After their defeat at the hands of the Royal Navy, Qing Dynasty China surrendered Hong Kong Island, then a sleepy fishing village, to the British crown. Because of its strategic, deep-water harbor, Hong Kong Island was developed heavily in the intervening years. Today, Hong Kong Island is a flourishing, cosmopolitan location, and is one of the most densely populated places in the world.
Highlights of Hong Kong Island include dim sum lunch at an upscale restaurant; touring the outlying islands and the busy Aberdeen district by private junk; and hiking the twisting Dragon's Back Trail, which runs across rugged, mountainous terrain.