The gauntlet’s been thrown and the gloves are off in this Time Out battle royale to decide which metropolis packs the biggest punch around these parts. In the red corner, Time Out Singapore, in the blue corner, Time Out Hong Kong. Let’s get ready to ruuuuumble!

Little brother, no nanny
Since Reporters Without Borders first began compiling a global ranking of press freedom in 2002, Singapore has consistently hovered precariously near the bottom – rubbing shoulders with the likes of Gabon, Iraq and Zimbabwe. That same year, Hong Kong possessed the most open and democratic press in the whole of Asia, ranking 18th out of 139. And even though Hong Kong has since slipped down the list (in 2009 it ranked 48th, with Japan rising to 17th) Singapore continues to fare much worse (133rd out of 175 in 2009). More importantly, compared with Singapore, journalists in Hong Kong are firmly protected by Article 27 of the Basic Law and Article 16 of the Bill of Rights Ordinance. And with the Asian Wall Street Journal continuing to make its home here, Hong Kong still retains a healthy level of journalistic integrity.

Worse still, is Singapore’s heinous use of capital punishment. In response to a 2004 Amnesty International report on the gross (mis)use of the death penalty, the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs had the audacity to defend the country’s stance by claiming it has been effective in maintaining Singapore as a safe place to work and live, as well as only being reserved for “very serious crimes”. The truth is, being caught carrying just 15 grams of cannabis could lead you to the gallows, as could the unlawful discharge of a firearm, mutiny or treason. In fact, only a decade ago Singapore was proud to have the highest per-capita execution rate in the world, according to the UN. Capital punishment was formally abolished in Hong Kong in 1993.

But even the non casual pot smokers or anti-Presidential activists among us must be on guard against the black boot of oppression. Chewing gum is forbidden and failing to flush the toilet can lead to a fine. Talk of an over-officious ‘nanny state’ is an understatement. Oliver Clasper

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Rules are there to be... followed
If you look under ‘nanny state’ in Wikipedia, Singapore tops the list – for good reason. But setting aside the more amusing ‘offences’ – chewing gum, dancing in public without a licence – if you examine the city’s so-called draconian laws a little more closely, do they diminish the majority’s quality of life, or enhance it? Ninety-nine per cent of state intervention takes the form of gentle guidance rather than strict control: homosexuality is widely tolerated, not marginalised. And let’s be honest, most of us are actually pretty relieved that life means life for murderers and paedophiles. Penalties for littering are no worse than in Hong Kong. Most of us would rather not have drug pushers on our streets. And how often do you see police on the streets or in residential areas here, enforcing bans on jaywalking, shopkeepers touting for business or (tee-hee) oral sex? Prostitutes, in fact, have benefited more than most from a government approach, which, if not exactly laissez-faire, at least guarantees customers won’t walk away with a cocktail of STDs. And there’s nothing hush-hush about Geylang or Joo Chiat – many claim these designated red-light areas to have the best food in the country. It’s all part of the rampant free-market economy Singapore has so rabidly embraced, and so conspicuously benefited from – you might not love its internal politics, but with its overwhelming freedom of choice, living here is a breeze. For half a century we’ve been released from the shackles of colonial rule: we’ll go it alone, thanks, garnering worldwide respect in the process (does Hong Kong have its own seat at the UN?). Freedom in Singapore finds its ultimate expression in the clean, green streets any one of us – yellow, brown, white – are at liberty to walk at any hour in T-shirt and shorts, in the almost certain knowledge there’s nowhere safer in the world. Jonathan Evans

Keeping it real
Squeaky clean like an Olympic swimmer’s asshole, robot efficient and safe as Utopia, Singapore has many good qualities, all of them uniformly bland when cast against Hong Kong’s Mong Kok hustle and flow. While our sister to the southwest has made great strides in improving its cultural profile in recent years, Singapore’s shady boulevards, tidy storefronts and well-ordered streets still remain most evocative of a retirement community run by ex-military officers, rather than a vibrant city of energy and intrigue. Hong Kong, by contrast, is seething with street-level allure. Chungking Mansions palpitates multicultural flux and immigrant ambition; Mong Kok is a frenetic melange of bumping shopping bags and swarming teenagers – with stinky tofu stands and smoking, bare-bellied deliverymen asquat on every corner, all adding their own pleasing pestilence to the evening air. And although it’s now given way to gentrification by day, Wan Chai after dark shows no intention of ever giving up the ghost of Suzie Wong. Both cities are safe, but which has a powerful organised crime world lurking in its shadows – a gangster syndicate to rival the Yakuza or Commora in international repute, one that has inspired its own innovative and world-renown crime cinema? It’s pretty simple: Do you prefer plastic compliance or nitty gritty authenticity? Patrick Brzeski

