0:00:03 > 0:00:06More than half of us now live in cities...
0:00:07 > 0:00:09..and more of us are moving in.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14By 2050, two thirds of the planet will be city dwellers.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16There's people going this way, people going that way.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18It's bonkers!
0:00:18 > 0:00:24We're exploring four iconic cities in all four corners of the world.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27- There's cycle rickshaws coming the wrong way towards us.- Yep.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30These are places bursting with life.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37Crowded, chaotic and complicated, they're also under pressure.
0:00:37 > 0:00:38HORN BLARES
0:00:38 > 0:00:41All right, mate. Ooh.
0:00:41 > 0:00:46We're going behind the scenes to uncover the hidden systems
0:00:46 > 0:00:51and armies of people running some of the greatest cities on earth.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57This time, we're in Hong Kong,
0:00:57 > 0:01:01a city driven skywards by trade and money.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04We're going to show you how this city works,
0:01:04 > 0:01:08uncovering the incredible story of how huge economic freedom
0:01:08 > 0:01:11has created a city of contrasts.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17Historian Dan Snow reveals how a former British colony
0:01:17 > 0:01:19is adapting to life in China's embrace.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23This is like nowhere else I've ever seen.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27It's the heart of the most economically dynamic region
0:01:27 > 0:01:29on planet Earth.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Journalist Ade Adepitan gets carried away
0:01:33 > 0:01:36at the city's most popular night out.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Mr Cool! Come on!
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Argh!
0:01:41 > 0:01:44No devil's going to come near me!
0:01:44 > 0:01:47I'm Anita Rani, and in a city rich with traditions,
0:01:47 > 0:01:52I find out how to banish bad spirits on the daily commute.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Go away! Be banished! WOMAN SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:01:54 > 0:01:55They've gone.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Join us for the adventure of a lifetime,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01in the world's busiest cities.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Hong Kong Harbour...
0:02:17 > 0:02:20..one of the busiest ports in the world.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24More than 1,000 vessels pass through here each day.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Today, the OOCL New York is arriving from Singapore.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Every cargo ship coming to Hong Kong has to take a pilot on board.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38This is the pilot's vessel, and this is how they get on.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44The harbour pilot's job is to safely navigate these huge cargo vessels
0:02:44 > 0:02:47through these crowded waters.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50The ships can carry anything from cars and clothes
0:02:50 > 0:02:52to furniture and frozen foods.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Ships like these are the engines that drive global trade.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02This is some way to travel, on these beasts of the sea -
0:03:02 > 0:03:05but that skyline keeps catching my attention.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08- Isn't it incredible?- It goes on forever, it goes on forever.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13First and foremost, this place is a port, let's not forget that -
0:03:13 > 0:03:15that's one of the best deepwater harbours on earth,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18and that allowed traders from round the world
0:03:18 > 0:03:19to keep their ships safe there,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21sheltered from typhoons, bad weather,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23and exploit the trade of China.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Do you know what this reeks of, Dan?
0:03:29 > 0:03:30Fish?
0:03:31 > 0:03:33- And money.- Yeah.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40This is the freest economy on earth,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44and it's fuelled by trade and finance.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46It's why nearly seven and a half million people
0:03:46 > 0:03:50cram themselves into Hong Kong's tiny geographical footprint.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Not bad for a place that was just a small fishing village
0:03:56 > 0:03:58less than 200 years ago.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Time here is money.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05Harbour pilot Sammy Chiu
0:04:05 > 0:04:08has guided hundreds of these massive ships into dock.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14The cranes at the terminal are ready and waiting.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18And how is this going to get into that spot there?
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Well, that's the most difficult part,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22because it's pinpoint navigation.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27The ship is the size of two football pitches laid end to end.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30It can carry nearly 6,000 containers.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35Manoeuvring it is a high-stakes game, and there's no room for error.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37We are moving centimetres by centimetres.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- Wow.- Because the ship is so large,
0:04:40 > 0:04:44the momentum can cause huge damage if the approach is inappropriate.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47How long to unload this ship
0:04:47 > 0:04:50and load it back up again with another cargo?
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Well, as usual, it takes about ten hours.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56You're telling me that by the end of today,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- this ship will be heading back out to sea?- Exactly.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Two tug boats, the ship's captain and harbour pilot Bruce Lee
0:05:03 > 0:05:05work together.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Bow hard to starboard.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09It's an astonishing feat of skill and experience...
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- Stop bow.- Stop bow.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15..taking only 15 minutes.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16This is what you call parking.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- Precision parking. - This is precision parking.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Yeah, it's good, yeah.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:05:29 > 0:05:33We're here to find out what really makes Hong Kong tick,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36to discover the intricate web of daily miracles
0:05:36 > 0:05:39that keep this place on track.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Nestled on the coast of south-east China,
0:05:44 > 0:05:49Hong Kong is a former British colony handed back to China in 1997.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54The city spreads out across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56the New Territories
0:05:56 > 0:05:58and more than 260 islands.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03A cathedral of capitalism on Communist shores.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10We're splitting up to get under the skin of this iconic city.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14While Dan and Ade head off on their own journeys,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17I'm starting my week like a true Hong Konger -
0:06:17 > 0:06:20joining the crowds on the way to work.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32It's Monday morning rush hour.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34It's hot, it's humid,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37and one of the most densely populated places on earth
0:06:37 > 0:06:39is on the move.
0:06:39 > 0:06:40Ooh, excuse me.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45There are around 42,000 people per square mile
0:06:45 > 0:06:47on Hong Kong Island alone.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51It's a global financial hub
0:06:51 > 0:06:54with people flocking to it from all over the world.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58There are offices, apartment blocks, a transport system,
0:06:58 > 0:07:03temples, and over seven million people all crammed into one place -
0:07:03 > 0:07:06and the only way to make it all fit is by building up.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12This is the world's most vertical city.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17There are more skyscrapers here than anywhere else on the planet.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23It might look like a gleaming modern metropolis, but at street level,
0:07:23 > 0:07:28Hong Kong has a decidedly different flavour, even at rush hour.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Some of the freshest seafood I've seen anywhere in the world.
0:07:36 > 0:07:37It's still alive!
0:07:44 > 0:07:45Oh, look at that!
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Oh, it's like a lychee in there.
0:07:50 > 0:07:51Oh, that is divine.
0:07:53 > 0:07:54Mm!
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Tastes like a lychee, a little bit more sour.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00I think this is my new most favourite fruit.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06This is a city where China meets the West.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12150 years of British rule couldn't erode ancient traditions.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18It makes for a commute like nowhere else in the world.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22This is a bit...
