HONG KONG: Day 2--The Future of Hong Kong is Developing Well

Day 2 in Hong Kong started with an excellent buffet breakfast.

For lunch in the Club Lounge, the feature was, of all the things. Spaghetti Bolognese.

Not the standard SB, but good enough.  

Decided then to look around the environs of the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong hotel, which is an anchor tenant with the newish Kowloon Station in West Kowloon, linked to a sprawling and grandiose shopping mall.  Hard to find total costs, but perhaps $10 billion has been spent, and another $10 billion will probably be needed to complete the development.  The International Commerce Center, which was built in 2010 with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at the top, paved the way for this all.  There is the old Hong Kong around the Peninsula and Sheraton hotels, but the West Kowloon Cultural District, with the tallest building and Kowloon Station, which opened in 2018, is already the Hong Kong of the future.

A stroll around the outside.

As we were about to leave, we noticed a free tram that took you all around the district in 20 minutes.

Finally, dinner in the Club Lounge.  Wow.  Peking Duck.

Went back for a Hungarian Goulash, Unagi on rice and more Peking Duck.

Final plate of dessert.

Walked 4315 steps today.

The Ritz-Carlton Hong was the world's highest hotel when it opened in 2011, but is now #3.  Located on floors 102 to 118 of the International Commerce Centre in Kowloon, the tallest building in the city.  Has a one Michelin Star Italian restaurant, Tosca de Angelo, and two-star Chinese restaurant, Tin Lung Heen.  However, the Club Lounge provides such great food, for free, that we'll never be able to try those two.

I was last in Hong Kong in 2015, a stop on my Grand Around the World Adventure, 64-day trip that was spurred by the Milan Expo.  After this stay, I posted on a Japan vs Seoul vs Hong Kong comparison.

Here is a 2009 posting of my stay in Hong Kong.  I provided a history, so won't repeat it.  Here are some final thoughts of that Orient journey.

However, a lot has happened to Hong Kong since my last visit, so I will provide some background for what it is today.

• It is a special administrative region of China, today with 7.5 million people.  It was 7 million in 2009 and 7.3 million in 2015.

• 
  The territory measures 430 square miles.  Oahu is 597 square miles with 1.4 million people.
• Was established as a British colony in 1841, and expanded to Kowloon in 1860.  
• The UK signed a 99-year lease in 1898, but HK was occupied by Japan from 1941-1945.

• 
  The UK returned Hong Kong to China in 1997.  HK is an example of one country, two systems.
• Hong Kong is ranked #3 as a global financial center, next to New York City and London.
• Has the second-highest number billionaires of any city in the world.

• Has the most skyscrapers in the world.
• A skyscraper starts at a height of 492 feet (150 meters).
• #1  HK  569
• #2  Shenzhen  461
• #3  New York City 323
• #4  Mumbai 278
• #5  Dubai 269
• 
  Has the highest life expectancy in the world.
• Even after all that recent turmoil, has a Human Development Index of 0.995, #8 in the world.
• In fact Hong Kong was the second-most visited city by overseas visitors in 2025, next to Bangkok.

About that unrest.

• The protests began in 2014 as the Umbrella Revolution, so I felt some of those attitudes when I last was here.
• Mass protests involving 3 million residents erupted from 2019 to 2020 in response to a proposed extradition amendment bill permitting the movement of fugitives to mainland China.
• I asked Google AI about the current situation in Hong Kong.

Today's situation in Hong Kong regarding AI shows 

a strong government push for integration into public services, booming local AI development with significant investment, high public interest (especially among students and businesses), but also concerns about talent gaps, regulation (especially with mainland China's laws), and a potential "confidence gap" for women in adapting to AI, all while Google actively supports the local ecosystem with cloud services and AI-powered tools for economic growth. 

• Hong Kong's most searched topics of 2025.
• About the future?  Seeking progress while maintaining stability.
• Finally, I asked Google AI if it was safe to visit Hong Kong today.

Yes, it's generally safe for tourists in Hong Kong

, but you need to exercise a high degree of caution, especially regarding strict national security laws, avoiding protests, being aware of petty crime like drink spiking, and monitoring weather for typhoons, with major advisories emphasizing vigilance over current severe threats. Major health concerns like COVID-19 have lessened, but staying updated on specific health notices is wise. 

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