Skyscrapers lined along the harbor, neon signs that light up every night, and the speed created by finance and logistics have long symbolized Hong Kong.
A city once explained in the language of efficiency and density now carries another scene. Alongside people's daily lives are animals, such as pandas chewing bamboo and marine creatures gliding through tanks. This scene of nature and life seeping into the city comes into sharp focus at Ocean Park, a marine theme park on the south side of Hong Kong Island.
On the 18th, Ocean Park drew large crowds starting at 9:30 a.m., 30 minutes before opening, from people hoping to see the pandas. They paid an additional expenditure to see six giant pandas—including father Lele, mother Yingying, and their twin offspring Jaja and Dede—earlier than other visitors.
Visitors can interact with pandas through transparent glass as the animals chew bamboo and spend time on trees, rocks, and snow piles. Ocean Park has the most pandas in the world outside mainland China. The mother panda, Yingying, also set the record as the "world's oldest first-time panda mother."
Opened in 1977, Ocean Park is equipped to keep many pandas comfortable. It sits on a site about the size of 130 soccer fields (277,000 pyeong). The grounds provide abundant natural light, generous gardens for pandas to roam, and even rock walls.
A variety of other animals, including penguins, meerkats, and sea lions, also await visitors. Among the meerkat mob, the "sentry meerkat" can be seen climbing to a higher spot than its surroundings to scan the sky and all directions. Visitors can get closer to the animals through hands-on programs such as feeding experiences.
On site, a range of features boost the animals' creativity and activity, and staff are stationed throughout to ensure the animals do not experience stress. In the meerkat habitat, when one visitor whistled, a staff member politely intervened.
There are spaces where time moves slowly. One is "Old Hong Kong," a re-creation of the city's streets from the 1950s to the 1970s. Step inside and neon signs, weathered shop boards, and low-ceilinged stores unfold in a panorama of the city's past. With Hong Kong-style snacks and tea in hand, you may forget for a moment that this is a theme park. It feels like slowly walking into a time when the city held the layers of everyday life.
After meeting animals and savoring Hong Kong's past at leisure, a burst of adrenaline awaits. Cross about 205 meters above the South China Sea by cable car and rides come into view, including Hair Raiser, the fastest roller coaster in Hong Kong, and The Flash, which spins 360 degrees in midair. From families with children to adults seeking thrills, everyone can enjoy at their own pace.
Ocean Park brings together generations, from children holding their parents' hands and students in school uniforms to adults out for a leisurely day. A fixture for decades, the space has become more than a tourist attraction; it serves as a refuge woven into Hong Kong residents' daily lives. The Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel, which opened in 2019 inside the park, also draws visitors who want to combine lodging with relaxation.
Ivan Yu, an Ocean Park manager, said, "This is a place that's easy to visit on a regular basis." Yu added, "It's adjacent to a subway station, making it convenient to reach Hong Kong's major urban centers," and "both the Marriott Hotel and Ocean Park operate with sustainability in mind, based on eco-friendly management."