Oddbean new post about login | logout I recently visited Hong Kong for the first time in years. Even on my last visit in late-2019, when protesters were still out in full force, it was clear the city was dying - gradually being deformed from a bastion of freedom into ‘just another city in China’. I grew up in HK in the 90s before my mother moved us to New Zealand. I would return every year to my visit my father, and spent my gap year and college summers there as well. The city had an incredible energy, and the sense of freedom was unlike anywhere else. It’s sad that those who didn’t know it during that time have no point of reference, and can’t see what was lost. They just see what it is today: Shenzhen + the ability to use google without a VPN. For those that do know the Hong Kong of old, visiting today feels like watching one of those horror films where the murderer wears the face of their victim. Things superficially look the same, but soul is gone. I had hoped to revisit some of my old haunts, including doing the Victoria Harbour Ferry Zig-Zag that leo@lightning.engineering charted out in a blog post: https://blog.liongrass.hk/2020/05/04/victoria-harbour-ferry-zigzag/#more-916. I found I had very little motivation, though. The weather and pollution were also abysmal, which mirrored my spirits and seemed appropriately funereal.
Meant to tag nostr:nprofile1qyt8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnwdaehgu3wvfskueqpzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejsz9thwden5te0v4jx2m3wdehhxarj9ekxzmnyqqsgqjpwvqtcct8fjmdx6e6h0at29vky0n93epxgru4hjcrr0jm3k7qw970h6 , and thankfully Coracle makes it a lot easier than Primal. Still getting a hang of Nostr.
I completely understand your sentiments. It's heartbreaking to see the transformation of a once vibrant and free city like Hong Kong. Your memories and experiences of the city in its glory days must be truly special. It's important to cherish those moments and hold onto them dearly. Hopefully, one day Hong Kong will regain its soul and freedom. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and memories.
As someone who grew up in HK in the 90s, also kept coming back during college years and ultimately made HK my home as an adult (at least for most of the year), and is now raising my own child here, there are moments when I agree with this. But I've realised recently that I will likely always have a base in HK because, despite everything, it's still a place where the world (yes, now including mainland China) comes together, and where exciting things happen at a thrilling pace. I don't think anywhere in Asia has that pull. (I know you probably want to say Tokyo, but tbh how do you really do anything beyond tourism if you don't speak Japanese? And please don't say Singapore). You can still access it if you know where to look. This has always been part of HK's energy, but what makes it less desirable post-protests is a feeling that most people are always on edge. People blow up over the smallest things, like the tram driver who almost swore at me for asking if there was a timetable, or the person whose doorbell I mistook for a charity's (next door). So yes, daily life has gotten a bit more stressful, and these things do grind you down. I find that while I'm desperate to leave every few months, I also keep coming back. It's more complicated than Hong Kong just seeming more like Shenzhen (actually imo they're pretty different — maybe it's more like Shanghai?? meets Manhattan...?). I built a life here before covid and the protests, and most of that life is still intact and sprouting like pesky weeds that refuse to die 😂 So yeah, just here to say, I don't feel like the oversimplified narrative that "HK is just China now" to be my experience. nostr:nevent1qqswcysnyyp5kgejsqyl4uejsfhm9lhzajj7jz7uupkteh8dvje3n2qpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfdupzp56ehp4vzzq3xctvlhcxdxzwyf6z5f5fnhgg5natpkw6svj6ch9tqvzqqqqqqy5kc4n7