Hong Kong's gay scene is spread through neighborhoods on Hong Kong Island as well as across the harbor on the Kowloon side of the city (well worth exploring!). While homosexuality was decriminalized in the last century, and th Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival is the oldest such event in Asia, gay life remains largely hidden because Hong Kong still manages to remain a "small town" where privacy is a luxury. Recently, however, the scene has begun perking up with new upscale venues, three excellent local gay zines, and creative special events like Fruits in Suits (gay professionals who meet in non-gay venues), Gay Invasion (a monthly party where gays "invade" a trendy straight bar for a night, and a queer flotilla of Chinese junks and other water craft that brings a bit of rainbow color to the harbor.

On Hong Kong Island most visitors will gravitate towards the cluster of international clubs in Central and its frenetic nightlife hub, Lan Kwai Fong. Elsewhere, in Wanchai, Causeway Bay and North Point, venues are mostly karaoke clubs or saunas discreetly hidden away in commercial buildings.

Over in colorful Kowloon, crowds throng through neon-lit high-rise canyons, going to/from shopping, eating or partying at innumerable entertainment venues in Tsim Sha Tsui or Yau Ma Tei.

Hong Kong’s population is over 7 million (that's more than a quarter million Utopians).

• Hong Kong Gay Scene Updates message forum
• Lesbian listings
• Men in Hong Kong message forum
• Check out the authoritative Gay Hong Kong page for current events, comprehensive HK listings and the HKQUEER E-mail forum.
• If you've been considering moving to China, find a Hong Kong immigration lawyer who can help you figure out any legal issues. Though, since immigration is such a big law issue, you may be able to find a corporate lawyer or perhaps even a business lawyer to answer your immigration questions.

The Utopia Guide to China (2nd Edition) is an expanded and updated guidebook to the gay and lesbian scene in 50 Chinese cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Included are bars, discos, spas, and restaurants. Enjoy hundreds of savvy comments and recommendations from local Utopians and travelers. Click here to order

• DS Magazine
  3/F Winning House, 26 Hollywood Rd, Central, 6042-2668, FAX 3150-8977, email. Local scene info published bi-monthly and distributed to local clubs.
• Q Guide
  Excellent, free scene guide with neighborhood maps, published by DS Magazine.

• AIDS/HIV organizations and information
• Bauhinia
  A group of hearing-impaired tongzhi (male & female). A registered "society" formed in 1998. For more information, you can contact Rainbow of Hong Kong (Tommy Jai) at (852) 8105-1069, or you can fax to Bauhinia's chairperson Bruce, at (852) 2566-4446. For those who have ICQ 99b version, they can join the Active List for deaf-mute tongzhi using the Active List Number 57776434. Those who join this AL, agree to volunteer for small tasks such as helping a deaf-mute tongzhi place a phone call to ask for information or directions.
• Chinese University's Tongzhi Culture Society (TCS)
  The first formally registered gay and lesbian student group in Hong Kong
• Freemen
  GPO Box 2443, Hong Kong, Pager: 7112–8903 a/c 8862 (Cantonese only), 7968—9133 (English). Social group for gay men only. Lots of activities every month.
• Fruits in Suits
  GPO Box 9969, Central, 9047-0713, email. Fruits in Suits (FinS) is an informal, gay professional networking event on each 3rd Tue of the month. Like-minded people come together in an exclusive private area for food, drinks and to chat, socialise, network and meet new people.
• Hong Kong Labour Club
  5/F No.1 Li Yues Street East, Central, 2104-7172, email. Founded by Filipino and Hong Kong GLBT, this club hosts meetings of the their GLBT Society and the 1000 strong Hong Kong Labour Party. They offer free legal advice and support service through sympathetic lawyers in Hong Kong and the Philippines. Utopia Member Discount
• Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
  14/F, 10 Knutsford Terrace, Kowloon, 2311-8023, email. Annual festival presenting new lesbian, gay, transgendered and bisexual cinema from Asia and around the world.
• Hong Kong University Development Counseling Centre (counseling)
  2859-2308. Bonham Road, Western District.
• HORIZONS
  GPO Box 6837, Hong Kong, 2815-9268 (Tues and Thu, 7:30-10:30pm), email. Hong Kong's comprehensive resource on gay and lesbian issues. Contact the HORIZONS counseling, support and information hotline for updated places around Hong Kong, including discos, saunas, bars, and latest activities organized by HORIZONS and other gay groups. Hiking group meets up at Exit G of Central MTR Station at 9:30am the second Sun of every month.
• Peer Counseling
  2817-7129. Service for gay men.
• Rainbow Centre
  7/F 242 Nathan Rd, Unit D, National House, Kowloon, 2769-1069, hotline: 8108-1069. Hong Kong's first gay social services center. The government funded center provides counseling, training workshops and a hotline to provide peer support for gay men. Closed Tue and public holidays.
• The Satsanga
  PO Box 92128 TST, Hong Kong, 2314-1921, FAX 2735-8881. Gay and Lesbian activities, support and services. Has the only face-to-face free counseling service for Gay people. Chinese only.
• SeFangShe
  email. A tongzhi (gay) group at Lingnan College. They have held a "Tongzhi Campus Festival", forums, and activist events.

