LettersIn China, Hong Kong youth can live free – from the property cartels

China may have a lot to learn in terms of media openness. But, by keeping living costs under control, the nation has given ordinary people a degree of social liberty

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Protesters take a break outside a real estate agency office during a rally in Hong Kong on August 3. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 7:00am, 2 Nov 2019Updated: 7:00am, 2 Nov 2019

It doesn’t take a genius to realise Hong Kong is spiralling into a crisis for people from all walks of life. It is clear that a lack of leadership on both sides is to blame for the current state of affairs. How ill-advised and irrational some of the decisions have been. Where is the compromise? Where is the willingness to negotiate?

I would like to reiterate the importance of survival, as opposed to martyrdom. Without sounding patronising, I would like to share how I, too, faced a real-life make-or-break decision. The company in Hong Kong I was working at was hit by a noticeable slowdown in business early this year. As the new kid on the block in a family-oriented company, I needed to consider my position. If push came to shove, I could be fired. I began exploring my options as a graphic designer and applied to a design studio out in Shanghai, because I had seen the city’s appreciation of design and art during a week-long work trip last year.

Fast forward to August, and I had two interviews with the studio in Shanghai, which made me a good offer, as my company in Hong Kong began to downsize. I decided to move to Shanghai, which got me thinking.

What is the meaning of freedom? Sure, as I write this in Shanghai, China has a lot to learn in terms of media openness. I love films and recently I had to travel to Seoul to watch Joker . However, from a social perspective, China has done well to give ordinary people a fighting chance to live humanely – unlike Hong Kong, where growing up under the thumb of the property hegemony is, well, what it is.

I, an ordinary 20-something, am lucky enough to work in an industry that interests me but also pays the rent. Controlled living costs do not equal freedom. But a government which keeps costs under control does to some extent allow a degree of social liberty.

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}China may have a lot to learn in terms of media openness. But, by keeping living costs under control, the nation has given ordinary people a degree of social liberty

China may have a lot to learn in terms of media openness. But, by keeping living costs under control, the nation has given ordinary people a degree of social liberty