If Taiwan is Hong Kong’s past, Guangzhou is our future
- The mainland city impresses with its buzzing centre, clean streetside air and a people full of optimism and drive. More than Taiwan, which in many ways has stood still in time, Guangzhou should be the growth model for Hong Kong
Back-to-back trips I recently made to Guangzhou and Taiwan from Hong Kong were like taking a crystal ball and gazing into the future. There are those in this city who look to one or the other as the way forward and such people are often labelled as either patriotic or pro-democracy. But if it’s growth and development we’re talking about, love of the nation and politics shouldn’t come into play. Even from a few days of exposure to each, it’s obvious that the mainland is the sensible direction.
I had not been to either for years. Both had obviously moved forward, but the pace of development was markedly different. Guangzhou was bustling and vibrant, its Tianhe business and commercial district literally streets ahead of anything Hong Kong has to offer. Taiwan was, as all my previous trips have seemed, like stepping into the past; Taipei and Taichung were like looking into a mirror of Hong Kong a decade or more ago.