Hong Kong has the reputation for being a fast-paced city. The reality is quite different.
I’ve come to this conclusion based on the people and the traffic.

When seven million people are all moving at the same time in a relatively small area, it gives the illusion of a lot of activity. These people are typically not moving very quickly.

Rather, they tend to meander, peering into various shop fronts while simultaneously texting on their blackberries or talking on their mobile phones. If they are walking with other people, it will be in a line to cover the path and often with their arms linked as them against the world.

The traffic situation is similar. There are a lot of people who drive into Central during the week. The cars come to a slow crawl part the way through. Interestingly, for all the traffic, it’s generally not held up for very long compared to the F3 or even the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the Spit Bridge during peak hour(s). The traffic does still move, just slowly.

There’s a definite hierarchy when needing to merge or change lanes. The driver of the most expensive car yields. This is how taxis get through the traffic so quickly and the Ferrari drivers are stuck with their purring motors for a bit longer. People don’t want to be without their cars so will do what they can to avoid a scratch so it doesn’t have to be put in for repair. I am yet to see a road rage incident.

Further out in the suburbs, there’s a lot less people, cars, lights and buildings so there’s a lot less activity and the impression of a slower pace. In Central HK, it is more a case of a lot of people, a billion bright lights and tall buildings in a relatively confined space. When this many people and cars move at the same time, albeit slowly, it does look like a hive of activity.

Where we live, we even have feral cows and water buffalo. When we’re running late for work and a herd of them are crossing the road, it highlights the pace of life in this area.

* Thanks to The Smiths for the title to this post.