My memory of Hong Kong

About three years ago, when I was interviewing in Hong Kong, I met a local art critic.

He was very enthusiastic, invited me to join his criticism studio, and tried his best to match the bridge and recommended me to work in his friend's art institution.

"You know, there are very few people who write the preface to curation in Hongkong, and even fewer writers in China. Besides, you are from Guangdong and know Cantonese ... If you come to work in Hong Kong, the monthly salary and contribution income add up to about 40,000 Hong Kong dollars, which is better than in Shenzhen. " ?

Frankly speaking, I was fascinated. Although this income is not attractive compared with the prices in Hong Kong. ?

As a generation who grew up with TVB soap operas in childhood, it is impossible to say that there is no "Hong Kong complex". ?

I hope to play in the "dream city" of youth, witness the prosperity of the capitalist world, breathe clean and sweet air, eat safe food and set my mind free-these pictures are too beautiful for me to watch. ?

However, after careful consideration, I politely declined the kindness of my friends in Hong Kong. ?

Why should I refuse the invitation of the most developed and active economy in the world? My friend is puzzled.

In recent years, I have traveled to and from Shenzhen and Hong Kong very frequently because of my work. I am also deeply touched by the advantages and disadvantages of the two cities. ?

The first time I went to Hong Kong, I strolled in Sha Tin Park, and finally saw what is clear-compared with the foul smell of Shenzhen River, the river in Hong Kong is simply clean, not only crystal clear, but also a group of egrets inhabit here and fly around the water-do you know how long it has been since I saw the water with birds ...

I was taking a bus in the New Territories when an old lady suddenly fell down when she got off the bus. As a result, seven or eight passers-by quickly helped her up, still asking for help. The driver also stopped to assist in the rescue, waiting for the arrival of the ambulance together, and no passenger in the whole car complained. ?

When you ask for directions in Hong Kong, you often get detailed hiking guides in three languages (Chinese, English and Cantonese). Almost everyone who is asked can't wait to take you to your destination by hand ... Once I got lost in Tuen Mun, a young man led me for 20 minutes until I was sent to a bus stop a few kilometers away. ?

So I really want to give Hong Kong a great compliment, whether it is cultural customs or sanitary environment. ?

However, I still don't want to work and live in this city-because I know that shopping in Hong Kong is different from living in Hong Kong. ?

If you want to survive in Hong Kong, the first concern is housing. ?

There is a surprising set of data-more than half of Hong Kong's private houses have a saleable area of less than 50 square meters, and the per capita living area is only about 16 square meters, which is far behind Singapore and the mainland's Beishangguang, and is out of proportion to the status of international metropolis and developed economies (per capita GDP is about 40,000 US dollars). ?

I still don't understand why the quality of life of Hong Kong people is appalling when there is a "welfare housing allocation system" praised by people all over the world. ?

You know, in Hong Kong, most HOS houses have no balconies! Most Hong Kong people have no concept of "drying clothes". They either go to the dry cleaners to wash clothes, or leave the air conditioner on all night to dry clothes ...?

In addition, more than 70 square meters of houses in Hong Kong can already be called "luxury houses", and shacks with less than 50 square meters in it runs abound. Once a friend rented a house in Nathan Road, and the monthly rent for a 56-square-meter house was as high as HK$ 32,000-the elevator in that building could only accommodate one person, and as soon as he entered, he choked and even struggled to turn around. ?

The housing prices in Hong Kong are also staggering-once I was shopping in Tuen Mun, I noticed the so-called "bamboo shoots" recommended by the real estate agent-a 370-foot (about 34 square meters) house with a price of 4.98 million Hong Kong dollars (converted to RMB 4.33 million at the exchange rate). In other words, it is about 1.2 million yuan per square meter! You know, Tuen Mun is just a suburb of Hong Kong! ! ?

Renting a house is more expensive than buying one. How can I settle in Hong Kong? How can we live in peace without peace?

The second worrying issue is medical care. ?

Hong Kong's life expectancy is as high as 83 years, which is higher than that of Japan, which is famous for its "longevity", and ranks among the best in the world. It should be said that the longevity of Hong Kong people is largely due to the developed and sound public medical system. ?

