OpinionEven for a Londoner, the energy of 1990s Hong Kong was next level
- Limited Western food options, edgy nights out, a buzzing harbour – Hong Kong in the mid-’90s meant excitement and, without the internet, writing letters home
- Supermarket choices steadily grew but much stayed the same for the next quarter of a century. Only in the past few years has some of the old Hong Kong gone
My new home in Britain could not be more different from Hong Kong. Skyscrapers have been replaced by little cottages. There are deserted lanes rather than crowded streets, a village shop instead of the city’s glitzy malls and no street lights, let alone neon signs.
Having settled into the house I bought last month, I am starting to explore my surroundings. And my thoughts return to my arrival in Hong Kong 28 years ago.
A contemporary photograph of the Hong Kong skyline, a thoughtful Christmas gift, takes centre stage in my new dining room. The cityscape has, of course, changed dramatically since my first glimpse of it when making the nerve-tingling descent to Kai Tak, in 1994. There was no IFC, for a start.
But it is surprising how much has stayed the same. For me, there are so many stories to be found in that picture. I can see Western District, where I first lived. I recall the city overwhelming my senses.
I would peer through the window across the harbour, blown away by the frenzied activity below. Countless boats swarmed in all directions, trams rattled by and taxis whizzed past. I came from London, but the energy in Hong Kong back then was on a different level.