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The history of Hong Kong began as a coastal island geographically located in southern China. While pockets of settlements had taken place in the region with archaeological findings dating back thousands of years, regularly written records were not made until the engagement of Imperial China and the British Colony in the territory. Starting out as a fishing village, salt production site and trading ground, it would evolve into a military port of strategic importance and eventually an international financial centre that enjoys the world's 14th highest GDP (PPP) per capita, supporting 33% of the foreign capital flows into China. Archaeological findings suggest human activity in Hong Kong dates back over 30,000 years. Stone tools of the pre-historic people during the old stone age have been excavated in Sai Kung in Wong Tei Tung. The stone tools found in Sai Kung was perhaps from a stone tools making ground.Religious carvings on outlying islands and coastal areas have also been found, possibly related to Che people in Neolithic. The latest findings dating from the Paleolithic suggest that Wong Tei Tung is one of the most ancient settlements in Hong Kong.

Tourist Attractions in Hong Kong Island

To the south of the Yacht Club are the World Trade Centre and the Noon-Day Gun. Also in Causeway Bay, on Times Square, is Hong Kong's tallest skyscraper, the Central Plaza (fine views from the Sky Lobby on the 46th floor).

Central District / Victoria
Victoria, now better known as the Central District, is the official capital of Hong Kong and its throbbing business center, situated half way along the north coast of Hong Kong Island. The price of land in this area has soared to astronomical heights, and it is now a district of high-rise blocks occupied by banks and commercial firms which have almost completely displaced the handsome old buildings of the early colonial period. Looking round the streets and squares between the Mandarin and Hilton Hotels, for example, it is difficult to imagine that right up to the 1960s this was an area of whitewashed four- and five-story buildings with verandas. The tower blocks which now predominate are gradually spreading and insidiously swallowing up the old-fashioned offices and business premises along the shores of the harbor.

Victoria Peak
The best view over Hong Kong is from the top of Victoria Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong Island (554m/1818ft). The upper station of the Peak Tramway is at 397m/1303ft, and it is a steep and breathtaking ride of only eight minutes from the lower station on Garden Road (at the Murray Building, behind the Hilton Hotel) to the upper one. In clear weather a walk round the top of the hill, which takes about 2 hours, is very rewarding. To the south and southwest there are views of Hong Kong Island and the offshore islands, and in the evening there are fine sunsets to the west, offering a tempting subject for photographers. The best shots are to be had when darkness falls and the city below becomes a giant sea of twinkling lights.

Wan Chai
The Wan Chai district lies to the east of Central District (Victoria) on Hong Kong Island. It can be reached by way of Queensway or Harcourt Road.

During the day it is worth visiting for the sake of the little market lanes with their innumerable stalls selling fresh vegetables and livestock. Other features of interest are a number of small temples, the 66-story Hopewell Centre, the Arts Centre, with its theater and stage shows, and the new Convention and Exhibition Centre, which boasts the largest glass wall in the world.

Western District / West Point
West Point and the Western District, situated on Sulfur Channel at the northwestern corner of Hong Kong Island, were the first major areas settled by the British after their arrival in 1842, and the names of streets and buildings in this densely populated part of the city recall these early arrivals. The farther west you go, however, the more Chinese the area becomes: shops and businesses rarely have signs in English, and few Europeans are to be seen. Here too redevelopment and modernization are in progress; but there are still interesting Chinese tea-houses, medicine shops and businesses. This is not a typical tourist area, but a district which will give the stranger a good impression of traditional Chinese life.

South Side

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