Is a free port completely tax free?

No. Most goods carry no duty, but items such as tobacco, alcohol and fuel are still taxed.

Why do unit conversions come up so often?

Dropping zeros between kilometres and metres or ten-thousands and units reveals whether the method is really understood.

Primary General Studies, Hong Kong History and Culture, Paper 4: airport, port and global links

2026-10-31

Tutor Prep Guide · Primary General Studies

Ten items on the 1998 airport, the 2018 rail link and bridge, the 1972 container terminal, the 2022 third runway, the meaning of a free port, 136,986 passengers a day, 146,000 flights a year, 360,000,000 tonnes of cargo and a 55 kilometre bridge.

Focus　Global links rest on dates and unit conversion: the airport from 1998 gives 28 years; the rail link and bridge from 2018 give 8 years; the container terminal from 1972 gives 54 years; the third runway from 2022 is 24 years after the airport; 55 kilometres is 55,000 metres; 5,000 million passengers over 365 days is about 136,986 a day; 400 flights times 365 days is 146,000; 1,800 million containers at 20 tonnes is 360,000,000 tonnes; a free port means no duty on most goods.

01　Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10
Suggested time	25
Difficulty mix	Foundation 4 · Intermediate 3 · Challenge 2 · Error redo 1
Chapter	Chapter: Primary General Studies: Hong Kong History and Culture
Level	P3 to P6

02　Questions (10 items)

FoundationHong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok opened in 1998. How many years is that before 2026?
FoundationThe Hong Kong section of the high speed rail link opened in 2018. How many years is that before 2026?
FoundationThe Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is about 55 kilometres long. How many metres is that?
FoundationHong Kong is called a free port. What does that mean?
IntermediateSuppose the airport handled about 5,000 million passengers in a year. About how many is that per day?
IntermediateThe airport handles about 400 flights a day. About how many is that in a year?
IntermediateSuppose the port handles 1,800 million containers a year at 20 tonnes each. What is the total tonnage?
ChallengeThe airport opened in 1998 and the third runway in 2022. How many years apart are they, and how long has the runway been open by 2026?
ChallengeWhy was the airport moved from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok? Give two reasons.
Error redoA classmate says the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge only links Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Is that correct?

03　Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	2026 minus 1998 gives 28 years.	The airport express opened the same year, so the two are often tested together.
2	2026 minus 2018 gives 8 years.	The rail link and the bridge opened in the same year, so they are easy to mix up.
3	55 times 1 000 gives 55,000 metres.	Kilometres to metres means multiplying by 1 000.
4	Most goods enter and leave without customs duty, and capital and cargo move freely; only a few items such as tobacco, alcohol and fuel are taxed.	A free port is about tariffs, not about having no rules at all.
5	50,000,000 divided by 365 is about 136,986 a day.	Treat a year as 365 days, then round the result.
6	400 times 365 gives 146,000 flights.	Multiply the daily figure by the days; the order does not matter.
7	1,800 million is 18,000,000 containers, and times 20 gives 360,000,000 tonnes.	Convert the ten-thousands figure first, or you will drop two zeros.
8	2022 minus 1998 is 24 years, and 2026 minus 2022 is 4 years.	Two year differences in one item means two separate steps.
9	Kai Tak sat inside dense districts, so noise and height limits blocked expansion; Chek Lap Kok offered land for runways and cargo and allowed round the clock operation.	The move solved a capacity problem, not just a location problem.
10	No. The bridge links Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao, runs about 55 kilometres and opened in 2018.	The name lists all three places, so read it before answering.

04　What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

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