Hong Kong is a former British colony located on the southeastern edge of China. It is a highly populated country with a vibrant urban center containing many skyscrapers and architectural designs such as the Bank of China tower. The country is also considered a desirable shopping destination with many high quality and reasonably priced purveyors of luxury goods and clothing. Its political climate has recently been rendered unstable since separation from Britain, due to constant protests from its citizens over the influence on China on its political system. Hong Kong operates under Chinese rule where the government of China ostensibly provides the region independence over its resources in order to create its own economic and social systems but continues to attempt control under mainland central authority. Cantonese is the most widely used language in the country, but Mandarin and English are also widely spoken. Hong Kong’s diverse culture is a combination of East and West and the people are considered very open-minded, especially to other cultures. Religions practiced include Taoism, Buddhism, and Christianity.
