I had the pleasure of visiting Hong Kong recently, and like with any other new travel experience, there was a lot I took away. Obviously, one of the main topics I write about on this blog is urban design / planning, so during my travels, one of the questions I kept in the back of my mind was “What ideas can we take from this city to make Malé even better?”
So here I am where I can finally write about things. In the style of previous “Reflections on…” posts I’ve done, I’ll talk about the good, bad and ugly of the city and what lessons we can take from it.
Some Context
This was my first ever time in Hong Kong, so everything was completely new to me. I have done very short stints in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, and even though they are major Asian cities with a big Chinese influence, just like Hong Kong, it’s just not to the same degree. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur very much have their own distinct character which means it’s not exactly an apples to apples comparison. Nonetheless, those two cities are the closest experiences I have had.
There was a fair amount of research that went into the trip, so nothing was hugely shocking, but there were definitely some adjustments to make, just on a personal level. I have studied Chinese before, so I wasn’t going in completely blind, linguistically speaking.
Population Density
In my post about Hyderabad, I said that it has “a population density that urbanist-inclined American suburbanites can only dream of”. Hong Kong would be more like what anti-urbanist NIMBY American suburbanites have nightmares of. It is a *super* dense city. High rise apartment buildings everywhere. Think of those public housing buildings in Hulhumale phase 2, and make them like 3 times taller, and have 100 times as many, and that’s kind of how Hong Kong is.
In terms of actual numbers, Hong Kong has a population of around 8 million. And even though they are technically spread over an area of over 1000 square kilometers, much of that is undeveloped forests and mountains. The area of urban Hong Kong is closer to 120 square kilometers, meaning the population density is more like 66,000 people per square kilometer, which is quite close to Malé’s 70,000. However, because of the way the city is planned, the “felt” density is not as intense.
The Lay of the Land
From a visitor/foreigner/tourist perspective, it’s easiest to think of Hong Kong in terms of the the old side and the new side. The old side, called Kowloon, is north of the harbour. Names that you might come across frequently in reference to this area include Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei, and Nathan Road. The Malé equivalents might be Henveiru, Galolhu and Majeedhee Magu. I would describe these areas as “where all the action is”. Further north in Kowloon, things get a bit more residential, and it has more of a Hulhumale feel, but with taller and older buildings. In general, Kowloon is a bit dingy, with most of the buildings looking dated and not so pleasant. It’s actually very reminiscent of Malé in that regard.
The new side, south of the harbour, is Hong Kong Island. Victoria is the built up part of this island and it’s where you’ll find the iconic Hong Kong skyline. This area is a lot more commercial, with shiny new glass facade buildings, much wider roads and all that “new city” type stuff. People do live on this side as well, but it’s much more expensive.
Surrounding all of this city development is dense forest and amazing mountain landscapes. It’s a huge contrast, but I think it’s amazing that it has been maintained this way. You could go from shopping at a high end mall surrounded by some of the richest people in China (most people from Mainland China come to Hong Kong for the shopping) and maybe the world, to hiking alone through almost unspoilt mountain forests, within half an hour. And that’s without even using a car.
This access to nature is really important in city design, and Hong Kong pulled it off rather well, even though it was partly by force (it’s hard to build on mountains). It would be nice to see more of that nature incorporated into the city itself, for example with street trees, urban parks and the like. And yes, those things do exist in Hong Kong, but most of the time the city is devoid of nature.
I should also point out that Hong Kong is surrounded by a bunch of smaller islands, which are less developed. I only visited one, called Lamma Island, and it almost had a European seaside village vibe to it, but also with lots of hiking routes, and even beaches, which is definitely not something you normally associate with Hong Kong.
This is something that Malé should definitely take on board. Maintain existing natural areas (I’m looking at you, Kulhudhuffushi Airport!), and incorporate nature into new urban areas (I’m looking at you, Hulhumale phase 2!).
City Convenience
One great thing about Hong Kong which Malé also does quite well, is the fact that the necessities for daily living are quite accessible, in that shops are pretty much within walking distance no matter where you are, even in the more suburban area. It could be my biased perspective though, having mainly explored more of the downtown areas. However, it did generally seem to be the case that ground floors of residential buildings were shops and commercial spaces. There was also a surprising number of people running barber shops out of small garages in tiny back alleys. All of this just made things really convenient as a visitor, and I’m sure it would be the case for residents as well.
