奖学金申请书英文格式（汇编20篇）

候老师是我的英语老师，她28岁，我们都很喜欢她。我的英语一开始真的很不好，我怕上候老师的课，当她发现了，她并没有责备我，她告诉我唯一能学好英语的方法就是喜欢上英语，她叫我去看英语电影，这起作用了。候老师是我最喜欢的老师。

If ask me who my favorite teacher is, I will no doubt answer you that Miss Hou is my favorite teacher. She is an English teacher, she is kind to everyone, she is not like other teachers who are so strict to students. As Miss Hou is so popular among students, students learn English with high enthusiasm, that is what they return to her. Miss Hou is a good teacher.

如果你问我我最喜欢的老师是谁，我会毫无疑问回答你候老师是我最喜欢的老师。她是一位英语老师，对每个人都很好，她不想其他的老师那样对学生很严格。候老师很受学生的欢迎，学生怀着很高的热情学习英语，这是他们所能回报她的。候老师是一位好老师。

I remember the first time I see Miss Hou, she walks in class, and then talks with students about small things. She doesn’t talk about English in the first class, everyone feels Miss Hou is so amiable, we like her so much. Miss Hou is good at teaching us, she explain the question very patiently, when we understand, she will be move to the next topic, Miss Hou is a good teacher.

我记得我第一次见到候老师，她走进教室，然后和学生讨论一些小事情。她在第一次课上并不讲英语，大家都觉得候老师很和蔼，我们很喜欢她。候老师很擅长教我们，她很耐心地解释问题，当我们明白了，她才会讲下一个题目，候老师是一名好老师。

A folk culture is a small isolated， cohesive， conservative， nearly self-sufficient group that is homogeneous in custom and race with a strong family or clan structure and highly developed rituals. Order is maintained through sanctions based in the religion or family and interpersonal. Relationships are strong. Tradition is paramount， and change comes infrequently and slowly. There is relatively little division of labor into specialized duties. Rather， each person is expected to perform a great variety of tasks， though duties may differ between the sexes. Most goods are handmade and subsistence economy prevails. Individualism is weakly developed in folk cultures as are social classes. Unaltered folk cultures no longer exist in industrialized countries such as the United States and Canada. Perhaps the nearest modern equivalent in Anglo America is the Amish， a German American farming sect that largely renounces the products and labor saving devices of the industrial age. In Amish areas， horse drawn buggies still serve as a local transportation device and the faithful are not permitted to own automobiles. The Amish＇s central religious concept of Demut "humility"， clearly reflects the weakness of individualism and social class so typical of folk cultures and there is a corresponding strength of Amish group identity. Rarely do the Amish marry outside their sect. The religion， a variety of the Mennonite faith， provides the principal mechanism for maintaining order.

By contrast a popular culture is a large heterogeneous group often highly individualistic and a pronounced many specialized professions. Secular institutions of control such as the police and army take the place of religion and family in maintaining order， and a money-based economy prevails. Because of these contrasts， "popular" may be viewed as clearly different from "folk". The popular is replacing the folk in industrialized countries and in many developing nations. Folk-made objects give way to their popular equivalent， usually because the popular item is more quickly or cheaply produced， is easier or time saving to use or leads more prestige to the owner.

今年的父亲节，我终于深深地感觉到了不在爸妈身边，我会有多么想念他们，感觉就像过了好几年那么长，估计是我太想他们了吧。你们想我了没有啊?

转眼间，我就长大了，时间真是好快啊。也正是因为这样，有时候我就会想起小时候的事。

This years fathers day, I finally feel that Im not around my parents,

how much I miss them. Its like several years. I guess I miss them too much. Do

you miss me? In a flash, I grow up. Time is really fast. Because of this,

sometimes I think of my childhood.

