Outdoor Trip in Hong Kong — Hiking, City Running, Yoga, and Outdoor Shops

Food and shopping aren’t all there is to Hong Kong. Wander through the forests, parks, and gaps between buildings, and discover another side of the city.

Words Parc Jinmyoung
Photos Kim Yoonkyung
In collaboration with Hong Kong Tourism Board
Cathay Pacific

Hiking

In Search of How the City Breathes
Hong Kong has the fourth-highest population density in the world. Its skyscrapers rise densely along the coast, unafraid of the sea just steps away, and luxury-brand stores keep their lights on all night. Wondering whether there was a way to get beyond the images that spring to mind first, I focused on one fact: 70 percent of the city’s land is green space. Of that, 40 percent is designated as parks, which means that even in the most densely built-up areas, you’re likely to reach a lush forest after only about a 10-minute drive. My curiosity about the outdoor activities to be found there was piqued.
At Central Station, near Causeway Bay, where glitzy shopping malls and skyscrapers stand in rows, I hail one of Hong Kong’s signature red taxis. Maybe five minutes pass as I watch the scenery outside the window. The old cab strains up a steep residential road and arrives at Braemar Hill. It’s a spot where you can enjoy an easy one-hour round-trip hike and watch the sunset. The trail is wrapped in trees that seem to have taken root wherever they pleased, as if barely touched by human hands. Following the rugged path, I begin to glimpse buildings through the primeval forest. It’s the sign that we’ve reached the first viewpoint. The Central skyline and, beyond Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong’s landmark, the Kowloon Peninsula spread out beneath my feet. The view from here is splendid, but climb a little higher and you can take in Hong Kong in 360 degrees. Passing through a narrow forest path, the section that climbs the rock face calls for a bit of courage (the route is dangerous, so hiking boots are a must). I tighten my laces and use both hands to haul myself up to the lookout. The ridgelines of Hong Kong, hidden from the city by its forest of buildings, finally come into view.

Before long the sky darkens, and the city soon becomes a sea of stars. As I look at Hong Kong’s artificial lights, which never let the night get truly dark, I find myself ironically recalling a story about how Hong Kongers refuse to take even a single street tree for granted. In 2016, the Hong Kong government cut down four trees on Bonham Road for safety reasons and faced fierce criticism from environmental activists and plant experts, as well as residents. People here don’t cut down trees carelessly because they block a view or because a building needs to go up. In fact, in Hong Kong you often come across bus stops built around preserved trees and building walls wrapped in tree roots. Isn’t it a thoughtful respect for nature that makes life in a high-density city sustainable? I cross the dark, silent forest, without a single light, and head back to the brightly lit city.

City Running

*Hump Day, Run Day!
Hong Kong was under British colonial rule for about 150 years before being returned to China in 1997, and many British legacies remain. Happy Valley, Hong Kong’s largest racecourse, with room for 54,000 spectators, is one of them. It was built in 1845 to provide entertainment for the British living in Hong Kong at the time. Horse races are still held here between September and July, and the Wednesday-night meetings are said to be the biggest. But not everyone comes to Happy Valley to bet on horses.
On a Wednesday night, as I step into Happy Valley, Hong Kongers are enjoying their leisure time on the racetrack and winding down the day. On days without races, the place becomes a vast playing field. Most of the people I see are dividing up the broad lawn, setting up goals, and kicking balls. The running crew Harbour Runners are also busy warming up and stretching their muscles, getting ready to run. Harbour Runners is a community of people who want to explore the vibrant city by running through Hong Kong and share the joy of running. Starting in 2010, a few designers and creatives began running to relieve stress, and it has since grown into a community-based running group made up of people from a wide range of fields.

* Hump day, Run day. The slogan of Harbour Runners, a Hong Kong running crew. “Hump day” compares Wednesday, the middle of the week, to a hill, and here it means getting over the midweek hump through running.

