125 Best Sights in Hong Kong, China

Every year, the Hong Kong Tourism Board throws a monthlong culinary extravaganza packed with restaurant deals, tours, and food-themed street carnivals. The highlight event is the four-day Wine and Dine Festival at the New Central Harbourfront, which has colorful booths offering tasty snacks and tipples, as well as live music and entertainment. It's usually held in late October or early November.

Just minutes away from Man Mo Temple, Wing Lee Street is one of the city's last thoroughfares where every building features 1950s-era "tong lau" architecture. In 2010, the tenement buildings on this tucked-away street were saved from being demolished following a series of protests from preservationists.

The government transformed this former movie theater (which screened adult films for years before being abandoned) into a 300-seat venue for Chinese opera performances. Some of the shows have English supertitles. A historic redbrick building around the corner on Shanghai Street serves as the theater's administration building.

Adjacent to the Flower Market, this street has more than 70 stalls selling different types of twittering, fluttering birds. Pretty wooden birdcages, starting from about HK$500, are also on offer.

These pavilions and prayer halls, founded in 1950, bring together the three streams of Chinese thought: Buddhism (which emphasizes nirvana and physical purity), Taoism (nature and inner peace), and Confucianism (following the practical and philosophical beliefs of Confucius). The main three-tier red pagoda is a copy of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, and houses 60 statues representing the full cycle of the Chinese calendar—you can look for the one that corresponds to your birth year and make an incense offering. To reach the institute, take the MTR to Tsuen Wan (Exit B1), and walk five minutes to Shiu Wo Street, then catch green Minibus 81 to the institute.