
More Hongkongers are visiting, working and living in mainland China
- The change is part of Beijing’s plan for the Greater Bay Area but experts say Hong Kong needs to work faster to keep up with mainland cities

Henry Lim Chuen-choy is a doctor from Hong Kong. Every morning, he takes the high-speed train from West Kowloon to Shenzhen. The journey takes about 45 minutes and has become a daily routine for the 35-year-old. He works at GBA Healthcare Group, which runs clinics at mainland hospitals in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Before he started working in the bay area, Lim had a senior management position at a private hospital in Hong Kong. “The primary care sector of the region has huge room for development and unlimited possibilities for me,” he said.
At first, it wasn’t easy. Lim had to learn how to work in a different environment, culture and way of life.
He was unfamiliar with many electronic payments used in mainland China. He was not on WeChat. He had to adjust to the fast-paced work culture of his mainland colleagues. He had to learn their slang and jokes. He also had to explain Hong Kong healthcare to people on the mainland.
Now, he leads a team of nine people, conducts trainings and manages operations for the group’s clinics. He also takes mainland medical staff on exchanges to Hong Kong.
“I see myself playing a bridging role between Hong Kong and the mainland,” he said. “I have been doing my part and contributing to Hong Kong’s integration into the Greater Bay Area.”
Plans for the bay area
The bay area is made up of Hong Kong, Macau, and nine •cities in •Guangdong. About five years ago, Beijing revealed its blueprint to turn the area into a hi-tech economic hub. By 2035, it hopes to be similar to California’s Silicon Valley, where many US tech companies are based.
Hongkongers are slowly recognising the bay area’s massive opportunities.
The Hong Kong government is also trying to make it easier for people and goods to move across the border. For example, it has built a new cross-border checkpoint and has made it easier for Hong Kong vehicles to travel north.
Hongkongers made more than 53 million trips across the border last year.
According to China’s census, more than 371,000 Hongkongers were living on the mainland in 2021. This was about 5 per cent of Hong Kong’s population that year.
But experts said Hong Kong needed to do more to take advantage of all the opportunities in the bay area. They said the city must speed up its creation of new industries. Otherwise, it could lose its advantage over cities on the mainland.
Question prompts:
1. What role does Lim see himself playing in Hong Kong’s integration into the Greater Bay Area?
A. leading a medical team in Shenzhen
B. managing a healthcare start-up in Hong Kong
C. bridging the gap between Hong Kong and the mainland
D. explaining Hong Kong healthcare to locals in Shenzhen
2. What have experts said about Hong Kong’s role in the Greater Bay Area? What does the city need to do, and why?
Question prompt:
1. Why are people in the illustration heading to the Greater Bay Area from Hong Kong?
Question prompts:
1. What message might the cartoon be trying to show about Hong Kong’s future?
2. What do you think about China’s hi-tech plans for the Greater Bay Area? What role can Hong Kong play?
Sample answers
News article
1. C
2. Experts say Hong Kong has been slow to integrate into the GBA. It needs to do more to take full advantage of opportunities in the region, such as speeding up the development of new industries
Illustration 1
The sign that says “Hiring now!” suggests the people in the illustration are heading to the Greater Bay Area to seek employment opportunities.
Illustration 2
1. The cartoon shows that although there are many opportunities in the Greater Bay Area, there are still hurdles to overcome.
2. I am hopeful about China’s plan to grow the GBA into a hi-tech zone, as the government has put a lot of time and effort into developing the region. However, I am unsure about Hong Kong’s role, as the local government has been slower to develop infrastructure and other facilities across the border. (accept all reasonable answers)
blueprint
In February 2019, China revealed its plan for the bay area to play “the leading role in the country’s economic development”. Its plan is for the bay area to become a hi-tech hub by 2035. It also listed five goals; one of them is to build a closer relationship between the mainland and Hong Kong.
Greater Bay Area
The area is made up of Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in Guangdong: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan and Jiangmen. It covers about 56,000 sq km. More than 86 million people live there. It is larger in size and population than the world’s three leading bay areas: New York, Tokyo, and San Francisco.
integration
to combine or become part of something. When people talk about integrating Hong Kong into the Greater Bay Area, it means they want Hong Kong to build a closer relationship with the Greater Bay Area.