As long as you hold a Hong Kong identity card and pay a "symbolic" fee every year, you can enjoy most public medical services. ?

Is such a good medical system flawed? The problem is "queuing". ?

What many mainlanders don't know is that in Hong Kong, the time period of "making an appointment for medical treatment" is not calculated in hours, but in weeks, even months and years. ?

Take the dermatology of Yau Ma Tei as an example. I made an appointment in June, 20 15, and the time for seeing a doctor was in May, 20 17-that is to say, I have to wait in line for more than two years before I can see a dermatologist! ?

If it is a common cold and fever, the queue time for seeing a doctor in Hong Kong is not long; If the condition is critical and meets the emergency indications, you will also get the right to "jump the queue"-however, skin diseases and otolaryngology diseases are not fatal immediately, and it often takes about a year to make an appointment! For a perennial rhinitis patient like me, this waiting speed is simply bad news. ?

The third tangled issue is education. ?

Many people think that education in Hong Kong is "Westernized", students are not burdened with schoolwork, and classes are just for fun-this is actually a huge misunderstanding. ?

The truth is that Hong Kong people are obsessed with educational competition, and the whole people have a strong "prestigious school complex" and "cramming complex"-just look at the overwhelming advertisements of "King of Mathematics" and "Required Exam" in Nathan Road, Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui. ?

There are also differences between "prestigious schools" and "scum schools" in Hong Kong. According to the test results, NGOs divide the main primary and secondary schools into three grades: band 1, band2 and band3. Just like in many Hong Kong dramas, students in Band 1 have always been cocky and have the aura of learning hegemony, while students in band3 are basically small experts in fighting and cheating ... Hong Kong's "poor students" are discriminated against as much as those in the Mainland. ?

As a foreigner, how much money and resources can I have to compete with the locals? To ensure that their children can survive the fierce educational competition in Hong Kong? To prevent them from becoming idle scum of Band3 school? ?

We should know that the annual admission rate of Hong Kong's secondary school diploma examination (equivalent to the mainland college entrance examination) is only about 37%, which means that 63% of Hong Kong candidates can't go to college. This kind of competition is much more terrible than the college entrance examination that mainlanders hate. ?

In addition, I have heard with my own ears that Hong Kong parents educate their children like this-"How can children become useful without fighting?" 、

"If you suffer, you will become a master" ... Hehe, I really don't think these educational methods can be more "advanced" and "humanized" than those in the mainland. ?

It can be seen that in the three major areas of housing, medical care and education, Hong Kong's system is not very friendly to foreigners. ?

Of course, as long as you are rich enough, you can enjoy much better treatment than Shenzhen in these three aspects. ?

Therefore, no matter how many advantages Hong Kong has, I can only stay away after weighing the pros and cons. ?

Exquisite Hong Kong is a harbor for wealthy high-net-worth families. Rough Shenzhen is in line with my status as a working class and a diaosi grassroots. ?

To put it bluntly, Hong Kong is as good as Hong Kong, and Shenzhen is as good as Shenzhen. Radish and vegetables, each with his own love; Is A's honey arsenic of B?

As one of the most developed economies in the world, Hong Kong certainly has many merits.

Its international and modern resources can provide important convenience for emigrating overseas. ?

Its relatively sound judicial system can provide people with more procedural equality and ensure that everyone is respected in personality. ?

For those middle-class children who want to go abroad to be jump class, Hong Kong may be a good transit point. ?

For those who want to see the world, Hong Kong can also give you a richer vision and satisfy your eyes. ?

But for those wage earners, ordinary white-collar workers, whose personal material conditions still need to be improved, and who are still struggling for a well-off life, Hong Kong is not necessarily a good place to go. ?

In which city you finally settle down, you need to weigh the pros and cons and analyze the pros and cons yourself. ?

Don't believe that "the capitalist world is in dire straits" and don't be superstitious that "the overseas moon is round". ?

I gave up my job in Hongkong, but as a Xiao Pi, I made a rational decision in choosing a city that suits my situation.

Joint essay: a port city, a feeling-my memory of Hong Kong

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