Three ways Hong Kong surprised me
Dowon Kim | South Korea | Year 1 Student | Global Economics & Banking (GEB)
Before coming to Hong Kong, I imagined a city of skyscrapers, busy days, and crowded streets – but I did not expect how much this place would change the way I learn and live. In my first semester at Lingnan, I found myself growing in three directions at once.
Outdoors: Hiking & Nature
When you first arrive in Hong Kong, you might feel like it’s another concrete jungle. But only a short journey from campus, the city opens into outdoor classrooms. In my first semester in Lingnan, my three most memorable hikes were Sai Kung’s rock pools, Kai Kung Leng, and Sai Kung again for an overnight adventure. Sai Kung’s Rock Pools sit just beyond Sai Wan Beach, where four natural pools line up to create a rocky stream; with the deepest pool turning into a hotspot for hikers to climb up the rocks and jump into the water below. One weekend, my friends and I tackled Kai Kung Leng on a night hike, and even though the hike took about two hours and we only got back to campus around midnight, the glittering view of Shenzhen’s skyline from the peak made every step worth it.
On my second trip to Sai Kung, we began our hike at night and made our way to Long Ke Wan beach, where we set up our tents on the sand, and woke up to a sunrise so quiet and beautiful that it felt like I wasn’t in Hong Kong anymore. Spending weekends on trails taught me how rich an experience it is to step outside your comfort zone. That same mindset slowly moved back into the classroom too, where I started looking for ways to learn beyond the slides and assessments.
What I Learned Beyond the Syllabus
When I first read my course outlines, I thought university learning would stay neatly inside lecture slides, assignments, and exam dates, but almost everything important I’ve learned here so far has pushed me beyond the “ceiling” a course might set and helped me understand myself and my interests deeply.
Beyond classes, the environment at Lingnan has helped me step out of my comfort zone and start my own weekly economic journal, as well as design an independent research project. Working on these projects has shown me that learning is not just about passing modules; it is about having the tools and confidence to investigate questions that genuinely matter to me, and it has made me excited to continue to take initiative in what and how I learn next.
Everyday Life in Hong Kong
On quieter days, life shrinks down into small routines that makes Hong Kong feel like home. After class, I take the light bus into the city to go to the gym. Back on campus, my favorite moments are the spontaneous ones: chatting with my roommate about nothing and everything, brewing a cup of tea in my room, and reading a few pages of a book while the sounds of hostel life drift in from outside. Those slow nights are when the city stop feeling like a place I am visiting and starts feeling like a second home.
Although missing home, family, the cat and especially my mom’s food never really goes away, Hong Kong has been nothing but welcoming and endlessly exciting, slowly becoming somewhere that feels less like a destination and somewhere I can call my second home.
Explore other blogs
Last updated: September 2, 2026