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By Root 608 0

’. Its three main roads are Jaffe, Lockhart and Hennessy Rds. The harbour is the limit to the north, and to the south it’s (more or less) Queen’s Rd East. Although Wan Chai had a reputation during the Vietnam War as an anything-goes red-light district, today it’s a centre for shopping, business and more upmarket entertainment. If you want to see how far Wan Chai has come since then, check out the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre ( Click here). Don’t just limit your explorations to this corner of ‘new’ Wan Chai, however. Sandwiched between Johnston Rd and Queen’s Rd East (and also within the atmospheric area around Star St and St Francis St in Admiralty) are rows of narrow streets with all sorts of traditional shops, markets and workshops. Among these traditional commercial premises you’ll also find a growing range of smart restaurants, cool bars and independent lifestyle retailers, making this Hong Kong’s hippest up-and-coming neighbourhood.

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MAXIMUM FUN, MINIMUM MONEY

Hong Kong is not a cheap place, but with a bit of planning you can spend a day in the city and spend very little money. Make it a Wednesday, which is ‘admission free’ day at six Hong Kong museums: Hong Kong Heritage Museum ( Click here), Hong Kong Museum of Art ( Click here), Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence ( Click here), Hong Kong Museum of History ( Click here), Hong Kong Science Museum ( Click here) and Hong Kong Space Museum ( Click here), excluding the Space Theatre.

Before you head out to some of these museums, why not try a free t’ai chi lesson (Click here) in the morning courtesy of the Hong Kong Tourist Board.

Don’t forget to catch up on your email using a free library internet terminal (Click here) or using your own device and the free wifi (Click here) in Hong Kong’s shopping malls.

If you can’t afford the entry to Ocean Park, take your own white-knuckle ride on the top deck of the bus to Shek O ( Click here) for some free and secluded beach action.

Make lunch your main meal of the day for the ideal combination of most calories, highest quality and lowest price. In the evening hit the bars in happy ‘hour’ for cheap drinks and in some cases free nibbles. Still hungry? Then get some $20 Tak Fat beef balls (Click here) at this famous Tsim Sha Tsui dai pai dong, before putting your haggling face on and heading to the Temple Street Night Market ( Click here) for some shopping for inexpensive memorabilia, kitsch and crafts.

Other freebies and bargains:

Bank of China ( Click here) Panoramic island views from the 43rd-floor public gallery.

Star Ferry (Click here) One of Hong Kong’s must-do experiences, all for a bit of shrapnel.

Chi Lin Nunnery ( Click here) Where peace and serenity doesn’t cost a cent.

Hong Kong Zoological & Botanical Gardens ( Click here) Free walks and gratis squawks.

Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden ( Click here) Where the butterflies (and cows and dragonflies) are free.

Tian Tan Buddha ( Click here) A cost-free superlative.

Hong Kong Island tram (Click here) A bargain ride across Hong Kong Island for a couple of dollars.

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HONG KONG PARK Map

2521 5041; www.lcsd.gov.hk/parks/hkp/en/index.php; 19 Cotton Tree Dr, Admiralty; admission free; park 6am-11pm, conservatory & aviary 9am-5pm; MTR Admiralty (exit C1), 12A runs btwn Chater Rd in Central & Kennedy Rd, alight at the first stop on Cotton Tree Dr

Designed to look anything but natural, Hong Kong Park is one of the most unusual parks in the world, emphasising artificial creations such as its fountain plaza, conservatory, waterfall, indoor games hall, playground, t’ai chi garden, viewing tower, museum and arts centre. For all its artifice, the eight-hectare park is beautiful in its own weird way and, with a wall of skyscrapers on one side and mountains on the other, makes for some dramatic photographs.

The best feature of the park is the delightful Edward Youde Aviary, named after a former Hong Kong governor (1982–86) and China scholar. Home to more than 600 birds representing some 90 different species, it’s nothing