Kowloon, or Tsimshatsui, is one of the four parts that makes the Hong Kong territory these days. The tip of the peninsula, which faces Hong Kong island, is probably the best known part of Kowloon. It is one big melting pot of streets crawled with shops and tourists, covered up under a spell of neon at night. In this sense, the 'nine dragons' (the literal translation of 'Kowloon') beat the touristy tiger of the neighbouring Hong Kong island!

Although it might appear as if money is the only ruling factor here, the current 'Hong Kong Cultural Centre' tries to prove the opposite. Most museums are located in this centre and it offers a good alternative when you have had it with the jade shops, bird markets and fortune-tellerstands in the shopping areas of 'Tsim Sha Tsui' and 'Nathan Road'.

The territory of Hong Kong consists of an irregularly shaped peninsula and a number of offshore islands covering over a thousand square kilometres. The area north of the peninsula, and several islands, is known as the 'New Territories'. Here, you can find a mixture of ancient rural villages and new towns. This land was 'leased' to Britain at the end of the 19th century for nearly hundred years. The same goes for the southern part of the peninsula, Kowloon, and Hong Kong Island south of it. In 1984, the British government saw the light and agreed to hand back the entire territory as one piece.

On the 30th of June, the territory became a Special Administrative Region of China. It still offers an impressive mix of traditional culture, beaches and modern commercialism.