Hong Kong The Travel Show

but first on BBC News, The Travel Show.

Coming up on this week's Travel Show:

Is this the original costume?

We're on the Bruce Lee trail in Hong Kong.

He wore this in Game of Death.

Get ready to get behind this taxi...

I get a lesson in how to take iconic Instagram images from an expert.

Oh, that's good.

With new laptop bans on international flights,

we look at the gadgets you can still take on board.

Lee Jun-fan, better known as Bruce Lee, may have been born

in San Francisco, but in the early 1970s, he put both kung fu

and Hong Kong on the map.

# Everybody was kung fu fighting #.

After starring in a succession of cult martial arts movies,

he became the most famous Asian film star in the world.

And today, almost 45 years since his untimely death

at the age of 32, he is still credited as being the man

who brought Chinese actors and martial arts

into the mainstream.

Here in Hong Kong, they're rightly proud of their most famous son.

Now, the film that really shot Bruce Lee to international stardom

was Enter the Dragon in 1973, shot mainly on location

here in Hong Kong.

And if you're a fan of the film, you might recognise this place,

King Yin Lei.

But if you're a real die-hard Bruce Lee fan,

you'll need to go to Hong Kong's Heritage Museum

for a unique insight into his legendary life.

Wow, look at these nunchucks!

Oh, my goodness!

Yeah, nunchucks is one of a very significant symbol of Bruce.

You can see he practiced this kind of weapons

when he taught his students.

And then you can see in his first TV programme,

The Green Hornet.

Is this the original costume?

Yeah, yeah.

This is also the iconic costume.

You can see he wore this in the Game of Death.

Game of Death.

Yeah.

Then nowadays, you can still see many people who wear this costume

as a symbol of Bruce.

Fellow martial arts film actor Victor Kan studied under the iconic

Wing Chun master, Ip Man.

And he remembers the very first time he met Bruce Lee at a training

session back in the mid 1950s.

He can pick up the movement, things, very quick.

And because that time was also a social thing,

"Oh, Wing Chun, we doing all that, all the teenagers in the school."

But I can say that he done the cha-cha-cha better than Wing

Chun at that time!

He was the champion.

The dance?

Yeah.

Exactly!

What do you think Bruce would think about this exhibition,

some 40 years after his death?

Not big enough.

Should be bigger?

Oh, yes!

You don't know how impressive he is still in the whole wide world.

Inspired to learn some killer kung fu moves myself,

I head to the Wan Chai district of Hong Kong

where I've got a date with a man who's passionate about studying

and preserving Chinese martial arts.

MUSIC.

First, the warm up.

This is the horse stance.

Orse.

-- Horse.

Am I low enough?

Yes, you are.

Right, I don't know if I can get up now.

This is the bow stance.

Horse stance.

Horse stance.

Let's change again.

This feels more like a workout than a warm up.

Not sure if I'll be able to walk tomorrow.

Time to step things up a bit.

I punch you here, you block with this one.

OK.

OK.

Yeah, good.

Now you punch.

OK.

Whoa.

I get it now.

I think I'm going to have a bruise on my arm.

Now prepare to enter the dragon.

MUSIC.

Once upon a time, there were hundreds of small martial arts

studios like this all over Hong Kong.

But that's not the case anymore.

A lot of kung fu schools were actually run in a space

like this which, unfortunately, over the past 20, 30 years have

become very unaffordable to the average teacher who simply

cannot find enough students to justify the rent.

So I think the first and foremost problem people face in Hong Kong,

when you talk about continuing the practice of kung fu,

is lack of space.

This is the blue house.

You can't see very much, unfortunately, because of all

the building work.

If you're a real martial arts fan, though, there are still some places

to see here in Hong Kong that Bruce Lee would have recognised

and maybe even trained at.

Over there, there's a plaque which says the name of a kung fu

master whose entire family lived here.

He organises a kung fu festival here in Hong Kong to keep interest

in martial arts alive, and reclaiming some of the heritage

he feels has been lost.

This place used to buzz with kung fu until I would say

probably 1970s, 1980s.

Wow!

This was one of the really big hubs of kung fu in Hong Kong.

That's amazing.

I can't imagine seeing people doing kung fu on the streets.

Exactly, but that's what really breathed life into the Hong Kong

community and that's why kung fu was so vibrant.

If you know where to look, you can still find authentic

classes, like this one, given by master Li Tin Loi,

taking place in some of the remaining studios here.

But it's not just a question of space and high rents that's

threatening the survival of martial arts in Hong Kong.

The new generation, they want everything speed.

They don't have time.

They want to learn kung fu any style you make possible in two weeks.

It is not possible.

Impossible thing.

But they have no time.

Recognising that Hong Kong's kung fu heritage is under threat,

a local university has called on some of the surviving martial

arts masters of Bruce Lee's generation to take part in a unique

project, using modern motion-capture technology to document and preserve

the traditional move that's could one day be lost.

Let's say 50 years or 100 years from now, there's suddenly a burst

of new interest in martial arts, these documents,

which we are creating now, are going to be templates for future

generations to work with.

That's what we're really looking to the long-term future.

Go!

