The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( href="http://articles.gourt.com/en/Pronunciation of Hong Kong">pronunciation) is one of the two special administrative regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being Macau. It is commonly known as Hong Kong (), which is often written Hongkong in older English-language texts. The Hong Kong Government officially changed the spelling of Hongkong to Hong Kong on 3 September 1926 Hongkong Government Gazette, Notification 479, 3 September 1926.

Hong Kong is on the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta on the southeastern coast of China, facing the South China Sea in the south, and bordering Guangdong Province in the north. It has one of the world's most liberal economies and is a major international centre of finance and trade.

Hong Kong was a British colony from 1842, until its sovereignty was transferred to the PRC in 1997. As a special administrative region, Hong Kong is guaranteed by the Basic Law to have a relatively high degree of autonomy until at least 2047, fifty years after the transfer of sovereignty. Under the "One Country, Two Systems" policy, it retains its own legal system, currency, customs policy, cultural delegation, international sport teams, and immigration laws.

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NPR Topics: Visual Arts

At Beijing Olympics, Photographers Shine
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:31:00 -0400
Olympic photographers rely on talent, technology and strategic positioning to capture images that become signature moments of the games. Making those pictures happen in a fast-moving track event is a special challenge.
Waterboarding At Coney Island: The Thrill That Chills
Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:01:00 -0400
It might not be surprising that waterboarding, the controversial interrogation technique that simulates drowning, would become the subject of satire. But it was shocking to many when artist Steve Powers created an attraction called the Waterboard Thrill Ride.
Finding Beijing's Not-So-Hidden Art Treasure
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0400
A few years ago a handful of renegade artists staked their claim just outside Beijing, away from the eye of the authorities. Now 798, as the area is called, is a bustling arts zone supported by the Chinese government.
A Cross-Country Road Trip Back In Time
Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:54:00 -0400
In the summer of 1973, photographer Stephen Shore set out on a quintessential American adventure. Now, 35 years later, his journey has become the focus of a book titled A Road Trip Journal. It reflects an America when gas was about 43 cents a gallon.
Experts Uncover A Painting Van Gogh Covered Up
Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:07:00 -0400
A work by Vincent Van Gogh was recently uncovered at a museum in the Netherlands. But it wasn't lost in some dusty corridor, it was hidden under the paint of another Van Gogh. Scientists found it by using a giant X-ray machine.
For Artists, Craigslist Is Both Medium And Message
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:51:00 -0400
Los Angeles-based collaborators went to the online bulletin board for inspiration — then took to the streets to ask Angelenos what Craigslist has done for them.

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