• Excel Travel Limited
  Room 604A Fook Cheong Bld, 63 Hoi Yuen Rd , 2793-2333, FAX 2174-6178, email. Providing tailor-made travel products and value-added services (air ticket reservation, worldwide hotel reservation, visa service, local transfers, etc) to high net-worth customers as well as business executives in Hong Kong and around the world. With personnel originating and based in Europe who are veteran voyagers and connoisseurs, Excel Travel offers its guests gay-friendly travel expertise.
• OUTconcorde Gay Travel Consultants
  1/F Galuxe Bld, 8-10 On Lan St, Central, 2526-3391, FAX 2877-2160 , email. OUTConcorde has been owned and managed by gay professional individuals from different parts of the world since 1978. It specializes in customized travel planning to fit your personality and lifestyle. It is a gay travel consultancy created and driven by seasoned travelers who are passionate about travel and the spirit of discovery and excitement that comes with it. OUTConcorde is a division of Concorde Air-Sea Services Limited with License No. 350343.

The Central neighborhood is easy to navigate using our Utopia map:

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• Tiger Balm Gardens
  Gone with the wind! A greedy developer has built a condo on top of Hong Kong's phantasmagorical garden of heaven and hell. Once home to the Haw Par brothers, made fabulously rich from sales of tiny Tiger Balm tins, only their mansion is being preserved by the government. The guard at the construction site explained that the workers had simply smashed dozens of folk art sculptures into rubble. Luckily, a sister park survives at Singapore's Haw Par Villa.

Click here for Hong Kong bars and clubs.

• 3rd floor, #214-216, Johnston Road, Wanchai (Chinese books)
• Comet
  11A Gold Swan Commercial Bld, 438 Hennesy Rd, Causeway Bay, 2838-2913, FAX 2915-3289, email. Nice little gay bookshop with lots of local and imported books, magazines and videos to choose from as well as pride gifts. Opens in the afternoon.
• Greenfield Bookstore in Mongkok, (852) 238-5803.
• Le Male
  Nathan Rd, next to HMV Bld. Sells gay novels and normal (non-porn) gay movies.
• Page One bookshop
  Times Square (at the bottom of the curved escalators has a quite big gay section located next to the computer books)
• Park's Books in Nathan Road, Jordan

Click here for Hong Kong discos.

Click here for Hong Kong karaoke

Click here for Hong Kong massage for men.

