Dim sum
Small dishes with tea, in baskets and plates: siu mai (open-topped pork dumplings with a dot of roe), har gow (translucent shrimp dumplings), char siu buns, rice noodle rolls and many more.
Life in Mainland China
The Greater Bay Area
Nine cities of Guangdong's Pearl River Delta with Hong Kong and Macau: about 87 million people around one estuary, sharing Cantonese, morning tea and a dense web of fast trains.
Play: Greater Bay Area quizEleven cities around the Pearl River
The Greater Bay Area is the name for the cities around the mouth of the Pearl River: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing in Guangdong, with the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. Its plan was published in 2019 to link the eleven more closely by rail, road and trade.
Hong Kong and Macau keep their own currencies, the Hong Kong dollar and the Macau pataca, their own laws and their own border controls; travellers cross at checkpoints, as they would a border. The mainland cities use the renminbi.
One language, three systems of writing it
Cantonese is the everyday language of Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau. On the mainland it is written in simplified characters with Mandarin as the language of school; Hong Kong and Macau write traditional characters, and Macau also uses Portuguese, from its centuries as a Portuguese colony, on street signs.
What to eat
Char siu
Strips of pork marinated in honey, soy and five-spice and roasted on forks until the edges char red and sticky. Served sliced over rice or tucked into buns.
Wonton noodles
Thin, springy egg noodles and shrimp wontons in a clear broth, with chives. The noodles must stay firm, so the broth is poured on at the last moment.
Egg tarts
In Macau, a flaky pastry with a creamy custard caramelised in dark spots on top, from the Portuguese pastel de nata. Hong Kong's are smooth and yellow on top.
Pineapple bun
A sweet bun whose crackly sugar crust looks like a pineapple's skin. There is no pineapple in it. Eaten warm, often with a slab of cold butter inside.
Rice congee
Rice cooked in a lot of water until it breaks down into a smooth porridge, eaten with pickles, preserved egg, salted egg or fried dough sticks.
Play
Greater Bay Area quiz
Cities, crossings and what to order.
Which river's mouth do the Greater Bay Area's cities surround?
Answer
The Pearl River. The Pearl River, the third longest in China, reaches the sea between Hong Kong and Macau.
What is in a pineapple bun?
Answer
No pineapple at all. None: the crackly sugar crust on top looks like a pineapple's skin, which gives it the name.
Macau's egg tarts come from which tradition?
Answer
Portuguese. Portuguese: they are based on the pastel de nata, and their custard is caramelised in dark spots on top.
How long is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge?
Answer
55 km. About 55 km, including a tunnel under the busiest shipping lanes. It opened in 2018.
What is Macau's currency?
Answer
The pataca. The pataca, although Hong Kong dollars are widely accepted there too.
In a teahouse, what does tapping the table with two fingers mean?
Answer
Thank you for pouring. It thanks whoever is pouring the tea, a custom said to come from an emperor travelling in disguise, whose servants bowed with their fingers instead.
Which is the everyday language of Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau?
Answer
Cantonese. Cantonese, with more tones than Mandarin and many words of its own.
How is Hong Kong-style milk tea made?
Answer
Strained through a cloth bag, with evaporated milk. Strong black tea strained through a long cloth bag, then mixed with evaporated milk.