Greener pastures lure HK’s dream chasers
Hong Kong people seeking a new life on the Chinese mainland have witnessed dramatic changes on both north and south of the border. Six such adventurers told China Daily how closer cross-border connections have impacted their lives.
1. What motivated you to work and live on the Chinese mainland? How has this decision changed your life?
Steven Pun Chi-ho: Attracted by the mainland’s large land area, mature upstream and downstream supply chains, and abundant talent resources, I crossed the boundary to start my business. I have lived in Guangdong province for 14 years and traveled to mainland cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and also Foshan, Huizhou, and Dongguan. Now I am settled in Shenzhen.
Living in Shenzhen has helped my company grow from a 2-person ecommerce company into a 200-person integrated industrial and commercial technology company. We also established chip design and manufacturing bases in Hong Kong Science Park and Dongguan’s Songshan Lake Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone.
Yip Hing-wah: I have been living on the mainland for 10 years, counting my college days. Now I have settled in Foshan, Guangdong province, after having lived in cities like Beijing, Ningbo of Zhejiang province, and many Guangdong cities.
The decision to stay on the mainland changed the course of my life. You don’t have to stay in Hong Kong for career development. Coming to the mainland has helped me find my value and allowed me to give full play to my strengths.
Liu Cheung-hin: I am 78 years old and I have been living on the Chinese mainland for nearly 20 years. I retired in 2001 and bought an apartment in Guangzhou, which I initially treated as a vacation home. Later, because of my work in the Hong Kong Children’s School in Shenzhen, I lived in Shenzhen for a short time. In 2003, I settled down in Guangzhou and would regularly go to Shenzhen to take care of business related to the school.
Ken Chong Yat-chau: I have been living on the mainland for over 16 years – two years in Guangzhou, seven in Shenzhen and seven in Zhongshan. My reason for settling on the mainland is the spacious living environment, which offers a coveted life for the general public of Hong Kong.
Since 2016, the mainland and Hong Kong SAR governments have rolled out many favorable policies and more and more Hong Kong people have crossed the border and started businesses on the mainland. I am one of the Hong Kong entrepreneurs that grasped the mainland’s opportunities and enjoy supporting measures brought by “one country, two systems”.
Cheng King-leung: I had been looking forward to life on the Chinese mainland for a long time. In 2014, I bought a flat in Zhongshan city, which I intended to live in for my future retirement. By 2019, after the social unrest in Hong Kong, I sincerely hoped to spread the information I received on the mainland to Hong Kong young people, so that they could have a better understanding of the mainland culture. So I decided to move across the border to continue my career on the mainland.
Since August 2021, when I took up the post of chief principal at the Affiliated School of Jinan University for Hong Kong and Macao Students in Guangzhou, I hope I can pass on my educational philosophy to the Hong Kong and Macao students.
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Lee Lik-chi: Working in the film and television industry, I have had many opportunities to shoot on the mainland. I’ve lived in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuxi of Jiangsu province, and Zhejiang province’s Hengdian World Studios. Now I’ve settled down in Zhuhai’s Hengqin economic zone.
Hong Kong people living on the Chinese mainland are significant practitioners of “one country, two systems”. As one of them, would you please share with us how the policy affected your life?
Yip Hing-wah: I completed my university and postgraduate studies on the mainland. My identity as a Hong Kong student allowed me to tap the mainland’s high-quality education resources through a specially arranged application process. The college experience has benefited me to this today.
Ken Chong Yat-chau: Thanks to the efforts made by the central government and the Hong Kong SAR government, it has become much more convenient for Hong Kong people to live and do business on the mainland.
Mainland-based Hong Kong people can now apply for a residence permit, which allows them to enjoy more public services and facilitation measures on the mainland, such as taking planes and trains with fewer procedures.
For Hong Kong people who want to do business on the mainland, the registration is much simpler now. The procedures that used to take months and required multiple visits have been replaced by a one-stop service that takes no more than 10 days.
Lee Lik-chi: Affected by the pandemic, Hong Kong’s entertainment industry has ground to a halt. The broad market on the Chinese mainland, especially in the Greater Bay Area, offers many opportunities for Hong Kong’s entertainment practitioners.
I came to the mainland for career development a long time ago. Last year, I applied for residence permits and an elderly-person’s pass for use on public transportation, which offers much convenience when traveling on the mainland.
As I was eligible to enjoy an allowance, I also bought my first new energy vehicle last October, which only cost about 80,000 yuan. I use the car to commute between various Guangdong cities. It’s really very convenient.
3. Based on your personal experiences, what changes have you experienced in your work or life on the mainland over the past 25 years?
