Discovering Hong Kong's Cultural Heritage: The New Territories is the companion volume to Patricial Lim’s guide to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

The latter mostly comprises guided walks punctuated by historical background and interesting factual tidbits. This book is actually a bit more substantial; it begins with a very good overview of Chinese cultural and religious traditions that is worth reading even if you’re not interested in the guided tours that then follow.

The tours themselves focus on the old villages of the New Territories, including stops in Yuen Long, Tai Po, Sheung Shui, Fanling, Shatin, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun and Sai Kung. Concise guides for trips to Lantau and Cheung Chau islands round out the book.

If you live in Hong Kong, don’t read Chinese, but want to get out and learn something about the SAR’s rich cultural heritage, these books should be on your shelf. ( )

Patricia Lim’s Discovering Hong Kong's Cultural Heritage: Hong Kong island and Kowloon is a crisp introduction to the major historical landmarks in Hong Kong’s urban areas. Lim helpfully organizes her coverage into a number of walking tours, and nicely balances practicalities and logistics with pertinent historical background and ‘fun to know’ facts. I’d recommend this guide to anyone touring Hong Kong who’s seeking some legitimate historical perspective on the usual sights, plus some off-the-beaten path alternatives. ( )