Skyscrapers, neon lights, buzzing trams, and business deals over dim sum? That’s one side of Hong Kong. But there’s another—quieter, older, and steeped in tradition. Think of incense curling through ancient temples, fishing boats rocking gently off island shores, and festivals that honour the past.
Island escapes: From Lantau to Peng Chau
Tian Tan Buddha, Lantau Island/Nadie Marfurt/Unsplash
Lantau Island is more than just the site of the airport and Disneyland. It’s home to the Tian Tan Buddha—a 34-meter-high seated bronze statue perched serenely above the Po Lin Monastery. While tourists often take the cable car to admire the Buddha, few wander to Tai O, a historic fishing village on the island’s western edge. Here, wooden stilt houses stretch over the water, and the scent of dried seafood fills the air. Time slows in Tai O. You might even spot the elusiv
Beyond the skyscrapers, Hong Kong hides islands, incense-filled temples, and centuries-old customs waiting to be explored by the culturally curious.
e pink dolphins just offshore.
Cheung Chau, a crescent-shaped, car-free island, is a local favourite. Popular for its Bun Festival—where locals climb towers of buns and chase away evil spirits—Cheung Chau is an excellent day-trip escape. You can rent a bike, snack on giant fish balls, visit the Pak Tai Temple, and dip into small coves framed by granite boulders.
Then there’s Peng Chau, a quiet islet that feels like it belongs to a different decade. No cars. No crowds. Just dusty temples, sleepy cats, hand-painted signs, and craft studios tucked into alleyways. Walk the Peng Chau Family Trail for sea views and stumble across old match factories now reclaimed by artists.
Temples that whisper stories
Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong/Aethelfirth/Wikimedia Commons
Amid Hong Kong’s vertical modernity stand timeworn temples filled with smoke, prayer, and soft murmurs of belief.
In Sheung Wan, you’ll find Man Mo Temple, built in the mid-1800s to honour the gods of literature and war. Inside, massive coils of incense burn above visitors’ heads, while students scribble wishes on red slips of paper before exams.
Over in Kowloon, Wong Tai Sin Temple is a spectacle of colour, movement, and ritual. Famous for its fortune-telling practice (kau cim), where worshippers shake sticks until one falls out with a numbered fortune, this Taoist temple is a cultural intersection where Buddhism and Confucianism also weave into the spiritual tapestry.
For something truly otherworldly, climb the stairs to Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin. As you ascend, golden Buddha statues—each with a unique posture and expression—guide your path. At the top, a silent monastery offers sweeping views and a profound sense of peace.
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Traditions still thriving
Dragon Boat Festival/Henning Wiekhorst/Unsplash
Despite its cosmopolitan energy, Hong Kong keeps many of its ancient customs alive.
Every June, dragon boats slice through the city’s harbours and beaches during the Dragon Boat Festival, a high-energy celebration with drumming, rowing, and festive rice dumplings (zongzi). The races, particularly in Stanley and Aberdeen, draw enthusiastic crowds and honour the memory of poet Qu Yuan.
In late summer, during the Hungry Ghost Festival, locals burn incense and paper offerings and leave food to appease wandering spirits. Staged operas in Kowloon’s parks and rituals at Tin Hau temples give a glimpse into Hong Kong’s deeply spiritual past.
Another enduring custom is tea culture. The tradition of yum cha—sharing tea and dim sum in bustling teahouses—is more than a meal. It’s a family ritual. Meanwhile, traditional Chinese medicine halls still dot the city, offering herbal cures and powdered remedies with roots in centuries-old practices.
Hiking paths to the past
Dragon’s Back, Shek O, Hong Kong/Drown in City/Unsplash
Hong Kong’s hills are laced with trails that tell their own stories. Dragon’s Back, a breezy ridge walk on the south side of Hong Kong Island, offers panoramic views of Shek O village and the South China Sea. While it’s become a popular escape for locals and tourists alike, the trail still captures the city’s rare union of urban and wild.
For a more culturally immersive experience, head to the Ping Shan Heritage Trail in the New Territories. This gentle path connects walled villages, ancestral halls, pagodas, and the centuries-old Tang Clan architecture. It’s a journey through the evolution of rural Hong Kong and its once-powerful clans.
The soul of the city lies in the quiet
Tai O, Hong Kong/Stella P/Unsplash
The city’s gleaming surface is only part of the story. Hong Kong’s soul lives in its temples, its festivals, its herbal halls, and ferry rides to forgotten islands. It’s in a fisherman mending nets in Tai O, an old woman lighting incense in Sheung Wan, and the salty wind that greets you on Peng Chau.
If you look beyond the skyline, you’ll find a city humming with history and spiritual rhythm, quiet but never still. That’s the other side of Hong Kong.
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