On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 16:02:23 -0700, the renowned "Bob Myers"
wrote:
"PeterL" wrote in message
...
A "Special Administrative Region", thus not China. OK it's semantics.
Tell you what - call up your local consulate of the People's
Republic of China, and ask them what nation you're in when
you're in Hong Kong.
Would you suggest someone who wants to visit the USA to go to Puerto Rico
or
Guam?
There's more than a little difference in the two cases.
Hong Kong, despite being much more ethnically and
culturally diverse than the rest of the country, IS still
(and actually, now to a notable degree more than while
still under British rule) a predominantly Chinese city.
IF what the original poster was looking for was a place
to expose the kids to a good deal of Chinese culture,
while still being more family- and English-friendly, I
would certainly consider Hong Kong as an option.
Even politically, there is a distinction here, as Puerto
Rico has commonwealth status with the U.S. (and
a very different relationship with the U.S. than, say,
a state or a territory). Guam is a U.S. territory, and
so it IS technically correct to say that you are on U.S.
soil when visiting there - but still, both Puerto Rico and
Guam are far more culturally distinct from the
"mainstream" U.S. than Hong Kong is from the PRC.
But I really think we're splitting hairs at this point. I merely
pointed out Hong Kong as a viable, family-friendly
option to someone looking for a "Chinese" destination;
if you don't agree with that recommendation, fine, but we
each can offer our own opinions here, I believe.
Bob M.
If you want to land in China, exit to Hong Kong SAR, then return to
China, you had better get a new visa when in HK (or in rather limited
circumstances, at the border) or get a multiple-entry visa in advance.
For all practical purposes, it's a separate country, with a rather
different culture and it uses different written characters
(traditional rather than simplified). I think the two are about as
different as Britain and the US. They look pretty similar if you're
from another planet, but there really are a lot of differences.
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
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