Today, with a large foreign working population and an 'East meets West' way of life, Hong Kong's people have had a unique society that borrows from both worlds.įormerly with a degree of political and legal autonomy under the 'one country, two systems' policy, this city ranked as the third most important international financial center after New York and London, with it's own currency, one of the highest per capita income levels, and a generally high level of civil liberties. When established as a British colony in 1842, the area was just a collection of small fishing villages around a magnificent harbor. Two decades since the change in sovereignty, this small enclave of seven million people had, until recently, remained a world apart from the rest of China. In the latest announcement from the government spas are allowed to open starting February 18, 2021. See the Coronavirus FAQs, Hong Kong Free Press and TravelBans/HK websites for updates.
