h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was there over the Chinese new year celebrations a few years ago - and many of the shops were shut for a day or so, but this was more than compensated for by the wonderful firework display they put on (we sat in amongst the crowd in front of the building in your photo) to watch and it was great. Also brilliant were the lion dances, and the ritual that the shops that were open did - they hung a bunch of cabbage leaves in the dorway of the shop. With much ceremony the 'lion' made a big show of coming to the shop and eating the offering. It was amazing to watch them going round an entire shopping centre!

I was freaked out by all the live fishy things in the markets...

k

That sounds great - I loved HK, and I can only imagine how spectacular New Year was. Re the live fishy things - we avoided the markets for that very reason. Fortunately, you can smell the market looong before you reach it, so you're in no danger of wandering in by accident!

Live fishy things are half the eating experience in HK - especially if you get out to the New Terratories (e.g. Sai Kung) or the islands (e.g. Lamma). The front window of the restaurant looks more like an aquarium than anything else - all you need to do is select the fish / crab / lobster / prawn / shellfish etc that looks good tell the staff how you like it cooked.

Of course the "Wet markets" where they butcher the pigs (delivered dead but basically whole) and chickens (alive) are to be avoided if possible.