There's no doubt that films like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

and the Ip Man Trilogy have helped to rekindle an interest

in martial arts.

Whoa!

It's like a concrete block, that is!

But it's hoped that the motion-capture programme

here at the university

will ensure that kung fu and the legend of Bruce Lee survives

for generations to come, both here in Hong Kong

and around the world.

Well, if you're thinking of heading to Hong Kong any time soon,

here's some Travel Show tips to help you on your way.

Although this year marks the 20th anniversary of the handover

between Britain and China, travellers from many countries

still don't need to apply for a visa to visit Hong Kong.

As ever, check before you book to make sure you're from one

of those visa waiver countries, but remember that you will

definitely need a visa if you plan to travel on to mainland China

from Hong Kong.

Chinese New Year is always a good time to visit,

though you might need to book well in advance

as hotels are busy.

Remember, that summers here can be hot and humid.

Bear that in mind, too.

There's no shortage of cheap and effective ways to get around

Hong Kong Island and neighbouring Chau Lei, but if you're looking

for something a little more traditional, why not jump aboard one

of these iconic trams?

Also known as ding-dings.

The trams operate on six routes every day between Kennedy Town

and all of the main tourist attractions on Hong Kong Island.

There you go, ding-ding.

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle,

don't forget Hong Kong is surrounded by dozens of smaller,

less developed islands, so it's often just a short ferry

ride away to some peace and quiet or an empty beach.

Stay with us, because still to come here on the Travel Show:

As new security measures stop you boarding some flights

with laptops and tablets, Lucy's here with clever tech

to take on board.

What are the best apps to keep me entertained on a long-haul flight?

Zoom in a bit, not too much.

Zoom in a little bit, not too much.

Not too much.

There you go!

I get some tips on how to become an Instagram sensation here in Hong

Kong.

You could do a street shot with an amazing purple sky that

would just blow up.

So don't go away.

The Travel Show, your essential guide wherever you're heading.

Laptops, tablets and e-readers are all now banned on many flights

to the US and UK primarily from airports in the Middle East.

Both governments have brought in new rules affecting

different countries, so check first if you're flying

from any of these places.

But there are still some gadgets you can use to wile away the hours.

This week, our run down of the gadgets you can

still use on board.

And here's the good news, on some flights you should be allowed

to take hand-held games consoles.

So I've been using our state-of-the-art isolation booth

to see how they fare.

So this is the new big player on the market,

it's the Nintendo Switch.

So the Switch isn't like regular consoles where it combines

portable on-the-go gaming with traditional

console-style gaming.

On the one hand, you connect it to your TV.

But when you're ready to take it on the move,

you can simply slide the controllers in the side.

The graphics look really good.

What I like as well is that you can connect up to eight conceals.

Let's say you're travelling with a load of friends,

you can connect your consoles together for true

multiplayer-style gaming.

But I must warn you, games are pricey.

Bear that in mind if you're going to pick one of these up.

I would still be careful, though.

So if you're on a UK-bound British Airways flight

from the Middle East, you can take these devices on board.

White Jet2 says you can't.

It's worth checking with your airline before you fly.

If you're flying to the US, these devices are definitely off

the table and all you've got for entertainment will

be your trusty mobile.

So while you're in the air, don't think of this as a smartphone,

this is your entertainment centre.

So it will pay to choose your apps carefully before you travel.

Something James here is an expert in.

James, what are the best apps to keep me entertained

on a long-haul flight?

Here's pocketcasts.

This gives you like feature content, so these are tailored by pocketcast

to give you the best new podcasts around.

There's trending stuff.

If something is really popular, that would appear there at the top.

Everyone's heard of Netflix.

They now do offline functionality.

So you can download a whole TV series to your phone and you can

watch it on the flight.

For my last choice, I've gone with Lonely Planet city guides.

It gives you information for wherever you're landing.

You get a city guide that you can access offline.

You don't need to connect to roaming data.

You can get places to see, eat and even hotel locations.

It's all there ready and waiting for you.

No need to connect to the internet again.

What about battery life?

Depends on what you're going to be using.

If you're using Netflix, that's going to take a lot of battery.

For podcasts, your phone will be sat idle in your pocket

and just playing audio.

It won't take that much battery.

You may want to take a charging cable because some flights allow

you to charge in the seat.

If you're flying for a grown-up reason, maybe you're away

on business, games and apps aren't going to cut it.

This is the Moleskine smart writing set.

Yes it looks like a bog standard pen and note pad

but it's smarter than that, because it can transfer

your writing, doodles and scribbles into digital form.

It can even turn them into text by a dedicated application.

Once you start writing, the app is able to register

the strokes on the pen.

It knows that you're hand writing and immediately shows

you what you're writing on the app.

You have to press the pen quite hard in order for it to register.

It seems pretty quick, pretty automatic.

I also can't draw!

It's fun, really easy to use.

I've got to admit, it's cool seeing your scribbles

transferred into digital form.

But the question is - what's wrong with a regular note

pad and pen and taking a picture afterwards?

Since it was first launched in 2010, Instagram has become one

of the world's hottest places to upload and share travel photos

and here in Hong Kong, former Londoner, Edward Barnieh,

is one of the most liked and shared online photographers,

capturing the hustle and bustle of the city through his camera lens.