0:08:22 > 0:08:23unusual.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30I'm surrounded by women who are just whacking slippers on stones.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Let's find out what's going on.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37I'm underneath one of the busiest flyovers on Hong Kong Island.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Many big cities have street traders,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44but I've never seen anything like this.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Hello. How are you?
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Right, better find out what this is.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Wong Ling is what's known as a devil beater.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57These women can help you get rid of bad luck,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59or wish bad luck on others.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04It's an ancient Chinese folk ritual involving paper effigies and shoes.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06So, what IS this?
0:09:15 > 0:09:17So, do I have villains around me?
0:09:17 > 0:09:18Do I have bad energy?
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Apparently, devil beating is very popular with commuters,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31and it costs £5.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34This is unbelievable.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38I'm about to have some kind of religious ritual
0:09:38 > 0:09:40under a flyover with buses driving past.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- OK, here we go. - OK, OK...
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Keep going?
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Come on, then. Come on!
0:09:49 > 0:09:51I don't know about beating the devil,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53but it's certainly good for getting your aggression out.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57After a thorough beating,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00the effigy is burnt inside a paper tiger to keep the demons away.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Go away! Be banished!
0:10:05 > 0:10:06They've gone.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Whoo! I feel free. I feel lighter.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15In any other city, this underpass would be just another thoroughfare -
0:10:15 > 0:10:17but in Hong Kong,
0:10:17 > 0:10:22traditions have to be packed into the smallest and busiest of spaces.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31- DAN:- While Anita experiences the unique Hong Kong rush hour,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33I'm at the port, spending my day
0:10:33 > 0:10:36discovering how this place makes its money.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43Nine terminals handle an amazing 20 million containers a year.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50It's like a different world up here.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Below us - well, we're on these super tall cranes -
0:10:55 > 0:10:57below us, just a sea of containers,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and these are the building blocks of globalisation.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02These are things that carry all the goods
0:11:02 > 0:11:05that we eat, and use, and wear, and play with,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09all the way from Asian ports to our European ports.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Hong Kong's strategic location in the South China Sea
0:11:15 > 0:11:19has long made it an important gateway for trade.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23In the 19th century, the British sailed here in search of silk,
0:11:23 > 0:11:24porcelain and tea.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29They funded their trade with sales of opium.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33When the Chinese emperor banned the drug,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35the British went to war - and won.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Hong Kong was the prize,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41becoming a vibrant outpost of the British Empire.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48Now trade is worth nearly £760 billion a year.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51I'm usually pretty good with heights,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53but there's only a tiny bit of metal
0:11:53 > 0:11:56between me and a very, very big drop.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57Don't look down.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Crane operators work against the clock to unload each ship.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Every container carries a unique code.
0:12:11 > 0:12:12Each of these containers
0:12:12 > 0:12:14weighs around about 20 tonnes, give or take,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17and he's just hurling them round like they're made of Styrofoam.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21A computer system identifies the most efficient order
0:12:21 > 0:12:26for loading and unloading, matching container to truck.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31This computer's telling him which one to get...
0:12:35 > 0:12:40Some 300 million tonnes of goods pass through this port every year...
0:12:41 > 0:12:45..half of it on its way in or out of mainland China.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49He's very precise.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50It's like performing keyhole surgery.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57There's a whole line of trucks waiting to get all the containers.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02This goes on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10This is what this city is about, and has been about
0:13:10 > 0:13:14since the moment it was taken and developed by the British.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Accessing all the trade of China, boxing it up,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20and then shipping it abroad.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22This place is still doing the job
0:13:22 > 0:13:28that that first British settlement in Hong Kong did over 150 years ago.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37- ADE:- Hemmed in by a staggeringly busy harbour and mighty mountains,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40it's easy to see why space here is limited.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46I'm starting my journey in the central district.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51I want to understand how people live in such a crowded city.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01The property prices here just make you shake your head.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03They're eye-watering!
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Look at this one here.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08It's an apartment, and it's about £2.5 million.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12As I'm wrapping my head around these figures,
0:14:12 > 0:14:16a local who says he's a property developer stops for a chat.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18What I was trying to understand is,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- you've got the gross square footage...- Yeah.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23..and then the net. So, the net is just the liveable space.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25It's where you live. It's where you live.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28The gross is part of the lobby that you're using,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30part of the lift that you're using,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32part of the windowsill that...
0:14:32 > 0:14:34- Everything's been calculated. - You can't live on the windowsill.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36You can't sit - unless you're a bird,
0:14:36 > 0:14:37you can't sit on a windowsill.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40So this is what you can enjoy, the net.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47This is the most expensive real estate in the world.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50In Hong Kong, homes cost 18 times more
0:14:50 > 0:14:53than an average family's income.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Rents are more than twice the amount you'd pay in the UK.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58With space at a premium,
0:14:58 > 0:15:03most Hong Kongers live on top of each other in tiny flats.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06I've come to the Tai Wai area in the city's New Territories,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09where the Leung family have a two-bedroom flat.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11- Ken.- Nice to meet you, Ken.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14They share their home with four other relatives,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16and it's forced them to look for an ingenious solution.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Wow!
0:15:19 > 0:15:22It really looks like something futuristic
0:15:22 > 0:15:25that should be on Mars or on the moon.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28They've installed sleeping pods in the front room,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32effectively giving them two extra bedrooms.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36My uncle is on the upper deck and my parents, they're sleeping in there.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- On the lower deck. Yeah. - Yeah, on the lower.
0:15:39 > 0:15:40So what is it like to sleep in that at night?
0:15:40 > 0:15:42- I like it.- Yeah?
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Yeah, I enjoy sleep here.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Just like...in the spaceship.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51- Yes! - THEY LAUGH
0:15:51 > 0:15:54The pods cost just over £1,000,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57much cheaper than renting or buying more space.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00- It's quite firm.- Yes.
0:16:03 > 0:16:04Oh, yes.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07- The light is really relaxing, actually...- Yes.- Yes.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09..and it feels a bit more spacious than I thought,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11because I can sit up.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14How difficult is it for a family
0:16:14 > 0:16:17to be able to afford to buy a house in Hong Kong?
0:16:17 > 0:16:22Let's say one daughter, brother and mother go outside to work,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24you save all the money.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29After 20 years, you may... Maybe you can buy a house.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32It's very, very expensive.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Pull down the curtain, and, like, closing the door,
0:16:35 > 0:16:36and you can lock it here.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- How do you pull it up?- Yes... - I'm stuck! Help!
