3 Future Changes Are Certain In Hong Kong. Moving to Another City May Be A Choice Between Opportunity and Lifestyle

Bad choice dresses like your good choice, and good luck usually follows bad luck. Some people are leaving Hong Kong for their Xanadu. It is a pity that an entire sense of doom now hangs over the group of people who do not like the present situation. It was reported that currently, about 100,000 left Hong Kong for settlement in other countries every year. A lifestyle is what you long for, but a life is what you may end up with. My pleasure of a foreign place lasts but a week. Love of Hong Kong, for many, may be vulnerable but it is everlasting and true. Hope is being able to see that there will be light in Hong Kong after all the turmoils in 2019.

Since 1997, Hong Kong has been more and more ruthlessly capitalistic. Money and well-being are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the poor little ones get caught. Young people feel trapped in a society which is less and less comfortable, fair or familiar. They feel housing is too expensive, jobs are fewer in terms of nature and choice; and future prospects are uncertain. A social survey suggested that many people think the poor family background is the critical factor which will hinder one’s success. It was said that one of the causes of the Hong Kong riot in 2019 was such social discontent. The misfortune was again blamed on the government for its failure to resolve the ‘deep-rooted social conflicts’.

When stuck, people thought about change and moving out of Hong Kong as a detour to happiness. Change can be a bad or good choice. People either hate or love it at the same time. Does moving out of Hong Kong mean opening new doors or closing a gate?

Drastic change is the raw material of desperation. Some people hate the changes in our city. They however fail to appreciate that it is also the only reason that will bring future reform and progress of our city of Hong Kong. Scholar Peter Drucker said, “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence—it is to act with yesterday’s logic.” If we had not gone through the raging sea in 2019, could Hong Kong have had the wisdom of hitting the nail on the head this time?

President Xi Jinping (習近平) defended the vision of Hong Kong in his speech marking 25 years since the city became a ‘special administrative region’ of the country following its handover from Britain in 1997:

(1) China is determined to maintain ‘One Country Two Systems’ principle; and Hong Kong will continue to enjoy its unique status and remain free, vibrant and open;

(2) Hong Kong can only maintain its long-term stability by ensuring ‘patriots governing Hong Kong’; and any force threatening the national security of China will not be tolerated under whatever circumstances; and

(3) Hong Kong shall break new ground and launch a new takeoff including better governance, solving housing problems, improved lives for ordinary people, creating economic opportunities for the young and stronger development cooperation with the Greater Bay Area(大灣區) adjacent to the Pearl River. The area has a population of 80 million, as big as that of a country.

What will happen from now on will be different from what has previously happened—but, at least, the present greater political predictability will transform into greater stability and prosperity for the city of Hong Kong.

It is now clear what we can or cannot do politically as a national citizen of the country. The new security law criminalises secession of Hong Kong, subversion against the national government, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces. Those who aspire to make Hong Kong another western political system are falling from great heights. When they are seriously unhappy here, it may be their Hobson’s choice to leave Hong Kong.

When Hong Kong is a small city, the economic and social growth can depend on very limited factors. The Greater Bay Area (GBA) will add rich diversity and possibility to Hong Kong. The challenge will be that we have to learn to face a lot of people from different backgrounds and with different styles. We can only hope that those who are ‘Hongkie’, and those who are not, to come together to adapt and build a greater future in the biggest new development zone in the world. We will all have two kinds of lives: Hong Kong life and GBA one. The policies on integrating Hong Kong into GBA continue vigorously and will continue. For those who do not like the future of such close interaction, their emigration usually suggests unhappiness of some kind about Hong Kong which is their reason of departure. They will lose career opportunities but we wish they could find a peaceful inner journey outside.

The latest death trend in Hong Kong is about 60,000 annually. Our population grows roughly by 37,000 newborn babies every year. There are more deaths than births. In 20 years’ time, 1 in every 4 Hong Kong residents will be 65 or above. To sustain our economy to grow, we will need more young immigrants from Mainland China and other countries to keep the energy level. The keen competition from such energetic ‘new Hongkongese’ will mean that the young people here can no longer reject a rat race or embrace the usual ‘lying flat’(躺平) attitude. Couch potatoes will be knocked out. For those who are not good enough to stand against the influx of talents, a quiet and simple life overseas in Canada or Australia could be a very attractive idea.

Transformation literally means going from one form to the other, and you are bound to lose some or gain some. Hong Kong will be for the optimists and venturers to stay. Any unease during the current political, economic and social transformation can actually be a fertile time for the adventurous people to plant new seeds for a new chapter of life. Life is a moving thing and for the brave young ones, why are you not willing to try to stay and turn things around?