While speculative attacks against Southeast Asian currencies revealed feet of clay, Hong Kong can point to a chunky budget surplus, rising corporate profits and a growing economy, not to mention formidable exchange-rate defenses.

CNN: The Cost of a Pegged Dollar

The site, funded mostly by Chang and his brother, a successful Hong Kong financier, covers 400, 000 square feet, a quarter of which now contains structures whose purposes are quickly evolving.

WSJ: Ancient Village Rises in Shanghai; The Shock of the Old

Hong Kong's largest yacht, the 213-feet-long Ambrosia III, owned by a reclusive tycoon named Ambrose Young, occupies one of just 16 places at the Gold Coast Marina for boats of that size.

WSJ: Nice Boat, No Dock | WSJ.Money Summer 2013