MS 3304 HM: CH.10 Recreation Theme Parks and Clubs - Recent trends and new development in recreation and leisure

One of the powerful and newly emerging trends in recreation in Hong Kong, fueled by a growing concern of people about health and healthy lifestyles, is cycling.

bicycle

Its health benefits stem from two main aspects: first, that’s a very good physical exercise, second, it’s a naturally and environmentally friendly way of getting around. Due to the traffic and the cityscapes of Hong Kong, very few people can afford riding a bicycle on a daily basis as a substitute to public transport or cars, unlike in Europe, but that means that more and more people are interested to try it out as a form of recreational activity. This can be organized in several ways. First, people just have their own bicycles and get together with friends for a ride. Next, there are bike shops that can accommodate you with good quality bicycle at a reasonable price. Third, there are organized cycling trips, which mainly pop up as initiatives of young people who care about environment and in such a way promote their philosophy and activities to the general public.

bicycle

Mainly, it is students who participate in such tours. Cycling is also a very great and rewarding way to enjoy Hong Kong landscapes and challenge yourself with mountain cycling. The government highly supports this initiatives, thus it started constructing a 60-km cycling track to link Ma On Shan and Tuen Mun. There also many other tracks in New Territories, in the city areas, and in the mountains.

peddling

water sports

Another recreational activity that’s received growing interest recently in Hong Kong is watersports. This is actively supported by the government through various training programs. In the 5 officially established water sports centers, there are regular activities, such as training and fun days, going on regularly. They might vary from package to tailor-made programs.

Chinese drama

The last interesting development that is taking place in Hong Kong and is connected with the growing number of tourists and their interest to Hong Kong culture is free classes organized on different topics that anyone can visit. They are an amazing way for visitors to get to know Chinese side of Hong Kong culture better and spend quality time in Hong Kong doing a more non-conventional activity.

Chinese Tea

Currently, these activities include: ‘The Hong Kong Story’ Exhibition Guided Tour, Cantonese Opera Appreciation Class, Chinese Cake – Making Class, Chinese Medicine Class, Chinese Tea Appreciation Class, Feng Shui Class, Tai Chi Class and some others, with hopefully, more to come!