CHI NA DAI LY FRI DAY, J UNE 6 , 2 0 1 4 lifetravel 19

On a weekend getaway to the island, Margaret McKenzie enjoys great food,

Disney magic and her own Bond Girl moment.
Hong Kong holiday
LI PENG / XINHUA
A good way to feel Hong Kongs vitality is to take a boat ride across Victoria Harbor.
W
hether its a
long layover
betweenflights
or a two-day
respite from
day-to-day life,
48 hours in Hong Kong can put a
spring back in ones step even if
youre stepping up one of the citys
notoriously steep inclines.
If the weather gods are smiling,
youll be able to scale mountains,
enjoy a dip in the ocean, ride a wild
roller-coaster and dine al fresco
under the stars, all in the space of
one short weekend.
AsaUSexpat whohasspent most of
my life on one coast or another, I was
experiencing serious sea-breeze with-
drawal aftersixmonthsinBeijing.
Thus, stepping out of Hong
Kongs airport heading to the Le
Meridien Cyberport Hotel on the
island, I am instantly back in my
happy place, as the verdant hills,
flower-bedecked trees and mois-
ture-laden air greet me warmly.
Id been advised to opt for the bus
as opposed to the airport express
trainonthis, my first visit tothe city:
The A-10 offered tiers of seating and
breathtaking views of the harbors,
islands and peaks that make Hong
Kong so beautiful. Not only that, but
at HK$42 ($5.42), the fare is less
than half that of the train, though
the bus takes a little longer.
I come armed with a wish list for
the weekend, starting with dipping
my toes inthe waters of Repulse Bay
or Stanley Beach. So after check-in I
take another bus to Repulse Bay.
Though the lifeguard stations are
reassuringly stationed every 10
meters or so, the only one wading in
the bracingly cold water is me.
EverywhereI lookis apostcard-wor-
thy vista, and the strand is dotted
withsightseers instreet clothes cap-
turing the awe-inspiring beauty
withtheir cameras. Just southof the
luxury high-rises encircling the bay
are the red-and-yellowpagodas and
bridges of Tin Hau Temple, whose
statues are dedicated to protecting
the local fishing fleet.
Next I take the tram to Victoria
Peak, which affords a panoramic
thoughoccasionallyhazyviewof the
downtown. A quick cab ride later, I
land in Central, where I drop coins
in a token machine and soon climb
aboard the famous green-and-white
Star Ferry, which in a mere 10 min-
utes deposits me at upscale Kow-
loon and its glitzy malls.
After a stroll, I opt to dine at the
Greyhound Cafe near the harbor, a
trendy Thai chain with branches in
Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.
Its tasty Waterfall Grilled Lamb,
served on skewers and washed
down with an ice-cold Singha beer,
hits the spot and gives me the ener-
gy to find my way back to the hotel.
The next day dawns hot and clear.
Although the little kid in me is
lobbying for an immediate depar-
ture to Lantau Island (and Disney-
land), my grown-up self needs
caffeine. I ride upone of the mid-lev-
el escalators fromHong Kongs Cen-
tral district, where I find not only a
picturesque cafe but also a street
dedicated to fresh produce of all
kinds. The fresh, crunchy apple I
purchase proves the perfect finishto
my croissant-and-coffee breakfast,
and the bustling, twisty streets are
exactly as I have pictured exotic
Hong Kong to be.
The ride to Lantau is fast and effi-
cient, and the Disney train is a hap-
py place indeed: brimming with
children of all ages and decorated
with mouse-ear shaped windows
and hand-holds. Although compact,
HK Disney offers bang for the buck
in several ways: Its celebrated fire-
works go off nightly behind Cinder-
ellas Castle, and at $58, the tariff at
the gate is about 40 percent cheaper
than ticket prices in the US.
Despite its smaller size, I find all
of my old favorites Space Moun-
tain, Its a Small World, Dumbo the
Flying Elephant along with a new
one: Grizzly Mountain Runaway
Mine Cars, an exciting coaster that
speeds forwards and backwards
around sandstone cliffs.
Another popular attraction on
Lantau is the Tian Tan Buddha. At
250 tons and 34 meters high, its the
worlds largest Buddha statue and
reachable on the same Tung Chung
express train that goes to Disney.
By late afternoon, I am back in
Central district in pursuit of a cool-
ing beverage at the iconic Mandarin
Oriental hotel. Using the futuristic,
enclosed walkways Hong Kong is
famous for, I head straight through
the lobby to the elegant bar, where
feeling like a Bond Girl in the
swanky surroundings I am soon
served a somewhat pricey but very
delicious whiskey sour.
To make my final night in Hong
Kong special, I snag a reservation at
Quemo, a happening Spanish tapas
restaurant Ive read about online. As
advertised, the foodis incredi-
ble and the small penthouse
space is buzzing with con-
versation as bottles of wine
and sizzling pans of paella
whisk past. The staff is
attentive and friendly. After din-
ner, I enjoy a chat with blue-eyed
Catalonian head chef Angel Pas-
cual, who shows me around the
restaurant, including a charm-
ing rooftopdrinks terrace.
On the relaxing cab ride
back to the hotel, stirred by
the floral scents and happy
chatter that surround me in
Hong Kong, I ambusy plan-
ning my return to Xiang
Gang Chinas Fragrant
Harbor.
Contact the writer at
features@
chinadaily.com.cn
IF YOU GO
Quemo
5th floor, QRE Plaza, opposite
Hopewell Centre, Wan Chai, Hong
Kong
852-2836-0699
Le Meridien Cyberport
100Cyberport Road, Hong Kong
852-2980-7788
Mandarin Oriental
5 Connaught Road, Central, Hong
Kong
852-2522-0111
Hong Kong Disneyland
Lantau Island, Hong Kong
852-3550-3369
YU FANGPING /
FOR CHINA DAILY
Disneyland
attracts both
children and
adults.
Guizhou
