voice-over: this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. it's incredible to think that this thriving metropolis was once a sleepy little fishing village. it became an international port, a crucial meeting point between east and west, a fusion of cultures and a global financial centre. hong kong is always evolving. it's often at the sharp end of political debate, and right now, it's in a fascinating time of transition. this former british colony was handed back to china in 1997, and ever since then, its connection with the past, the mainland and its future has been evolving.

the transition hasn't always been smooth, but hong kong retains its own currency and identity. it's one of the most densely packed cities on the planet, it's got more skyscrapers than anywhere else on earth and it's a fusion of cantonese culture with a colonial past. sojoin me as i explore this unique mix of east and west where. .. ..i put my dumpling making skills to the test... she laughs 0k, well, not bad. yeah! ..learn more about the visual identity of the city... ..and meet the conservationist putting hong kong back in touch with its rural roots. came out of nowhere and they kind of sound like ducks. who knew?

horn blares now, this is the way to arrive into hong kong. i'm on the star ferry, which goes from kowloon all the way into the heart of hong kong island. and it costs about four hong kong dollars, which is about 50 us cents, so i think it's fair to say this is probably one of the best value cruises in the world. you'll find hong kong off the southern coast of mainland china, and it's made up

of around 250 other islands. here on the main island, space is tight and driving can be tough, so around 90% ofjourneys here are made using public transport. and one of the most iconic ways of getting around are these, the famous hong kong trams, that were first introduced by the british back in the early 1900s. i'm on my way to meet a driver, also known as a motorman, who's going to tell me a little bit more about this classic way of getting around hong kong island. hello! 0h, morning. morning. wow, look at this! 0k. woohoo! bing, bing! so how long have you been driving

this tram around hong kong? 18 years. so you're the expert? maybe! every day is learning. what can you tell me about this tram, because it looks pretty old and rickety? so it sounds to me like you're a bit of a hong kong icon. this is a proper, old, rickety tram! look at this. it's made of wood!

i mean, this has got to be one of the best ways to explore hong kong, right? especially from the best seat in the house. the network is the world's largest double—deck tram fleet still in operation, carrying an average of 200,000 passengers every day. and it's notjust for tourists. locals use them daily and affectionately call them ding dings. bell dings these trams are definitely part of the fabric of the city. plus, they're a great place to take some snaps from. local photographer irene flanhardt has taken thousands of pictures of the iconic trams. welcome to hong kong. thank you. i can see you're shooting your favourite subject. yes. what is it about trams that really catches your attention? well, i love trams. i like to capture the

activities in a 24—hour cycle. cleaning, maintenance and repair, safety checks — all these activities are conducted there every day. the trams are such an important part of the landscape here in hong kong. they're really part of the soul of this place. it's very dear to hong kong people. it's like an old friend. so this is the spot? yeah. this is a very good location to shoot. if you're lucky, we may have three trams in one photo. 0h... so the timing is very important. i've only got my iphone, so i'll do my best. yeah. oh, i think i got a bus. and then you get another one, you get three trams. ah. that's the jackpot. 0k. oh, oh, oh! we've got three. you've got it? i think so. very good. thank you! no kidding.

and you'll become a tram fan. do you know what? i'm from melbourne, i'm already a tram fan. yeah. this is a very good photo, really spot—on, and lighting condition is good. you captured it. aw! thank you! this city is just bursting at the seams with enterprise. from the streets to the boardroom, commerce is in the blood here. around 100,000 millionaires call hong kong home. and down on the streets, it feels like there's no backstage. everyone is out doing their thing, making some money and maybe even working two jobs. ashley yu is a local busker who, in true hong kong tradition, has a side hustle running street food tours around the blue collar district of sham shui po.

and as i'm feeling hungry, she's invited me along. why is this place so well known for its food? you can find pretty much all the nostalgic hong kong localfood here, and you can actually find a lot of reasonable priced local restaurants here. uh-huh. and some of them go back way, generations after generations. so, basically, if you want an authentic taste of hong kong, this is a place to come. yeah. she greets woman we are going to my favourite dumpling restaurant. it's owned by a little family. it's very much quite hidden. are you up for a challenge to make some dumplings? if you will, i will. sure. why not? let's go. you spread it out. uh-huh. so it's like a plait. 0h, ifeel like... ifeel like he skipped over the difficult bit there. yeah, i think he did. see, i've now seen the process and i'm feeling quite nervous.

