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| City Guide - Hong Kong - City Overview | ||
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City Overview When the curtain fell on the final act of imperial pageantry in 'Honkers', with HMS Britannia sailing into the harbour and the last flourish of the Governor's ostrich-feather hat, the prophets foretold doom. They have been confounded - Hong Kong is still alive and thriving. This Asian tiger may have had some of the stuffing knocked out of it since 1997, but it is still a roaring destination. Once the theatre for a unique confrontation (or collusion) between East and West, Hong Kong now presents a similar struggle between two entirely different visions of Chinese identity. It is at once utterly Chinese and effortlessly cosmopolitan, with white, Indian and many other resident populations contradicting Beijing's visions of Chinese exclusivity at every turn. Many Hong Kongers, especially younger ones, speak good English, and almost all of them look towards Pacific horizons rather than north of the Chinese border for their values and aspirations. The mainland, as China is called, is still a foreign country for locals. Residence requirements for mainland Chinese are stricter now than they ever were under English colonial rule, and Hong Kong courts hand down draconian punishments for offending mainlanders. Hong Kong is a vision of what the rest of China could be if it opened up fully to the world, but Hong Kong prefers to focus on its own affairs rather than lead the way for China. The rule of law has suffered since the handover, but mostly through insidious erosion rather than direct assault: Beijing is content by and large to govern with a light touch, keeping itself at a distance from Hong Kong affairs, so as to sustain international confidence in the territory. Many of the worst precedents for future erosion of liberties have been set by Hong Kong's government itself, in its struggle to keep the feared rush of poor mainland fortune-seekers at bay. In the meantime, the citizens' way of life remains unchanged; and it would be hard to imagine a less Communist place than acquisitive, thrusting, mad, dog-eat-dog Hong Kong. Cartelisation, connections and rumours of official corruption may tarnish its reputation for totally free capitalism, but Hong Kong still scores top in a global assessment of levels of economic freedom for residents. The relentless drive of the place makes it one of the most exciting cities in Asia - even Tokyo seems sleepy in comparison. It is also the ideal hub from which to visit the rest of Pacific Asia - bang in the centre of the region and a few hours' flight away from almost everywhere else. For Swiss standards of cleanliness and tedium, visitors should go to Singapore, but for breathing the air of freedom in all its rancid diversity, they can stand by the Fragrant Harbour and inhale - not forgetting to stay upwind. |
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