0:16:39 > 0:16:40Goodnight!
0:16:40 > 0:16:41THEY LAUGH
0:16:44 > 0:16:47The Leungs are lucky.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Hong Kong has one of the world's highest wealth gaps.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54The poorer you are, the less space you have.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00So, I'm just about to meet a guy
0:17:00 > 0:17:02who lives in what they call a cage community here -
0:17:02 > 0:17:05and he lives here because property's so expensive,
0:17:05 > 0:17:06this is all he can afford.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11I just want to find out what life's like for him.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19At first, there seems nothing unusual about this building.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24It's only when I get to Alan's door
0:17:24 > 0:17:28that I realise just how small his home is.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Wow. Now, I wasn't expecting that.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35I was expecting to open the door to go into one place -
0:17:35 > 0:17:38but there's actually two doors here.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Can we come in?
0:17:41 > 0:17:44This used to be just an ordinary flat,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48but a private landlord has illegally divided it into bed spaces
0:17:48 > 0:17:51that are no larger than a cupboard.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52Nice to meet you.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56- Bob Marley...- I am Bob Marley! No, Ade, Ade, Ade.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Ade, Ade.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Alan has lived here for three years.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02He says 11 people live in this corridor alone,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06and there's another one just like it next door.
0:18:07 > 0:18:08Tell me about where you live.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13Is it this space, or...all of this bit here?
0:18:16 > 0:18:17Just in this space?
0:18:17 > 0:18:21And your kitchen? Where do you go for that?
0:18:24 > 0:18:25So, where do you go for food then?
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Alan works as a dishwasher.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40He pays £180 a month to live here.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45To rent a room in this area would cost nearly three times as much.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51He used to live with relatives, but after they passed away
0:18:51 > 0:18:53this was the only place he could afford.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59So, you've got about six foot of space, lengthwise.
0:19:01 > 0:19:02It's so small.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08I can't imagine what it must be like to live in...
0:19:08 > 0:19:11in this small space.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31More than two million people already live in public housing
0:19:31 > 0:19:34in Hong Kong, and the waiting list is four and a half years.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Is this normal here in Hong Kong?
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Alan's case might seem extreme,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49but over 200,000 people
0:19:49 > 0:19:53are estimated to live in places like this.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58This space here is someone else's living quarters.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02It's incredible.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05I mean, I can't imagine staying here for...
0:20:05 > 0:20:08for a day, let alone years.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17It shocks me to see Alan's living situation.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20It's a reminder that where there's opportunity,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22there's also inequality.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25Hong Kong's runaway capitalism
0:20:25 > 0:20:29has made it one of the world's most prosperous cities,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33but this success comes at a price.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Hong Kong is a city where money matters.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52It's why people are still drawn here hoping to make their fortunes,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54despite what the costs might be.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58It has its own stock exchange, its own currency,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00and one of the highest concentrations
0:21:00 > 0:21:03of banking institutions in the world.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07And there's one bank that's more intertwined
0:21:07 > 0:21:09with the history of this place than any other.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15HSBC is a banking name known around the world -
0:21:15 > 0:21:18but few people realise what the initials stand for.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22This is the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and it has its roots in the birth of this city.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28- Wow.- Welcome.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31- Thank you very much. - We're going to go round here.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Helen Swinnerton is the head of archives here at HSBC,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43which opened its doors in Hong Kong more than 150 years ago.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Let's look at this one first, to set the scene.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50- Is this what Hong Kong used to look like?- It is.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52- This is the 1860s.- Oh, magic.
0:21:53 > 0:21:54These are some of the very first
0:21:54 > 0:21:56photographs of Hong Kong,
0:21:56 > 0:21:57when it was first established
0:21:57 > 0:21:59by the British as a free port,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02where people of any nationality could come and trade.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06And with China's silk and tea trade at its doorstep,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09goods and people were flowing in and out of the city.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13It was a really busy, bustling harbour,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16but it didn't have a bank at that time.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Banking business would go via head offices in London.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26So you can imagine - correspondence, letters were by mail ship.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29It would have taken over 50 days
0:22:29 > 0:22:32for that mail to reach London from Hong Kong.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36So, local traders felt the need to set up a bank
0:22:36 > 0:22:39that would be run by Hong Kong merchants.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44The bank's shareholders came from all over the world -
0:22:44 > 0:22:47from Europe, India and China.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50They had one thing in common - doing business in Hong Kong.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56So, the bank is enabling all the people that come here to invest,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59to build the colony, to build infrastructure -
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- the whole thing's developing hand in hand.- Absolutely.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05As Hong Kong became richer,
0:23:05 > 0:23:07it wasn't just merchants who flocked here.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11This is HSBC's very first customer ledger.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18They also, as well as listing the names, include the profession -
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and here you can see "Merchant" is listed...
0:23:21 > 0:23:23- There's an engineer here.- Engineer.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25You've got here "Architect"...
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Hong Kong is being built and run by these people.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31So, it's not just for wealthy merchants -
0:23:31 > 0:23:34it's for all of the administrative folk who come out here
0:23:34 > 0:23:36and take part in running and building this colony as well.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Yeah, absolutely.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40An economy sets up around the trade.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49- ADE:- Hong Kong's economy has boomed over the decades,
0:23:49 > 0:23:55but this city doesn't just work hard, it plays hard, as well.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58I'm headed across town to Happy Valley Racecourse.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09Horse racing is by far Hong Kong's biggest sport.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25It was first introduced by colonial Brits.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29Now, one single race can attract around £14 million,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33making it one of the most lucrative racetracks in the world.
0:24:37 > 0:24:38Hi Ade, I'm Cake.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Cake? As in cake?
0:24:40 > 0:24:43- Yeah, a piece of cake. - Is it an unusual name?
0:24:43 > 0:24:45It is just my nickname!
0:24:45 > 0:24:47- Yeah.- It's a cool name.- Thank you!
0:24:48 > 0:24:52On a Wednesday night, this is the only place to be.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Racing specialist Cake Wong
0:24:55 > 0:24:57is here to help people place their bets.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01You don't want your customers to all be winning in the races, do you?
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Er... Yeah!
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Because if they're all winning, then you guys are losing.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Oh, no. If everyone was just winning, we would be happy,
0:25:09 > 0:25:14because if they win, they're willing to bet more in the next race.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17- Oh, OK. It's a long game.- Yeah.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20As the horses are paraded in the paddock,
0:25:20 > 0:25:22the punters select their favourites.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26People here are obsessed by luck, and love to gamble.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29What do you look for in a horse?