Liu Cheung-hin: When I first came to the mainland over 10 years ago, I felt that many English teachers on the mainland were good at writing, but not at speaking. Their English-teaching skills have improved a lot in the past decade, and some teachers are even more outstanding than their Hong Kong peers. I recently returned to the Hong Kong Children’s School to see how they conduct online classes. Exceeding my expectations, the teaching was so creative. The teachers put a lot of effort into designing the curriculum. Such an improvement is also a microcosm of the country’s rapid overall development.
Cheng King-leung: I also noticed a gradual improvement in the educational level of the young generation. We are delighted to see that the new generation of Chinese youth is more energetic about changing the country, and this will increase China’s impact on the global stage.
4. Steven Pun Chi-ho,
CEO of Shenzhen-based tech firm Protech
Shenzhen
Ken Chong Yat-chau,
CEO of Guangdong Yikuai Envirotech Company
Zhongshan
Yip Hing-wah,
CEO of Foshan-based startup incubator Gungho Space
Foshan
Cheng King-leung, chief principal of a Guangzhou school that opened for HK and Macao students
Guangzhou
Hong Kong has experienced many changes in recent years, such as social unrest, implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong, and three elections under the new electoral system. In your opinion, how will these changes affect the city?
Steven Pun Chi-ho: Since the handover, various significant changes have brought challenges to our lives in the economy, culture, education, and social security. These are historic reforms Hong Kong must undergo. I’m glad to see that we have achieved a high degree of unity in national security and established the framework of “patriots administering Hong Kong”.
Cheng King-leung: The return of Hong Kong to the motherland is a very exciting event for both Hong Kong and the mainland residents. I feel strongly that we have been taken care of directly by our motherland. Although, we have experienced many challenges, our country has always provided assistance and it also has given Hong Kong people a sense of inspiration and belonging.
The implementation of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong has been strongly supported by the central government, but Hong Kong has suffered from the British administration and its cultural influences, as well as offensive propaganda against our motherland by some Western media in recent years. A small number of young people are unable to gain a deeper understanding of the country’s development and related policies, which has led to conflicts.
I hope that more young people will come to the mainland to learn more about various aspects of our country. When I work in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, I realize that my colleagues and students, along with Hong Kong people, have similar pursuits — a peaceful home and a united society.
Lee Lik-chi: As Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of “one country, two systems”, said, the implementation of the practice will never be plain sailing. After the social unrest and the series of moves to set things right, I think Hong Kong has experienced a “second return” to the motherland, and the “one country, two systems” principle has been further improved. I hope Hong Kong’s governance, economy, and people’s livelihoods can be continuously enhanced in the future.
5. There have been many moments of mutual support between the mainland and Hong Kong. What impressed you most?
Yip Hing-wah: In March, subways, buses, residential buildings and offices in Shenzhen, were suspended in view of the pandemic. However, Shenzhen authorities made an announcement saying fresh food and daily necessities supplies to Hong Kong from Shenzhen would not be affected by the suspension. It touched me deeply, Guangdong province is Hong Kong’s closest kin geographically. It’s the tacit understanding between family members when Guangdong rushed to our rescue even when they were also trapped in a quagmire.
Liu Cheung-hin: I was mostly impressed and touched by the mutual support between the mainland and Hong Kong in times of crisis. I remember that in the early years, when the mainland was hit by natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, warmhearted Hong Kong people donated a lot of money and materials to afflicted compatriots. As the mainland’s economy continues to grow, our compatriots on the mainland also offered generous assistance to Hong Kong when it was in need. I was moved that the mainland sent many medical and construction workers to Hong Kong to help us fight against the fifth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Ken Chong Yat-chau: Growing up in Hong Kong, I have seen many charity schemes and donation campaigns for helping people hit by natural disasters on the mainland. Hong Kong people have also contributed to Project Hope, a scheme launched to help mainland children in remote areas complete their elementary education. Many Hong Kong residents chipped in for the program, including my father. Hong Kong people have been supportive and showed their concern for education and children on the mainland.
Over the past three years, I have been offered a front-row seat to witness the prowess of socialism amid the anti-pandemic efforts. This has been magnificent and neat in dealing with the pandemic. It was especially so when makeshift hospitals were built within days. The mainland also came to the aid of Hong Kong to build makeshift hospitals, completing the arduous tasks within a few days, a task that often take years in other countries and regions.
Cheng King-leung: The blood of our compatriots in Hong Kong and the mainland is thicker than water. When I was young, during times of natural disasters on the Chinese mainland, such as the floods in eastern China in 1991, Hong Kong residents have always been there to generously extend a helping hand.
This sentiment has not been diluted since Hong Kong’s reunification with the motherland, but the situation has changed and the mainland has developed rapidly in technology and other aspects. We are all Chinese and we need to support and encourage each other to keep going.
Lee Lik-chi: Since the pandemic broke out in 2020, I have gone through weeks-long quarantine three times and each experience was quite unforgettable. After I left Hong Kong and entered the mainland, staff arranged for a vehicle to take me to the hotel, and I also received nucleic acid tests for free.