all right. i hope this is not too disastrous. ok, so i do like... like this? 0h, is that more than one? argh! 0ne. is that one? oh, it's two. it's two. two, two. all right, we're off to a great start. 0k, let me do like this and then... yeah! 0k, well, not bad. yeah! not bad, not bad, not bad. for your first go, that's not bad. thank you very much. 0k. i was proud of my efforts, but they've swiftly been redone professionally, so i think that's just for the best. what's special about this place for you? i think it's the quality of the food. mm—hm. it's just... you can't find better dumplings somewhere else, at least not on the hong kong island side. and they keep the price low, which is really rare in hong kong. like, the owner wanted to keep

it as affordable as possible for the community instead of, like, rebranding it into something like a hip dumpling restaurant. hipster dumpling bar. 0ops! very cool. the leek is making me burp. it'll do that. yeah. i don't think... i don't think this is the one i made. they laugh it's too nicely formed. too perfect. yeah. so, yeah, we're heading to my favourite dai pai dong. it's an outdoor restaurant with a kitchen on the street. unfortunately, we only have around two dozen of these restaurants left in town. most of the time, it's because the law makes it very difficult for the licence holder to pass it on to someone else. to pass it down to their kids is a little bit more difficult than you would imagine... 0k. ..so a lot of the time, people just kind of give up, you know, and then slowly, slowly, like, you know, before you know it, everything is gone. so, yeah. like, the one we're going to right now has been operating since 1956. wow! 0k. so, it's been a while.

bruce and his mother run one of the oldest dai pai dongs in hong kong. popo started the business over 60 years ago. her son, though, is worried that changing times may impact the license for the business. do you feel like you have a responsibility to keep this tradition going in hong kong? they want to sit outside to see the chef cooking.

the neon lights of hong kong have been part of the city's visual identity for decades and have inspired artists, photographers and film—makers. i haven't been to hong kong for about 20 years, but my main memory of that time was you would look down a street and just be met with a river of neon glow. but looking around here, i don't see so much of it. cultural conservationist cardin chan has been monitoring the decline in neons for years. you're the expert. tell me, am i imagining things or is there less neon now on the street? you are absolutely right. they are considered illegal or not in compliance. that's why, bit by bit,

they need to go. why are things different? why has this changed? around 2010, buildings department actually implemented, like, a new regulation for all signs, notjust neon signs. it's very sad. it is sad! craftsmen known as neon masters created the signs. but as they've aged, their unique skills are disappearing. led has become a popular and cheaper alternative. so is this neon? i can't even tell. this is not neon. we call these led neon or led strips. so there's no master neon artist doing this? it doesn't need to. it's not glass tube bending. it doesn't take that kind of craft, if you ask me. isn't it strange, though? because if someone had

said to me, "oh, what's "the difference between neon and led?" i would have said, "oh, not much difference." but there's a huge difference here, isn't there? it's warmer. it's... softer... softer. ..more alluring. what is happening to the old neon? please tell me they're not just being thrown away. well, usually, without our involvement as conservationists, traditionally and conventionally, all the tubes would be smashed, basically treated as junk. we want to actually save as many remaining neon signs. they're a part of our lives and they have been in our blood. they are actually in our dna. do you have an emotional connection with these neons? of course. like, sometimes when i got really frustrated, like, when i could not actually save a sign, i cried because i felt like i failed my city. sorry. it is my mission and my commitment to present to the world what our city has to offer.

wow! i didn't think that a little question about, "0h, "hey, there seem to be fewer neons around hong kong," could turn into a really quite heartfelt and interesting story about the cultural heritage of the whole city. i must say, talking to cardin was quite emotional. she cares so much about this, so it feels a bit privileged to actually try and understand it from her point of view. many of the neon signs salvaged by cardin and her team have been painstakingly restored back to their former glory and are now on show at a temporary exhibition. i've come along to look at these icons of hong kong up close.

yes! 0ne special guest here today is tse ching yuen, who is now in his late 80s. the sign hung outside his family bakery for three generations before it was taken down. cardin has arranged for him and his son to come and see the sign all lit up one more time. it might surprise you to learn that around 70% of hong kong is green.

