Every autumn about 9,000 Hong Kong teenagers board planes bound for Britain to start a new term at one of the country's 113 universities. Most will live in rented accommodation, but a sizeable minority will enjoy life in a home bought for them by their parents.
Hong Kong parents are not alone in buying homes for their children studying in Britain. Wealthy Indian and Middle Eastern parents do the same and some Britons too, notably former prime minister Tony Blair who bought a home for one of his children who studied in Bristol.
Whether they live in rented or bought accommodation, most Hong Kong students live near their college and, where possible, with others like themselves. London, with the largest concentration of universities in Britain, attracts the greatest number of students from the SAR.
The sciences are popular subjects with Hong Kong students, so many live near universities that teach those subjects, such as Imperial College, London, and Manchester and Cambridge universities. Law is another favourite. Estate agency Knight Frank says many Hong Kong law students live around London's South Bank close to University of London's King's College and BPP Law School.
Estate agents promoted the South Bank to London's 'prime residential' property league a few years ago following completion of several regeneration projects, including the Tate Modern art gallery, which attracted upmarket developers to the area, pushing up property values.
Chelsea and South Kensington are well established desirable residential locations that attract Hong Kong student tenants, according to Knight Frank. There they mostly look for studios and one-bedroom flats.