The day before Christmas I spent an afternoon walking around Central. It was busier than ever.
Fast paced, opulent and cosmopolitan, Central exudes Hong Kong’s vibrancy. I don’t live or work there, but since childhood I have felt its heartbeat powering my city. Central is not just a photo on postcards, it is the soul of one of the world’s proudest international economic cities.
I have been told many people today, including young people, no longer feel this way about Hong Kong. They don’t know Central and hardly ever go there.
Many children, perhaps as many as half, grow up in New Territories’ housing estates and do not come into Central until past their teens. They see it as a costly luxury and more importantly, see no obvious reason to make the trip. Central is far too remote from their lives.
The value-added reaped by landlords is not trickling down
In the past 30 years, Hong Kong’s economy has prospered, but growing numbers in the low- and middle-income classes have been left behind. Income inequality has risen in all the rich nations, but Hong Kong’s situation is particularly severe.