>> Welcome to "Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope"... where you join us as we accept the world's invitation to visit.

>> Today on "Travelscope," I visit Hong Kong to explore its traditional past and modern present and celebrate the annual Dragon Boat Festival.

>> "Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope" is made possible by... >> San Antonio, Texas, where you'll find art, culture, romance, authentic Tex-Mex, 50-plus golf courses, and hundreds of attractions.

San Antonio--deep in the heart.

And No-Jet-Lag jet lag prevention.

>> In Hong Kong, the old and the new, the past and the present, the modern and the traditional complement each other and often co-exist.

At the Harbourside InterContinental Hotel, luxury accommodations unite with the ancient science of feng shui.

The lobby was designed so that the 9 dragons of the Kowloon Peninsula would drop off their wealth at the front desk on the way to their morning bath in the harbor.

In its one-Michelin-Star restaurant, Yan Toh Heen, executive chef Lau Yiu excels in the most traditional of Cantonese foods, dim sum.

Look at this beautiful array of dim sum.

The word "dim sum"-- how does that translate into English?

>> "Dim sum" actually is--the "sum" translates the heart.

>> Heart?

>> Yeah, for heart.

>> So "sum" is "heart" and "dim" is "small."

>> Yeah.

>> So small bites for the heart.

>> Yeah.

>> So is this something that the whole family would participate in?

>> Yeah.

The parents, the daughter and son--together they make a dim sum, offer and eat it together.

>> So they make it, they eat it together, and it binds the family.

>> Yeah.

>> How beautiful.

So what are we going to try and make today?

>> How about try this?

Ha gow is a shrimp dumpling.

>> Shrimp dumpling.

>> Steamed shrimp dumpling.

>> OK, well, let's try and make one.

>> I'll ask assistant to show, demonstrate how to make this.

>> OK. >> This is dough.

>> What kind of dough?

>> Two kind, mixed together.

>> Ah.

>> The wheat flour and the corn flour.

>> So I take a little bit of this... >> Yeah.

>> And put a little bit.

>> Not too much.

>> Now... >> Now, we pick up, and outside the fingers, move.

Even this, the traditional size, it's very difficult to make this.

>> This is very difficult!

>> Yeah.

>> Well, there's the chef's and there's mine.

Close, but no cigar.

How do they taste, chef?

>> Good.

>> Ho?

>> Ho.

[Gong booms] >> Chef Fai.

Ah!

Our shrimp ha gow.

Let me try one of mine.

Well, mine isn't as pretty, but thanks to the chef, they're both "ho mei"--"delicious."

Dojeh.

>> Thank you.

>> There are not many places you'll visit in the world where transportation is one of its star attractions.

But it is here in Hong Kong if you're on a Star Ferry, which has been plying the waters here in Hong Kong Harbor since 1898.

For an iconic view of Hong Kong, take the Star Ferry from the Tsim Sha Tsui district here on the Kowloon Peninsula to the central district on Hong Kong Island.

At 33 cents and 7 minutes, it's one of the cheapest, shortest, and most scenic voyages in the world.

If the ferry ride over wasn't scenic enough for you, there's plenty to see and do on the Hong Kong side.

Of course, that depends on what your definition of "scenic" is.

As far as I'm concerned, this is beautiful.

While other countries have a market and a market day, Hong Kong has dozens of market streets that operate almost nonstop, and a walk through a wet market of produce, fruits, live seafood, and fresh meats is a must-do Hong Kong happening that's a feast for the senses and a wonderful, traditional experience.

Mmm!

Hong Kong milk tea.

It's a specialty.

Ha ha!

[Overlapping chatter] These are the kinds of places you have to look for, over here in central, small little shops.

This one specializes only in milk tea.

It's a little bit like Thai tea.

It comes hot or cold, but in this weather, you want it cold.

Wherever you are on Hong Kong Island, it's easy to get somewhere else.

Just grab a tram for about $2.00 a ride and it will take you someplace completely different.

Nestled among the trees, flowers, and lakes of Hong Kong Park, the Flagstaff House, built in 1844, is a colonial remnant of Britain's 157-year rule.

Today it's the home of the Museum of Tea Ware and the Lock Cha Tea House, where drinking tea is a pleasure.

Now, at every family event that is important, do people have tea?

>> Every time.

Every day or every moment.

>> Ha ha ha!

You know, what's wonderful for people who are used to drinking tea from teabags--oh, yeah, I know.

I saw the pain in your face there.

You see the little nuggets of tea, and you'd think, "Oh, my gosh.

How do you make tea from that?"

And then, once the water's added, it expands.

>> Bit dry and it's sleeping.

You need to wake them up.

>> Now, I notice you have two different cups.

>> Yes.

>> I've never seen that before.

What's the difference between the two cups?