还记得小时候你骑着自行车带着我在快车道上飞奔，只为了怕我上学迟到，追我要坐的公车;还记得我忘了带作业，你怕老师训我，不管多忙，天气多不好，你都会来学校给我送;还记得，小学的时候，老师说你是模范家长;还记得我生病肚子疼，大半夜哭着叫你帮我揉肚子，你也会困得睡着，但马上又会清醒继续帮我揉，就这样一直到天亮;还记得小时候，每次洗澡我躺在浴盆里，你都会帮我搓澡;还记得，我的脏衣服满地乱扔的时候，你会默默地把地上的衣服捡走，帮我洗干净;还记得小时候你为了送我去学琴，大冬天骑着摩托车，把腿都吹坏了，现在还经常会疼;还记得你为了工作，经常东奔西跑，忙得头发都变白了;还记得你每天早上都最早起来为我和妈妈买饭，让我和妈妈醒来总会看到桌子上摆着各式各样的早餐;还记得在我为了上学难过的时候你总会说：“没事儿，还有爸爸呢!”

I still remember when I was a child, you took me on a bicycle and galloped

in the fast lane just for fear that I would be late for school to catch the bus

I wanted to take; you also remembered that I forgot to take my homework, you

were afraid that the teacher would scold me, no matter how busy or how bad the

weather was, you would come to the school to send it to me; you also remembered

that in primary school, the teacher said you were a model parent; Remember that

when I was sick and had stomachache, I cried to ask you to knead my belly for me

in the middle of the night, and you would be sleepy to sleep, but you would

immediately wake up and continue to knead for me until dawn; remember that when

I was a child, every time I was lying in the bathtub, you would help me to rub

the bath; remember that when my dirty clothes were thrown around, you would

silently pick up the clothes on the ground and clean them for me; I still

remember when you were a kid, you blew my legs in order to send me to learn the

piano, and you often hurt in the winter when riding a motorcycle. I still

remember that you often ran around for work, and your hair turned white. I still

remember that you got up at the earliest time every morning to buy food for my

mother and me, so that my mother and I would wake up and see all kinds of

breakfast on the table; I remember when I was sad for school, you always said,

"its OK, and Dad!"

Saving Water

As we know， water is so important to man. Theamount of water which is

suitable to drink is less and less. But somepeople don’t care about it. They

waste a lot of water in their dailylife. Even worse， they pour dirty water and

throw rubbish into rivers.Many rivers and lakes are seriously polluted.

Something must be doneto stop the pollution(to deal with the problem). And

I think it’s agreat shame to waste while millions are in great need of

water.Wehave to save every drop of water. For example， turn off the tap

afterusing it and use a basin to wash as well. It’s also a good idea to

encouragemy friends and family members to join me! Only in this way can we

livehappily. If not， the last drop of water will be the tear.

I believe if everyone dose like this， we can make agreat difference.

The main importance of goal setting is that it provides us with direction and purpose. When we have goals, we know what we want to achieve so that we can focus our mindson a single worthwhile target and avoid getting distracted easily. Personal goal setting also provides us with motivation to achieve what we want to achieve.

Goal setting is of especial significance for today’s students. A study reveals that when students set goals, they learn the importance of taking responsibility, of minimizing excuses and of helping others. Goal setting is a lifelong skill that first helps students succeed in school and then later in life.

A suichu fireworks, energy-saving - signature

With the sound of familiar firecrackers in the ear, the taste of the year became thicker and thicker. The eyes see, the ears hear, the nose smells full of jubilation.

Spring Festival comes, we are very happy, all families have attached to the couplet, and the word "Fu", "Fu Fu" is the meaning of "blessing". With regard to the origin of "Spring Festival", there is a kind of legend that there was a kind of beast called "year" in ancient times of China. "Year", head long antennae, ferocious abnormality. Long years of deep seabed, each to a specific day (which is now the new years Eve) to climb the shore, devouring livestock harm human life. Therefore, every new years Eve, people help the aged and the young stockaded village fled to the mountains, to avoid "year" damage. One year on New Years Eve, the old man begged from the village. The villagers rush to a scene of panic, no one cares about him, only village as an old woman gave the old man some food, and urged him to speed up the mountain to avoid "year", the old man pulled up to the mustache smiled: "if her mother let me stay at home one night, I have to years away." The old woman continued to persuade the old man to laugh without saying.