I also spent a Lantern Festival isolated in a hotel. The staff sent a bowl of sweet dumplings to me. During a home quarantine period, community workers called me many times to ask what I needed.
Many mainland-based Hong Kong people offered great help to me. They helped me get three vaccination jabs, and to go to the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint to vote in the election. The group has a high degree of cohesion.
Liu Cheung-hin, a retired Hong Kong primary school headmaster
Guangzhou
Lee Lik-chi,
Hong Kong movie director
6. Could you tell us more about recent developments in your industry, especially under the framework of the Greater Bay Area blueprint?
Yip Hing-wah: The exchange is definitely better and closer as the understanding and collaboration deepen. I helped a Foshanbased home design company a few years ago. At that time, the company needed more high-quality designers with international backgrounds to expand its business. Hong Kong has many excellent designers, but they did not know about the opportunities on the mainland. So I bridged the gap here by introducing them to each other and made the deal. It got me thinking that the mainland and Hong Kong can achieve win-win cooperation as they have many complementary resources.
In recent years, as the head of a startup incubator based in Foshan, I have organized many webinars to introduce the mainland’s entrepreneurial policies to Hong Kong students. They show great interest in starting a business in the mainland.
Liu Cheung-hin: With its high reputation, Hong Kong’s education system attracted many mainland students, and they crossed the border to study in Hong Kong schools every day. Given the development of the mainland’s education industry, more and more Hong Kong students also chose mainland schools at which to study. Meanwhile, the mainland has also increased the number of schools designed for Hong Kong students in recent years.
Ken Chong Yat-chau: Since the release of the outline development plan for the Greater Bay Area, I have participated in various online promotions that aim to show more Hong Kong people about real life on the mainland or provide suggestions to those who want to establish businesses in the bay area. We have been doing more to introduce the GBA and the life here for the past two years, in the hope of having Hong Kong people ready to come when quarantine-free travel between Hong Kong and the mainland is resumed.
Cheng King-leung: The GBA development outline has provided many new directions for the education sector I work in, such as quality education and holistic education. Also, it provides schooling opportunities for the children of overseas Chinese and international people working in the Greater Bay Area.
The outline gives clear guidelines on many issues, including the operation of our school. The establishment of our school enables Hong Kong students to continue to receive Hong Kong education when they arrive in the mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area. Our course is designed according to the Hong Kong curriculum and also nurtures students according to the methods of the international education philosophy.
Lee Lik-chi: The biggest change is that I have been able to visit many small cities and counties in Guangdong province for work purposes, such as Yunfu, Yangjiang, and Zhaoqing, most of which I had never been to before.
I have a lot of friends who work in the dried orange peels industry in Xinhui of Jiangmen city, which has become an industry around which a related culture has developed in the region. I’m trying to integrate this theme into my film projects.
I also visited Foshan Lingnan Tiandi in Foshan, where there has been a massive project to renovate old districts and historical buildings to create a business center, which merges history and with a thriving creative industry very well.
I feel like I’m a promoter of the Greater Bay Area. I’ll keep introducing good places in the region to Hong Kong people and hope more people can personally experience the region’s charm after normal cross-border travels are resumed.
7. Judging from your experience, how will Hong Kong’s integration into the nation benefit Hong Kong people? In terms of exchanges between Hong Kong and the mainland, what areas have the potential for closer collaboration?
Steven Pun Chi-ho: Hong Kong plays a crucial role in developing the Greater Bay Area. Now the global competition between major powers highlights technology and innovation. We must pay attention to the role of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region if we want to scale a new height in technological innovation. Hong Kong is an international financial center but will also be an innovation and technology hub in the future.
Liu Cheung-hin: I encourage Hong Kong’s young people to find opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. In the Greater Bay Area, at least they can have a broader living space. The Hong Kong government also launched a series of internship and employment programs, enabling fresh graduates to pursue career opportunities in the Greater Bay Area.
Ken Chong Yat-chau: If Hong Kong people want to be successful in their careers or want to take part in the nation’s development, they have to pay attention to the nation’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25). In the plan, it mentions things like “dual circulation” paradigm, artificial intelligence, robots, blockchain, sustainable development and environmentally friendly agriculture. Decoding the policies and aligning your career with that of the nation’s development is your pathway to success.
Lee Lik-chi: The biggest benefit of integrating into the country’s development is to broaden our horizons and enrich our experiences. As we know, Hong Kong is a very small place. I hope Hong Kong people can leverage their strengths to collaborate more with their mainland compatriots.
For those who are troubled by restricted prospects in Hong Kong, I sincerely encourage them to make a try on the mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area. I have strong confidence in the cluster’s future prospects, especially the Hengqin new zone I’m living in now.