I went to meet him to pick up some tips.

This isn't the usual place that most tourists take photos in Hong Kong.

No.

Why are we here?

These are the back streets of Hong Kong.

It's very gritty.

It's real life.

Great thing about Hong Kong is that there's no back of house.

Basically, whatever anyone's doing, they're doing it right in your face,

alongside people getting on buses and coming home from school.

But it's so dreary and it's raining.

How are you going to get pictures?

Dreary is good.

You're going to get people walking with umbrellas.

You're going to get people soaking wet with no umbrellas.

Reflections of the lights as the lights come on at night.

Reflection in puddles.

Rain is perfect for photography.

I just got a smartphone, is this OK for pictures?

Yes, they're great.

I started with a smartphone that had much worse quality camera than that.

I was able to capture, with good light, a number of things.

Yes the focal length is fixed.

It makes you choose your composition wisely, but it's a great tool

to learn on before you move onto a camera.

Zoom in a little bit.

Not too much.

Yeah.

There you go, real life.

As Edward has over 175,000 Instagram followers,

I'm in safe hands, as we head off on our side street safari.

With so much going on around us, I'm having problems

deciding what to focus on.

It just seems messy to me.

With the people?

See, I like it without the people.

Right.

Sometimes the people can offer up a bit of scale as well.

So just having one person there sometimes gives that kind

of perspective to someone of what they're looking

at and the size of it.

We've got street signs, some colour.

Captured it all there.

Oh, thanks.

You got most of that because your smartphone has

a wider focal length.

You are able to get more in.

Whereas I was packed in quite tight.

This looks like two different locations.

Yeah, it's to do with my lens, and the shutter speed I use made it

darker, and the depth of field gave it more of a dramatic vibe.

Generally I've got a much closer shot.

Maybe it looks like it could be somewhere else all together.

I'm happy with some of the sparks I got flying up there.

Are you?

Yeah.

Looks exciting.

I would never think to take a picture of this.

There you go.

Stick it on Instagram and see what your friends think.

I have no idea where I am.

I often think that's the beauty of this, though.

I can tell you we are very close to one of the major shopping

districts in Hong Kong, with many tourists, maybe 200

metres from us right now.

Really?

But you wouldn't know it.

Maybe if you look at that building there, that tall building.

That is Langham Place, and it's one of the major malls in Hong Kong.

Because, as I said before, Hong Kong is so densely packed together,

that's the beauty of it.

It means when you're looking for photos, you don't have to travel

far to get what you want.

I like it, but it was more a quick shoot and run,

because I was scared the old lady was going to come out and get me.

A lot of these shots you shoot once.

If you get it, you get it.

If you don't, you don't.

You are very lucky to capture that with an iPhone.

She is quite far off.

You've done really well there.

What works well on Instagram?

If I want to get maximum likes, what should I take pictures of?

Architecture, street shots.

Not so much lately, but an amazing typhoon sunset as well.

In fact, if you could combine the two.

A street shot with an amazing purple sky, that would just blow up.

That would be huge.

As night falls, we're joined by fellow Instagramers Jess

and Vivian who also have big followers here in Hong Kong

and around the world.

Now the pressure really is on, as I face even more competition

from the professionals.

We're in Moan Kok, and we're here to see some of the neon

lights on Portland Street, one of Hong Kong's

most famous streets.

At night, especially after it's rained, you can

see the streets glow.

As you can see here.

It's pretty cool, right?

Wow.

With a smartphone, you just have to use what's around you.

Sometimes at night you can get that really atmospheric

and get more gritty side.

You know what, sometimes you just have to be bold.

That's a good tip.

Just stand there and wait.

Patience is everything.

I quite like that one.

Yeah that's nice.

You've got the neon, action shot.

And he's smiling.

I don't know.

Just the smartphone is not very good at night-time.

I'm feeling they're not - they won't be as good as yours.

We'll see.

They were in the day, right!

So before I go, I want to get the iconic Hong Kong taxi.

Yes, everybody loves a taxi shot.

How do I do that with a smartphone?

It's going to be tough to get that kind of long exposure

that you're looking for, but I honestly think that we can do

something slightly different but you're really going to like it.

We're going to try to get behind the taxi and capture

the city with the taxi in the foreground.

OK.

How does that sound?

All right.

Let's give that a try.

Let's do it.

Get ready to get behind this taxi.

All right.

Now get out there and shoot behind the taxi.

Oh, that's good.

Good, good.

Let me see it.

That's excellent.

I prefer that one.

So crop that one?

Yeah, absolutely.

Nice.

Well done.

You're a Hong Kong photographer now.

Now you're pushing it.

If you want to see more of those pictures, check

out our social media feeds.

All the details should be on your screen now.

That's all we've got time for this week.

Next week - we head to the South American surfers'

paradise of Punta de Lobos in Chile in search of the perfect wave.

I got whacked in the face with about ten waves in a row,

so I've swallowed most of that water.

Join us for that if you can.

Until next time, from me and the rest of the Travel Show team

here in Hong Kong, it's goodbye.