AS a new resident recently arrived from the US, I am deeply impressed by Hong Kong.
This is a very typical Chinese community, with many Chinese traditions well preserved, and yet as far as transportation, the infrastructure, public facilities and services and other aspects of the society are concerned, the level of efficiency and convenience in daily life matches that of the US.
It seems that Hong Kong has already cracked the century-old hard nut of how to achieve modernisation with Western technology and knowledge without losing its own Chinese identity. From the macro-historical point of view, in the sphere of the development of civilisation, Hong Kong is arguably far more advanced than mainland China.
Hong Kong is a miracle, but it contains some puzzles for me.
The scheduled return of this colony to China's bosom in 1997, instead of arousing excited expectations, as would have been the case in other parts of the world, has caused panic amongst the local population. Yet, with less than two years to go before the scheduled return, an election for Legislative Council members still took place and the people of Hong Kong still took it seriously.
Judging by the campaigns of the competing candidates, the participation of voters, the process of the polls and the results of elections, it is obvious that the Hongkongese have reached maturity in the realm of democracy.
