Fiction: Group 4
Pearl River Delta - Travel Writing
Island School, Lai, Austin - 14, Fiction: Group 4
he Pearl River flows through nine major cities of Guangdong, including Hong Kong, Macau, and
Shenzhen. It is formed by three rivers, namely Xi Jiang (West River), Bei Jiang (North River) and
Dong Jiang (East River). It has been around since 1978, which makes it almost 40 years old. And
the cities that it passes? Well, that forms the topic of this article: the Pearl River Delta.
I was there during the winter, due to a business trip. I travelled to HK, Macau and Shenzhen, and
stayed in the Pearl River Delta for three days. While I was there, what I saw astonished me. I expected there
to be fancy buildings and wealthy people everywhere; I definitely did NOT expect to see so many old
buildings about the collapse, poor, homeless people on the streets, and so much litter on the ground; it was
simply horrifying, to see that what I visioned as a rich place would be so… run-down.
However, despite its flaws, the Pearl River Delta does have its uniqueness. Let’s start from HK.
There, the movie Transformers: Age of Extinction was set and filmed. Also, in a little place called Causeway
Bay, next to a building called Times Square (yes, exactly the same as the one in New York), there lies one
of the most expensive streets in the world, with the renting prices for shops skyrocketing to as high as HK$2
million a month. Around Times Square are two other shopping malls: an older one, Sogo, and a newer one,
Hysan Place. There, I saw so many things to buy, so many souvenirs to get for my friends, for my kids. I
immediately grabbed the toys, video games, belts, shoes, watches, and of course, socks. Yes, socks. They’re
very important, didn’t you know that?
I ate lunch at the top of Hysan Place that day. There, on the 11/F, lies a huge food court, with a
variety of food ranging from Chinese to Korean to Thai to Singaporean. Above the 11/F are the fancy and
expensive restaurants, but since I didn’t have a meeting that day, I decided to stay at the food court and eat
like a normal person. Although it was a food court, the food was still immensely satisfying. It was hot, and
juicy, and tender, and… I’ll just let you try it out. However, you have to look out for one thing: seats. From
12-2pm, and 6-8pm, the place is just SO crowded. It’s like a carnival. It’ll be better if you go with
someone else so you can secure seats for yourself, and not look stupid when walking around the food court
with a tray of hot food trying to find a seat, only to bump into someone spilling your food and drinks all
over them.
After a tough first day in HK, I settled back at my hotel, Conrad in Admiralty. I know, it’s much
more fancy and expensive than my lunch, but since the company was paying for this, I thought, “Hey, why
not?” The next day, I went out to eat a glorious buffet breakfast, then set off to Macau.
Until late 1999, Macau was still under Portuguese rule, much like HK was under British rule until
1997. However, ever since Macau was returned to China under the “one country, two systems” rule, it has
been a SAR (special administrative region) ever since, much like HK. These 2 places share so much in
common it’s scary sometimes.
But of course, after you get to Macau, it doesn’t feel like HK anymore. From the Macau Ferry Pier
located in Sheung Wan, you can easily get a ferry to, of course, Macau, which is an hour’s boat ride. Simple,
considering you don’t get seasick and throw up in a plastic bag. Once I got there, I felt pretty cold,
considering it was winter. Of course, once you get to a fancy hotel in Macau, the first thing you would do is
either sightseeing or, this being more probable for an adult, gamble. I went to the casino, and all the lights
and sounds of money being cashed in and out of machines were overwhelming. Macau is known for its
casinos even more than Las Vegas is, and after those couple of hours, I knew why. After spending most of
my money, I decided to go back to my room to rest a bit, then go sightseeing.
In Macau, the first sight anyone should think about going to is, most definitely, the Ruins of St.
Paul’s. The church was built in the 16th century, but was then burned down and rebuilt multiple times,
until the third fire in 1835 left it beyond repair. The site has now been changed into a museum, with the
staircases from the original building fixed, allowing us to climb onto the top and have an excellent view of
the city and the little ants underneath our feet. Plus, it’s free admission.
Next on the list is the City of Dreams. When I went there, I immediately bought tickets to the
House of Dancing Water. The City of Dreams was extremely well-known for its live performances, and I
was determined to find out why. I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I went and watched it again afterwards.
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