Taiwan, besides being a favorite travel destination for Hong Kongers, is also the second largest source of tourists to Hong Kong. According to data from March 2016, Taiwanese visitors to Hong Kong amounted to approximately 500,000 in the first quarter of that year, ranking first among areas outside of China. For many Taiwanese tourists, Hong Kong is also a great place for dining and shopping. But how many of them would be willing to move and live in Hong Kong?
Within six months of moving to Hong Kong, Xenia had profound experiences and feelings about life in the city. Let's delve into Xenia's story in Hong Kong.
Xenia, a native Taiwanese girl, had been primarily living in New Taipei City before moving to Hong Kong. Due to the significant urban-rural gap there, she never felt like someone who grew up in a city. Xenia, who studied business design in university, was working in store management in Taiwan. She moved to Hong Kong because her company planned to open a branch there.
Interestingly, Xenia had never been to Hong Kong before moving. Regarding her first impression of Hong Kong, she felt there were many differences between Hong Kong and Taiwan.
"The first time I came to Hong Kong, I felt the city was very crowded, with a small sense of space. The roads were narrow, the distance between buildings was small, and the distance between roads and sidewalks was similar. Moreover, I felt like there was no emotion in this city; it's hard to tell if people are happy or not, and it's rare to see smiles on the streets."
Curiosity led Xenia to accept the job offer in Hong Kong, despite never having visited. However, she had researched the political situation in Hong Kong. She said, "I only knew that Hong Kong has Disneyland and many shopping places. However, I am more interested in the political environment in Hong Kong. I learned a lot from Taiwan's independent media and self-media, and at that time, I felt that the political environment in Taiwan and Hong Kong was related."
However, after coming to Hong Kong, Xenia felt a bit of disparity in the city's social development. She felt that most Hong Kongers were not doing much, and the idea of needing societal changes wasn't mainstream. She expressed, "Perhaps most people feel that the social problems are not that serious, and some are beneficiaries of this system, so they are unwilling to change anything. I feel that the situation in Hong Kong is a bit more serious than in Taiwan."
"In Taiwan, people of my generation were relatively apathetic towards politics during their student years, thinking that politics was a dirty thing, and not paying attention was noble behavior. However, the student movements later made those who were politically apathetic start to care about social development. It's very promising."
As Xenia interacted more with Hong Kongers, she also felt that many of them tended to approach things from a utilitarian perspective, focusing less on process and emotions, sometimes appearing more negative and impatient.
"At times when I didn't have exact change while buying something, I would be scolded. Now I think it might be due to historical reasons. Immigrants from mainland China to Hong Kong went through such experiences and felt that having a better life was the most important. Perhaps this concept has been passed down through generations, and people talk more about achievable things and rarely discuss their feelings."
On the other hand, some aspects of life made her feel a bit uncomfortable, including the urban design and way of doing things in Hong Kong.
"I usually don't see the sky all day. From my home to my workplace, it's all connected. I think it's because Hong Kong is relatively small, and every small space needs to be well-utilized. In my previous living environment, whether I was taking a bus or shopping, I would pass through an open area to see the sky."
"Sometimes I feel like the service attitude in Hong Kong is: if you're responsible for carrying plates, then your duty is just to carry plates, without really caring if the customer is happy." Besides life, her work experience also made Xenia feel the Hong Kongers' directness in speech and their attitude towards China.
"In Hong Kong, sometimes local customers would scold me for speaking Mandarin. When I explain that I'm Taiwanese, they usually treat me better. Local customers later told me that on one hand, they felt like I treated them as mainlanders, and on the other hand, they felt like I came to Hong Kong to take away local jobs. But I don't even speak Cantonese well. Although it's hard for me to judge whether this is reasonable or not, I can understand it."
Although Xenia mentioned not particularly adapting well to life in Hong Kong, she felt that the experience in Hong Kong made her want to see more of the world.
"Once I encountered an elderly person in Hong Kong who couldn't speak Mandarin and communicated with me in English, which is quite rare in Taiwan."
"Once during a meeting with Taiwanese colleagues, one of them said that an Indian friend would visit our store in Hong Kong and asked if I had met him. I found that in Taiwan, having a foreigner visit our store is considered 'special.' But in Hong Kong, we encounter foreign customers quite frequently."
Summing up her life in Hong Kong for over six months, Xenia didn't feel like she would want to live in Hong Kong in the long term. What she disliked most about Hong Kong was its utilitarianism.
She expressed that in conversations with Hong Kongers, she noticed that many of them care more about money, positions, and whether they can buy a house. But she realized that in this internationalized place, if you don't have a certain competitiveness, it's hard to survive, and perhaps that's why Hong Kongers care more about practical things.
The concept of "living comfortably" in Hong Kong conflicted with her own growth experiences, making it difficult for her to live in Hong Kong for an extended period.
"I can't live a life I find comfortable in Hong Kong. On one hand, my concept of living comfortably doesn't align with Hong Kongers', who prioritize material and results. On the other hand, because I grew up in rural Taiwan, living in this city, which is more urbanized than Taipei, feels a bit tough."
Xenia's future plan is to live in Southeast Asia for a few years because she likes the history of those countries and believes that the relationship between Southeast Asia and Taiwan will become closer in the future. Finally, mentioning the trend of local young people wanting to leave Hong Kong, Xenia said she understands but thinks everyone should think more.
"I hope everyone, before immigrating, thinks about what efforts they have made for Hong Kong as a Hong Konger, rather than just because they see this place getting worse, so they decide to jump ship."
Xenia's story reveals many things that Hong Kongers take for granted, which outsiders find hard to adapt to. And while we complain about various problems in society every day, what have Hong Kongers done to make society better?
