Hong Kong in the World of Darkness is a vast urban sprawl of futuristic glass skyscrapers bathed in the glow of bright neon signs, surrounded by the the deep waters of the South China Sea. Taken from the Chinese, it became the manifestation of Western liberalism and capitalism in East Asia, rivaled only by Singapore. But whereas the Lion City has become associated with benign totalitarianism, Hong Kong retains its liberal character and thus a more diverse, dynamic energy. This is not to say life here is better, just less boring.



Located on China’s southern coast, Hong Kong lies just south of Guangdong Province and the city of Shenzen. Around 40 miles to the east is Macau, a former Portuguese colony and the gambling capital of the world. Much of the undeveloped land in and around Hong Kong is rocky and rugged. This is best represented by Victoria Peak, a 1,811 feet high mountain on the west half of Hong Kong Island. There are also several notable rock structures around the area, such as Lion Rock (which resembles a crouching lion) and Amah Rock (said to look like a woman with her baby on her back looking for her husband).



In terms of climate, Hong Kong is subtropical, meaning that the summers are hot and humid and the winters generally mild. Typhoon season is in the late summer. This means that tourist season is in autumn and winter, and whether it is better to endure a cyclone or tourists is a matter of personal opinion. The further one ventures north and out of the urban areas, the environment changes to jungle canopies around 20-to-40 feet high containing cobras, pythons, wild boar, and various other reptiles and vermin. It is wise to stick to hiking trails.



Due to the hills and mountains, real estate developers have had to construct their buildings high instead of wide, hence Hong Kong’s association with high-rise offices and apartments. Thanks to intense class stratification and income inequality, it is common to see luxury condominiums next to decrepit housing projects. Homeless people sleep in foot-bridges and in city parks. For example, the Peninsula Hong Kong in Kowloon, a resort famous for having a fleet of Rolls-Royce Silver Shadows, is across from Chunking Mansions, a slum notorious for its unsanitary conditions and crime. Also, due to the lack of city planning, it is not unusual to see temples and libraries beside brothels and betting stations.



With parking space at a premium, most people in Hong Kong rely on public transport. Double-decker buses and minibuses are ubiquitous. The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corporation operates dozens of stations across Hong Kong and is famous for its high efficiency, becoming a model for rail systems across the world. The cheapest form of transport is the Hong Kong Tramways (HKT), a trolley/tram system with the world’s largest working double-decker trolley fleet.

Culturally, Hong Kong is a mixture of traditional Chinese norms and values, unique Cantonese (provincial) traditions, and British ideas and systems associated with liberalism and capitalism. It is normal to see Hongkongers burning incense and joss paper to venerate their deceased relatives. “Saving face” and honor, integrity, and character (or at least the public image of them) are held to higher importance than in the West. Feng shui is important, to the extent that some architects plan huge openings in buildings to allow flying dragons to pass through. There are also public shrines to Kwun Yam (a Chinese folk figure associated with mercy and miracles) and Kwan Yee-Gor (a historical general honored as a god of war, popular among Hong Kong cops and Triad members alike). Christians make up a sizable minority, around 10% of the population. Most people speak both Cantonese and English, and Mandarin is becoming common.



Hong Kong is divided into 18 districts (see below). Each district is represented by a District Council that advises a regional government led by the Chief Executive, elected every five years (limited to two terms) from a list of Central Government-approved candidates by an 1,200-member Election Committee made up of private citizens and special interest groups. Laws are actually made by the Legislative Council, a unicameral legislative body comprised of 70 members divided equally between representatives from geographic constituencies (GCs) elected by universal suffrage and representatives from functional constituencies (FCs), who represent various social, cultural, and (mostly) business interests. According to an article of Hong Kong’s constitution, there is a stated goal of having the Chief Executive as well as the Legislative Council elected by the popular vote.

Economically, Hong Kong is often discussed in the West as an oasis of laissez-faire capitalism under threat by the communist People’s Republic of China. While indubitably capitalist, business in Hong Kong is highly monopolized, with insanely wealthy “godfathers” like Li Ka Shing, Lee Shau Kee, and Lui Che Woo. These elites are also some of the richest people in the world, so it follows that it is their interests are predominant. Accordingly, the government intervenes frequently on the side of the “godfathers,” creating a “mixed economy” that favors them. They actually have more in common with the millionaire party executives in mainland China than they do with regular Hongkongers. For ordinary people (especially the poor and immigrants), much of the region is extremely market-driven, especially when it comes to the cost of housing, food, and other necessities. Modest increases in welfare and pensions have done little to fix the growing class divide. In 2017, a government report found that richest 10 percent in Hong Kong earn 44 times what the poorest families are able to earn, making it second only to New York City in terms of its income inequality gap.

