Our Daily Needs: Living in Hong Kong

Hello Super Students! Welcome to our amazing chapter on "Our Daily Needs". Have you ever wondered how we live, travel, and talk to each other in our busy city of Hong Kong? In these notes, we'll explore our homes, our super-fast transport, how to stay safe on the roads, and the cool inventions that make our lives easier. Learning about our daily life helps us understand and appreciate our wonderful home, Hong Kong!


1. Where We Live: Our Homes in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a city with millions of people, and we all live in different kinds of homes. Our home is our special place where we rest, play, and spend time with our family. This is our living environment.

Types of Housing in Hong Kong

Let's look at some of the common places people live:

  • Public Housing Estates: Many families in Hong Kong live in these tall buildings. They are built by the government to provide affordable homes. (Example: You might see big groups of similar-looking tall buildings in areas like Sha Tin or Kwun Tong.)
  • Private Apartments: These are tall buildings too, but they are built by private companies. They come in all shapes and sizes! A lot of us live in these high-rise buildings.
  • Village Houses: In the New Territories and on some islands, you can find these smaller houses. They are usually only a few floors high and might even have a small garden.
Did you know?

Hong Kong is famous for its skyscrapers! Because we have many people but not a lot of flat land, we build upwards to create enough homes for everyone.

Key Takeaway

Our living environment in Hong Kong is diverse, with different types of housing like public estates, private apartments, and village houses, mostly built upwards to save space.


2. On the Move: Travelling in Our City

Hong Kong has an amazing transport system that helps us get to school, visit our friends, or explore new places easily. It's like a giant network connecting the whole city!

Our Mass Transit System
  • MTR: This is our super-fast underground train. It's one of the quickest ways to travel long distances across Hong Kong.
  • Buses: Double-decker buses are everywhere! They cover almost every road in the city and are a great way to see the sights.
  • Minibuses: These are smaller buses, often green or red. They have fixed routes and are very convenient for shorter trips.
  • Trams: We call them "Ding Dings"! These slow, charming double-decker trams are found only on Hong Kong Island and are a fun way to travel.
  • Ferries: To cross Victoria Harbour or visit the islands, we can take a ferry. It's a boat ride with a beautiful view!
Quick Review: Ways to Travel

Remember the 5 main types of transport: MTR, Bus, Minibus, Tram, and Ferry!

Key Takeaway

Hong Kong has a world-class transport system that is fast, convenient, and helps millions of people travel around the city every single day.


3. Be Smart, Be Safe: Road Safety Rules

With so many cars, buses, and people, it's super important to know how to be safe on the roads. Following road safety rules protects us and others.

The Golden Rules of Crossing the Road:
  1. Find a safe place to cross. Always use a pedestrian crossing, a footbridge, or a tunnel.
  2. Stop! Stand back from the edge of the road. Don't get too close to the traffic.
  3. Look and Listen. Look right, then left, and then right again. Listen for any approaching vehicles.
  4. Wait until it's safe. If vehicles are coming, let them pass.
  5. Walk, don't run! When the road is clear, walk straight across and keep looking and listening.
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
  • Never run out onto the road to chase a ball or a friend.
  • Don't look at your phone when you are crossing the street.
  • Never cross between parked cars. Drivers can't see you!
Key Takeaway

Being safe on the road is easy if you always remember to Stop, Look, and Listen at a proper crossing point. Your safety is the most important thing!


4. East Meets West: Our Unique Hong Kong Life

Hong Kong is a very special place where Eastern (mainly Chinese) and Western (mainly British and international) cultures mix together. This makes our daily life exciting and full of variety!

How East Meets West in Our Lives:
  • Food: We can enjoy delicious Chinese dim sum (Eastern) for breakfast and then have a slice of pizza (Western) for dinner!
  • Holidays: We celebrate traditional festivals like Chinese New Year with red packets and lion dances, and we also celebrate Christmas with trees and presents.
  • Language: Look at our street signs! They are often written in both Chinese and English. Many people here can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and English.
  • Buildings: We have modern skyscrapers next to old Chinese temples. This mix of old and new, East and West, is what makes Hong Kong's skyline so famous.
Analogy Time!

Think of Hong Kong as a "Yuenyeung" (鴛鴦), the popular drink that mixes coffee and tea. It's a perfect blend of two different things to create something new and wonderful!

Key Takeaway

Hong Kong's daily life is a unique mix of Eastern and Western characteristics, which we can see in our food, festivals, languages, and buildings.


5. Bright Ideas That Changed Our World

Our lives today are made much easier by amazing technology and inventions from clever people. Let's learn about two inventors mentioned in our syllabus who changed the world!

Thomas Edison and the Light Bulb

Imagine a world without light switches, where you had to use candles to see at night! Thomas Edison was an inventor who helped create a long-lasting, practical light bulb. Thanks to him, we can light up our homes, schools, and streets with just the flick of a switch. His invention makes our nights brighter and safer.

Charles Kao and Fiber Optics

Have you ever wondered how the internet can be so fast? You can thank Professor Charles Kao! He is known as the "Father of Fiber Optics". Fiber optics are tiny, thin strands of glass that can send information using light. It's like a super-fast highway for the internet, phone calls, and TV signals. His invention connects us to the whole world instantly.

Did you know?

Professor Charles Kao won the Nobel Prize for his amazing work, and he was a professor right here at The Chinese University of Hong Kong!

Key Takeaway

Important inventions, like the light bulb by Thomas Edison and fiber optics by Charles Kao, have a huge impact on our daily lives, giving us light and fast communication.


6. Let's Talk: How We Communicate

Communication is how we share ideas, feelings, and information with others. It's a very important part of our daily needs. We have many different ways to communicate with our family, friends, and teachers.

Ways to Communicate with Others:
  • Face-to-face: Talking to someone in person is the most common way. We can see their expressions and hear their tone of voice.
  • Telephone: We can call someone on a landline or mobile phone to talk to them when they are far away.
  • Writing: We can write letters, emails, or text messages to share our thoughts. Writing gives us time to think about what we want to say.
  • Video Calls: Using apps on computers or phones, we can see and talk to people anywhere in the world! It feels like they are in the same room.
Being a Good Communicator

Remember, good communication is not just about talking, it's also about listening! When you communicate, try to speak clearly and politely, and always listen carefully to what the other person is saying.

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first. Practice makes perfect, and communicating well helps you build great friendships!

Key Takeaway

We use many methods to communicate, like talking, writing, and video calls. Being a good communicator means speaking clearly and, just as importantly, listening carefully.