Aberdeen

This is a community located on the southwest side of Hong Kong island, very close to a fun-filled amusement park known as Ocean Park. The area is well-known in Hong Kong, primarily for it's harbour. "Hong Kong" means something like "fragrant harbour" and in fact it is believed that Aberdeen harbour is the origin of that name, because it was used to ship incense which was grown here before the British took over.

So Aberdeen is an old community that was here long before the British arrived. It is a former fishing village, and to this day some of these people remain, trying their best to ply their trade in the extremely busy waterways around the Pearl River delta. Many of them still lead a traditional lifestyle where they live on their little boat, called a sampan.

Please see the Hong Kong history page for more of the historical background.

Nowadays a lot of the locals also take the chance to make a buck out of the many tourists that pass through Aberdeen by offering to take people out on little cruises on their fishing boats. If you're interested in cruising, there are also more expensive options for going on bigger, fancier ships called "junks", built in a traditional Chinese style.

Because the junks with their characteristic red sails used to fill Victoria Harbour they have become a famous symbol of Hong Kong, used in many postcards etc. However, in reality these pretty sails have now been made obsolete by motors. You won't see more than a few junks sailing around, and even those are for entertainment purposes only.

The good news is that you can get on one of these junks for a nice tour of the Victoria harbour! Particularly, the Hong Kong Tourism Bureau offer reasonably priced rides on the Duk Ling.

Duck tongues

The original "Hong Kong" village was out on "Duck Tongue Island" (Ap Lei Chau). "But how could people know that the island was shaped like a duck tongue?" you ask?

Well obviously, the Chinese eat duck tongues. You know, as a snack. Having tried it myself, I cannot say that I'm a big fan, but I do encourage all travellers to try some of the local food peculiarities whenever the chance presents itself, wherever you go in the world.

Jumbo

However, the best known hallmark of Aberdeen is the Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant. It is designed to resemble an ancient Chinese imperial palace and focuses on fresh seafood specialities as well as traditional Cantonese cuisine. It is popular among businessmen, fairly high-class, and rather expensive. If you would like to know more, you can check out the link for the menu, as well as a full view of the interiors.

Eating at the Jumbo floating restaurant is by no means a must, but its exterior is something of a sight to behold, particularly if you happen pass by when it's lit up at night.

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