Today, Hong Kong politics is dominated by the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), which advocates for socially conservative middle class professionals who want closer relations with China. Their opposition is split between the “pan-dems” who favor integration with China while promoting democratic reforms and “localists” who support an independent Hong Kong. The latter are fiercely opposed by the Central Government, who react with harsh prison sentences and restrictions on free speech. This in turn has split the pro-democracy factions against each other, with the “localists” on the ascent after the 2014 protests against Beijing interjecting into Hong Kong politics. Their youth, inexperience, and radicalism goes against the grain of a conservative society that tends to respect authority rather than question it. This has led to politics becoming highly schismatic and polarized, and with Beijing promising to respect autonomy until 2047, many people do not see it as a pressing issue — unless interference in Hong Kong affairs escalates.



Crime in Hong Kong is synonymous with the Triads, organized crime syndicates that have spread across Southeast Asia and even to North America. Despite what popular culture would have you believe, Sun Yee On, 14K, Wo Shing Wo and the other major Triads conduct their behavior as quietly as possible. They still have thousands of members, but their gambling and prostitution rings operate behind closed doors, rarely disturbing the day-to-day lives of “respectable” people. Still, Hong Kong’s Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) regularly busts low-level Triad operations. The prevalence of undercover cops has led to many Triads stopping initiation ceremonies altogether; individual gangs act with high autonomy, keeping soldiers unaffiliated with the actual Triad leadership. Increasingly, violent crime is more associated with small South Asian gangs as non-Chinese, non-Western immigrants regularly face discrimination and unofficial segregation. This has created a spiral of mounting crime and deepening poverty among this excluded but rapidly growing community.



Hong Kong is divided into Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories.

Hong Kong Island is what most people think of when they think of the city, with its towering glass buildings surrounding the deep waters of Victoria Harbor along the northern coast. It is home to over 1.2 million people concentrated mostly along the north shore in everything from luxury apartments to crumbling tenements. The Central district has long been a major historical, political, and commercial nexus of East Asia, where decisions are made and agendas set.



The Flame Court is strongest in this section of Hong Kong as control over the Central District is considered the de facto test for any credible claims to power. Incorruptible Kwan spends most of her time in Central, constantly interceding in her countless mortal interests. Furious Ping’s personal crew of 14k Triad members manage numerous gambling dens and back-alley brothels in northern Wan Chai. The Ancestor, Bitter Smoke, dwells in a large guarded mansion in a gated community in the Western District, not too far from Kennedy Town. The address of Smoke’s haven is highly classified information, known only to his spymaster Lili Zhou and his personal seneschal Tsao Chi Hong.

-Central and Western District: Hong Kong Central is not named for its location but for its status as the central business district, where international financial services corporations are based, as is Government Hill, the main administrative center. Historically, the Central District was where white Europeans did their business (and hence why the famous HSBC headquarters is a local landmark), while the Western District (also known as “Sai Wan”) was the Chinese commercial sector. Most Hongkongers equate the Western District with Kennedy Town, a town at the extreme northwestern end of Hong Kong Island.

-Eastern District: Situated at the northeast of Hong Kong Island, the Eastern District is primarily residential with apartment complexes and rows of tenements. Fortress Hill and North Point are some of the well-known neighborhoods along the north shore. In North Point is the famous Sunbeam Theater, founded by immigrants from Shanghai and specializing in performances of Cantonese opera.

-Southern District: Consisting of 15 square miles, this large area is divided between a rustic eastern half (popular with expats who work in Central but do not want to live there) and a more urbanized western half dominated by the town of Aberdeen. Known as “Little Hong Kong,” Aberdeen has its own harbor and is famous for its floating village of around 600 junks in which around 6,000 people live. Still a fishing town at heart, the town has commercialized a great deal and now has floating seafood restaurants and scenic tours by boat.

