10 things Hong Kong does better than anywhere else

It's been more than 15 years since the British handed Hong Kong over to Chinese rule but little has changed, CNN reports. Hong Kong remains a competitive and independent city, consistently ranked as one of the world's best places to live. But don't take our word for it. Here are 10 things this great city does better than anywhere else. 1. Tonal talents Native English speakers who've managed to learn Cantonese from scratch: give yourselves a pat on the back. The language has a total of six to nine tones, depending on where you're hearing it, compared to English's zero tones. No other Asian language comes close. (There are four tones in Mandarin, five in Thai and six in Vietnamese). That's kind of like saying one English word can be pronounced six different ways and have at least six different meanings. Locals like to say this makes us particularly good at music (certain karaoke sessions have proven otherwise) and studies have shown there's some truth to this. To add to the complexity -- and fun -- of the language, Cantonese is a dialect with new slang invented everyday and many words aren't used in written communication. Intimidated? Check out Carlos Douh's YouTube channel, the Internet's most entertaining Cantonese language teacher, for quick and easy Cantonese lessons. 2. Staying alive Don't wanna get murdered? Come to Hong Kong! The city not only has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, it ranks third in a list compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in 2011 of places with the least homicides. Hong Kong -- with an intentional homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people in the last 16 years -- only lost out to Monaco and Palau, where there have been zero recorded murders. When you consider that Hong Kong has a population of more than 7 million crammed into a city of 1,104 square kilometers, while Monaco only has about 36,000 people and idyllic island nation Palau about 20,000, Hong Kong definitely triumphs as the safest city in the world. 3. Getting you there Hong Kong is really good at getting you where you need to go. The public transportation system is famous around the world for its efficiency and profitability, making Hong Kong one of the least car-dependent cities, with only about 710,000 registered vehicles. In particular, the MTR Corporation that operates Hong Kong's subway system is so good at what they do they run other city's trains as well, including operating sections of subway lines in Beijing, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, London and the whole of Melbourne and Stockholm's underground networks. Details also at