Even with a Typhoon Signal No. 3 in effect, some 30 runners have gathered. Today’s course is a 6-kilometer journey that starts at Happy Valley, passes Victoria Harbour and the Sogo department store, and returns to Happy Valley. The course changes every week. Harbour Runners will run anywhere that reveals the true face of this city, such as Wong Tai Sin Temple, known for its beautiful lanterns; the former North Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts, once used as the Hong Kong campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design; and Chun Yeung Street, famous for the remarkable sight of a tram running right through a market.
Once we leave Happy Valley, the whole city turns into a running track, just as Harbour Runners’ guiding principle says: “City is our playground.” Beneath the glowing neon signs, the runners dash through the gaps between buildings, injecting energy into the streets. Running past a harbor where Hong Kong’s skyline unfolds and subway stations full of traces of daily life, I’m captivated by the mood and charm of every corner. If you want to run in search of Hong Kong’s hidden night-view spots, you can always knock on Harbour Runners’ door. There’s no need to sign up separately. Just join in on the run schedule announced on social media every Monday.

Interview with Harbour Runners
Dawn Chan, who handles publicity, and Ivan Chan took part in the interview.

How does Harbour Runners operate?
Don & Ivan A core team of seven leads our Wednesday runs. Every member takes turns in different roles, such as planning routes, leading warm-ups and cool-downs, running the overall
event, taking photos, and handling social media promotion.
What is the appeal of running together?
Don & Ivan Running with like-minded people is much more fun than running alone, and it helps you grow into a better runner. According to some interesting scientific studies, running alongside others gives you a real driving force to keep going. Other research shows that people take part in sports more often when they do it with others than when they exercise alone. If you can connect with people while you run, why would you pass that up?
What is your favorite running route?
Don Bowen Road, of course! (It runs along the slope above Wan Chai and Happy Valley, built on top of a waterway that carried water from a reservoir in the 1800s.) Running a flat course with stunning views is always a pleasure.
Ivan I like the Art Park in the West Kowloon Cultural District. You can run along the promenade and enjoy gorgeous views of Victoria Harbour.
Has anything changed since you started running?
Don I used to be the kind of person who, whenever I took on a challenge, looked for what made it impossible and gave up quickly. Ten years ago, I thought finishing a full marathon was something I could never do in my lifetime. I never imagined running would change me like this. Now I won’t give up so easily.
Ivan Running gave me a can-do spirit and perseverance. That change carries over into everyday life, too.
What is Harbour Runners’ ultimate goal?
Don & Ivan Our one and only goal is to spread the joy of running while discovering Hong Kong’s beautiful cityscapes together. We want to lead an active lifestyle, build friendships with the people we run with, and inspire more people to enjoy the beauty of Hong Kong.

Yoga

Where Passing Thoughts Fade
People come to the West Kowloon Cultural District for all kinds of reasons. They visit museums and performance venues, go to cafés and restaurants, and spend time in the park. Perhaps this is exactly the scene the Hong Kong government imagined when it launched the West Kowloon Cultural District project in 1998. With the ambition of leading Asia’s culture and arts market, the government created 400,000 square meters of reclaimed land connected to mainland China. The result is an arts district that brings together the heritage of past, present, and future: the Xiqu Centre, which presents traditional Chinese opera; the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which houses precious Chinese treasures; Freespace, a venue for contemporary performance; and M+, a museum of contemporary Asian visual culture. Cafés, restaurants, shopping malls, and parks sit alongside them, offering an ideal flow for culture, art, and leisure.
Early in the morning, before the commercial venues open, the Art Park is already busy with people bringing energy to their lives. You pass people running along the promenade, then children absorbed in active play programs. Classes by Shanthi Outdoor Yoga are held here, too. Shanthi Outdoor Yoga is a yoga studio that leads morning practice every day except Sunday (when classes are held in the afternoon) at locations including the West Kowloon Cultural District, Tamar Park, and the Kwun Tong Promenade. According to Helen Tsang, who runs the studio, it is the first in Hong Kong to hold regular outdoor yoga classes. She runs a yoga studio in Tuen Mun with her younger sister, Catherine. After experiencing firsthand that moving the body in nature makes practice more effective, she went looking for instructors who specialize in outdoor yoga. Today, a total of eight instructors take part, offering outdoor classes in a variety of styles.