So there must be fireworks in the Spring Festival

The fireworks in the sky diversiform dressed in brightly coloured, "fireworks into the sky", "bang" sound exploded, the sky suddenly become colorful, the faint powder is like colorful flower blooming. But the drama is not long. The fireworks are fading slowly from the sky until they disappear. Over there, a shock silver light caught my attention, and it sprayed and sprayed up. Falling back then jumped out of the silver, like pearls falling from the sky to tens of thousands of people, very beautiful feeling; snapping, snapping, the deafening sound of firecrackers is certain! The noisy sound is enough to add a lot of joy to the 2013.

There is a warm fire, burning, and intensified, the orange flames rolling up and down, as if calling what, like dancing in joy. People, things, China, the Spring Festival is becoming more and more intense, bringing 2013 new weather!

The Spring Festival rich in the rich years, the rich people.

Dear Mary,

I am sorry to trouble you, but nobody would come into my mind to help me

except you.

You know, I had planned this holiday for several years. A t last, my dream

came true. You could imagine how excited I was. My mind was completely occupied

with the holiday. I forgot to collect my laundry. I dont know if you can help

me collect my laundry. I sent the laundry to the Johns. It is the one down the

corner on St. Peters Street. You cant miss it, because the house is painted

green-a big green house. I have got two pairs of trousers, three shirts, one

T-shirt and a blanket. Call a taxi to send you home. I will pay you back when I

am home.

My first stop is London. It is raining. The streets are very clean. How I

wish I could have the chance to see the famous London fog. But someone told me

that was already the history. One can only read things like that about London in

books.

My best wishes to you.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Chen

关于成功的英语作文1：

Different people have different views on success.Some hold that making a great deal of money means success.Others argue that holding an important post in the government means success.Still others believe that having a high academic title at a famous university or a research institute means success. In my opinion,success means brilliant achievement in our work.In other words,no matter what we do,making outstanding contributions to the development of our country and bringing help and happiness to others is success. To achieve success,we should,first of all,have a clear long-term goal in our life.Besides,we should have short term goals in different periods of life.As we know,it is these short term goals that make our long-term goal possible.Second,we should be both perseverant and hardworking.Whatever we do,there are always two possibilities:success and failure.We should never lose heart when we come across difficulties or when we are confronted with failure.Instead,we should learn from our experience,build up our confidence and work even harder and smarter towards our purpose.Third,we should follow the examples of those who are successful and learn from them.Finally,we should try to get along well with our classmates and colleagues.We should care for each other and help each other in our study,our work and our life,because team work is of great importance in the realization of our dream. If we can follow these principles,we will certainly achieve remarkable success in our life. 关于成功的英语作文2：

Every body wants to succeed. But when it comes to the question that which factor leads to success, opportunity or hard-work, different people will offer different answers. Some people think that opportunity is the first factor leading to success. They hold the idea, as a proverb saying, “Man proposes, god disposes”. Because almost all successful people have good luck and have caught their valuable opportunities, they believe that opportunity is a leading conndition of the success. If seizes and makes the best use of opportunity available, one can succeed surely. In summary, to them, chances and lucks play the most important role on the road to success. However, others maintain that “no pains, no gains” .Without exerting oneself, one could never expect to achieve success in no matter what one is doing. As is known to all, there is no royal road to the summit of success. One is likely to succeed only when one has worked with whole-hearted devotion and perseverance. Those who are lazy, sloppy and indifferent to their work, those who never concentrate on work will definitely end in failure. On the whole, as far as they are concerned, hard-working is the decisive factor to success. In my view, both hard work and opportunity eventually matters. They are inseparable from each other, and put together, they make a great success. Hard work is to luck what fish is to water, and can be seen as an interior precondition of success. It lays the corner-stone for building a house while luck serves to cement it, to make the building bricks adherent to one another. They are the twins that contribute to success together. They are the factors from within and without respectively. We must work hard, make efforts and get prepared. When opportunities come, meet and make full use of them. Only in this way can we succeed one day.