>> The shorter one would be for drinking and the taller one usually for smelling.

>> So this is just to be used to smell?

>> Yes.

>> Aha.

Oh, beautiful.

>> Thanks.

>> Just watching the tea ceremony relaxes me.

>> Yes.

>> M goi.

Ah.

Ah, wonderful.

That just smells terrific.

>> And it's running, rolling in your tongue and the palate.

You can feel it, enjoy the texture.

It's still quite smooth, flowery, even sometimes smoky or fruity.

>> Mmm.

It's so tasty.

>> I think tea, when you're making tea, tea table is a good platform for you to communicate with.

It's a good bonding with the people, family, with a little bit of art, culture.

>> But once you're in a mood of drinking tea, you're very receptive to the kinds of things you're talking about and, of course, each other, which is what's most important.

M goi, m goi.

As my day of traditional pursuits ends, Hong Kong shows off its modern, high-tech side in a nightly light show which reflects its world-city status and promises new discoveries tomorrow.

People think of Hong Kong and might think it's one of the most densely populated places on the earth, with skyscrapers, office buildings, apartment buildings.

But it also has its green spaces, like Hong Kong Park over on the Hong Kong Island, or here in Kowloon Park on the Kowloon Peninsula, where people come early in the morning to exercise and practice Tai Chi, take in the sounds of the cicada and the birds, and throughout the day come here to take a deep breath apart from the urban chaos here among the ponds and pools and sculpture gardens in the park.

So, W.K., you're from here in Hong Kong?

>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'm a local Chinese.

>> This is a beautiful park.

>> Yeah, you know, it's at the center of Kowloon.

>> Right.

>> A very busy place.

>> Yes.

>> You can feel the hustle-bustling of the city.

>> But here, it's very serene and peaceful.

Do you come here every day?

>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

>> Do you exercise or what do-- >> No, just walk.

>> Just walk around, yeah.

A lot of people have been doing Tai Chi and-- >> Oh, that is Qi Gong.

>> Qi Gong?

>> Qi Gong Tai Chi.

>> And this is Tai Chi over here?

Oh, the gentleman with the sword.

Has this park been here for a long time?

>> You know, in the past, it was a British barrack.

>> Ah.

>> Yeah, and later on, you know, when the British left, so it's now a public place.

>> Right, it's beautiful.

>> Yeah, yeah.

>> Because you're right.

Hong Kong is so chaotic and so urban, it's nice to have a beautiful, peaceful place like this.

>> Why not?

We should have our lungs [indistinct].

>> Your lungs.

>> Breathing space.

Otherwise-- you know, Hong Kong is too crowded.

>> Yeah.

>> And we need the open space.

>> Absolutely.

>> Yeah, yeah.

>> When I travel, I try to discover and understand the cultural traditions that contribute to a country's heritage.

My trip to Hong Kong coincides with the 37th annual International Dragon Boat Carnival.

From Hong Kong to Toronto, from London to Japan, each year athletes take to the water in boats sporting dragon heads, unaware of the legend upon which the racing competition is based.

Now, do you know the history of this dragon boat racing thing?

Who is Qu Yuan?

>> Ha ha!

Sorry.

I don't know.

>> You don't know who Qu Yuan is?

What is zongzi?

>> Ha ha ha!

>> You know what zongzi is?

>> I don't know what that is, either.

Sorry.

>> Oh, OK. Why is there a dragon on your boat?

>> Why is there--oh, I can't answer that one, either.

Ha ha!

>> I was told that this event connected to the Dragon Boat Festival, the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival--how do you think it connects?

>> It's part and parcel.

We need to have the cultural background, the tradition and all that, but we also bill the whole event as a carnival so that for people less interested in culture, they will be also attracted to the event.

>> Ah, OK. >> In a way, we can also spread the culture and the historical background of the whole thing, but with the carnival, they are more receptive.

In a sense, they expose themselves to the boat race, but also they're exposed to the cultural background.

>> The Dragon Boat, or Tuen Ng, Festival is one of the oldest and most cherished in Chinese cultures.

It pays homage to the beloved third-century-BCE poet Qu Yuan, who threw himself in the Miluo River to protest state corruption.

He was so loved that the villagers paddled out in their boats, and to keep the fish from eating his body, they beat drums and threw rice dumplings--zongzi.

Chef Ko of Super Star Group Restaurants shows me how they are made.

Other ingredients include dried scallops, salted duck egg yolk, and 5-spice pork.

Once filled to overflowing, the zongzi is folded closed.

The technique varies from family to family.

To seal the package of goodness, water weeds are used to tie the knot.

Chef, how long have you been making this?

Chef, now that we've seen you make it, can we eat it?

Ah, OK!

Mmm!

Ho mei.

Delicious.

