OS Summit Asia 2007 will be held at the Cyberport in Hong Kong. This page is reserved for information about Hong Kong, the venue and what to do while you're here. Feel free to edit and leave questions at the bottom of the page.

References

If you haven't already, check out the Wikipedia and Wikitravel pages for Hong Kong. List other good references you find here:

Maps

About Hong Kong

If you don't speak Cantonese (the dialect of Chinese spoken in Hong Kong), don't worry about it. English is a common second (or third) language here.

Geographically, Hong Kong is located on a peninsula and several islands on the southern tip of China. Hong Kong Island is the heart of the city, particularly the northern side (this is where Hong Kong Central is located). Across the Victoria Bay to the north is Kowloon, the southern edge of the peninsula. North of Kowloon are the New Territories. The other major island is Lantau where the airport is located.

About the Cyberport

The Cyberport is a new IT office and conference center on the southern side of Hong Kong Island. It includes a shopping arcade, movie theatre, hotel (Le Meridian), office buildings and conference rooms. The layout of the facility can be a bit confusing, so pick up a map.

The immediate area around the Cyberport mostly consists of residential apartments. There is some shopping, including restaurants and a grocery store, at the facility itself. For anything else, and for most tourist activities, you'll want to head off to other areas of Hong Kong.

Getting Around

Hong Kong has great public transportation that includes taxis, buses, trolleys, subways (the MTR) and light rail trains (the KCR). Unfortunately, there are no direct links on the MTR or KCR at the Cyberport. So going to and from the conference center will require buses (there are several and they're cheap) or taxis. A shuttle will be provided for those who stay in the Sheraton Hotel in Kowloon.

You can use octopus cards to pay for travel on the MTR, KCR, Airport Express train, and busses (not taxis). Short term octopus cards can be purchased or you can simply purchase single trip tickets.

From the Airport to the Cyberport

You can take a taxi directly from the airport to the Cyberport. Rough estimate is around $300 HKD (note: need to confirm this amount). If you want to take public transportation, you would:

  • After getting your luggage, go directly to the Airport Express station (it's right in front of you). $100 HKD for a ticket to Central. Takes about 30 minutes or so.
  • Get off the train and either walk straight forward to catch a taxi or walk up one level to catch a bus.

Things to Do

Several activities are already planned in the evenings of the conference, but if you want to explore Hong Kong on your own (or are staying round for a few days), here are some sites to see and things to do:

  • Victoria's Peak & the peak tram - on Hong Kong Island
  • Star Ferry (a must!) - to and from Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It's cheap and you get a great view of the bay.
  • Kowloon promenade light show - 8pm every night
  • Giant Buddha and Monastery- on Lantau Island
  • Street and night markets
    • Temple Street night market - in Kowloon - opens at 5pm
    • Flower and Bird market - in Kowloon- day markets
    • Jade market - in Kowloon - day market
  • Hong Kong museum of art - in Kowloon
  • Soho - a district in Hong Kong Island - lots of cool bars and neat shops - and the giant escalator. Those really interested in the night life will need to check out Kan Kwai Fong.

More out of the way excursions include:

  • Lamma Island - beach, seafood, hiking trails (visit Aaron's place)
  • Shek-O
  • The New Territories - MacLehose Trail
  • Lantau Island - Lantau trail
  • Cheung Chau Island
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