If you've watched a lot of Hong Kong films but haven't visited the territory, you may be disappointed to find that there aren't gangs of nunchuck-wielding triads on every corner. Or cops bouncing up walls. Or goalies in yellow tracksuits flying 50ft up into the air to save goals.
But it is an undeniably filmic experience. Jump in a cab on the streets of Mong Kok, squint a bit and you could be in one of Wong Kar-wai's blurry arthouse puzzles. Hop on the open-top 15C bus as it bombs down the narrow, winding road from the Peak to Central and it's easy to imagine you're in one of Jackie Chan's inventive chases. Take the Star Ferry to Kowloon and relive the romance of The World of Suzie Wong. The whole town looks like a film set, and most of it probably has been. It's such a small place that you'll easily find yourself walking around streets that have been captured at some stage by the frantic Hong Kong film industry, or a foreign crew searching for a touch of east-meets-west neon glamour.
The only problem with looking for film landmarks in Hong Kong is that many of them just aren't there any more. The airport that Bruce Lee flies into at the start of Enter the Dragon? Demolished. Bottoms Up, the Kowloon dive bar that James Bond frequents in The Man With the Golden Gun? Relocated to Wan Chai after being forced out by rent increases. However, you can retrace Bond's steps as he walks into the Peninsula Hotel, still one of the classiest joints in town.
Another classic landmark – Jardine House (or the "building of a thousand arseholes" as it's occasionally referred to in Cantonese) – was once Hong Kong's tallest. As with so many buildings that "only" hit the 50-storey mark, it's now dwarfed by its colossal neighbour, the International Finance Centre (IFC). The building plays home to Pierce Brosnan in the TV mini-series based on James Clavell's blockbuster Noble House, and even today it remains one of the most easily identifiable pieces of Central's architectural jigsaw.
Take a lift to one of the many rooftop bars around Central – or head to the Aqua restaurant (aqua.com.hk) on Kowloon side to stare back at the island. Time it right, and you can catch the nightly Symphony of Lights – an eco-defying light show staged nightly at 8pm, in which the skyscrapers on the island all start flashing in time.
If you're after a more low-key side of Hong Kong, the notorious Chungking Mansions is just round the corner from Aqua. Resist the chance to buy a fake Rolex or stock up on electronics (you'll find better deals in Mong Kok or Causeway Bay), but don't miss the small cheap curry houses up on the higher floors.
Another stop on the Hong Kong film tour is the Wing On Plaza in Tsim Tsa Tsui – one of the many places where Jackie Chan has nearly killed himself. For the finale of Police Story he jumped down a pole covered with lightbulbs in this shopping centre's atrium. Probably best to avoid having a go at this, but if you're looking for a more interactive HK film experience to recreate, many of Hong Kong's restaurants deliver the super-fast food intensity of Stephen Chow's 1996 kung fu chef comedy The God of Cookery. If you want to try some of the street eats he rustles up, head to the dai pai dongs (open-air food stalls) of the Temple Street night market in Jordan, where you can chow down on beef balls, octopus sticks and pig intestines. The Jumbo floating restaurant in Aberdeen harbour, where Chow has his final cook-off, also pops up in cop thriller Infernal Affairs 2, while the harbour itself is one of the few places from Enter the Dragon that's still easy to track down today.
And for those who want to discover their inner Bruce Lee, the Shaolin Wushu Center (shaolincc.org.hk) combines the practical and spiritual sides of martial arts and Shaolin culture, as well as offering a peaceful retreat on beautiful Lantau Island, a short ferry ride and a world away from downtown Hong Kong.
If you want to go one better and actually appear in a movie, local film-makers are always on the look out for western extras to act as kung fu fodder for the Chinese heroes. This is a great way to see how the industry works, and see yourself get beaten up or shot by the next Jackie Chan. Ask around in the hostels in Chungking Mansions for work; it's easy to find.
