The former Crown Colony still shines brightly after becoming China's southern jewel during a 1997 handover. The city's energy and romance are best appreciated by repeated crossings of the harbor on the Star Ferry system and by panoramic views from Victoria Peak, reached by an antique tram. Hong Hong remains a great place to shop, less for the prices than the atmosphere. The tiny antique stalls tucked into alleys off Hollywood Road are fascinating, the nearby Man Mo Taoist Temple is a down-to-earth relic, and the Golden Mile of boutiques on Kowloon's Nathan Road are rife with designer-label markdowns. But the best window shopping of all is at the Temple Street Night Market, where sidewalk dentists, fortune tellers, and Chinese opera singers ply their trades in the midst of exotic food stalls and clothing and jewelry vendors. Hong Kong's outlying islands, reached by ferries, are quiet retreats, led by the tiny village-island of Cheung Chau. Macau, a Portuguese- controlled island until 1999, can be reached by hydrofoil from Hong Kong. Marked by its floating casinos, Macau's crown jewel is the 17th century Catholic cathedral, Sao Paolo.
- J.D. Brown for Triporati
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