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Does it have, like, a look in his eye, a smile,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34or are you looking at how strong its legs are...?
0:25:34 > 0:25:37- What is it?- Well, we have to look at its muscle, you know?
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Some horses, really muscular.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43The horses can be worth millions,
0:25:43 > 0:25:47and the jockeys are treated like superstars.
0:25:47 > 0:25:48Jockey is important.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50You know Joao Moreira?
0:25:50 > 0:25:51He's the Brazilian?
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Yeah, yeah. He is now the best jockey in Hong Kong.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Can you see a horse here that you think is good?
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Number 5 is quite good.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Yeah, number 5 looks good...
0:26:03 > 0:26:05- Yeah.- Looks like he's got good, strong power.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Yeah, and he's quite calm, you see?
0:26:08 > 0:26:10He's walking peaceful.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12What is your number 5 called?
0:26:12 > 0:26:13Great Joy.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16And the jockey of number 5 is Joao.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Oh, you see, you're going by the jockey!
0:26:18 > 0:26:19You weren't even going by the horse!
0:26:19 > 0:26:21- It's cos it's Joao.- No!
0:26:22 > 0:26:25As a racing newbie, I'm going with my gut.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28He had a purple mask.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29That's cool.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Number 10 is called Mr Cool.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- Mr Cool?- Yeah.- Boom!
0:26:34 > 0:26:36That's who I'm betting on, Mr Cool.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37Yeah.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41While I wait for the races to start, I catch up with the boss here.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Tony Kelly is the head of the Hong Kong Jockey Club,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46who own the racecourse.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49They don't just run the races, they do everything.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51I notice your entrance fee
0:26:51 > 0:26:54to come in here is extremely modest, isn't it?
0:26:54 > 0:26:56What is it? 85p or something?
0:26:56 > 0:26:58It's about a pound, yeah, about a pound.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00It's just a completely different model
0:27:00 > 0:27:02to the way that racing works in the UK.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05In the UK, they don't have the monopoly that we have here.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09We do the betting, we put on the racing, we stable all of the horses.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Everywhere else in the world, it's a very different model to that.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Gambling is banned in mainland China,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19but the level of autonomy agreed in the handover
0:27:19 > 0:27:23allows Hong Kong to protect not only its way of life,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27but also a hugely profitable enterprise.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30If you want to bet, then you have to do it through the club -
0:27:30 > 0:27:34and our turnover this year will be about 210 billion Hong Kong dollars.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36So, it's about £21 billion.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37Wow.
0:27:37 > 0:27:38Wow!
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Even at play, this is a city obsessed by money.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47As a night out, Happy Valley seems to embody
0:27:47 > 0:27:49the very spirit of Hong Kong.
0:27:49 > 0:27:55It's a temple to freedom, pleasure, and cold, hard cash.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56Oh, and, of course, racing.
0:27:59 > 0:28:00Come on, Mr Cool!
0:28:01 > 0:28:03Mr Cool is in the lead!
0:28:03 > 0:28:05- Yeah!- Yes!
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Where's Great Joy? Great sadness.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11- COMMENTATOR:- Mr Cool leads, Amazing Feeling taking aim in second,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14- looking for this elusive victory... - Yes! Go on, son!
0:28:14 > 0:28:15Inside the final 200.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16Mr Cool the leader,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19but Amazing Feeling now looks to draw alongside...
0:28:19 > 0:28:20Hold on, son!
0:28:20 > 0:28:22- Mr Cool and Amazing Feeling... - Mr Cool!
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Come on!
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Mr Cool, Amazing Feeling, up to the line.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Going to be tight...
0:28:28 > 0:28:29Argh!
0:28:29 > 0:28:31It's so close!
0:28:31 > 0:28:33- Yeah!- It's so close!
0:28:33 > 0:28:37- Came second.- Yeah! Second.- Yes!
0:28:37 > 0:28:39- That's not bad!- Yeah!
0:28:39 > 0:28:41I used my intuition.
0:28:41 > 0:28:46I saw the purple mask, I saw just how eager that horse was.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49One athlete to another - I know.
0:28:49 > 0:28:50So, you know the excitement?
0:28:50 > 0:28:53- Yeah.- That's why all the people enjoy this game.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55It would have been even more exciting
0:28:55 > 0:28:57- if I'd put money on the horse. - Yeah. Yeah!
0:29:00 > 0:29:03As we explore this city by night and by day,
0:29:03 > 0:29:05we're discovering that Hong Kong
0:29:05 > 0:29:08is a place that doesn't do things by halves.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13I've headed to the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Kowloon,
0:29:13 > 0:29:15to find out how economic freedoms
0:29:15 > 0:29:18have made this a truly international city.
0:29:19 > 0:29:24Hiding behind this modest exterior is a real Mecca of global trade -
0:29:24 > 0:29:28Chungking Mansions - and it's open all hours.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31Lovely to meet you, Gordon.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33- Good to meet you, Anita. - Good to see you.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36My guide is Professor Gordon Mathews,
0:29:36 > 0:29:40an American anthropologist who has studied this place for years.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44What is this place, Chungking Mansions?
0:29:44 > 0:29:48This is a building in the middle of downtown Hong Kong
0:29:48 > 0:29:52that is basically the centre of Indians, Pakistanis,
0:29:52 > 0:29:55Africans, south-east Asians, in Hong Kong.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58It's the most international building in Hong Kong
0:29:58 > 0:29:59and maybe on the planet.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Chungking Mansions was built in 1961.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10Its 17 floors are jam-packed with a maze of residential flats,
0:30:10 > 0:30:15guesthouses and, downstairs, a thriving shopping arcade.
0:30:15 > 0:30:16Look at that!
0:30:16 > 0:30:19I've seen more Indians in the first minute, 30 seconds of being here
0:30:19 > 0:30:20than I've seen on the entire trip.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22That's because this is Chungking Mansions!
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Chungking Mansions has always opened its doors to everyone,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30earning it a notorious reputation in the past -
0:30:30 > 0:30:34but the mix of residents has turned it into a gold mine.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38Today, people from more than a hundred countries
0:30:38 > 0:30:39work, shop and stay here.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42This is globalisation, really, in action, isn't it?
0:30:42 > 0:30:46Yes. Yes, this is exactly globalisation in action -
0:30:46 > 0:30:48- and it's not the globalisation of rich corporations...- No.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50..you know, with their multibillion-dollar budgets,
0:30:50 > 0:30:53this is the globalisation of individual, ambitious entrepreneurs
0:30:53 > 0:30:55just trying to make a better life for themselves.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58This is what I call low-end globalisation.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00It's the heart of globalisation in most of the world.
