Schools close when a Red Rainstorm warning is announced and everyone has to stay inside during a Black Rainstorm.
Winters are usually mild although the occasional cold front can bring strong, cool winds from the north.
Most business people speak good English, and government signs are posted in Chinese and English; , Cantonese is the spoken dialect of choice, compared with the more widely known Mandarin (Putonghua) used on the Chinese mainland.
Typhoon Warnings are graded on a numeric scale and Rainstorm warnings are graded on a colour scale.
When a Typhoon Number 8 signal warning goes out, businesses, public transport and schools close.
Yet, be warned, unless you are an outstanding sports person or your company has a debenture of two, the waiting lists to join are seriously long (some are 10-15 years or more), and the joining fees are well into the hundreds of thousands of HK$; oh…, and there are monthly dues on top.
Some of the most desirable clubs, include the following: Chinese Recreation Club Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club Craigengower Cricket Club Fanling Golf Club Hong Kong Football Club (HKFC) Hong Kong Cricket Club (HKCC) Hong Kong Golf Club (HKGC) Jockey Club Ladies Recreation Club Shek-O Golf Club One of the many ‘perks’ of living in Hong Kong is that domestic help is relatively cheap and many people end up having a maid working for them; most maids are from The Philippines or Indonesia and their terms of employment are governed by the Immigration Department which has issued a standard contract for their engagement.