Some illegal immigrant children are entering Hong Kong numerous times to commit crimes, despite facing detention in juvenile homes.
Fifteen-year-old Ah Choi, from a remote town in Fujian, said he had illegally entered the territory about 50 times in the past five years.
'To me, Hong Kong is a place of hope and opportunity, and I can't think of a reason not to return again,' he said.
His opinions are shared by other illegal immigrant minors at the Pui Yin Juvenile Home in Ma Tau Wei who are frequent visitors to Hong Kong. They hide under trucks or in train compartments or walk in over the hills.
At the age of 10, Ah Choi climbed into a packed train heading to Guangzhou - where he began his life as a beggar and scavenger.
'There's nothing I could do in my home town and no one cared about me. My parents divorced when I was eight and they didn't want to or couldn't afford to pay the 20 yuan (HK$18.60) for my school fees.' He said he was ambushed by gangsters in Guangzhou whenever he had some money in his pocket.
'A handicapped adult friend told me Hong Kong was a good place for earning a living, so I followed him here out of curiosity and hope.' They begged outside a department store in Tsuen Wan, making $2,000 a day together, he said. At night they slept above an overpass.