history and is beloved by locals and visitors alike. The National Geographic Traveler named the ferry crossing as one of 50 places to experience in a lifetime. The ferry ride is also well known as being one of the best value sightseeing trips in the world.
The Star Ferry Company celebrated its centenary in 1998. Its fleet of nine ferries is now serving two franchised ferry routes between Tsimshatsui and Central, Tsimshatsui and Wanchai.
The Disneyland Resort Line
The Disneyland Resort Line is a heavy rail MTR line connecting Sunny Bay to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. It is the seventh line of the former MTR network before the merging of MTR and KCR, and the world""s first metro line designed to service a Disney theme park.
This line is designed with a Disney theme, and is colored pink on the network map. Bronze statues of well-known Disney characters, such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, are included inside the trains, and the windows are in the shape of Mickey Mouse""s head.
Ngong Ping360
As one of the most unique attractions in Hong Kong, Ngong Ping360is one of the world""s top 10 amazing cable car rides and includes a culturally-themed landscape garden called Ngong Ping Village.
Ngong Ping360Cable Car is a 25-minute scenic ride that connects Ngong Ping plateau with the town Tung Chung. The cableway boasts the amazing Crystal Cabin, the glass bottom of which offers an astonishing bird""s eye view of the magical deep blue sea and lush green mountainside underneath your feet.
Central-Mid-Levels escalator
The Central-Mid-Levels escalator and walkway system in Hong Kong is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. The entire system covers over 800 meters in distance and is over 135 meters tall.
It was constructed in 1993 to provide an easier commute by linking areas within the Central and Western District on Hong Kong Island. It was featured on the CNN website as one of the coolest commutes in the world in March .
The escalator has also appeared in many films, including Wong Kar-wai""s Chungking Express and the Batman film the Dark Knight.