Transport
The one feature of Hong Kong which arguably contributes the most to the convenience of getting around in the city is its public transport; specifically the trains. The system, known as the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is fast, frequent, reliable, relatively cheap, and goes pretty much everywhere throughout the city. It’s also very accessible for foreigners with signage in traditional Chinese and English, and announcements in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. The stations all have very consistent designs and layouts making them very easy to navigate – even the larger ones which serve multiple lines. While I was there, I used the MTR all the time to get to where I needed to go.
You can’t talk about the MTR without mentioning the Octopus card, which is part of the ticketing system used to access the MTR. Basically, you load money onto a card (which can be bought from one of the multiple 7-11s that are conveniently places everywhere throughout the city) and then tap the cards at the station gates to get to the trains. But that’s not all – the cards can also be used like a debit card at shops, cafes and restaurants to pay for goods and services. Once again, it makes things very convenient. The one annoying thing about the Octopus card is that you can only reload it with $50 or $100 notes. Because of that I ended up with a whole lot of coins that I couldn’t use.
I should also add that Hong Kong has an airport express train which is separate from the MTR, as well as trams, buses and ferries. The tram system has the world’s largest fleet of double decker trams, and also is unique globally because it exclusively uses double decker trams. The tram network is only on Hong Kong Island. The ferry system is used to access outer islands.
The bus fleet is very much like Malé in that it is mostly double decker buses. The network is quite extensive with hundreds of routes reaching all parts of the city. However, the services aren’t always that frequent. A part of the bus fleet/network are the Public light buses (or minibuses), which are small single deck buses that carry about 15-20 people. These are used to access parts of the city which the standard double decker buses can’t reach. Despite their small size, they are very popular because of their frequency and convenience. However, they’re not as foreigner-friendly, in the sense that it’s harder to find information about routes and timetables if you don’t speak Chinese.
The lesson for Malé here is the same as that from Hyderabad: We need frequent, extensive and reliable public transport to make the city function better. Hong Kong does have cars and traffic, but without the efficient public transportation system, it would be a lot worse. For Malé, this would mean making the buses much more frequent, possibly investing in a fleet of smaller minibuses, and perhaps even considering some form of rail based transit. The demand is there.
Safety
Despite the high density and large crowds, I felt very safe in Hong Kong. I didn’t feel like I had to constantly have my guard up, being weary of pick-pocketing, scams, harassment, and things like that. Near where I was staying, there was a night market that I went to regularly which was extra crowded, and where you would expect those things to happen more often. And while I was extra cautious, I still wouldn’t say it was unsafe. Even on New Year’s Eve, where a massive crowd gathered on the harbour to watch the fireworks display (which was spectacular), I felt completely safe. In general people go about their business and don’t want to get in the way of others (and also don’t want others getting in their way). But I think it also comes down to having a relatively high level of trust in society.
Malé isn’t all bad in this regard (but violent crime probably happens more often compared to Hong Kong). But I think Maldivians could do with a bit more of a Hong Kong type attitude.
Language
Cantonese is everywhere. It’s the language of education, politics, business, media, you name it. Despite English having co-official status, it seems that most people prefer speaking Cantonese (but code-switching is common in some circumstances). Most people will know some English, and probably Mandarin as well.
The main point is that the native language of the majority of the population is given precedence. Meanwhile, Maldives is still educating its citizens through a foreign colonising language. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, good development cannot happen that way.
The Not So Nice Side of Things
There is a lot to love about Hong Kong as a city. It functions very well. However, there are some aspects which are not so pleasant.
Air Pollution
The air quality in Hong Kong isn’t great. There is pretty much a constant haze of smog on the horizon. On really bad days, this haze blankets the entire sky as though it’s a cloudy day. But you can tell the difference between actual cloud, and smog. It’s not safe, it’s not clean, and it makes the city feel a lot more icky overall. While some of this pollution is produced in Hong Kong itself, the majority of it is most likely coming from mainland China which is just north of the city. And I think it’s a bit unfair on the residents of Hong Kong. I’ll add here again that the popularity of public transport greatly contributes to the reduction of air pollution in the city; another reason for Malé to adopt similar transport policies.
Business Culture
Hong Kong is very much a business city. Even though it does have a fair amount to offer in the way of culture, history and other tourist attractions (in fact, I would say it’s underrated as a tourist destination) most people go there for shopping or for work. And this is reflected in the overall attitudes and demeanours of people that you come across in day to day interactions. You hear of so many places where people say “the locals are so friendly!” Hong Kong is not one of those places. And this is not to say that people are rude. It’s more like, they just don’t want to waste time. Get the transaction done and then get moving. Buying something from a shop? Have your money/card ready to pay. Taking a taxi? Shut the door and say your exact destination. Finished eating at a restaurant? Order more, or pay and leave! (Of course this is a generalisation – there are plenty of people who aren’t like this, but this is the overall trend.)
