Apparently, the Chinese government has decided to let Hong Kong pretty much run itself as it always has. Travel to and from Hong Kong and the rest of China is restricted, though, to keep millions of Chinese from flooding into the freedom and wealth of Hong Kong. Business is flourishing here, and cautious optimism seems to be the philosophy of the residents of Hong Kong. Many of the Hong Kong expatriates who left for Canada, Australia and Britain in the years leading up to the changeover are even returning home now, more confident that they will be allowed to continue to live their lives pretty much as they always have. But the British influence on Hong Kong is still evident.
Many streets have English names, and most signs are both in English and Cantonese.
English is also commonly spoken, and English-speaking foreigners have little difficulty in navigating around the city. As I mentioned earlier, I was a little disappointed in my experience in Hong Kong, simply because it's so westernized and so commercial, even more so than Japan. A lot of students compared the ambiance of Hong Kong to New York, being very cosmopolitan and with a lot of places to shop. There really aren't a lot of cultural or historic places to visit in Hong Kong, but given that this is the economic hub of Asia, I guess that's to be expected. In fact, my most interesting cultural experience at this stop was when I left the city on the ferry to go visit Lantau island.