I AM not looking forward to Easter because our relatives from Guangdong are coming to stay. Back in the 1980s my husband and I would visit them in China and they would be grateful even for gifts of second-hand clothes. Five years ago, when our import/export business was booming, we would take televisions, motorbikes and stereos as presents during festivals. Then they bought a toy factory, started to get rich, and decided they did not need our presents anymore. Now when they stay with us they sneer at our possessions in their irritating dai luk accents. 'Oh - you'll still driving the same old Mercedes - we're getting a new one next week,' or 'Our laser disc has a remote karaoke function - doesn't yours?' It makes me angry - what can I do? Mrs Tin, To Kwa Wan If you want to impress your relatives, you can rent everything from the latest model of television, to a stereo or a new car during the time of their visit and pretend they are yours. Remember that furniture shops often sell off showroom models of sofas, chairs and tables when new stock comes in. If you inspect them closely for small, but tell-tale signs of damage and repair them they should be in fine condition when your relatives arrive. You can also comb the classified section of this newspaper for people selling fairly immaculate items because they are leaving Hong Kong. Your visitors will notice that since they last stayed in Hong Kong you have acquired an entirely new set of possessions. On no account make any reference to your purchases, thereby giving the unspoken impression your apparent large financial outlay has been made effortlessly. If they raise the subject, simply say in a matter-of-fact tone, 'Oh yes, things are looking up for us.' There is an alternative, but one that may mean you lose contact with your relatives altogether. Before the next holiday telephone them and insist on travelling to China to stay. 'It will be a long time before we meet again because we are emigrating to Canada,' you should explain. In no uncertain terms it will make the point that however materially wealthy they are, they still don't have your freedom of movement. Arabella Wong Fax your social questions to Arabella on 2579-0815.
