That first rush by way of Hong Kong seems like a recreation however it may well flip into a personal reckoning the second the skyline stops being a backdrop.
The Apprentice has put Hong Kong on the centre of a brand new world pattern (Picture: Uncover Hong Kong/Cowl Media)
The Apprentice has wrapped up one other collection with Lord Sugar selecting magnificence entrepreneur Karishma Vijay as his newest enterprise accomplice.
Whereas she will get to work on plans for a £250,000 funding, one other standout star of the collection can be very a lot open for enterprise.
We use your sign-up to offer content material in methods you’ve got consented to and to enhance our understanding of you. This may occasionally embrace adverts from us and third events primarily based on our understanding. You may unsubscribe at any time. Learn our Privateness Coverage
The dazzling metropolis of Hong Kong starred within the first episode of the landmark twentieth collection, when these hoping to impress flitted between glimmering high-rises in the hunt for uncommon objects.
The Apprentice has even put Hong Kong on the centre of a brand new world pattern, “set-jetting”, whereby followers of standard TV programmes make a beeline for places featured of their favorite present. It additionally marked the primary time Lord Sugar had travelled overseas to participate in an episode within the present’s 20-year historical past.
With its luxurious skyscrapers, historic temples, and intriguing seaside cities, it’s simple to see why Hong Kong was chosen as a formidable backdrop for this 12 months’s opener.
As ever, some candidates fared higher there than others – although their travails meant followers received to see new sides of one of many world’s nice world hubs.
Amid the hectic rush to acquire all of the objects requested by Lord Sugar, viewers could have missed a number of the spots featured within the episode. So right here’s a useful information to the standouts for any potential set-jetters.
The Henderson – a boardroom with a view at Cloud 39
For the primary time within the present’s historical past, the well-known boardroom left its London base, relocating to The Henderson.
After their process, candidates confronted judgment in Cloud 39, excessive above the town’s business coronary heart. The constructing, just lately named World’s Finest Property on the Worldwide Property Awards, affords sweeping views throughout Hong Kong’s greatest skyline from the thirty ninth ground.
The tower itself, designed by Zaha Hadid, is impressed by the bauhinia flower – the town’s emblem – with flowing, sculptural traces that make it some of the distinctive additions to the skyline. One ground beneath the glass-walled boardroom is Peridot, the place mixologist François Cavelier serves terroir-inspired cocktails greatest loved towards the glow of the town at evening, in a lush inexperienced inside with round 20,000 gentle bulbs. A recent menu, together with creative plant-based dishes, can be loved till late.
West Kowloon Cultural District and Palace Museum
West Kowloon Cultural District, in any other case often called WestK, gives the backdrop for the candidates first mad sprint to seek out Lord Sugar’s assorted objects, starting from erhus to shrimp paste.
Spanning 40 hectares with 17 venues, WestK is a hub for visible arts, performing arts, and academic experiences, anchored by the spectacular Hong Kong Palace Museum.
The Museum presents over 900 priceless treasures from the Palace Museum in Beijing, many by no means beforehand proven to the general public, alongside world-class rotating exhibitions. The waterfront Artwork Park affords an extended harbour promenade perfect for sundown views. From Central, hop the MTR’s Tung Chung Line to Kowloon Station to get there in underneath ten minutes.
The Large Buddha, Lantau Island – serenity meets suspense
The Tian Tan Buddha – higher often called the Large Buddha – sits on Lantau Island, and for the locals it’s a place of meditation and contemplation, set amid the cooler mountain air of Ngong Ping. The realm has been a centre of Buddhist life because the early twentieth Century, with the close by Po Lin Monastery attracting guests in the hunt for peace and tranquillity.
The Large Buddha, serving as a wide ranging backdrop, turned the end line for this 12 months’s opening process, with each girls and boys groups racing towards time to make their deadline.
For these in much less of a panic, one of the best ways to reach is by way of the Ngong Ping 360, a cable automotive providing panoramic views.
Stanley – custom meets the tide
In Stanley, the boys’ crew tracked down a dragon boat head whereas mapping out their negotiating ways alongside the city’s essential seaside.
Stanley is a laidback coastal spot, well-known for its dragon boat racing tradition – a practice that dates again hundreds of years. Crews of as much as 20 paddlers race lengthy, ornately adorned boats to the beat of a drum, combining sport with centuries-old ritual.
Stanley hosts one in every of Hong Kong’s most well-known dragon boat festivals, with native and worldwide groups competing annually.
To get to Stanley from Hong Kong (Central), guests can take bus 6, 6X, or 260 from the Change Sq. Bus Terminus (close to MTR Central Station/Hong Kong Station).
Aberdeen – a harbour of heritage
In Hong Kong, Aberdeen is a bustling fishing harbour, the place life revolves across the water. Seafood eating places serve freshly caught produce, whereas one in every of Hong Kong’s final floating village traces the waterfront – with residents dwelling aboard conventional junks.
Throughout the process, the ladies’ crew explored its busy market, a favorite with guests searching for native specialities akin to steamed razor clams.
To get to Aberdeen from Central Hong Kong, taking a bus is probably the most direct possibility, with routes 70 from Change Sq. or 7 from the Central Ferry Piers taking roughly 20-Half-hour.
Are you able to observe of their footsteps?
Hong Kong’s mix of cutting-edge structure, cultural landmarks, and timeless waterfront scenes made for an unforgettable episode of The Apprentice. Although the town proved a formidable problem for a lot of candidates – prompting one in every of Lord Sugar’s basic boardroom reprimands – travellers can now discover these websites at their very own tempo. Better of all, you received’t must reply to Lord Sugar afterwards.
Relive the joy and begin planning your Hong Kong journey.
The Apprentice is obtainable to observe now on BBC iPlayer.
Leave a Reply