In its multi-faceted role as a repository of traditional Chinese culture, the last jewel in the crown of the British Empire and one of the key economies of the Pacific Rim, HONG KONG is East Asia's most extraordinary city. The territory's per capita GNP, for example, has doubled in a decade, overtaking that of the former imperial power. The population of almost seven million is generally sophisticated and well informed compared to their mainland cousins. The territory is currently the largest trading partner and largest source of foreign investment for the People's Republic of China, a country of 1.2 billion people. And the view of sky-scrapered Hong Kong Island, across the harbour from Kowloon, is one of the most stunning urban panoramas on earth.