Safe to Wander in Hong Kong

A couple of years ago, I spent four months working a summer job in Hong Kong. Many do not realize that Hong Kong is statistically one of the safest cities in the world for women – the rate of crime against women is relatively low, and Cantonese culture is one that in many ways empowers females. I worked with a former anthropologist who had a passion for Cantonese cinema, and she was fond of telling me that women could lay claim to a much greater representation as powerful action heroes (or heroines as the case may be) in Cantonese cinema than their counterparts in the American film industry.

For those who plan on traveling to Hong Kong, I would of course stay city-savvy and, for instance, avoid the dark alleys when alone late at night – but I would also encourage you to stay specially attuned to the ways in which it is uniquely possible to let your guard down as a female wandering the city streets.