Logistics

INFORMATION ON TRAVELING TO AND LIVING IN HONG KONG

2008 Asia Institute for Political Economy

Please click here for the AIPE 2008 tentative schedule.

Please click here for more information prior to your arrival in Hong Kong.

Registration

All students will be staying in Starr Hall at The University of Hong Kong. Registration for all participants will take place on Friday, July 11 th from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm in the main lobby of the dormitory. The dormitory’s address is:

91 B Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong.

Early Arrivals/Late Departures

If your travel plans require that you arrive or depart beyond the Institute dates, please inform us so that we can help you arrange appropriate accommodations. Those who must arrive prior to July 11 th due to travel restrictions may be required to stay at another dormitory or youth hostel if rooms are not available at the dormitory. Students may be responsible for the cost of accommodations for any extended length before or after the Institute dates.

Arriving from the Airport

All international flights arrive at Hong Kong International Airport situated at Chek Lap Kok on Lantau Island. If you are arriving from the airport, there are three suggested methods to travel to Starr Hall:

A. By Airport Express & Taxi

• Take the Airport Express train from Hong Kong International Airport to ‘ Hong Kong Station’ in Central district. The train fare is HK$100 (approx. USD$13) for a single trip and the train ride is 25 minutes. Tickets may be purchased at designated dispensing machines at the terminal or through the Customer Service Centers at the Airport Express Stations. For more information you may also visit the MTR’s website: http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/airport_express/intro_index.html.

• From the Hong Kong Station, take a taxi to Starr Hall. For off-peak hours, the taxi fare should be around HK$60 plus luggage fee. The trip should take 15-20 minutes.

B. By Bus & Taxi

• Take Bus No. A11 from the Airport to Shun Tak Centre (Macau Ferry Terminal) in Central. Allow one hour for the ride. Bus fare is HK$40. From the Shun Tak Centre take a taxi to Starr Hall. The trip should take 10-15 minutes.

C. By Taxi

• If your budget permits, simply take a taxi from the HK airport directly to the hall, the cost is about HK$400-500. This option would be more economical if 3 or 4 students group together to share the cost of the taxi.

Housing

Two students will share a dormitory room; bathroom facilities are located on each floor. Each bedroom contains 2 single beds.

Bed linens, pillows and blankets are provided. Towels and toiletries are not supplied. Maid service is provided every four days. A pay self-service laundry is located on the top floor of Starr Hall.

The Fund for American Studies will assign your roommates. In order to promote cross-cultural exchange, roommates will be assigned so that students from the same country are not rooming together.

Facilities card: Each student will be issued an ID facilities card during the registration period. The facilities cards must be kept at all times which will allow student access into Starr Hall, the Flora Ho Sports Centre and the Main Library.

Keys: There is one key per person (i.e. two keys per room). This key should be kept with you at all times. The reception desk is open 24 hours. If you lose the key you will be responsible for the cost of replacement.

Security: As with any dormitory situation, students must take appropriate care of any money or personal valuables and pay appropriate attention to who enters and leaves the room. Valuables should not be kept in the dorm room while you are not there. If you have any concerns regarding the storage of any money or valuables, contact the Institute’s Program Assistant who will be working as a liaison with the dormitory staff.

Smoking: The University of Hong Kong is a smoke-free environment. Smoking is not allowed in all areas of the campus including the academic buildings, canteens and the student residences.

Transportation: Hong Kong has an excellent and efficient public transport network. The most common forms of commute are the Mass Transit Railway (MTR), public buses, mini-vans, ferry and taxi. Most forms of transport are air-conditioned and do accept Octopus, a stored value electronic travel pass. Octopus cards may be purchased at any MTR station. Taxis accept cash only.

Students can take public buses on Pokfulam Road, outside of Starr Hall, to the main districts such as Central, Admiralty, or Wanchai, and then transfer to the MTR station for onward travel throughout Kowloon, Hong Kong Island and the New Territories.

Telephone Calls

Hong Kong ’s country code is 852. Area codes are not required. To place an international call (IDD) outside of Hong Kong, dialers must dial 001-country code-area code (if any) before calling the numbers.

Each dormitory room is equipped with a telephone that can receive incoming calls and dial outgoing calls. There is no additional charge for making local calls. One may also make IDD phone calls from the room using IDD phone cards that can be purchased from any 7-11 convenience store. Phone cards come with different amounts of phone-time credit and vary in cost. To place a call, dial ‘9’ first to connect with an outside line and then the local number or the dial-up number for IDD calls. Phone numbers in Hong Kong consist of 8-digits. There are also pay phones around the main campus from which you can make local and outgoing IDD calls. Local calls from a pay phone require a HK$1 coin.

The international operator can be reached by dialing 10013. In case of emergency, friends or relatives can contact The Fund for American Studies staff in Washington, who will relay the message to us in Hong Kong.

Meals

Tickets for all meals will be distributed during registration. To be served, you must present a meal ticket with the appropriate date and meal. Breakfast is scheduled (during weekdays) from 8:15 a.m.-9:15 a.m., and dinner is served from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Lunch will be served at a cafeteria on campus. Times may change upon arrival.

What to Bring

Hong Kong can be very hot and humid during the summer months, so you should bring some light-weight clothes. However, many buildings have very cold air conditioning, so you should bring a sweater or jacket with you. July and August can also be very rainy seasons in Hong Kong, so you may want to bring rain gear as well. You may dress casually in class, but there will be several formal occasions when you will need to wear professional clothing (coats and ties for men, dresses and suits for women).

Starr Hall will provide bed linens, pillows and blankets; however, towels and toiletries are not provided. Please be sure to pack your own towels and toiletries.

Please plan to bring enough money to cover entertainment and transportation costs, incidental expenses, and whatever souvenir shopping you might want to do.

Changing Money

As of 18 January , the exchange rate is approximately 7.7 HK dollars to 1 US dollar. We recommend students use credit cards, debit cards or ATM cards whenever possible and limit the amount of cash you travel with. It will save you the worry and concern of walking around with large amounts of cash, or leaving money unguarded in the dormitory. Automatic teller machines (ATMs), located throughout the city are an excellent alternative to changing money as you can use ATM or debit cards to get cash without a commission.

There are two mini-banks located on the HKU main campus: the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (also referred to as the Hong Kong Bank) and the Bank of East Asia.

Computers/Internet

Students will have access to computers/internet via the following options:

• School of Economics and Finance’s student computer laboratory located on the 10 th floor of the K.K. Leung Building, Room 1009. Hours of operation: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
• Main Library computer workstations.
• Internet cafes located throughout Hong Kong. Charges will apply.
• Students will be able to have wired internet connections in their rooms as well

Insurance/Medical Care

Visiting students staying at the University for less than 6 months should obtain ‘insurance coverage’ for the whole period of their stay in Hong Kong. The insurance should cover medical, accidental and third person liability. If students damage any properties in the dormitory or other places at the University, they are liable for making compensation to the University.

In case of illness, visiting students can be treated at the University clinic or may be referred to a specialist. The consultation fee is at the University Clinic HK$150, subject to revision, plus the cost of any medication.

Questions

If you have additional questions before arriving, please contact Institute staff at The Fund for American Studies at telephone number 001-202-986-0384, fax number 001-202-986-8930, or email at asia@tfas.org.