Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [221]
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TYPHOON!
Typhoons – massive tropical cyclones often tens of kilometres high and hundreds of kilometres wide – sometimes hit Hong Kong. When they hit, the place all but shuts down. Flights are grounded, ferries are cancelled, shops and offices close (although happily a handful of enterprising bars have been known to stay open).
Cyclones can last for as long as a few weeks, but not all will mature into typhoons. Feeding off moisture, tropical cyclones can only survive over warm oceans – once typhoons hit land, they quickly die out. The ‘eye’ of the cyclone is generally tens of kilometres wide and is basically a column of descending air, which is much calmer than the surrounding vortex.
Only about half the cyclones in the South China Sea ever reach typhoon ferocity. The gradation of tropical cyclones ascends as follows: tropical depression (with winds up to 62km/h); tropical storm (up to 87km/h); severe tropical storm (up to 117km/h); and typhoon (118km/h or more).
About a dozen typhoons develop in the South China Sea each year, but Hong Kong is a small target, so the chances of a direct hit – within 100km – are reasonably slim.
There is a numbering system to warn of typhoons broadcast on all media. No 1 (its visual symbol being the letter ‘t’) means that a tropical cyclone is within 800km of Hong Kong. No 3 (an upside-down ‘t’) – there is no No 2 – warns that winds of up to 62km are blowing, or expected to blow, generally in Hong Kong near sea level, and there is a risk of Hong Kong being hit and that people should take precautions such as securing flower pots on balconies and terraces. The system then jumps to No 8 (a triangle), which means that there are sustained winds of between 63km/h and 117km/h. People are instructed to stay indoors and to fix adhesive tape to exposed windows to reduce the damage caused by broken glass, while businesses shut down and ferries stop running. No 9 (a double triangle) warns that gale- or storm-force winds are increasing, and No 10 (a cross) is the most severe, with winds reaching upwards of 118km/h and gusts exceeding 220km/h.
Only 13 typhoons have reached No 10 since the end of WWII. The most famous ones in recent years were Typhoon Wanda (1962), the most ferocious of all, delivering hourly mean wind speeds of 133km/h and peak gusts of 259km/h; Typhoon Ellen (1983), which killed 22 people and injured over 300; and Typhoon York (1999), which had the No 10 signal up the longest of any typhoon – 11 hours.
Rain, which can fall so heavily in Hong Kong that it sounds like a drum roll as it hits the pavement, can cause deadly landslips. Hong Kong also has a ‘heavy rain warning system’ that is colour-coded – in ascending degrees of severity – amber, red and black.
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COURSES
The Community Advice Bureau ( Map; 2815 5444; www.cab.org.hk; Room 16C, Right Emperor Commercial Bldg, 122-126 Wellington St, Central; 9.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) is a fabulous source of information on courses of all kinds in Hong Kong. The YMCA ( 2771 9111; www.ymca.org.hk) and the YWCA ( 3476 1300; www.ywca.org.hk) both offer a range of cultural classes and three-month courses, from basic Cantonese and mah-jong to yoga and t’ai chi.
For visual arts, check with the Hong Kong Museum of Art ( 2721 0116), the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre ( 2521 3008) or the Hong Kong Arts Centre ( 2582 0200). The Fringe Club ( 2521 7251; www.hkfringe.com.hk; 2 Lower Albert Rd, Central) offers any number of courses and workshops.
The Cultural Kaleidoscope Meet the People programme organised by the HKTB ( 2508 1234; www.discoverhongkong.com) will whet your appetite for everything from Chinese tea and opera to t’ai chi and jade. It is unique in that it allows you to visit galleries, antique shops, jewellers to grade pearls and jade, teahouses, t’ai chi classes and even a feng shui master’s studio. It’s an excellent way to learn first-hand about Hong Kong Chinese culture. For details