-Wan Chai District: This area was known for its red light district along Lockhart Road popular with visiting sailors disembarking from Fenwick Point. Sex workers are a common sight in the seedier bars. While some neighborhoods have deteriorated, others have improved, now rife with five-star hotels and upscale restaurants. In addition to being one of the most congested districts, its residents tend to be wealthy, with one in five possessing liquid assets over HKD 1 million.

The Kowloon Peninsula lies across Victoria Harbor, connected to the Chinese mainland. It is easy accessible from Hong Kong Island by bridge, ferry, or tunnel. Kowloon is known for its “night markets,” bustling marketplaces open long after dark. It contains mostly hotels, restaurants and residential areas in addition to the usual port buildings. Most of the factories that were once common here have closed, unable to compete with the extremely cheap labor of the mainland.



The Open Palm Court claims dominion over Kowloon, but whether it can assert its authority there varies from night-to-night. The Bamboo Prince Ko Chun is based in Yau Ma Tei, but most of his influence is in the political and economic sectors rather than local institutions. His Japanese benefactor, Kazunari Kuroki, lives in Whampoa Garden in Kowloon City, and uses the Japanese community there as his herd. Robert Grosvenor-Stathmore has large stakes in many companies in Tsim Sha Tsui and, unknown to everyone so far, has been buying up property in Sham Shui Po and Wong Tai Sin under the guise of “renewal and redevelopment.” He hopes to quickly gentrify the area, attracting a higher class of resident and thus expanding his personal influence in Hong Kong. If some working class families are displaced, the Ventrue could not care less.



-Kowloon City District: This area is mostly residential, containing privately-owned apartment buildings. This was also once the site of the Walled City, an anarchic haven for crime and drugs demolished in 1993. The district also contains Whampoa Garden, a large private housing estate consisting of 88 buildings in 12 complexes. It is notable for its large Japanese expatriate population.

-Kwun Tung District: This is a largely industrial district dating back to the 1960s, although many of the factories are closing as businesses move to the mainland. This area also has the poorest population of the Hong Kong Districts, with a majority living in government housing. Increasingly, however, the area has become more commercialized, with the construction of new parks and schools.



-Sham Shui Po District: This area contains one of the poorest and most overcrowded districts in Hong Kong. The demographics is predominantly immigrants from rural China and Southeast Asia, blue collar workers, and retirees living off pensions. Poor living conditions and urban decay remain problematic issues. There are lively street markets that draw tourists as well as locals, with everything from pirated software to high-quality fabric available.

-Wong Tai Sin District: The only landlocked district in Hong Kong, the area is named after Wong Tai Sin Temple, devoted to a legendary Taoist hermit deified as a god of healing. An example of classical Chinese architecture with its scarlet pillars and golden roof, the temple is busiest around Chinese New Year, when visitors rush to burn incense as early as they can to increase their fortune in the coming year. The temple also gives its name to two public housing estates, Upper and Lower Wong Tai Sin. Most residents are poor and live in public housing.

-Yau Tsim Mong District: On the western end of Kowloon is its primary urban area that refers to three neighborhoods within it: Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Mong Kok. Yau Ma Tei is mostly residential buildings and markets, including the popular Temple Street marketplace. Tsim Sha Tsui (or TST) lies right across the harbor from the Central District and attracts visitors with upscale shops and restaurants, plus several museums. There is also a large African and South Asian community present. Mong Kok is especially known for its stores selling electronics, music, and other entertainment to local adolescents, leading to “MK culture” being synonymous with vacuous teenage trend-following.

The New Territories refer to the large amount of land (around 86% of Hong Kong’s current territory) Great Britain leased from China for 99 years in 1898 and includes many government-planned “New Towns” built after World War II to alleviate population congestion and overcrowding. As more and more Hongkongers move here, however, it grows increasingly developed. Still, thanks to commercial farming, small villages, and large nature preserves, the area offers a relatively rural and bucolic landscape to contrast to rest of Hong Kong.

As creatures of the city, there is little to interest Hong Kong’s vampires in the New Territories. From feeding to mortal pawns, Hong Kong Island and Kowloon are superior environments; Kuei-jin and Kin-jin alike tend to disdain the “suburbs.” Rumors of Hengeyokai in the nature preserves circulate often, but these are largely recognized to be malicious stories used to terrify and intimidate the newly deceased rather than true fact. A lone Stargazer does indeed reside in Tuen Mun, but he finds the politics of the undead to be beneath his contempt.