• Beaches
  • Gold Coast Beach--Castle Peak Road, Tuen Mun, NT. Clean sandy beach, lovely environment, Local restaurants close by. The Gay area is at the end of the beach, at left hand side as you are looking towards the ocean. Walk left from the car park about 10 minutes. Changing rooms and showers. Busy on weekends.
  • Middle Bay--South Bay Rd. Mainly gay, esp. weekends. Take a bus to Repulse Bay and then a ten minute walk, past the Welcome supermarket, to South Bay. The gay area is in front of the 40-story Ruby Court Bld.
  • The rocks, Middle Bay-- area between Middle Bay and South Bay. Some nude sun-bathing (illegal) and action in the bushes (also illegal). Approach from South Bay Road. Steep path on the right-hand (sea side). Middle Bay is now so well-known that it is dangerous. For safety's sake it is better to make the 1-hour trip to Lantau Island and walk to the rather remote Cheung Sha Beach.
  • South Bay--South Bay Road, Hong Kong. Clean, sandy beach.
  • Cheung Sha Beach--Lantau Island. More remote, and therefore safer than the well-known Middle Bay. There are, in fact, two beaches -- known as Upper and Lower Cheung Sha beaches -- the most exciting cruisey spot is between the two, where there are few outsiders and where police patrols are rare and therefore unlikely to disturb nude sunbathers and gay couples. Evening gets busy.
• Gyms
  • California Fitness (any branch)
• HMV record stores in Causeway Bay, Central and TST
• Lan Kwai Fong entertainment area (day or night)
• Middle Bay, South Bay Rd. (weekends best)
• Pools
  • Kowloon Park Swimming Pool (MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui)
  • Kowloon Tsai Swimming Pool - Kowloon City
  • Morrison Hill Swimming Pool - on the Wanchai/Happy Valley border. Very cruisy in the evening, for dedicated swimmers.
• Shopping Centers
  • Ocean Terminal Shopping Mall (top floors. MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui)
  • Pacific Place Shopping Centre (any level, on weekends, especially Sun. MTR: Admiralty)
  • Times Square Shopping Mall (top floors. MTR: Causeway Bay)
• Starbucks Coffee (any branch, but especially Lan Kwai Fong)

HONG KONG ISLAND -- Central, Lan Kwai Fong
• Bizou (bistro and wine bar)
  49 Elgin St (see map), Soho, 2147-0100,. Indoor, courtyard and patio dining at this perfect location for people watching, right next to the hillside escalator in the heart of Central's gay nightlife area. Its modern design accents the casual and intimate ambience. The menu is packed with seductive appetizers, zesty salads, succulent main courses, and irresistible happy endings. Super selection of fine wines by the glass and cocktails at reasonable prices. Gay and lesbian-friendly. Start your evening off here.
• Café Siam (Thai)
  G/F, 40-42 Lyndhurst Terrace, Hong Kong, 2851-4803. Trendy and popular restaurant not far from the gay bars. Many gays on Fri and Sat nights.

  Dragon-i (Asian and International) UG/F The Centrium, 60 Wyndham St (See map), Central, 3110-1222, email. Trendy bar and restaurant with sexy Asian styling. Just minutes walk from the action in Lan Kwai Fong. Indoor and outdoor seating. Chinese and Japanese flavors with a modern spin.

• Post 97 (international)
  B/F, 9-11 Lan Kwai Fong, Central, 2186-1816. Round-the-clock gay-friendly eatery with handsome staff. Popular for breakfast on Sun morning for those who have danced-til-dawn the night before.
• Tsui Wah (Chinese)
  G-2/F, 15-19 Wellington St, Central, 2525-6338. On any given Fri or Sat night after midnight, this Chinese fast food place (fried rice, fried noodles) is about 70% gay. When the clock hits 2am, the percentage rises up to 90%. Coming to Tsui Wah has become something of a ritual for late night partiers. Fish ball noodles are the signature dish here, and they also have simple sandwiches (i.e. two slices of white bread with luncheon meat and egg), steak, and acquired tastes such as stir-fried spaghetti!
• Yuen Kei (Cantonese)
  G/F, 32-40 Wellington St, Central, 2522-1624. Large, bustling local eatery popular with groups of gays because of its inexpensive food and location close to the bars.

Click here for Hong Kong saunas for men.