20XX this summer vacation in the past month,this month i and my parents went to Vancouver to visit my friends.

We lodged at a friendss house.

Arrived in Vancouver on the first day,is already in the afternoon, so good friends mother decided to let our two people together to do a dinner .His mother cook the pizza. Hanburger, my mother and i do . In addition, the father is responsible for to buy drinks.

My brother and sister are in charge of eating.

After dinner, i and my friends and his younger brother ang sister to the courtyard behind the big swimming pool, especially fun.

Well, Im waiting for my second days diary.

I have a happy family. There are my father, my mother, my brother and I.

My father works a long way from home. And my mother is a housewife. My brother is a student who studies in the school.

In a word, my family is full of happiness.

Christmas arouses increasing attention year by year in China. Christmas cards become popular with students. People hold Christmas parties and exchange Christmas girts. A lot or TV and radio programs about Christmas are on. Meanwhile the Spring Festival is less appealing （有吸引力的）to youngsters. Thus some people wonder whether Christmas will replace the Spring Festival.

This worry is fairly unnecessary. Why ？One reason lies that Christmas only affects Christians，college students and joint-venture （合资企业）workers. Another reason is that Christmas is mostly celebrated in cities. Few people in countryside show extreme interest in this exotic（带有异国情调的）festival. By contrast，the Spring Festival is the most influential traditional festival in every family.

I think，it is natural that with increasing exchanges with the West，a lot of Western holidays have been gradually introduced into China. For us Chinese we should never neglect or even discard our own traditional festivals. For centuries Chinese have observed this traditional holiday to welcome the beginning of a new year. And we will treasure the Spring Festival forever.

wealth and happiness

There is no same opinion among people as to the view of wealth. Some people may think that wealth is the most important and powerful thing in life, while some other people believe that there are many things that cannot be bought with wealth.

As far as I am concerned, I agree with the latter opinion. There’s an old proverb, “Money can cure hunger, but it can’t cure happiness” which simply means wealth can buy us some material things but cannot make us happy and free from sadness or worries. In fact, happiness, true love, friendship, time, health and so on are the most valuable things in the world and can never ever be bought with money. Those who just try their best to make money can’t realize the true meaning of life and will be the slaves for money. They can’t enjoy happiness, for they have lost everything, time relatives, love except money. Then, what can money do? No one will share the happy moment with them.

So, I think, money is not at all powerful while happiness is more important. If we always have happiness, we’ll never give up the belief to life.

[幸福和金钱英文作文

Winter came, and the snow was falling. The trees were so cold that they took off their green coats and put on a white coat. The earth also took off its colorful coat and put on a snow-white coat.

Suddenly, just listen to “ jichajizha ” the sound, I looked out of the window look, the original is the children in the snowman, snowball fights, play happy.

The roadside plum blossom opened, spit out the elegant fragrance, a gust of wind blowing, the petals of a plum blossom, then one fell, like the red butterfly flying down.

Well, the scenery is beautiful in winter!

there are some voices claiming lei feng’s spirit has gone out of style in today’s society。 they reason that in commodity economy people should seek more practical things， such as fame， money and the comfortable life。 to them nothing is more important than those things， which is often regarded as the views of the present generation。

there are some other voices claiming that the spirit of lei feng still has an enormous echo in millions of chinese people。 the great soldier’s story has such a strong influence on people’s ideas， values and ways of life that in every field of society there arise countless “living lei fengs”， who follow the example of lei feng and serve the people heart and soul。

in my opinion， the spirit of lei feng will never be out of date。 instead， it has been brought forward。 today more and more “lei fengs” are coming forth from various circles among whom “xu hu” has already set a good example to the whole nation。 the spirit of lei feng---an unselfish spirit will always encourage us to go forward。

