What Do I Need to Know to Survive in Hong Kong?
Memorize this compendium of answers to become a Hong Kong mastermind.
So, this is it then. I first came to HK Magazine long ago, back when answers to basic questions weren’t just a Google away. So for years I hung out at the back of HK Magazine, answering the questions that needed answering: Where can I get my photos framed in Hong Kong? Who can I get to repair my lamp? Who will fix my broken LP player?
But with the rise of the internet, my services weren’t quite so relevant—and so for the last three years I changed tack, answering instead questions that Hongkongers never thought to ask about this wonderful, stunning, improbable city. You might have missed a few, but memorize these and you, too, can wow visitors with your apparent breadth of knowledge.
Where does Hong Kong get its name? “Fragrant Harbor” was the original name of Aberdeen, and westerners assumed it was the name of the whole island.
Why use bamboo scaffolding? It’s cheap, fast-growing and has a phenomenal strength-to-weight ratio. It’s half the weight of steel, six times faster to put up and 12 times faster to take down.
Who invented the egg puff? Shopkeepers trying to find something to do with their cracked eggs.
What is correct lai see etiquette? $20 for your laundry lady, $50-100 for small children and building security, $100-200 for adults and family, $500 for the nephew you wish to bribe. Don’t give an unlucky sum with 4 in it. For weddings: $500-$1,000-plus, venue-dependent. Your lai see pays for the wedding banquet. Write your name on the back.