Fujian
Jiangxi
Guangdong Guangxi
Hunan
Hainan
200 km
CHINADAILY
Hong Kong
chengdureport
By XU XIAO
[email protected]
Chengdus exhibition indus-
try looks set to strengthen afer
the city signed a memorandum
with UBM, the worlds second
largest exhibition company.
The Chengdu Bureau of
Exposition completed the deal
on May 29, during the third
Beijing Fair for Trade in Ser-
vices.
Fu Yonglin, deputy major of
Chengdu, and Tim Cobbold,
chief executive ofcer of UBM,
witnessed
the project-
signing cer-
emony.
Te
strategic
cooperation
memoran-
dum signed
between
UBM and
Chengdu
Exposition
Bureau for-
malized a cooperation that has
already been taking place for
several years between UBM
and Chengdu, said Philip
Chapnick, group chief repre-
sentative of UBM China.
This memorandum is
another step along the road to
extending our business west-
ward and seeking to deepen
our involvement in Chengdu.
Our goal is to work closely with
the city to determine the best
types of exhibition and resourc-
es from both parties to build
world class leading exhibition
events, Chapnick said.
Chengdu has partnered
with world-renowned exhibi-
tion companies before in deals
including the Chinese opera-
tions of Germans Koelnmesse
and Britains Reed Exhibitions.
Internationalization is the
gap between Chengdus exhibi-
tion industry and that of the
countrys front runners. Tis is
also where our potential lies,
said Mu Tao, director of the
Chengdu Bureau of Exposition.
To strengthen cooperation
with world-renowned exhibi-
tion companies is the way for us
to speed up development. Such
partnerships can help Chengdu
share the international giants
information and resources and
broaden international coopera-
tion, he said.
UBM has never signed a
cooperation agreement with
a Chinese city before so the
Chengdu memorandum marks
a milestone.
Chapnick said that UBM ran
a successful edition of Routes
Aisa in Chengdu in 2012. Tat
was his first visit to the city,
where he said he experienced
first-hand, not only the great
assets of the city, but the exper-
tise and professionalism of the
exhibition bureau and local
government ofcials.
Chapnick said UBM selected
Chengdu as a strategic partner
for several reasons.
He said frstly, Chengdu was
one of the most important Chi-
nese gateways to the West, a key
part of the modern Silk Road
that connects China to Euro-
pean and Asian economies.
It has excellent exhibition
facilities, a robust transporta-
tion infrastructure, includ-
ing the largest railway hub in
southern China, a modern and
developing airport with good
and increasingly important
international connectivity, and
great hotels and visitors serving
facilities, he said.
Chapnick also said that due
to the ambassadorial work of
the panda community, Cheng-
du was increasingly well known
to the international commu-
nity, who is starting to view it
as a prime destination.
He said that Chengdu had
the potential to become the
most important exhibition hub
in West China.
Chapnick said the second
reason for choosing Chengdu
was that the city has a popula-
tion of more than 10 million.
It has a strongly developing
economy in key sectors includ-
ing high tech, automotive,
agribusiness, pharmaceuticals,
food and beverage, logistics and
research.
Statistics showed that more
than 20 percent of the worlds
top 500 companies have facili-
ties in Chengdu. Many of these
set up research and develop-
ment facilities to take advantage
of the citys reputation for learn-
ing and education.
Chapnick noted that the
third reason was that Chengdu
was a laid-back city and people
enjoyed good lifestyles.
That attention to quality
of life naturally has an impact
in an industry that is highly
dependent on the quality of
personal service, he said.
Te Chengdu people under-
stand deeply what it means to
provide high quality service
and make an experience the
best it can be, he added.
Chapnick said his UBM col-
leagues who had experienced
the city were impressed with
the professionalism, spirit,
drive and high caliber of the
people they met and worked
with in Chengdu.
We think Chengdu under-
stands what quality in a ser-
vice industry means. From the
professionals we have met in
the citys exposition bureau,
through to the caterers and
stand constructors and the
servers at tea houses, Cheng-
du is a city with the right atti-
tude for service industries
like exhibitions to do well,
he said.
Th i s Ma r c h , UBM
announced that after three
rounds of intense competi-
tion with four other airports,
Chengdu Shuangliu Interna-
tional Airport was selected to
host World Routes 2016.
Chapnick said in coming
years UBM could create new
events specifcally for the city.
We believe that Chengdu
is a great city and has huge
potential to become the exhibi-
tion powerhouse for Southern
China, he said.
Partnership could create
exhibition powerhouse
To strengthen cooperation with world-re-
nowned exhibition companies is the way for us
to speed up development. Such partnerships
can help Chengdu share the international gi-
ants information and resources and broaden
international cooperation.
MU TAO
DIRECTOR OF CHENGDU BUREAU OF EXPOSITION

Jim Essink (left, rst row), president and chief executive ofcer of UBM Asia, and Mu Tao (right, rst row), director of the
Chengdu Bureau of Exposition, signed the cooperation agreement on May 27. Fu Yonglin (right, second row), deputy major of
Chengdu, and Tim Cobbold (left, second row), chief executive ofcer of UBM, witnessed the project-signing ceremony.
The 22nd World Route Development Forum will be held in
Chengdus Shuangliu International Airport.
Philip Chapnick,
group chief
representative of
UBM China.