[雷锋精神的英文作文

求职信通常分为几种类型，包括索取公司应聘申请表及详细资料的不带的求职信，附简历的应征求职信，试探性的求职信等等。 那么，英文有哪些呢？

递交求职信的目的是用求职信来吸引阅读者，而不是一种形式或习惯。打开装有求职信的信封，首先看到的就是求职信，它是表现应聘者个性的工具，想象一下，如果对方看到的是连折叠都不齐整的信纸，还有好心情看下去吗？而结构松散的信会让人觉得写信者条理不清晰。语法拼写或标点的错误太多，则会让人觉得此人办事容易出错，对工作不负责任，公司是不会聘用这样的人的。通常一封求职信的阅读时间是30秒，在这30秒内能体现的实际上是你的风格。而每一个公司都喜欢聘用专业作风很强的有能力的员工。

在招聘广告中，常要求有意申请者可致电或致函索取公司的申请表格。索取这类申请表格的求职信一般都比较简短，格式参照范例。 得到申请表格后，仔细填写后一般与简历一起交给公司。申请表格的填写。

附简历的应征求职信具有向招聘者说明简历和具体求职内容的作用。简历中你已经将自己的职业经历或教育情况列表说明了，在求职信里就应着重表达自己的意见。在求职信里要简短地对简历中提到的与应聘职位有关的职业经历和技能加以说明。但是，只是简单的重复简历里的内容是不够的。要把简历里没有的内容充分添加进去，显示出与其他应聘者的差别。你需要表达的观点是：渴望、确信、真诚（I am keen, I am clear and I am sincere)。在第一段里，陈述你渴望得到这个空缺职位，第二段说明你已了解这项工作和公司的要求，说明你为什么认为你符合它们的招聘条件。第三段讲清你本人希望在何时面试，何时可以上班。第四段采用能使公司相信你对这项工作真正有兴趣的语句结束这封信。

典型的求职信格式是：你的地址写在信纸的右上方，地址下面是写信日期。信纸左上角要写上接受你求职信的人的姓名和尊称其下面是该公司的名称和地址。再下面就是招聘广告中给出的其他相关代码。

试探性的求职信是你主动发给你感兴趣的公司的，这类希望渺茫的却经常能出人意料的取得成功，因为这种申请求职的方法表现出了申请人本身的能力、勇气和激情。

试探性求职申请信应该简洁，讲清楚你对该公司感兴趣的原因，写明你具备的资格以及你认为会引起该公司注意的任何品德。邮寄申请信时，要把也一起寄去。你还需要知道公司里人事经理或部门经理的名字，把直接信寄给他会更有效一些。

可能在很长的一段时间里，你收不到任何回音，那么可以断定该公司目前没有你申请的空缺职位。

What is the taste of home? Before I lodge in school dormitory, I never think of this question. But, now I know what the taste of home is as I have lived in school for a month. I miss the delicious food cooked by my mother and her endless chatter. My father sits in the middle of the hall watching TV. The fight between my two younger brothers and the ice cream in the refrigerator make me feel warm. All these make a house a family. And it is the taste of home in my mind.

什么是家的味道?在我住校前，我从来没有想过这个问题。但是，如今在我已经住校一个月后我知道什么是家的味道了。我想念我妈妈做的美味食物了，还有她喋喋不休的唠叨声。爸爸坐在客厅中间看电视。两个弟弟的打闹声还有冰箱里的冰淇淋都让我觉得很温暖。所有这些都使得一个房子成为一个家。这些就是我心目中家的味道。

good morning, my name is jack, it is really a great honor to have thisopportunity for a interview, i would like to answer whatever you may raise, andi hope i can make a good performance today, eventually enroll in thisprestigious university in september.

