Until the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), executive search consultant Vicky Wong commuted regularly between Guangzhou and Hong Kong, like many Hong Kong business people with offices in the mainland.
She spends most weekdays in Guangzhou, Shanghai or Beijing, where her company, EPC Consulting, has offices, and practically all her weekends in Hong Kong with family and friends. On average, she spends only a third of her time in Hong Kong.
It is a two-hour commute each way, but the travelling is something she is used to - in a previous job as business liaison manager at an infrastructure company she covered longer distances to places as far as South America, and spent only three months a year in Hong Kong.
Living and working in two different cities means keeping different wardrobes in Guangzhou and in Hong Kong.
Guangzhou tends to be conservative, so she cultivates a professional look, going for plain colours that also serve to hide dirt gathered from her frequent train rides. Hong Kong is trendy and fun, so her colours are lighter.
Sars grounded her in Guangzhou. In fact, she chose to stay with her staff in the provincial capital to show them solidarity and commitment.
