Hong Kong: A Modern Marvel

Spend only a couple days in Hong Kong, and it’s easy to get the feeling that you’re experiencing the city of the future. One look at the city’s magnificent skyline, and it’s obvious why.

From I.M. Pei’s geometrically challenging Bank of China building, to the seemingly endless rows of towering high-density apartments, Hong Kong’s architects are moving in one direction—up. And with only reclaimed land to work with to house the city’s nearly 7 million denizens, they have no choice (that’s some 6,300 people per square kilometer, for those keeping score at home).

That’s not to say all of Hong Kong is urban, crowded, and commercial. Indeed, the evening the skyline is littered with a rainbow of corporate advertisements emblazoned on top of the skyscrapers. But during the day, you can’t miss the fact that beyond the few miles of sky-high development lies largely untarnished, lush forest; a forest that contains such breathtaking sights as the Po Lin Monastery and giant Tian Tan Buddha statue.

The Statue is only a short train ride—Hong Kong’s mass transportation system is nearly flawless, not to mention spotless—to a bus station, and shopping mall, at the bottom of the mountain. Sure the bus is packed, and winds its way up the hills on a rickety one-lane road, but that’s part of the fun. But don’t you think developing China is overlooking the potential here: not only was there constant construction work to widen the road, but also a giant commercial gondola (think Disneyland, or Tahoe) is only months away from completion.

In some ways, it’s sad that such a serine destination will be “tainted” by a transportation upgrade. The gondola doesn’t seem to stick out too much, as far as I could tell, but it will undoubtedly bring tourists by the bunches, cameras at the ready. One does hope that the real beneficiaries of this development are the Po Lin monks, who are looking for donations to fund a new wing for their compound.

Despite its perch on Globalization’s front lines, Hong Kong really has done well to retain a sense of culture and identity. For as you make your way past the financial district, you run into street fairs, night markets, churches and cafes. Under the shadows of the Western, globalized financial firms in their towers remains a culture that is very keen on keeping itself alive and vigorous. Globalization’s discontents could do much to learn from the Hong Kong example.

And they aren’t the only ones.

With it’s densely housed populace, but preserved open spaces, Hong Kong is truly a model for efficient, green city planning. With a brilliant subway—did I mention the mass transit system is great?—already in place, one can imagine simply replacing the endless lines of taxis with hybrids, and voila—an environmentalist’s paradise. To be fair, you have to figure out how to power all the skyscrapers and billboards—but that’s another day!

My experience after leaving my hotel sealed the deal. After a short taxi ride to the train station, I was astonished to learn that I could get my airline’s boarding pass and check in my baggage at the train station! Such efficiency! So, after checking in my luggage and taking the carefree train ride to the airport, all I had to do was briefly go through security and I was home free. What a concept!

With that in mind, it’s hard to be too worked up about the future of globalization and the rise of China if they follow the Hong Kong model. And if the era of America’s sprawling suburbia declines and gives way to the rise of the Asian city-state—I know where I’m headed.