Starting out as a fishing village on Hong Kong Island in the late Paleolithic and early Neolithic period, Hong Kong progressed through being a salt production site into a trading and military port of strategic importance. It became a colony of the British Empire after the First Opium War (1839–1842), and then in 1898 expanded onto the mainland and northern islands. It was occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War, when the population halved.

The British resumed control, and the population gradually recovered as corporations moved there from China when the Communist Party of China became the ruling political party after the Chinese Civil War. Textile and manufacturing industries grew, then toward the end of the 20th century the economy shifted to mainly services-based, as the financial and banking sectors became increasingly dominant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HongKong

People of HongKong

The culture of Hong Kong can best be described as a foundation that began with China, and became more influenced by British colonialism. Despite the 1997 transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong continues to hold an identity of its own.

Most Hong Kong ethnic Chinese people naturally lean toward eastern culture, because demographically they are the majority. On various social aspects, the bottom-line Chinese values of "family solidarity", "courtesy" and "saving face" carry significant weight in the culture. Heavy influence is derived from Cantonese culture from the neighbouring province of Guangdong. There are also substantial communities of Hakka, Fukien, Teochiu and Shanghainese people. On the contrary, people have long been referred to by their origin in China

Social
Structurally, one of the first laws to define people's relationships was the 1972 "Hong Kong Matrimonial Ordinance". The law set the precedence to ban concubinage and same sex marriages with a strict declaration for heterosexual relationships with one partner only.

Other economic changes include families in need of assistance due to both working parents. In particular, foreign domestic workers have become an integral part of the household since the late 1980s.

Languages
Cantonese is the most widely spoken language in Hong Kong. Since the 1997 handover, the government has adopted the "biliterate and trilingual" policy. Under the principle, Chinese and English must both be acknowledged as official languages, with Cantonese being acknowledged as the de facto official Chinese language in Hong Kong, while also accepting the use of Mandarin.

Religion and beliefs
Chinese New Year is the most important celebration in the Hong Kong culture. Chinese Folk Religion plays an integral part of the culture. Unlucky sayings are considered offensive, and many people travel yearly to the cemetery on Tsing Ming festival to honour and worship their ancestors. There are several major shrines in Hong Kong, and many smaller shrines to the local Gods and Goddesses of the earth line the streets. Objects like bagua mirror are still used regularly to shield evils. Numbers in Chinese culture also play a role in people's everyday life. Numbers like "4" (because of its similarity to the Chinese word for "(to) die") are avoided when possible by believers.

Free import: for personal use only, for passengers of 18 years or older (holders of Hong Kong Identity Card must have spent 24 hours or longer outside Hong Kong):
- 60 cigarettes or 15 cigars or 75 grams of other manufactured tobacco;
- no limit for wine and liqour below 30% vol;
- 1 litre of alcoholic liquor above 30% vol;
- reasonable quantity of other items.
Passengers in direct transit via Hong Kong: no limitation on the amount of dutiable goods.

Prohibited without licence :
- narcotics, psychotropic drugs, game, meat, poultry, fireworks, explosives, counterfeit items, copyright infringed goods, plants or parts thereof;
- endangered species, alive or stuffed, such as sea:
- turtles, crocodiles, eagles, hawks, owls, pangolins, monitor lizards etc.;
- parts thereof and derivatives such as: their meat, ivory, (fur) skins, leather items, rhino horns, etc.;
- endangered plants, such as: cactaceae species, euphorbiaceae species, all species of gerbera, American ginseng etc. (excluding cultivated species);
- antibiotic drugs except with doctor's prescription and the quantity is reasonable for personal use;
Warning: Non-compliance with customs regulations may result in prosecution of offenders, heavy fines and forfeiture of the items.

Information about exemptions of Import Licence and application forms for plant import licences can be obtained from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Dept., Canton Road - Government Office, 393 Canton Road, Kowloon.

Ref: http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/HK-Hong-Kong-customs-currency-airport-tax-regulations-details.htm

Weather Information for Hong Kong

Ref: http://www.worldweather.org
Remark: Climatological information is based on monthly averages for the 30-year period 1961-1990.