The Love Of Hong Kong
The Love Of Hong Kong
Every dynamic city can and will generate experience, and experience will cause reactions where people might define them as good or bad. Such experience, good or bad is so personal that can effect one's feeling towards that particular place that he/she once stayed which might or might not be a true statement regarding the place itself.
Hong Kong is a very zestful society, its energy comes from its people, its climate, its geographic location, its global relations and among its historical background. From the humble beginning around two centuries ago, Hong Kong has developed from a stagnant little fishing village to a world renowned international city which stands side by sided with London, New York and Paris. I, being a native son of Hong Kong, could still remember when I first stepped foot on Europe, Australia and the United States a half century ago, few people knew about Hong Kong. They thought it was just a little town in Japan somewhere. I didn't know if it was my "bad" experience or it was their ignorance.
I hated those people and those cities then because I believed deep down in my mind that those people didn't give me the recognition I deserved. They did not have what I expected in much of everything including food, living, culture and most of all, my convenience. Everything that I came across was a disappointment. Really, when I needed sunshine, I got rain, that kind of feelings.
But after a while, I began to adjust myself and started to make friends. They taught me, and I began to learn a little about their culture, their way of living, their values, and their appreciations. I then realized that things happened differently because things just happened differently.
After reading Georgina's "My experience in HK (honest)", I was rather concerned and disbelieved that someone had felt that way about Hong Kong.
1) It was very hot and humid. If you are from Australia (generally warm) you will struggle, you can’t go for a normal walk, you sweat all the time and you can’t even have a coffee outside. It’s just so humid and hot. Everything happens indoors.
If there is any logic or meaning behind this statement, there should have been heaven on earth and peace throughout mankind. If one goes to the South Pole, one would not have expected that it to be warm and have the regular 12 hour day and the 12 hour night like many of the places one has been. No one in his own conscious mind would refuse the fact that the South Pole is cold no matter where one comes from and blame it on the experience. If I don’t see sun light in the supposing day time, and that must mean that I am in the dark period of the earth’s rotation towards the sun, which during the southern winter (March–September), the South Pole receives no sunlight at all. I would not be complaining either that I could not have coffee outside because of the severe coldness while everything happens indoor.
Yes, there are 4 seasons in Hong Kong, and among them, one is summer and by definition of what a tropical summer is would be hot and humid and Hong Kong is situated in the tropical zone. A lot of people are encouraged to come and enjoy the summer fun and activities in Hong Kong due to some of the beautiful beaches.
2) It is very expensive unless you can live on congee- Soup made of worst cuts of meat and insides. Nothing taste fresh, everything has this artificial taste.
Hong Kong has no sales tax, and one does not have to pay any sales or service tax when they go eat at restaurant, café or make purchase at any super market. If by chance, visitors do not yet know by now, Hong Kong has one of the lowest prices at its local McDonald’s than most of its international counterpart. A Filet-O Fish, or even a Sausage McMuffin costs HK$10 only. I once bought a banana in London for a Pound which is about HK$13.
While people in Hong Kong are always after freshness in what they are eating, one can only walk around restaurants and notice big tanks of seafood containing fresh shrimps, fish of different kinds, crabs, shellfish, and mussel, you name it.
3) It’s the most artificial place I ever seen. No medium priced stores. Only very expensive or very trashy. You walk in a store with flip flops, and they automatically assume you have no money to spend, don’t even say hello. Come back another day dressed up, and they kiss your ass.
There are Lane Crawford, the Landmark, IFC and there are the women street, Sham Shui Po. Some of the famous top knot brands with some of the local value stores can be found in Hong Kong. It is that character that gives Hong Kong the name of “Shopping Heaven” of the East. And to be fair, there are also the Watson’s Welcome, Wing On and Sincere which are the medium priced stores that form the basic market foundation of Hong Kong.