0:31:02 > 0:31:03Like many other cities,
0:31:03 > 0:31:06Hong Kong has always been a haven for migrants.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Sat Sri Akal, Uncle-ji.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11THEY SPEAK PUNJABI
0:31:12 > 0:31:14I find a Punjabi shop owner
0:31:14 > 0:31:17who tells me Hong Kong has been his home for 55 years.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20What is Chungking Mansions?
0:31:20 > 0:31:21SHE SPEAKS PUNJABI
0:31:25 > 0:31:26Yes.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34It's called Little India. I'm in the right place, then!
0:31:34 > 0:31:35Is there a big Indian community here?
0:31:35 > 0:31:37Yeah, we have about...
0:31:43 > 0:31:47You can buy anything, from mobile phones and laundry services,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50to curry and computer parts -
0:31:50 > 0:31:52and its proximity to mainland China
0:31:52 > 0:31:54means there's never a shortage of things to sell.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59And this is where you can get basically anything
0:31:59 > 0:32:00that's made in China.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02"Made in China"...
0:32:02 > 0:32:04"Made in China."
0:32:04 > 0:32:05Go. "Made in China."
0:32:08 > 0:32:10It's a real melting pot.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15It's sort of a little... a microcosm, really, isn't it...
0:32:15 > 0:32:18- Yes.- ..within this huge metropolis that is so wealthy,
0:32:18 > 0:32:19- with all the skyscrapers...- Yes.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- ..but here, you've got this other world that exists.- Yes -
0:32:22 > 0:32:24and one more here.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26He might want to talk.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Nelson, you know more languages than anybody else.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30- Hello, Nelson. How are you? - Hello. Acha.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32Anita. Pleased to meet you. Acha.
0:32:32 > 0:32:33Salam Alaikum.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35SHE SPEAKS URDU
0:32:35 > 0:32:37My goodness, you speak Urdu.
0:32:37 > 0:32:38I don't speak any Cantonese, I'm sorry.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Nelson was born in Hong Kong in 1947,
0:32:43 > 0:32:47and he's worked in Chungking Mansions for more than 40 years.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Around 10,000 people come here every day,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53and Nelson has something for everyone.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56Have you got anything with Bruce Lee on it?
0:32:56 > 0:32:58I'm a big, big Bruce Lee fan.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00- There we go.- Oh, that's very cool!
0:33:01 > 0:33:03And it's all made in China.
0:33:06 > 0:33:07You were born in England, right?
0:33:07 > 0:33:09I was born in England, yes.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11You know, maybe your mother like this guy, Cliff Richard.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13- She loves Cliff Richard! - This my idol.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16Come on, you're going to have to sing me some Cliff Richard.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19- Cliff Richard, right.- Yeah, come on. - 18 years old.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21# Crying, talking
0:33:21 > 0:33:22# Sleeping, walking
0:33:22 > 0:33:25- BOTH:- # Living doll! #
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Bravo! Bravo.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32Nelson is just one of hundreds of traders here.
0:33:32 > 0:33:33It's like a city within a city.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37I'm just getting a sense that everybody here, Gordon,
0:33:37 > 0:33:38is on the make.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42- Nobody comes to Hong Kong to retire or relax.- Yeah.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45They have come here to make something of their lives.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48Everybody here is on the make - but not in a negative sense.
0:33:48 > 0:33:49This is legitimate business.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51- They're hustling. - Yeah, they're hustling -
0:33:51 > 0:33:53- and hustling in...- In a positive...
0:33:53 > 0:33:55- ..the best sense of the word. - In the best sense. Absolutely.- Yeah.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59In the bright neon of a Hong Kong night,
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Chungking Mansions is a beacon of opportunity
0:34:02 > 0:34:06in a city that draws in thousands of migrants every year.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14- DAN:- Many people come to Hong Kong in search of a better life.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20It's Sunday afternoon in the heart of Hong Kong Island.
0:34:22 > 0:34:23And I can't believe what I'm seeing.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31Everywhere you look, there are women sitting, chatting...
0:34:31 > 0:34:32Too many to count.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40We were just travelling around,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43and we noticed what looked like a huge, er...
0:34:43 > 0:34:46Well, a kind of huge gathering of homeless people,
0:34:46 > 0:34:48but I've stopped and we've asked around,
0:34:48 > 0:34:52and actually, these people are all in domestic service.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55They're all housekeepers and cleaners for Hong Kong families.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57And they're given one day off a week, Sunday,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59and they haven't got anywhere else to go, really,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02so they come here into this public space,
0:35:02 > 0:35:03and hang out with their friends.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08This is one of Hong Kong's main thoroughfares,
0:35:08 > 0:35:11but today it's turned into a makeshift village
0:35:11 > 0:35:12built with cardboard and tents.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17Why are people here? Why are they building these little houses?
0:35:17 > 0:35:18Hah!
0:35:18 > 0:35:20Because it's our holiday.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Every Sunday, it's our holiday.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24And have you anywhere else to go?
0:35:24 > 0:35:25No.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27Sometimes we go to church in the morning
0:35:27 > 0:35:31and then, after that, we stay here until night,
0:35:31 > 0:35:34because tonight, we go back to our...
0:35:34 > 0:35:36- You go back to work?- Yeah, to work.
0:35:36 > 0:35:42There are more than 300,000 live-in domestic workers in Hong Kong.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45That's 5% of the city's population.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49Most come from the Philippines or Indonesia, and on their day off,
0:35:49 > 0:35:52they come here to be together and share stories.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56I think this gives you an impression
0:35:56 > 0:35:59of how densely packed in the people of Hong Kong are.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03A lot of these women have either tiny, tiny little living spaces
0:36:03 > 0:36:06in the flats of the people they work for,
0:36:06 > 0:36:08or they just have to sleep on the kitchen floor.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12So, on their day off, they just have to spill over into...
0:36:12 > 0:36:14onto the pavements, public spaces.
0:36:15 > 0:36:20Like so many people, these women are in Hong Kong to earn money,
0:36:20 > 0:36:22looking after other people's children
0:36:22 > 0:36:24while hardly ever seeing their own.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27When was the last time you saw your children?
0:36:27 > 0:36:30- One year.- One year? - Yeah. Every year, we go home.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32You go once a year?
0:36:32 > 0:36:36Is it very sad being away from your children?
