Hong Kong’s famously futuristic architecture has long set the standard for similar cityscapes rearing up all over Asia, yet its signature harbourside skyline is still the most strikingly beautiful of its kind. There’s also a broad mix of architectural styles here, encompassing Central’s soaring IFC2 tower, Mong Kok’s ramshackle town-housing, traditional clan villages in the New Territories and the centuries-old temples which are dotted around. The accompanying markets and streetlife are compellingly frenetic, while the shopping - though no longer a bargain - offers the chance to directly compare a vast range of products sold everywhere from open-air stalls to hi-tech malls.

Hong Kong is also one of the best places in the world to eat Cantonese food, while the territory’s Western influence means there’s a plentiful selection of bars and nightspots. Surprisingly, Hong Kong’s outlying areas remain fairly undeveloped, with a countryside encompassing beaches, rugged hills, wild coastline and islands - although none of it especially remote - where you can escape the pace and claustrophobia of the downtown areas. Hong Kong’s only real downside is that the overwhelming commercialism and consumption make it hard to engage with the underlying Chinese culture - though you can glimpse it at Happy Valley’s horseraces, Mong Kok’s Bird Market or simply by watching early-morning tai chi practitioners going through their routines in Kowloon Park.

Cultural barriers also drop at the several annual Chinese festivals sprinkling the calendar - Chinese New Year, the Dragon Boat Races and Cheung Chau Bun Festival are the liveliest - when even visitors will find it hard not to become caught up in the action.