Special exhibit: discussed banking in Hong Kong and Shanghai. I’ve been carrying Hong Kong dollars in my pocket, but until the exhibit, didn’t realize that they are issued by three separate banks – HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank and the Bank of China. Also, all coins and $10 notes are issued by the Hong Kong government, while the head of Queen Elizabeth II still adorns many coins in circulation.
Permanent exhibit: “The Hong Kong Story” explores Hong Kong’s history since the beginning of time. The replicas of folk life are neat – the diorama explaining how the Hoklo cultivated rice, village settings and early 20th century city scene.
The Tea Appreciation Class, courtesy of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, provides free tea, but I wish I’d remained at the history museum. The tea master is absent. A girl leads the class. The boiling water drowns her out, her voice is so soft. We try different teas. I try white tea for the first time. White tea is unique for being sun-dried, it takes longer to prepare, and is cultivated predominantly in Fujian Province (China’s tea capital). Good taste.
Afterwards, I take the tram to Causeway Bay and Times Square. I meet Joyce for a fancy Japanese dinner and Mandarin movie. We tour the supermarket below the square - taste free samples, buy wasabi-flavored green beans (my favorite) and ice cream (taro and tofu ice cream with walnuts, cake and cinnamon mixed-in).
The movie, “Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon,” packs an all-star cast of Maggie Q and Andy Lau, but it doesn’t live up promo posters shellacking all of Hong Kong. The period of the three kingdoms is great history, Joyce’s brother later tells me. However, he says this movie was a disaster. When he saw the movie, it put him to sleep. Because I lack knowledge of the historical events and characters, I must not appreciate how bad the film really is. I thought character development weak and plot dissolved, but the fighting was cool.
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