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Yeah, of course. Very lonely -
0:36:38 > 0:36:41but we have to, we need to work.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46It's extraordinary, and it's unlike anything I've ever seen before.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50In a city this crowded, with few big public spaces,
0:36:50 > 0:36:52they literally have nowhere else to go.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55I've got mixed feelings about it, really.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58On the one hand, it's a testament to the spirit of people
0:36:58 > 0:37:01just gathering together and having a laugh,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04even though you're isolated from each other and your families
0:37:04 > 0:37:07through the week, and away from home -
0:37:07 > 0:37:10but on the other hand, it does seem like a very hard existence
0:37:10 > 0:37:12these guys have, particularly when you factor in
0:37:12 > 0:37:13that some of them, many of them,
0:37:13 > 0:37:17have got pretty bad situations where they work and where they live.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24For me, this is a reminder of the inequality here.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28These women are paid only about £400 a month,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31despite living in one of the richest cities in the world -
0:37:31 > 0:37:34yet, without them, Hong Kong couldn't function.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38They're a vital part of the system that keeps this city running.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45Hong Kong's wealth attracts workers from everywhere.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49All across the city, migrants help to fuel its growth.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53Poon Subash is from Nepal.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11In a city of more than 300 skyscrapers,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14the International Commerce Centre,
0:38:14 > 0:38:19ICC, is the tallest, at 490 metres.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Poon is one of its ten window cleaners.
0:38:24 > 0:38:25The cradles may be hi-tech,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28but cleaning is still done the old-fashioned way.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55The ICC is one of the highest buildings on the planet,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58and cleaning its windows is one of Hong Kong's toughest jobs.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02The window cleaners work full-time,
0:39:02 > 0:39:06washing 900 of its 50,000 glass panes a day.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08It takes them two months to complete,
0:39:08 > 0:39:10then they start all over again.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35There are more than 20,000 Nepalese in Hong Kong.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Like Poon, most are children or grandchildren
0:39:38 > 0:39:40of the famous Gurkha Brigade,
0:39:40 > 0:39:42who helped guard the border to Communist China
0:39:42 > 0:39:45before the 1997 handover.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15Hong Kong is a city that lives and works at height.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Metal and glass skyscrapers dominate the skyline
0:40:19 > 0:40:21and, every day, they're building more...
0:40:23 > 0:40:25..but propping up all this modernity,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28I've noticed another ancient tradition -
0:40:28 > 0:40:31scaffolding made from bamboo.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37On my last day in this gravity-defying city,
0:40:37 > 0:40:39I'm going to find out how it builds tall
0:40:39 > 0:40:42by blending the old and the new.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47I've come to the New Territories to meet Dr Francis So,
0:40:47 > 0:40:50whose team is hard at work on a new school.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54This is Master... Master On.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57- Master...- On.- Master On. - O-N, On.
0:40:57 > 0:40:58Pleased to meet you.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01- This is Wong. - Hello.- W-O-N-G, Wong.- A young man.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03- How old are you?- 27.
0:41:03 > 0:41:04And how about you, Master On,
0:41:04 > 0:41:07how many years have you been working in construction?
0:41:07 > 0:41:08Ha-ha-ha! More than...
0:41:08 > 0:41:09More than 30 years, I think.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12- More than 30 years? - He's now reached the age of 64.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14So, he's teaching the young guys.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Francis, I've got to ask you a really basic question -
0:41:17 > 0:41:19where are the screws?
0:41:19 > 0:41:22The screws, to keep the bamboo together.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25- What do you mean by that? - I mean, how is it staying together?
0:41:25 > 0:41:28It's a PE, PP co-polymer.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30OK... Ah, OK, some kind of polymer.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32- Polymer.- Yeah, I see. That's very strong.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35Francis says he invented this plastic polymer
0:41:35 > 0:41:37to replace the traditional bamboo skin,
0:41:37 > 0:41:39which would cut the scaffolders' hands.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43So you've got it...?
0:41:43 > 0:41:45Master On shows me the ingenious principle
0:41:45 > 0:41:48that holds the scaffolding together.
0:41:48 > 0:41:49One, two, three. Go!
0:41:49 > 0:41:50- OK.- Mm-hm.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52It takes just a few twists.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56That's it? And that's going to stay?
0:41:56 > 0:41:57- I mean...- Yeah. Yeah, OK.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00- That's not going to fall, it's not going to move?- No, no, no, no.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02- It's a matter of friction.- Friction.
0:42:02 > 0:42:03You push it this way...
0:42:03 > 0:42:04Push it this way.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06- Ah, ah.- That's amazing.
0:42:06 > 0:42:07And that's it.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11That's how, like, metres and metres and metres of bamboo
0:42:11 > 0:42:12is held together.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Bamboo is cheap, flexible and sustainable -
0:42:17 > 0:42:20and, in Hong Kong, it's still widely used,
0:42:20 > 0:42:23with nearly 2,000 bamboo scaffolders
0:42:23 > 0:42:25working on even the tallest of buildings.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30Francis, what's the highest building you've made using bamboo?
0:42:30 > 0:42:33The highest building we have done is in Central...
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Central, er, Plaza.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40Un...believable.
0:42:40 > 0:42:41The wind there is very strong!
0:42:41 > 0:42:42SHE LAUGHS
0:42:44 > 0:42:45I want to give it a go.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48Right, I'm going to try this.
0:42:48 > 0:42:49Oh...
0:42:49 > 0:42:50HE SPEAKS CANTONESE
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Yes.
0:42:52 > 0:42:53OK. Yes, master.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55You understand Cantonese now?!
0:42:55 > 0:42:56Yeah, I do.
0:42:56 > 0:42:57Basically what I understood was,
0:42:57 > 0:42:59"You're messing it up, do it properly."
0:43:00 > 0:43:05What amazes me about this is that it's so incredibly simple.
0:43:05 > 0:43:06Together - and then pull it this way.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10- All right. Good?- Good.
0:43:10 > 0:43:11- Have I passed?- Yeah, pass.
0:43:11 > 0:43:12Can I join the team?
0:43:12 > 0:43:14Pass, pass. Yeah.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16- And jump on it...- Very good!
0:43:17 > 0:43:21Yeah, it's taking my weight - but I'm not a 50-storey building!
0:43:22 > 0:43:24Ooh!