Today’s class is Hatha yoga (a style of yoga practice in which each pose is held for a long time with slow, extended breaths). Participants move to the voice of yoga instructor Hei Shek. On the dewy lawn, they wobble like people who have had too much to drink. Balancing barefoot on bare ground is not as easy as it sounds. A line comes to mind from the “Yoga Sutras,” the classic text on the theory and practice of ancient yoga: “Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.” I close my eyes to rein in my restless, wandering thoughts. As the skyscrapers across the water and the view of Victoria Harbour grow ever clearer in my mind, I feel the city of Hong Kong slowly imprinting itself on my body.

Outdoor Shop

A Guide for Hong Kong Hikers
If you want to shop for gear before starting an outdoor trip, I recommend Mong Kok. Located in the heart of Kowloon, it is one of the liveliest districts in Hong Kong, where every alley holds some kind of market, from flower markets to the Ladies’ Market, the Goldfish Market, and night markets, together forming one enormous complex. Some alleys are lined with sports and outdoor brand stores, where you can see lines of people hoping to snag limited-edition sneakers or rare items.
Get off at Mong Kok Station and look for the sign reading Fa Yun Street among the maze of tangled alleys. Pass countless global brand stores, then cut through an alley packed with run-down buildings. Climb to the fourth floor of a building as old as Xmark, an outdoor select shop with a history of more than 20 years. “We looked for a place with cheap rent, so it’s not very easy to get to,” says Betty Wong, the young-faced store manager, greeting me warmly. Xmark curates and sells ultralight hiking products from well-known outdoor brands in Korea, Japan, the United States, and elsewhere. Because most of Hong Kong’s mountains are hard to reach by car and living spaces are small, ultralight backpacking, which can be enjoyed with simple, lightweight gear, has become the norm.

The biggest reason I came here was to see the titanium products from Kam Design, an outdoor brand launched by Xmark. From among an array of cutlery, tarps, tents, and backpacks, Betty hands me a pot about the size of a palm and, with a playful look, asks me to guess what it is for. “Ta-da, it’s a steamer just for dim sum.” It shows a determination to enjoy piping hot dim sum even at the summit of a hard-won climb, and a love of yum cha (飮茶, Cantonese for “to drink tea”; it refers to Hong Kong’s simple meal culture of tea and dim sum, much like coffee and toast in the West). Kam Design’s products, which look for the essence in Hong Kong’s culture and life, will soon be available online as well.

Interview with Betty Wong

How did you come to join X-Mark?
I met X-Mark’s founder, Andy Lai, while hiking. Six years ago, he sent me an SOS saying he needed a store manager. I hesitated a little at first. I wondered if it was wise to set aside my career as an office worker and spend my youth in a small shop tucked away in a back alley. But I decided that spending the whole day thinking about what I love most and introducing it to people would be more worthwhile, so I started working with Andy.
What led you to launch Calm Design?
Andy runs a spring manufacturing company. Calm Design began when we combined his know-how in making springs with our outdoor experience to create titanium cutlery and tableware. Today it’s a proper outdoor brand with such a wide range that Calm Design products alone are enough to get you through a two-day backpacking trip.
I hear you’re also passionate about spreading outdoor culture.
I teach hiking and camping to young students at schools. I give them the background knowledge to spark their interest in outdoor culture, from the importance of lightweight gear and how to use it to the need to protect nature. Sometimes I also go hiking or camping with the kids.
Where is your favorite place to camp in Hong Kong?
Lantau Island, with its beautiful mountains and beaches. (TransLantau, which lets runners explore the island’s rugged terrain and untouched nature, takes place November 8–10.) The 70-kilometer Lantau Trail that crosses the island preserves Hong Kong’s wilderness well. It’s divided into 12 sections, and some of the more challenging ones host an ultramarathon every year. Personally, my favorite is the route up Tai Tung Shan, the island’s second-highest peak. You walk along a trail through subtropical vegetation, taking in the jade-green sea spread out below the mountain. There’s a campsite, so you can camp there too.
Why do you think outdoor activities matter?
Sadly, people in Hong Kong are still not used to separating their waste for recycling. Outdoor enthusiasts, by spending time in nature, come to learn naturally why recycling matters and how to do it. Camping in particular is one of the activities that lets you experience nature most intimately. Just smelling the soil and the grass is comforting, and it also makes you feel a responsibility to protect nature.