now i will introduce myself piefly,i am 21 years old,born in heilongjiangprovince ,northeast of china,and i am curruently a senior student at beijing xxuni.my major is packaging engineering.and i will receive my bachelor degreeafter my graduation in june.in the past 4 years,i spend most of my time onstudy,i have passed cet4/6 with a ease. and i have acquired basic knowledge ofpackaging and publishing both in theory and in practice. besides, i have attendseveral packaging exhibition hold in beijing, this is our advantage study here,i have taken a tour to some big factory and company. through these i have adeeply understanding of domestic packaging industry. compared to developedcountries such as us, unfortunately, although we have made extraordinaryprogress since 1978,our packaging industry are still underdeveloped, mess,unstable, the situation of employees in this field are awkard. but i have fullconfidence in a pight future if only our economy can keep the growth pacestill.

i guess you maybe interested in the reason itch to law, and what is my planduring graduate study life, i would like to tell you that pursue law is one ofmy lifelong goal,i like my major packaging and i wont give up,if i can pursue mymaster degree here i will combine law with my former education. i will work hardin thesefields ,patent ,trademark, copyright, on the base of my years study indepartment of p&p, my character? i cannot describe it well, but i know i amoptimistic and confident. sometimes i prefer to stay alone, reading, listeningto music, but i am not lonely, i like to chat with my classmates, almost talkeverything ,my favorite pastime is valleyball,playing cards or surf online.through college life,i learn how to balance between study and entertainment. bythe way, i was a actor of our amazing drama club. i had a few glorious memory onstage. that is my pride.

中秋节是中国一个很重要的节日，在八月十五号。在节日来临的前几天，家庭中的每一个人都帮着打扫房子，把房子装扮得漂漂亮亮的，灯笼挂在屋前。以下是小编整理的写中秋节的英文作文，欢迎阅读。 写中秋节的英文作文（一）

Mid-Autumn Day,all the country is celebrating. The streets are full of people, the loves are holding each other tightily.Everyone has his day.However,I am lonely.No one to hold,no one to kiss,no one to talk!

I was walking around the street without purpose,seeing the lovers kissing,watching the fireworkes alone,walking backe room whist.

Suddenly,i think i must be good to myself.So i decied to bue a present to myself.I know I will be good soon,and will find my Mr.Right.So tonight, a little teddy bear will sleep with me.And i know:i will have another teddy bear as a present that not bought from myself! 写中秋节的英文作文（二）

In China, Mid-autumn Day is considered to be a symbol of family reunion. On this day, all the family members gather together at home to celebrate this special occasion. Last year, I could not celebrate the festival with my family because I was in university. However, this special day left a deep impression on me.

I still remember the atmosphere of that evening. All the students who could not go back home assembled in our classroom, having a party to celebrate this traditional festival. We tried our best to show our own enthusiasm. As an ethnic minority, I performed a peacock dance, which received warm applause. After the two-hour party, we went out to the playground and sat together to appreciate the moon because it is a tradition on Mid-autumn Day. We ate moon cakes, played cards, and listened to romantic poems recited by one of our classmates. In that harmonious atmosphere, nobody felt lonely or homesick even though we were far away from our homes.

Thanks to our classmates, I experienced such a colorful and interesting Mid-autumn Day at my university. Thus, I learned to value all the festivals I spent during my university life. 写中秋节的英文作文（三）

Mid-autumn Festival is a popular and important lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese people. The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar. There are some traditions in this holiday. For example, people would have a big dinner with there families. After dinner, they often enjoy the full moon which is round and bright. The other tradition of mid-autumn festival is eating moon cake. Moon cake is the essential of that day, which means reunion. As time goes by, there are various kinds of moon cakes, but they are much more expensive than before.

I like mid-autumn festival because my families will get together and have a big dinner on that day.

[写中秋节的英文作文3篇

Person’s life is made up of countless days, while some days may be boring, some are precious and unforgettable memories.

July 15,XX, the day I’ll never forget. It was a sunny day, but I was anxious, nervous and meanwhile, a little excited, for I was waiting for the arrival of my university admission notice. It was not until 3 pm that I finally waited the arrival of a green mail car full of hope. Only when I got the admission notice, did I believe that I was really admitted to my dream university—…university. It not only meant my past efforts and persistence not in vain, but also meant that I would say goodbye to the dull high school life, and step into the colorful university life. I was so happy and immediately called my parents to tell them the good news, and then teachers and classmates.

