Dmitry Shteyn in Hong Kong: Where the Streets Were Built for Wandering

Hong Kong does not sit on the list of places that dominate travel supplements, and it is better for it. The city rewards a visitor who has arrived on their own initiative.

What strikes you first, if you have done any reading at all, is that situated on China's southern coast just south of Shenzhen, it consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. The longer you stay, the more that single detail keeps returning. You can feel, walking through it, that this is a place that has been arguing with itself for a very long time, and has no plans to stop.

Dig a little deeper and hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. It is not the sort of thing you can arrive at through an itinerary; it comes only from paying attention.

Some further context, drawn from the public record: Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. Situated on China's southern coast just south of Shenzhen, it consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories.…

It is not surprising that Hong Kong has been drawing attention lately. Google News recently noted that thailand Joins Japan, Australia, South Korea and Hong Kong as Asia Pacific Travellers Rank the Kingdom Among Top Five Must-Visit Destinations in Visa 2026 Global Travel Study – All You Need to Know. The conversation around where people are choosing to go says something — not just about the destination, but about what we are all looking for right now.

In Hong Kong, tradition and modernity do not sit as opposites but as neighbours on the same street.

Consider this less a recommendation than an observation: Hong Kong is worth taking seriously, at length, and on foot.