Understanding Hong Kong

What's your understanding of Hong Kong? What has been your exposure to it? Language? Movies? Is it China? Is it not China?

I honestly don't know much about Hong Kong. I've seen many images of the city on the internet similar to the one above though and it seems incredible. It's a sprawling metropolis of architecture designed to host its inhabitants. As far as my exposure to the city I feel as if I have barely had any exposure to it as well. And it pains me that I am unsure how i can expose myself to the culture without receiving false information from wikipedia.

I do have to admit though I have seen many films set in Hong Kong.
Recent Films I have seen:

• Tomb Raider (2018)
• Ghost in the Shell (2017) (Film + Manga/Anime)
• Doctor Strange (2016)
• Snowden (2016)
• Blackhat (2015)

If I drew any conclusions from all of these films it is that the city is very busy all the time. If I had to select any of these films as a favourite for how they portrayed the setting I would have to say I think Ghost In the Shell was the most visually enticing. The neon landscape of the city at night in some of the shots in the film are breathtaking and it made Hong Kong seem like a actual character in the film.

I do remember in the 5th grade at Primary School I did a project on China and I remember watching a documentary about Hong Kong and China vaguely then. I remember finding it interesting learning about the independence of a city inside a country and why that was so.

I'd like to know more about how the city is works as a independent state. Does it have borders? Are there differing laws between China and Hong Kong. Are there seperate social customs? It's interesting that I wish to find out all this stuff but I feel like the internet isn't the best place to find out more and get a explanation. I think I'd rather find some thing from pop culture and allow the knowledge to permeate into my brain that way so that i may understand it.

I am interested to learn more about Hong Kong, possibly even travel there one day and take in the city as a traveler or even a resident.