0:43:24 > 0:43:25Not THAT good.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30- ADE:- As Hong Kong's building boom continues,
0:43:30 > 0:43:33space here is in even shorter supply -
0:43:33 > 0:43:36but there are still opportunities if you know where to look.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42I'm exploring Hong Kong's back lanes and alleyways
0:43:42 > 0:43:45to see how life has sprung up between the cracks.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51Amongst Hong Kong's forest of ultramodern skyscrapers,
0:43:51 > 0:43:53I find a hidden world.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00Here the streets are heaving with vendors and market stalls,
0:44:00 > 0:44:04little businesses squeezed into the smallest of spaces.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Trade at this shoe shining stall is brisk.
0:44:11 > 0:44:1566-year-old Chung Wai Ming used to be a construction worker,
0:44:15 > 0:44:19but as he got older, he needed a less physical job.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21He's been here for 17 years.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24Hey, hello, how are you?
0:44:24 > 0:44:25Tell me about your customers -
0:44:25 > 0:44:28who are the people that come to get their shoes shined here?
0:44:33 > 0:44:36For Ming, shoe shining has provided a respectable living -
0:44:36 > 0:44:39but he worries that he's part of a dying trade.
0:44:42 > 0:44:43Yeah...
0:44:52 > 0:44:55So do you think you're the last of the kind,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59do you think after you're finished there will be no more?
0:45:11 > 0:45:14But this is part of the culture of Hong Kong,
0:45:14 > 0:45:19and if places like this disappear then it'll be quite sad,
0:45:19 > 0:45:21it'll be like Hong Kong is losing something.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23Yeah, maybe, maybe.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28As I wend my way through these alleyways
0:45:28 > 0:45:30it's like travelling through time.
0:45:30 > 0:45:35Moments away from the main streets, yet worlds apart.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42I've heard about food stalls called dai pai dongs.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45They are traditional hot food hawkers
0:45:45 > 0:45:47licensed by the local government.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51Whoa, it's alive!
0:45:51 > 0:45:53It doesn't get any fresher than this.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57Lam Chi Shing has been cooking here since the '80s.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04Back then, the city used to be full of dai pai dongs.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14I couldn't make a hundred dishes in a month...
0:46:14 > 0:46:15or even a year.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46Today, there are just 23 dai pai dongs left.
0:46:47 > 0:46:48Thank you.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55It is all really, really flavoursome -
0:46:55 > 0:46:58and I think what adds to the authenticity
0:46:58 > 0:47:01and just makes it feel so genuine is the location.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08I'm getting a privileged taste of the real Hong Kong.
0:47:08 > 0:47:09- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18As night falls, it starts to rain...
0:47:18 > 0:47:19Hong Kong style...
0:47:21 > 0:47:23THUNDER RUMBLES
0:47:23 > 0:47:25..but my back lane adventure isn't over yet.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27There's one more place I want to check out...
0:47:29 > 0:47:30Hello!
0:47:30 > 0:47:32Agh! I'm stuck.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35..and it's the craziest space I've been to yet.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39How are you? I hear you do a good cut-throat shave -
0:47:39 > 0:47:40can you do one for me?
0:47:40 > 0:47:41- Yes, OK.- Yeah?
0:47:41 > 0:47:45This tiny barber's shop isn't all it seems.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49It's actually in a public alleyway between two shops.
0:47:50 > 0:47:5327-year-old Mark Lau is used to cutting his clients' hair
0:47:53 > 0:47:55while people walk through his shop.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03Jeez, you're putting a lot on - I've only got a small beard.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08Mark's dad started the business back in the '60s.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13When he died three years ago, Mark took over.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18Mark's dad didn't get the chance to pass on his skills,
0:48:18 > 0:48:21so Mark learnt in an unconventional way.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31- YouTube?- Yep.- Wow!
0:48:32 > 0:48:34How many mistakes did you make on people's hair
0:48:34 > 0:48:36before you got it right?
0:48:38 > 0:48:41I'm not sure how to react to that...
0:49:05 > 0:49:07Long on the sides!
0:49:07 > 0:49:10- And bald...!- You want to try?
0:49:10 > 0:49:11ADE LAUGHS
0:49:11 > 0:49:14The thought of these early customers' funny haircuts
0:49:14 > 0:49:15is just too much.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19Just stick to my beard, yeah? No hair today.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32- DAN:- Hong Kong is a city that defies expectations.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35Where traders in back lanes hustle for business
0:49:35 > 0:49:38next to soaring skyscrapers.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42But beneath the vibrant exterior
0:49:42 > 0:49:45there's an undercurrent of huge political change.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49All right, here we go.
0:49:49 > 0:49:50Cool.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Since the handover in 1997,
0:49:52 > 0:49:56China has been wrapping Hong Kong in its embrace.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58As I near the end of my time here,
0:49:58 > 0:50:01I want to understand how this is shaping the city for the future.
0:50:03 > 0:50:04Hong Kong sits at the mouth
0:50:04 > 0:50:06of what's known as the Pearl River Delta,
0:50:06 > 0:50:10an economic region that is expanding faster than anywhere else on earth.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14Real estate analyst Marcus Chan
0:50:14 > 0:50:16wants to show me how this city of islands
0:50:16 > 0:50:19is being linked ever more closely to mainland China.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23Right now, the whole greater Pearl River Delta region
0:50:23 > 0:50:26has a population of about 68 million people.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28That's more than the UK.
0:50:28 > 0:50:29- More than that.- Wow.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33And in a few years' time, in and around 2020,
0:50:33 > 0:50:36the population will probably be about 80 million people.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43The Pearl River Delta region is made up of Hong Kong,
0:50:43 > 0:50:48neighbouring Macau and nine mainland Chinese megacities,
0:50:48 > 0:50:50that have grown massively in the last few decades.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54The Chinese government wants to integrate these,
0:50:54 > 0:50:58making it the biggest megalopolis in the world.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01To do this, they've gone on a hugely ambitious building spree.
0:51:04 > 0:51:05This is the new bridge,
0:51:05 > 0:51:09linking Hong Kong to neighbouring Macau and mainland China.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11It will be the longest sea bridge in the world.
0:51:13 > 0:51:14Whoa!
0:51:19 > 0:51:21That bridge to Macau -
0:51:21 > 0:51:23I can't even see Macau in the distance.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27How long is that bridge going to be?
0:51:27 > 0:51:31In terms of travelling distance, that's over 50km.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35This bridge is very important from a tourism development angle,
0:51:35 > 0:51:39because it will help to link up Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43Macau is the largest gaming city in the world.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45In terms of gaming revenue,
0:51:45 > 0:51:48it's over six times of that in Las Vegas already.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51What? Six times bigger than Vegas already?
