Hong Kong Travelogue and Guide (Part 1)

Guangzhou and Hong Kong 7-Day Travelogue (4) — Hong Kong Movie Filming Locations (1) During the 2024 Christmas season, friends from Shenzhen invited me to visit Hong Kong. The first three days were spent in Guangzhou and Dongguan. On the fourth day, we crossed the border at Shenzhen Bay and took a bus to Hong Kong. As a fan of classic Hong Kong films and a lover of historic sites, my main activities in Hong Kong were visiting movie filming locations and Hong Kong’s "Declared Monuments." There are many places to visit in Hong Kong over three days, so I will share them in several posts gradually— Tang Clan Ancestral Hall in Ha Tsuen Village (Photos 1, 2) After crossing the border at Shenzhen Bay, we got off at Tin Shui Wai, which is not far from Ha Tsuen Village. The Tang Clan Ancestral Hall is a declared monument of Hong Kong, completed in 1750. When I visited, it was decorated with traditional Hong Kong-style floral plaques. (Hong Kong has its own heritage protection system. The highest level of heritage protection is called "Declared Monument," with a total of 136 sites currently. Additionally, Hong Kong has announced 1,444 historic buildings, classified into Grades 1 to 3 and some ungraded.) An important reason to visit here is that it was a filming location for Stephen Chow’s movies. The "Eighteen Bronze Men" and the Shaolin Temple canteen scenes were shot here. Tin Shui Wai (Photo 3) Mainly just a transfer station. Ann Hui’s films are actually set within the community, but I didn’t go in specifically. Yuen Long is considered the outskirts of Hong Kong and is also the setting for some classic films. Yuen Long also has the Ping Shan Heritage Trail, which features Hong Kong’s only existing ancient pagoda. However, since it’s not as convenient to reach as the city center, I didn’t visit all the spots. Victoria Harbour (Photos 4–6) Accommodation in Hong Kong is very expensive. My friends from Shenzhen booked a 5-star hotel by the sea in Hung Hom, right next to Victoria Harbour. On the second morning, we could watch the sunrise over the harbor directly from the hotel. As a deep-water port, Victoria Harbour had two cruise ships over 100,000 tons docked at the time. After checking in at Hung Hom, we walked along Victoria Harbour to enjoy the sea view and visited the Avenue of Stars near Tsim Sha Tsui. InterContinental Hotel and Wing On Plaza (Photos 7–8) Two classic Hong Kong movie filming locations in Tsim Sha Tsui. The InterContinental Hotel is also known as the Regent Hotel. After more than 30 years, it looks almost the same as in the films. I used to think the Regent Hotel was a fictional name. Not far away, Wing On Plaza was featured in a classic Jackie Chan film. The scene where he jumps off a bridge from the mall is considered one of Jackie Chan’s most dangerous stunts. Due to space limitations, I will stop here for this post. The next two posts will cover the Avenue of Stars and other filming locations in Tsim Sha Tsui.