Money Money Money
Part of being a business city (and a global financial centre) is this hyper-capitalistic drive to accumulate as much wealth as possible, and to see the world in terms terms of finances and profits. I just don’t see that as a fulfilling way of living and seeing the world. But it seemed to be quite common in Hong Kong. I should note, however, that my perspective is probably warped by the fact that I spent a lot of time with people who worked in the banking/finance sector.
Rampant Consumerism
Along with the pursuit of money comes the whole mentality of keeping up appearances i.e. spending money of luxury items just to make sure people know your status. People go to Hong Kong for shopping, and this seems to have created an environment where people just want stuff. And this is seen to an even greater degree in Macau, where most of the economy is based on gambling / casinos. The casinos themselves look amazing. But when you tear away the facade, it’s all kind of hollow.
Sleaze
Some parts of Hong Kong are very sleazy, and I think that is related to the business/money culture I mentioned above. When you have people making millions from investments or whatever, it seems to follow that those people then spend that money in not-so-wholesome ways (which, you do you, as long as you’re not hurting anyone). Now, I don’t know about any cocaine parties that take place amongst Hong Kong’s uber-rich business elites (but I’m sure there are plenty of cocaine parties), but what I did see were several places offering “foot massages”. If you’re young and naïve, you might think “what’s wrong with that?”. Well, these “foot massage” places are open late into the night, and during their peak hours, there are young attractive women wearing clothes that are just provocative enough, standing outside, inviting all the male passers-by to come in for a “massage”. I imagine that it isn’t only feet that they’re massaging, and it isn’t only their hands that they’re using for said massages.
But aside from that kind of covert stuff, prostitution is apparently quite common in Hong Kong – both the “working the corner” type and the more high end escort type. The red light districts are very well known.
Religion and Spirituality
This isn’t a negative thing. I’m listing it with the negative stuff because of the really strange contrast. On the surface, Hong Kong isn’t a religious society. Outward displays of religion are very rare (which I think is a function of the type of Buddhism practiced in Hong Kong) . But when you visit the temples dotted throughout the city, you see that spirituality can actually play a big part in people’s lives, identities and worldviews. And it’s a refreshing change from all the money-centred business stuff you see everywhere else in the city.
I should also note that Hong Kong has a surprisingly large Muslim community, with the majority of them coming from Indonesia, China and Pakistan. So despite being a minority, Muslim tourists will still feel culturally safe. And I think that also goes back to the whole “people wanting to stay out of the way of others and go about their own business” thing.
Housing
Housing in Hong Kong is notoriously expensive. In fact, it’s the most expensive housing market in the world. But, most of the apartments are very small, to the point where the make the Alifaanfoshi houses of Malé look like spacious villas. The average apartment size for a family of 3 is about 45 square metres (think a 7m x 7m square), while the average size of single person apartment is about 15 square metres (4m x 4m). However, there are even smaller “micro-apartments” which might consist of a bed on one side and everything else (desk, dining table, storage, kitchen area) right on the opposite side with basically no room to move comfortably. And while the existence of these apartments and their associated costs is partly a function of available space in the city, it also comes down to government policy. Maldives has the same land scarcity issue, but we don’t want to have the same policies. The government should prioritise affordable housing for everyone.
Politics
“We are one China”. Aside from this, do not talk about politics in Hong Kong.
Conclusion
Hong Kong is an amazing city, and I would definitely recommend visiting. Like any place, it has its ups and downs. I think when it comes to the aspects that Maldives should try to emulate, the biggest thing is the public transport. In Hong Kong, it’s efficient, wide-spread and reliable. And with a bit a political will, it would be so easy to have something similar in the Maldives. If not, we might end up with Hong Kong type air quality – something we definitely do not want to emulate. In addition to this, I think when it comes to urban planning, Maldives should prioritise green space; both when creating new spaces, but also keeping what is already there. It’s not worth it to tear down existing mangroves and forests for whatever vanity project the government wants to complete in order to make it look like they’re doing something.
One other thing we should try to avoid is the housing problem. It’s really bad in Hong Kong, and I can see it getting worse for Maldivians as well. I’m no expert in this area, but I think one way to start solving this issue is to think of housing as a right and not as a commodity for investment. But that’s beyond the scope of this post. Basically, whatever Hong Kong is doing policy-wise, we shouldn’t do it.
And of course there are plenty more lessons we can take away from this city whether it’s about culture, language, society or politics. But don’t just take my word for it – go to Hong Kong and see for yourself!
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