Hong Kong has long – unfairly in my opinion – been dismissed by many as a destination dominated by business or conference travelers. Now officially a part of China, the world’s largest art market, but with regulations and red tape much more easily navigated than on the mainland, the city is really stepping up its cultural offerings to the benefit of not only its sophisticated and well-traveled populace but also to the millions of international visitors that it attracts from all over the globe.

Imperial Tours recently collaborated with two well established California institutions – the Berkeley Repertory Theater and the South Coast Repertory – in putting together a tour for their board members, patrons and supporters centered on the 41^st Hong Kong Arts Festival which took place in the city throughout March. The focus of the trip was Chinglish – David Henry Hwang’s hilarious China-set comedy that was produced by the two theaters and was enjoying its first run outside the USA. Whilst the play’s plot, which involves a naïve American expat mingling with government officials in a provincial Chinese city, is probably too politically charged to be showing on the Mainland anytime soon, Hong Kong made a welcome home for the production which quickly sold out its entire seven night run at one of the city’s biggest theaters. Many having been involved in the production from an early stage, almost all of our visitors has seen Chinglish multiple times – but were fascinated to see the different reaction it received from a Hong Kong audience that is much closer both geographically and culturally to the events taking place on stage.

In addition to Chinglish and a host of other interesting performances the group also explored other facets of Hong Kong’s art scene with a introductory talk given by a professional art consultant who specializes in both contemporary art and Chinese antiques and paintings. We learnt about the Hong Kong Government’s huge investment in the arts. The West Kowloon Cultural Park, for example, is sited on reclaimed land in Victoria Harbour and designed by Foster & Partners and is currently under construction at a cost of approximately USD3 billion. Once finished, the park will include 17 arts venues including a major new museum and several theaters, making it a true creative hub for the region. The introductory talk was complimented by visits to a selection of the most interesting galleries where we were welcomed and shown around by curators. The US-based Asia Society has a beautiful Hong Kong site, hidden in a very leafy and quiet corner of the Admiralty area. Their center opened just a year ago, and the gallery is a combination of minimalist contemporary architecture and a wonderfuly renovated ‘explosives magazine’ where the British army once stored their weaponry. Other visits included the Hong Kong headquarters of Sotheby’s to view antique clocks and a final stop at the gallery of Hong Kong University, where an introduction to some key pieces of 20^th century traditional Chinese art provided a fascinating conclusion to the day.

Each performance and activity served only to emphasize not only the material and cultural wealth of Hong Kong, but the sheer diversity of the artists and performers that the city continues to attract in increasing numbers. Imperial Tours was honored to be able to show off this fantastic city to the visiting theater companies – and we look forward to future opportunities to welcome art lovers, whether traveling in groups or on private tours.