While eating zongzi is an important Dragon Boat tradition, at the heart of the festival are the races.

More culturally authentic than the carnival are the competitions that take place on Hong Kong's outlying islands, like Lamma.

Of Hong Kong's 262 outlying islands, less than 10 are inhabited.

Lamma Island, with a population of about 5,000, is the closest.

It's only two miles to Hong Kong Island.

We're here on Lamma Island to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

Let's go to the races!

Rather than international professionals, on the islands fishermen, students, and neighborhood groups celebrate their heritage and race for the love of it.

How'd the team do?

>> Oh!

We faced 3 teams, and two teams go to the final, and one team just raced.

Unfortunately, they came fifth, so they can't go in the final.

>> The main thing is this is part of the festival, and everybody comes together and has a good time.

>> That's important, yes.

You see all the smiling faces, all the happy faces, right?

>> Huen Lung is from Hong Kong, and, Huen, how many women are in your group?

>> We have about 8 women in our group.

>> And do they paddle?

>> Yes, every one of us paddle.

>> Are you a company or a neighborhood or what?

>> Actually, we are just a group of people that are interested in the dragon boats, so we just get together to have some fun and, yeah, to paddle.

>> Do you know the story of the Dragon Boat Festival?

>> Yeah, kind of.

Ha ha ha!

Yes.

>> So when you're out there paddling, are you thinking about the poet?

>> Oh, yeah.

We do poet and we're eating the dumpling as we paddle.

Ha ha ha!

[Drums beating] >> This is a traditional dragon boat.

The dragon is the most important Chinese mythological creature.

He has grass in his mouth to give him the power so he can propel the boat.

He has Mandarin leaves to ward off evil spirits.

We have wine and we have tea.

We even have money for the god of the earth to give the dragon, who is of the earth, permission to join us on the water.

And back here is one of the most important parts of the dragon boat, the drum.

In the story of Qu Yuan, they beat the drum, they beat the boat.

They made noise to keep the fishes from eating his body.

They even, finally, threw out zong, rice dumplings, out so the fish would eat the dumplings instead of his body.

Today, this is an important part of the rowing because it keeps all of the rowers in rhythm.

With the Dragon Boat Festival over, and motivated by my more cultural experience on Lamma Island, I catch a central ferry for a 55-minute cruise to Cheung Chau Island.

While Cheung Chau is Hong Kong's oldest inhabited area and has a population of 20,000 people, it's still a fishing village with no cars.

Look at all the bicycles here in Cheung Chau.

Well, that's what you'd expect when you have a 2.5-square-kilometer island with no cars.

While Hong Kong's other outlying islands are becoming more and more developed, that's the way it is now in Cheung Chau.

Let's hope it stays that way.

It's a small island, but there's plenty to do.

You can stroll or bike along the seaside trail, climb into the hills for scenic views, shop and snack till you drop, and yet, at the end of the day, the top island pleasure is to join the locals along Cheung Chau's Seafood Street, enjoying the island's specialty.

It's early morning in Cheung Chau, and the fishing boats are coming in.

They brought a nice load of different kinds of fish.

Been about 5 or 6 boats right now, and they're selling the fish directly to the people or it's also going into the seafood market.

Now, even though Cheung Chau has been a holiday destination for decades for the people in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, New Territories, it is still a way that many of the people on the island make their living.

Generations upon generations have made their living from the sea, and that tradition continues here today.

You know, when you come to any kind of a destination, whether it's Hong Kong or any destination, there are always the obvious attractions on the surface.

Good idea is to dive below that surface and get to a place where you can have authentic, genuine experiences like we had this morning.

We had to get up at 6:00 in the morning to have it, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

While Cheung Chau is noted for all seafood, nothing rivals fish balls.

They are so popular, it is reported that Hong Kongers eat more than a billion and a half fish balls each year.

Heh heh!

I have to get to the bottom of this culinary phenomenon.

So, Han Lan Kwai, what do we have here?

>> Sea eel.

>> Sea eel.

Look at this.

Wow.

How long have you been doing this?

>> 30 years.

>> 30 years.

OK, let me run down the procedure for you.

So, we have the fish coming from the sea, gets cleaned, comes in here where it's cleaned again, and the skin is stripped off.

And it's made into this mixture here, which is then put through this machine here, which is minced and made even smaller, and the other machine, which is the rolling machine, which produces these balls.

And the final process is to put it into the big, gigantic woks there and to deep-fry it and then, of course, take it to the shop, which is down the street to the shop?

>> Yes.

>> Well, let's go down to one of your stores.

>> OK, come on.

>> Come on.

Now, what's in here?

>> Rice dumplings.

>> Well, did you make these?

>> Yes.

>> Rice dumplings, which are for the Dragon Boat Festival.

>> Mm-hmm, that's right.

>> Well, what do you have over here?

