In Hong Kong on the other hand everybody lives in tall apartment buildings of about 40 storeys because of very limited land space and the government have now started filling in the harbour.
How they make a living
In Tibet the most common professions are farming and yak-harding but the government are now creating more jobs for students like railway managers and there are more jobs being created in the government.
Hong Kong unlike Tibet is one of the major economic and business centres in the Far East. Manufacturers are thriving due to the low cost of living which attracts many tourists. Tourism is one of the main industries in Hong Kong but it has recently hit with SARs which has had a major impact on the tourist industry.
Way of life
Life in Tibet is very simple. People work and pray. In Hong Kong on the other hand life is a lot more extravagant. People, especially the Rich, like eating out very often sometimes spending $300 on a soup. Having Mah Jong parties are also very popular. They usually start in the evening and carry on throughout the night. Other popular past times are shopping, watching TV, going to the cinema and children are very exposed to gameboys and xboxes.
Culture
Nearly everyone in Tibet is a Buddhist and they take religion a lot more seriously than in Hong Kong. There are many spectacular temples and nearly every house or tent has some sort of shrine to the Buddah.
There are many colourful Tibetan festivals. Some are traditional, as New Year's Day, Lingka festival, Bath day, Field day etc., some are religious, as the 'Great Prayer's Festival (smon lam)', Buddha's birthday (the 8th of the 4th month), Buddha's nirvana day (the 15th of the 4th month), the Buddha's return to the world of the gods (22nd of the 9th month), Tsongkha-pa's passage (the 25th of the 10th month), etc.
Most people in Hong Kong practice a mix of local religion (90%). Most of the Hong Kong Chinese are either Buddhists or Taoists, but 10% are Christians. There are more than 600 temples outside Hong Kong. The Chinese like to have their fortune told at some of these temples, and worshippers light joss sticks to ward off evil spirits during festivities.
Opera is an important part of Chinese culture for hundreds of years. Certain shows in rural areas can last anywhere from 3 - 4 hours to five days. The Chinese use a lot of glittering costumes and heavy makeup is applied on the faces of the actors/actresses.
There are also many Chinese festivals throughout the year all over Hong Kong, including the Birthday of Tin Hau (goddess of the sea), Tuen Ng - Dragon Boat Festival - (in June), the Bun Festival on Cheung Chau Island, the Mid-Autumn Festival filled with sparkling lantern displays, and Chinese (Lunar) New Year for that spectacular display of fireworks in Victoria Harbour.
Also unlike the people of Tibet who do everything themselves nearly every household in Hong Kong has a Philippine Maid who lives in the flat and does all the cooking and cleaning. Philippine Maids can’t speak a word of Cantonese and get paid a pittance
Climate
Tibet has a very varied climate. In summer temperatures can reach up to 29 Celsius but in the winter it can drop as low as –16. Sun radiation is also very strong in the summer but in the winter roads get blocked up totally with snow.
Hong Kong however is located north of the equator and the climate is less varied. Tropical monsoons, which are cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, and warm and sunny in autumn are very frequent. There are occasional typhoons during the monsoon season,
Cuisine
In Tibet the diet is consists mostly of milk, meat, tea and the main food is tsamba(roasted barley ground into very fine flour which is then mixed with a little tea and then rolled into small lumps)
Other specialties include barley beer, butter tea, yak stomach, sausage, ox-foot stew and Xigatse starch sheet. All of these are homemade by the Tibetans.
In Hong Kong there are many traditional dishes but due to the fast pace of life nowadays many only eat sandwiches and fast food. Some traditional dishes are:
Dim Sum – A variety of dumplings, buns, pastries are served as breakfast at about 11(brunch)
Peking Duck – Savoury slices of meat and crispy skin are wrapped in a thin pancake with minced spring onions and plum sauce.
Noodles - As a filling alternative to rice, noodles are often served, flavoured by various other ingredients which impart a brown colour. Noodles in broth with meat/fowl/seafood morsels.
Century Old Eggs - Duck Eggs which have been soaked in tea/lime/alum/ye/soda/salt for several days which turn the white to translucent green and the yoke to greenish-black. A delicious traditional dish in Hong Kong. Served with ginger as appetisers.
Landscape
In Tibet there are many mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, valleys and exotic wildlife and plants.
Hong Kong, however, is a very modern city crowded with very tall skyscrapers. The city areas are extremely built-up but there are a few rural areas with farm lands, some hilly areas and some mountainous areas with steep slopes.