What an unforgettable day!

[高一英文作文：an unforgettable day!

Our English Teacher Our English teacher， Ms Huang， came to our school in 1970.

She has been an English teacher for more than 30 years.

She works hard and has been a model teacher for many years. She is kind and friendly to us after class， but She is rather strict with us in class.

She always encourages us to speak and read more English.

She often says，"Practice makes perfect." She is good at teaching and tries her best to make every lesson lively and interesting.

She often gives us slide shows， teaches us English songs and helps us to put on short English playS. She is not only our teacher but also our friend.

We all respect and love her. Tomorrow she is going to attend an important meeting， at which she will be given a medal for her advanced deeds.

Hong Kong is one of the two special administrative regions (SARs) of the Peoples Republic of China, along with Macau. Comprising more than 260 islands, the territory is located on the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east, west and south.

Hong Kong was a Crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1842 until the transfer of sovereignty to the Peoples Republic of China in 1997. The Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Hong Kong stipulate that Hong Kong will operate with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2047, fifty years after the transfer. Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the Central Peoples Government is responsible for the territorys defence and foreign affairs, while Hong Kong maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, immigration policy, and delegates to international organizations and events.

Hong Kong is frequently described as a city where East meets West, a meeting reflected in its economic infrastructure, education, legal system and street culture. On one street corner, there may be traditional Chinese shops selling Chinese herbal medicine, Buddhist paraphernalia or bowls of synthetic shark fin soup. But around the next, one may find theatres showing the latest Hollywood blockbuster, a British-style pub, a Catholic Church or Ronald McDonald inviting passer-bys to a Big Mac. The territorys official language is Chinese and English; signs in both languages are omnipresent throughout Hong Kong. The government, police and most workplaces and stores conduct business bilingually. British rule may have ended a decade ago but Western culture is deeply ingrained in Hong Kong and coexists seamlessly with traditional philosophy and practices of the Orient.

Hong Kong has an active nightlife centred on two major entertainment districts, Lan Kwai Fong (Central) and Wan Chai. Both areas are frequented by expatriates and locals alike. For a more quiet evening, a trip to Victoria Peak offers a spectacular view of the city. There is also a promenade along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, which is popular among young Chinese couples. Shopping, a form of entertainment for the people of Hong Kong, is even done at nighttime as evident in the Temple Street Night Market where one can also catch free performances of Peking opera.

The citys cosmopolitan flavour can also be seen in the wide variety of cuisines available. While different varieties of Chinese selections, especially seafood, are most popular, there are also many European, American, Japanese, Korean, and other restaurants. Ethnic dishes served in cha chaan teng and dai pai dong are also popular. The people of Hong Kong take their food seriously and many top chefs make their way to the city to show off their talents to these discerning diners.

While Hong Kong is a global centre of trade, perhaps the citys most famous export is its entertainment industry, particularly in the martial arts genre. Several top-notch Hollywood performers originate from Hong Kong cinema -- Bruce Lee, Chow Yun-Fat, Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Jet Li and Leslie Cheung, to name a few. Behind the camera, Hong Kong filmmakers have also struck fortune in Hollywood such as John Woo, Wong Kar-wai, Tsui Hark and martial arts choreographers who have designed fight scenes in the Matrix trilogy, Kill Bill and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Back in Hong Kong, several homegrown films have also gained international recognition such as Chungking Express, Infernal Affairs, Shaolin Soccer, Rumble in the Bronx and In the Mood for Love. Acclaimed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has said hes strongly influenced by Hong Kong action cinema.

The Hong Kong government also supports cultural institutions such as the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Furthermore, the governments Leisure and Cultural Services Department also subsidizes and sponsors the bringing of international performers to Hong Kong.