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We own the night
Lan Kwai Fong – don’t laugh – is widely thought to be one of Hong Kong’s best nights out. Which, on the face of it, doesn’t sound too farfetched. Until you arrive to find that, in essence, it’s just a giant piss-up with a bunch of fat-fingered, bum-pinching bankers and wheezy middle-age-denying refuseniks. The street’s distinctly white-collar bars lack any real edge or music policy – unless you count some slack-jawed, still-got-it rock dad having a crack at Wonderwall – and women are routinely objectified as dick-baiting cargo with free or discount plonk. The district’s reboot came sometime in the 1980s and there it firmly resides, stuck in an eternal groove somewhere between a Simply Red and a Chris de Burgh track. It’s unsophisticated and one-note, the Ford Cortina and fluffy dice of going out in Asia. Singapore, on the other hand, is a much more forward-thinking, rarefied concern with a clubbing scene firmly rooted in both local and global fashion, art and youth culture. Zouk is a longstanding superclub that comfortably stands alongside such boundary-pushing musical institutions as Tokyo’s Womb and London’s Fabric. On any weekend of the month, you’ll find a number of world-class DJs playing to the city’s young, musically astute crowds who smirk at more commercial, mainstream imports and favour more leftfield bookings that are always handsomely rewarded with their number. More new openings come in the shape of multi-genre music space TAB and yet another wildly ambitious club behemoth, Avalon, is set to preview with a two-night super-fest (Sep 23 & 24) in time for F1 with a scarcely believed line-up of dance-pop heavyweights including Major Lazer, Steve Aoki, Santigold and The Chemical Brothers. The club opens proper in early 2011 and is set to cement Singapore’s reputation as a nightlife titan that towers above the rest of Asia. Hong Kong looks quaint in comparison. Alexander Barlow

We've got it all
The summit of Sharp Peak swirls above the pristine sands of Tai Long Sai Wan. The geologically unique Ninepin Islands jut dramatically from the blanket-smooth sea in our eastern waters. While many may consider the forest of skyscrapers that comprise the skyline as the city’s most defining aesthetic facet, Hongkongers know differently. For, outside the mere 25 per cent of the territory that’s developed, the balance of Hong Kong is home to beautiful beaches, sweeping summits, other-worldly waterways, wetland reserves and jungle-esque escapes. The breadth of Hong Kong’s geographical variety is arguably unmatched by any other city. But it’s not just the variety – it’s the proximity. Hong Kong is blessed with this complete spectrum of geography existing side by side. Where else can you go from the most vibrant of urban centres to a breeze-filled hiking path within minutes; completely transform your surroundings with a short bus or tram ride? Singapore isn’t without its own natural beauty, but as a largely flat state, little of it rising beyond 15 metres above sea level, it comes in well below the bar set by Hong Kong. No shame – it is a lofty touchstone. Mark Tjhung

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We built this city
Anything that doesn’t come naturally, Singapore makes it a point to create on her own. Snow City provides the missing ski slopes, Wave House hooks the city up with surfing waters, East Coast Park’s manmade lake offers makeshift waterskiing and inside Jurong Bird Park rushes the tallest man-made waterfall in the world. This city is flooded with doers: if there’s something we want, we make it ourselves. It may lack high mountains and breathtaking beaches, but Singapore can still astound with its flora and fauna. The city-state stands beside Rio de Janeiro as one of only two cities in the world with a rainforest inside its city limits. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve has monkeys swinging from the branches of more species of trees than the entire North American continent. And mangroves that have been preserved weave through the city centre as well. Four reservoirs also flood the island with more lush greenery and animals.

We also have the Night Safari, Universal Studios, we’re the host city of the only night race on the Grand Prix circuit, and the first city to host the Youth Olympics. Our skyline boasts both the planet’s highest alfresco bar and its tallest Ferris wheel at 282 and 165 metres respectively, and we’ve still plenty of space to construct loftier structures. Our rate of expansion is just as rapid as Hong Kong, if not greater (check out our two casinos), and we have breathable air and clear views to boot. Looking at us now, you might think we started way back when opium was still the cause of wars. But – believe it – we’re still only 45. Alexandra Karplus & James Ong

Global renown
Ask anyone in the world to say something about Hong Kong and even a farmer in Botswana would probably be able to come up with at least one thing to talk about. The most popular answers would likely involve Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan but while most of us are not action stars, it shows our reach as a global city and entertainment capital. Films made by Hong Kong directors and actors have gone on to receive critical international acclaim. Another common perception of Hong Kong is one of a fast-moving, hustle and bustle metropolis where its citizens are packed in like sardines. It’s because of our high population density in a relatively small living space that we had to started building up – which culminated in our picturesque skyline. While it might not be environmentally-friendly, our brightly-lit skyline tops that of other big cities like New York or Shanghai as the best in the world. On any particular night, a stroll along both sides of the Victoria Harbour would feel like a walk in a dream as thousands of glittering lights dance on the surface of the water. Leon Lee

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Cultural diversity
Officially, our language of instruction is English, backed up by one of three native tongues: Putonghua, Tamil or Malay. But really, we’re a nation of tri- and multi-linguists; our most effective, and distinct, language of communication being Singlish. Cannot help it lah, our city-country is made up of myriad ethnicities: 73.2 per cent are Chinese, 13.6 per cent Malays, 8.8 per cent Indians and the rest include Peranakans, Eurasians, Caucasians and Arabs. With all ethnic groups under one roof, it’s only natural our languages have become pow ka liao (an amalgamation of all). And so has our cuisine – step into one of our 100+ hawker stalls and you’ll find the local fare reflects this melting pot of cultures. The originally Malay laksa, Indian mee goreng made with Chinese egg noodles, and rojak – a Chinese- or Indian-style prawn paste salad that is also slang for ‘a messy mix’. Which city, nay country, can truly claim they celebrate public holidays for every one of their ethnic groups? Steady pom pee pee, I think liddat Cultural Diversity we win oreddy. Xueling Li