‘Free overnight’ in Hong Kong: video of mainland woman’s 6-hour budget ‘street-sleeping’ odyssey in city goes viral as she plans sequel
- Midnight to 6am sojourn surveys sights and sounds of life after dark across the city’s Hong Kong Island
- From a midnight movie theatre with vibrating seats to sunrise over the iconic Victoria Harbour, blogger just cannot get enough of city
A mainland Chinese woman who shared a video of her six-hour overnight “street-sleeping” journey in Hong Kong has gone viral on social media.
The woman, who uses the online alias “Primary School Chicken Explores HK”, is from Shenzhen in the southern province of Guangdong which borders the city. “Primary school chicken” is a Cantonese slang term that means “amateur” in English.
She mainly posts videos of her experiences in Hong Kong on the mainland social media platform Xiaohongshu and has almost 10,000 followers.
Her latest post to teach people how to stay in Hong Kong overnight for free by not checking into a hotel has amassed more than 14,000 likes over a short period.
The latest video takes viewers across Hong Kong Island with shots from the streets of districts like Mong Kok, Causeway Bay, Kennedy Town and Central.
Her overnight sojourn began at midnight by watching a movie in Mong Kok.
The HK$105 (US$13) ticket got the woman a vibrating seat. “When the sound effects hit hard, those seats shake, making you feel like you’re right there in the movie,” she said at the end of the two-hour film.
Then it was a selection of taxis and buses to Causeway Bay and Kennedy Town, where she explored a 24-hour supermarket, a local restaurant recommended by Hong Kong singer Eason Chan and a McDonald’s fast-food outlet.
Much to her surprise, the buses and restaurants were still buzzing at 3am and there were people on the streets who had just finished their work at 5am.
“It feels like Hong Kong people don’t need to sleep. Regardless of the time or location, there are always bright lights and people bustling around,” she said.
As dawn approached, she continued her adventure by watching the sunrise over the city’s iconic harbour.
“The view is stunning. People who live here are so lucky. They can wake up every day, open their windows, and have a view of the beautiful sea right away,” she said.
By 6am the full itinerary was completed.
A quick calculation found that the six-hour odyssey had cost a total of HK$416.
“This is almost equivalent to what I would have paid for overnight accommodation. I haven’t saved one penny,” she said, admitting her failure to stay in the city overnight for free.
However, she believes the experience was well worth it, adding that the overnight odyssey ended at 6am, which only left time to start planning a video sequel.
The video has resonated with many city dwellers on social media.
One commented: “The residents here are incredibly stressed out from finishing work so late at night.”
“Your video is truly enjoyable. The lives of ordinary people here are fast-paced, everyone is busy and hardly has time to appreciate the scenery,” added another.
A third person said: “Hong Kong people often say that we don’t wander around late at night, thank you for reminding me that the city is beautiful at any time.”
Another chimed in with an idea for her sequel: “You can spend the whole six hours clubbing in Lan Kwai Fong.”
Travelling in Hong Kong on a limited budget has become a trending topic among mainland bloggers.
Two months ago, a mainland Chinese man shared his experiences as “a homeless person” in the city, charting his stay in a 24-hour McDonald’s restaurant and showering in a gym.
