The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States federal government that allows nationals of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism, business, or while in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. It applies to all fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as to Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, which also have an additional program with waivers for more nationalities; American Samoa has a similar but separate program.
Athene Seyler, CBE was an English actress.
Noble House is a novel by James Clavell, published in 1981 and set in Hong Kong in 1963. It is the fourth book published in Clavell's Asian Saga and is chronologically the fifth book in the series. The "Noble House" in the title is the nickname of Struan's, the trading company first introduced in Clavell's Tai-Pan.
Sheung Shui is the penultimate northbound station on the East Rail line in Hong Kong. This station serves as the northern terminus of the East Rail line after the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau boundary crossings have closed for the day. It is also the last northbound station on the East Rail line that passengers without a Closed Area Permit, Mainland Travel Permit, or valid passport and mainland Chinese visa may freely travel to.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport is a passport issued only to permanent residents of Hong Kong who also hold Chinese citizenship. In accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, since the handover in 1997, the passport has been issued by the Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong under the authorisation of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. As the official languages of Hong Kong are Chinese and English, the passport is printed bilingually in both Chinese and English. In addition, unlike Chinese passport which can be issued by Chinese diplomatic missions abroad, the Immigration Department of Hong Kong is the only issuing authority for HKSAR passports.
The Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong is responsible for immigration control of Hong Kong. After the People's Republic of China assumed sovereignty of the territory in July 1997, Hong Kong's immigration system remained largely unchanged from its British predecessor model. Residents from mainland China do not have the right of abode in Hong Kong, nor can they enter the territory freely, both before and after 1997. There are different regulations that apply to residents of Macau, another Special Administrative Region of China. In addition, visa-free entry acceptance regulations into Hong Kong for passport holders of some 170 countries remain unchanged before and after 1997.
Royal Tramp is a 1992 Hong Kong wuxia comedy film based on Louis Cha's novel The Deer and the Cauldron. The film was one of the five top grossing Hong Kong films in 1992; Stephen Chow, who played the protagonist Wai Siu-bo, also starred in the other four of those films. The film was followed by a sequel, Royal Tramp II, in the same year.
The People's Republic of China passport is a passport issued to citizens of the People's Republic of China for the purpose of international travel, and entitles its bearer to the protection of China's consular officials overseas.
Magnificent Bodyguards is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts film directed and produced by Lo Wei. The film stars Jackie Chan, James Tien, Leung Siu-lung, and Wang Ping. Chan, along with Luk Chuen also worked as stunt coordinators. This film was well received in Hong Kong, but Chan himself doesn't like it. He puts it down to Lo Wei not giving him any creative freedom. This was the first film in Hong Kong to be filmed using 3-D technology, and it features music from Star Wars.
Snuff Bottle Connection is a 1977 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Dung Gam-woo and Lau Lap-lap. The film stars Hwang Jang-lee and John Liu. The film was released in the Hong Kong on 15 September 1977.
Taiwanese nationality law details the conditions in which a person is a national of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan. The Nationality Act is based on the principle of jus sanguinis, children born to at least one Taiwanese parent are automatically nationals at birth. Foreign nationals with residency in Taiwan may naturalize after continuously living in the country for at least five (5) years. Certain foreign immediate family members of Taiwanese nationals may naturalize after continuously living in the country for at least three (3) years.
The Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents, also known as the Taiwan Compatriot Permit, is a type of travel document issued by the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to Republic of China nationals (ROC) who hold household registration in Taiwan. The document is issued by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). Since the identity documents issued by the government of the Republic of China are not recognized in the PRC, the permit serves as both the main travel document and identity document for Taiwanese people in the PRC territory and is used on all occasions in lieu of a Taiwan passport.
The APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) is a travel document issued to business travellers who are citizens of APEC participating economies. Valid for five years, the card eliminates the need for its holder to possess a visa when visiting other APEC participating economies as long as pre-clearance has been obtained during the application process.
As of 2024, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport holders have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 170 countries and territories, ranking the passport 18th in the world according to the Henley Passport Index.It is ranked 16th by the Global Passport Power Rank.
The 4th Asian Film Awards was given in a ceremony on 22 March 2010 as part of the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
Events in the year 1949 in China.
The gallery of passport stamps by country or territory contains an accurate alphabetical list of sovereign states, partially recognised states, and dependent territories with images of their passport stamps including visas. All Schengen countries and Cyprus use the same format for their stamps and stamps are not issued when traveling from one Schengen country to another, except for land border crossings to, from, and between Romania and Bulgaria.
Yu Qiangsheng is a former high-ranking Chinese intelligence officer who defected to the United States in 1985. During a career which saw him rise to head of the North America Bureau of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), Yu passed information to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) which most famously exposed CIA officer Larry Wu-Tai Chin as having been a mole for Chinese intelligence for more than 40 years.
SS Fatshan was a passenger ferry steamer which sank in stormy seas off Lantau Island during Typhoon Rose resulting in the loss of 88 lives.
Wang Liqiang, or William Wang, is a Chinese defector to Australia and self-proclaimed former spy. In November 2019, Wang sought political asylum in Australia, claiming to be a spy who was involved in the People's Republic of China's intervention in the affairs of Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan. The factual accuracy of his claims has been disputed, and some experts suggested he may be no more than a low-level operative. China has claimed that Wang's allegations were "absurd" and that he is a "fraud".
