Happy Valley Racecourse

Happy Valley Racecourse has operated since 1846, making it Hong Kong's oldest race track, set in a valley basin between skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island. British colonials laid the course on the only flat patch of land on the island's north shore; before that the area was a swamp where many soldiers died of malaria. Wednesday-night floodlit racing is a Hong Kong ritual: office workers, tourists and old regulars mingle over beer while eight races run against the skyline. The Hong Kong Jockey Club, which operates the track, is one of the city's largest taxpayers and funds hospitals and universities. Entry is HK$10. The grandstand holds 55,000 spectators.