Let's go see.

So what do you do here?

You sell these?

>> I sell the fish balls.

>> So people come here, buy it from you, and take it home and cook it themselves.

>> Yes, right.

>> Mrs. Han sells more than just fish balls, and she loads me up with her full complement of snacks on a stick, which include balls made with shrimp, squid, fish, or pork.

So we have two fish balls, we have a shrimp ball, and we have the mixture ball.

>> Yeah.

Mixed one--$15.

>> This is $15.

Of course.

It's a specialty.

>> Shrimp ball, 4 pieces--$15.

>> Here we are.

All of your product.

>> Ha ha ha!

>> For either $1.50 or $2.00, you too can have a snack on a stick, like everyone else who comes to Cheung Chau, and I'm going to try this one.

It's "ho mei"--"delicious."

Now you have the inside scoop on fish balls.

Except, perhaps, for fish balls, nothing is more traditional in Hong Kong than Cantonese opera, which is alive and well in the New Territories.

How did you get interested in this?

>> I've wanted to do this since I was a kid, and then I made it come true.

>> What was it about it that attracted you the most?

>> Everything, from the singing, the script, the...the stories, the costumes, the elaborate makeup and the music, the acting, the movements.

Just everything's fascinating.

>> I can see the immediate attraction is the makeup.

I think I'd be very excited about being able to put on makeup like that.

That's pretty amazing.

Very dramatic.

>> For female, makeup's basically very similar to this.

The main male character, he's also very similar to this, but we have a comic role.

That has very, very elaborate and different style of face-painting, depending on the role.

>> They say Chinese opera puts us in mind of western opera... >> Right.

>> which is a story to music.

Is this the same thing?

>> Chinese opera is different from western opera in terms of it actually combines more elements of different kinds of performing arts like dancing, more movements, and we have talking lines and then various singing styles.

>> [Singing in Cantonese] >> Is it based on folk legends, the stories?

>> It could be anything.

Could be completely fictional, it could be mythology, could be historical drama, anything.

>> What's the difference between Chinese opera in Beijing, for instance, and Chinese opera here in Hong Kong?

>> Probably for a foreigner, who don't speak Chinese or don't know much about Chinese culture, they wouldn't be able to tell because the look, the costume, and makeup are very similar.

It's different in terms of the dialect that's being sung.

In Beijing, they would sing in Mandarin, and then, in Hong Kong, it would be sung in Cantonese.

>> So I probably wouldn't know the difference.

>> Yes, probably not.

>> Sounds like it's something that anyone who comes to Hong Kong shouldn't miss.

>> Yes, definitely.

>> Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories, and the outlying islands were returned by Britain to China in 1997.

I'm in Hong Kong while the Chinese government is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the hand-over.

The fireworks extravaganza is a fitting climax to my Hong Kong visit.

Thank you for joining me on my Hong Kong adventure.

Hong Kong may be Asia's world city, but its citizens still cherish tradition and the richness it brings to their life.

The Dragon Boat Festival is more than a race.

It honors the devotion and the integrity of poet Qu Yuan, who sacrificed himself rather than live in a corrupt world.

He wrote, "Phoenixes are penned up in cages, while common birds soar free."

During my stay, the 15th anniversary of the British hand-over of Hong Kong to China was also celebrated.

With that historic act, Hong Kong became a special administrative region with one-country, two-systems rule until 2047.

Because Hong Kongers are resourceful and adaptable and love freedom, it is an experiment that seems to be working.

What China and Hong Kong will look like in 35 years, it's hard to say.

But you can bet that the people of Hong Kong will be here to tell the tale.

Until next time, this is Joseph Rosendo reminding you of the words of Mark Twain: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

Happy traveling.

>> "Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope" is made possible by... >> San Antonio, Texas, where you'll find art, culture, romance, authentic Tex-Mex, 50-plus golf courses, and hundreds of attractions.

San Antonio--deep in the heart.

And No-Jet-Lag jet lag prevention.

For a DVD of today's show or any of Joseph's "Travelscope" adventures, call 888-876-3399 or order online at Travelscope.net.

You can also email us at TV@Travelscope.net or write us at the address on your screen.

>> Now that we've explored Hong Kong together, learn more at Travelscope.net, where you can follow my worldwide adventures through my e-magazine, blog, podcast, and on Facebook.

Stay in touch--888-876-3399 or TV@Travelscope.net.

>> Difficult to make this.

>> This is very difficult!

>> Yeah.

[Overlapping chatter] >> I--I made a mistake.

OK, I'm fired.

>> Thank you.

>> [Chanting] >> [Chanting] >> Yum cha.

>> Ah, yum cha.

They have dim sum here.

"Yum cha" is dim sum.

Ah.

Cha and yum.

Yeah, ha ha!