for my final stop, i'm off to lantau, one of hong kong's 250—odd islands. it's almost twice the size of hong kong island and around 40km away. lantau is a distinct contrast to the hectic buzz and skyscrapers of downtown hong kong. it's not unusual to spot a cow wandering the streets of lantau, even though we are so close to the city. hello! hi, christa! hi. how are you? i'm good, how are you? i'm here to meet ho loy, a conservationist who's dedicated her life to taking care of another bovine creature — the water buffalo. we're going to have a long day. are you ready for it? i think so. i'm ready to get my hands dirty, help the buffalo. this is the eco farm i grow. we bring the community here to take class and learn from us what the

ecosystem is about. the hong kong people mostly are urbanisers. they don't quite understand what nature is about. so, we get their hand in touch with soil and plant and get dirty. we need to pack this bag, like, heavily pack. i'll give you 20 minutes. so all of this. all of this? all of this grass? yeah. so what do these animals mean in chinese culture? we have 12 animals, but cow, tiger, chicken, pig are all real animal. they represent a value, a cultural value in our history. so the cow to me is the most important species among all of them. yep, loy is a serious... ..taskmaster. be worth it, though. hi, guys! we're going to start going now. ijust need a bag.

it's time to serve lunch, but where are all the water buffalo? i'm going to call the buffalo now. you're going to call the buffalo? yes. come with me. 0k. stay behind me, don't be in front of me, cos they may come to me. where do they... where do they hide, loy? don't come over, just stay on this side. 0k. there are water buffalo in this little stream here. they hide under the water. well, theyjust stay cool under the water. loy calls out they might not hear loy�*s call, so they might not know that lunch has arrived. hopefully, they hear it today. loy calls out squeaky bellowing

just came out of nowhere and they kind of sound like ducks. who knew? stay behind me. so he is trying to dominate the herd now because he's getting old and is shrinking. but he is denying it. oh! so they're having a dialogue. it is just incredible to see this. we just watch this sort of natural process happen and i can still hear the road just over there. it's so close to the city, it's so close to civilisation. and yet you can come out here and witness something like that. it's incredible. so, originally, we were hoping this would be ideal for breeding herd in lantau,

but we lost this breeding ability now, so they are just taking their time to slowly die out, which is a shame.

what a way to end my trip to hong kong, with this cable car ride over these incredible hills, just hundreds of feet above the green. it's been a really eye—opening trip, and i've seen different sides to the city and met some incredible people. what struck me was their passion for preserving the best bits of hong kong while still keeping an eye on the future. and i suppose that's fitting in a place like hong kong, which is always changing.

hello there. it was a stunning end to the day that we had across north—east england with some amazing sunsets reported pretty widely caused byjust a few gaps in the cloud opening up at the right time to allow those setting sun rays through. now, it was across eastern england and parts of eastern scotland that we had the day's lowest temperatures — just six degrees in fylingdales. here, though, it is set to get a lot milder into the weekend — temperaturesjumping up to about 11 degrees. it's mild because it's cloudy, and that cloud sheet is with us

for the next few hours. some damp weather moving across scotland, where it's quite breezy. a few patches of drizzle around western coasts and hills and there may well be one or two mist and fog patches but certainly no frost around. it's going to be a mild start to saturday. this weekend, though, does see a weather front that gets stuck across the northwest of scotland and this will bring some very large rainfall accumulations. with the rain building up, then, through the weekend, the met office have issued an amber warning for this. potentially as much as 200mm of rain across the high ground in the highlands — enough to cause flooding concerns and maybe one or two landslips as well. the weekend, though, also dominated by these mild southwesterly winds, so temperatures will be reaching double figures widely. saturday, then. rain across the far northwest of scotland. a bit of damp weather to start the day in the west with a few patches of drizzle, a bit of mist and fog around. otherwise cloudy. but the chance of a few breaks developing, given there's more a bit more wind over the welsh mountains and the pennines, so to the east of the high ground here and across the midlands, you might actually start to see some breaks in the crowd

and a bit of sunshine. otherwise, probably staying cloudy for most of the day. and it's a similar story, really, on sunday. a bit more in the way of rain, more extensively across scotland, north west england, some some damp weather for northern ireland, too. but at the same time, a better prospect of seeing some cloud breaks move up from north france. you could see a bit of sunshine across the south of england and southern parts of wales for the second part of the weekend. monday continues with that mild flow of air. one or two weather fronts around, bringing some areas of rain, mainly across western areas. the east having the best chance of a few breaks, a few bright or sunny spells. with temperatures up at 13 or 1a degrees, it is going to be a very mild day for december. beyond that, though, the weather does turn colder and it may well be cold enough for some of these showers to start to turn wintry towards the end of the week or perhaps the following weekend.

live from london, this is bbc news. qatari television network aljazeera say their camerman has been killed in southern gaza by an israeli strike. hundreds of people gather in tel aviv on friday, calling for the israeli government to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by hamas. the medical examiner in los angeles has ruled the death of the actor matthew perry was an accident from the acute effects of ketamine. the missing british boy who was found after six years is expected to travel back to the uk over the weekend. hello. i'm catherine byaruhanga.