After 150-plus years of British occupation finally ended in July 1997, Hong Kong these days is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China.
This means China takes care of defence and foreign affairs, while Hong Kong's own modern-capitalist government looks after everything else, including the monetary system.
In terms of job opportunities for young finance, accounting and business professionals, Hong Kong has the greatest concentration of corporate headquarters in the Asia - Pacific region.
Between June 2003 and June 2007 the number of foreign companies with regional headquarters in Hong Kong grew from 966 to 1246.
Likewise, the number with regional offices in Hong Kong grew from 2241 to 2644.
Even the magnificent panoramic view from Victoria Peak, looking over the entire metropolis, would tell you this. Building upon building stretches across the horizon.
Multinationals are especially attracted to the region because of its 'hands-off' policy in regards to the financial system.
This is also the main reason why Hong Kong has been ranked number one on the worldwide Index of Economic Freedom for the past 14 years.
It also has low taxes and, of course, unrivalled trading links and access to the mainland.
To be able to take advantage of one of the multitude of employment opportunities in Hong Kong, if youre younger than 30 and you're an Australian or New Zealander, or Irish, you can apply for the working holiday scheme.
This gives you the chance to live and work in Hong Kong for one year. The annual quota is 1000 for Australia, 100 for Ireland and 200 for New Zealand.
You could also apply for the quality migrant admission scheme, which operates on a points system and is also quota-based.
Applicants are required to fulfil a set of prerequisites before they can be awarded points under one of two tests, and then compete with other applicants for quota allocation.