0:51:51 > 0:51:52That's it.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54It's the whole world in one Delta.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56Exactly.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02It's only from up here in the sky
0:52:02 > 0:52:04that you get a true sense of the scale of what's going on here.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11The industry, the commerce, the people living here -
0:52:11 > 0:52:14this is like nowhere else I've ever seen,
0:52:14 > 0:52:18it's the heart of the most economically dynamic region
0:52:18 > 0:52:19on planet Earth.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21It's extraordinary.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27But some Hong Kongers worry
0:52:27 > 0:52:31about China's strengthening control over Hong Kong.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33When the British left in 1997,
0:52:33 > 0:52:36the city was guaranteed a high level of autonomy from China.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44Now, Hong Kong people are to run Hong Kong.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Hong Kong has its own leader, called the Chief Executive,
0:52:49 > 0:52:53a separate legal system, and rights such as free speech -
0:52:53 > 0:52:57but these rights are only guaranteed until 2047,
0:52:57 > 0:52:59and for some, they're already under threat.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02- Nathan, hi.- Hi, Dan.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05- How are you doing? Nice to meet you. - I'm good, how are you?
0:53:05 > 0:53:07- What a beautiful day. - Yeah, it's gorgeous.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09At 23, Nathan Law is an activist
0:53:09 > 0:53:12and one of Hong Kong's youngest politicians.
0:53:14 > 0:53:18We're still in a very unjust and undemocratic system
0:53:18 > 0:53:22that we still cannot vote for our Chief Executive.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28Nathan tells me in 1997 the Chinese government promised Hong Kong
0:53:28 > 0:53:30free leadership elections,
0:53:30 > 0:53:34but today, only a handful of Hong Kongers get to vote,
0:53:34 > 0:53:38while a pro-Chinese committee chooses the leader.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41It really affects the way we perceive ourselves
0:53:41 > 0:53:43whether we could change the society,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46because we couldn't even change the government.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50Like many of his generation,
0:53:50 > 0:53:53Nathan is concerned about losing free speech.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57In 2015, five booksellers were detained by China
0:53:57 > 0:54:01for selling politically sensitive material.
0:54:01 > 0:54:06For Nathan, it's only one example of the city's freedoms being eroded.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10And that is the reason why there are lots of people fighting back
0:54:10 > 0:54:13in Hong Kong - because not only are we losing
0:54:13 > 0:54:17our fundamental human rights, but the Beijing government
0:54:17 > 0:54:21is actually not implementing what they have promised.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25Tensions have run high for years,
0:54:25 > 0:54:28and in 2014 Hong Kong came to a standstill
0:54:28 > 0:54:30when protesters calling for democracy
0:54:30 > 0:54:33occupied its streets for nearly three months.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38Nathan was prosecuted, along with 17 others.
0:54:43 > 0:54:49So, 20 years' time, when you're old, like me...
0:54:50 > 0:54:53..what do you think the government of Hong Kong will be?
0:54:53 > 0:54:58So if you're asking me, like, where will I be 20 years later -
0:54:58 > 0:54:59will I be in prison,
0:54:59 > 0:55:03or will I be living in a free and democratic world...?
0:55:03 > 0:55:04Who knows?
0:55:04 > 0:55:10But, like, one thing I'm certain is, if we don't work hard now,
0:55:10 > 0:55:12if we don't fight now,
0:55:12 > 0:55:15the possibility of getting that bright future
0:55:15 > 0:55:16is getting lower and lower.
0:55:19 > 0:55:21- ADE:- Sometime after this interview,
0:55:21 > 0:55:24Nathan was jailed once again.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28The uncertainty over Hong Kong's future continues.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34Despite this, on the streets, you can see how proud people are
0:55:34 > 0:55:36of its traditions.
0:55:39 > 0:55:40I don't know where I'm going,
0:55:40 > 0:55:42I'm just getting swept along in the chaos.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46For the end of my journey,
0:55:46 > 0:55:51I've come to the festival of Tin Hau, goddess of the sea.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54In a city so connected to the ocean,
0:55:54 > 0:55:56people here have been celebrating this festival
0:55:56 > 0:55:59on a grand scale for centuries.
0:55:59 > 0:56:00Can I just...
0:56:01 > 0:56:04Oh, wow! That's heavy.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06It's heavy.
0:56:06 > 0:56:07Go, go, go!
0:56:09 > 0:56:10Nearly got him in trouble.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16Everyone is taking part.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24You know what? This place is bonkers.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28It's so spectacular, you don't know where to look -
0:56:28 > 0:56:30there's things going on all over the place.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32Whoa!
0:56:35 > 0:56:39For me, the festival captures the essence of Hong Kong -
0:56:39 > 0:56:44a city where regimes may change, but identity is important.
0:56:49 > 0:56:50- What's your name again?- Eddie.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52- Eddie?- Yeah.- Ade.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54I'm Ade, you're Eddie.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58Well, the Hong Kong people themselves,
0:56:58 > 0:57:00they really enjoy living in Hong Kong.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02They like to live with their whole freedom.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05They are happy, they work hard, they are thankful to the British,
0:57:05 > 0:57:07that provide the framework to us,
0:57:07 > 0:57:10and they work hard to build their own city themselves.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13So you see yourself as Chinese, or Hong Kong?
0:57:13 > 0:57:17Yeah - we are all Chinese, but because we are in Hong Kong,
0:57:17 > 0:57:20so we are also being known as Hong Kongese.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26Hong Kong is a city of contrasts.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29This is where tradition meets modernity,
0:57:29 > 0:57:31where capitalism meets communism,
0:57:31 > 0:57:33where rich meets poor.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37We've seen the skyscrapers...
0:57:37 > 0:57:40and the back lanes.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43The commerce...and the costs.
0:57:45 > 0:57:49China might loom large in Hong Kong's past and present,
0:57:49 > 0:57:53but this is a city founded on opportunity,
0:57:53 > 0:57:57and its people still seem determined for a better future.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05Next time, we're in Mexico City...
0:58:06 > 0:58:08All these colourful houses
0:58:08 > 0:58:11have been self-built, brick by brick, by the residents.
0:58:12 > 0:58:17..exploring the epic sprawl surviving life on the edge...
0:58:17 > 0:58:20I'm feeling more confident about Mexico City's tallest building.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22I think even if there's an earthquake, we're going to be fine.
0:58:22 > 0:58:25You are going to be perfectly safe.
0:58:25 > 0:58:27..uncovering the systems and traditions...
0:58:27 > 0:58:29HORN BLARES
0:58:29 > 0:58:30All right, mate.
0:58:30 > 0:58:34..that make this one of the world's busiest cities.