Ich bin ein Hongkonger

Ich bin ein Hong Konger

We are back to the Baltics after ending the '10s with a most inspiring two and half months stay in Hong Kong, the 'smoky harbour'.  Before anything else, the spectacular beauty of the high silhouette of the city against the mountain is awesome beyond words, and it is no less so in the dark, when all of the facades turn into giant LED displays with magnificent light show running on them. Before travelling, we hesitated for a while between go and no-go, and eventually elected the first option after consulting with out local friends and colleagues, who assured us that there is no concern about one's personal safety is being compromised. That turned out to be accurate.
Hong Kong is a paradise of striking contrasts, which can hardly be described in terms of assertive black and white language. And I don't just mean political and economical, but also visual and spatial - all dimensions with respect to which I oriented myself. That means, what follows is a subjective report of an individual.

Therefore I feel the appropriate approach is to proceed in terms of paradoxes.  

PARADOX 1: UNREST VS. SAFETY

Our stay coincided with a critical period of Hong Kong's history, namely that of the large protest movement aiming towards democracy. It was easy to identify with the people struggling towards democracy under the pressure of the mammoth dragon of China, the one to which the city formally and in many ways even practically belongs to. The history of Finnish democracy movement under the Russian empire shows that even a dire future vision is not a reason to give up. Likewise, Soviet time people of the Eastern Europe never stopped believing in democracy and human rights even if they seemed impossible in the Soviet union, and suddenly the terror state was gone. Many things can vary in the course of history, perhaps even China can change? The unrest still continues, quite understandably, but lamentably enough it seems to be moving towards deepening divisions and violence. 
Nevertheless, since I have already written about my thoughts concerning Hong Kong's struggle, I now concentrate in awesome aspects of my Hong Kong
experience. In fact, I fell in love with that place. Despite the widely mediated war-like imagery, in fact we never ever saw a a situation, a person or anything else that would strike a reaction of fear, not at the sites of demonstrations, not in a dark a alley at midnight. Even in midst of the boilling political situation, Hong Kong felt safer than any European - not to mention American - metropol we have been to. Indeed, statistics support this experience. The crime rate is actually lowest in 48 years, and in 2016 the city was the 216th out of 230 countries in descending order of homicide rate. In fact, we only and exclusively encountered friendly and polite people in all places and situations, including protesters and police in action! Furthermore, we hardly ever saw anybody on drugs, and the only noisily misbehaving drunks observed were bloody gweilos around British-style pubs before midnight.

PARADOX 2: DENSITY VS. ENVIRONMENT

The city of about 7.5 million inhabitants is full of unique charm and beauty, as well as huge contrasts. The most prominent characteristic of the city is its neck-twisting verticality in terms of highrises of enormous height. The best of them are amazing architectural masterpieces located in the financial district of the Central (my favourites are the Lippo twin towers and the Bank of China main building), while even ordinary people are housed in disproportionally high towers, commonly in very small flats. In Hong Kong, an apartment with breathtaking view is not the exclusive lux of the rich. Not all of them look like ideal living environments, while there are also extremely posh highrises in particularly up on the higher-levels up the steep hillside of the Hong Kong island. Apparently the bulk of buildings is rather new. 


I was told that the climate is hard on buildings. That was apparent looking at buildings representing architectural clichées of '90 already worn out and c overed by moss. There seemd to be a lot of construction activity all over the city. As a peculiar detail, Hong Kong constructors prefer bamboo scaffolding over steel, even in the heights of superhigh highrises. 

There is no single bridge between Hong Kong island and the Kowloon peninsula. All traffic flows either over or under the narrow strait. Hong Kong is a city of a very well organized public transportation system with fares lower than any other city I am familiar with, except for Tallinn where the residents travel all free. The system consists of a metro system MTR with numerous lines taking people to any extreme of the city quickly and dependably, as well as a system of bus lines operated by a contemporary fleet of double-deckers and smaller light buses, historical ding ding double-decker tramss. The standard taxi vehicle is, for some strange reason, a red boxy Toyota Comfort from the '90s. Even the taxi rides were very moderately priced. While at the same time parking is extremely costly, the proportion of traffic by private cars is low, a reason to envy the city.



There is an extensive and dense ferry traffic. taking people between the Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon peninsula operated by the iconic Star Ferries from the sixties. The strait is also a very busy shipping route, giving the city a salty maritime character. Hong Kong is also surrounded by an archipelago of bigger and smaller islands on east, south and west sides of the main island, and there is very good ferry good ferry service to everywhere. There are always hundreds of ships on anchor waiting for access to the giant harbours of the city.

Air pollution is a large issue, sure enough. The particle density is high, in particular when the wind is from the neighboring Chinese megametropol of Shengzen in the north.


Our local Sheung Wan air was also effected by the incense from the legendary Man Mo Tao temple next door. It was hard to tell whether to blame the holy smoke or the general air quality for our itchy red eyes. On the other hand, the scent was nicely reminiscent of that from a wooden sauna stove at a Finnish lakeshore.




Even if the population density is one of the highest in the world - believe or not - it turns out it is also a subtropical nature paradise. There are not only plenty of meticulously taken-care-of parks, but also purely wild sub-tropical jungle on the hillsides, with rich wild fauna and flora. There is a beautiful archipelago on east, south and west of the main island. We had the chance to take several peripathetic hikes to the surrounding areas with colleagues and friends. The forests are very densely covered with trees of all tropical kinds, inhabited by plurality of colourfully singing tropical birds.

In Hong Kong's parks, the most impressing species of all rees is the holy banyan (ficus microcarpa) that grows to all directions via its hanging aerial roots apparently wantng to surround an swallow up street signs, railings and even small buildings.

 There are lots of wild fauna in the forests and parks, including boars and monkeys (we saw macaques) on the hilltops. On the island of Lantau where we spent the Christmas, there are wild cows and buffaloes. They are protected and their healthcare is provided by the city.





Countless beautiful white sand beaches surround the islands, but the bad news is that the sea is badly polluted by both the Pearl River that brings everything you don't want to think of from mainland China, as well as the waste from the enormous ship traffic. Even without my fish allergy I'd hesitate eating fish caught from these coasts. But again, that is different in the south-east archipelagoes as far as possible from the Pearl River, where one can find even beaches clean enough to dip in the lovely warm ocean.


A couple observations made us suspect environmental disasters. One was the almost complete lack of insects, as in many places around the world, which seemed strange in tropical heat and greenery. We were missing bees and flies, and almost even mosquitoes. Secondly, we never saw a single seagull in the island next to a big ocean with a lot of fishing. Maybe, hopefully, they would not be typical of the marine environment around this area.

PARADOX 3: CULTURE VS. DESTRUCTION

To generalize, Hongkongers are an extremely civilized, well industrious, healthy, creative people. The city blends the best of the ancient Chinese culture with the heritage of British colonialism and today's global universalism, altogether creating a blooming and buzzing metropole, full of culture and innovation. As is the case with, say New York, the density of people guarantees audience for all kinds of blooming culture. The variety of world class music, arts, opera and design is abundant, and we surely enough tried to pick the best out of it. 


In particular, I enjoyed the concerts of the city's top orchestra Hong Kong Philharmonics, of which the pricincipal conductor is Jaap van Zweden. We visited a number of design and art galleries with exhibitions of local artists and big international names, and the Honk Kong Art Museum was not among the least interesting.



There is an abundance of scultpures and public art all around, adding to the awe of architectyure. Before leaving we visited the fantastically well curated Banksy: Genius or Vandal? by Art Projectors Hong Kong, so simulating to my young rebel heart!


There are eight public universities in the city that altogether make it a most fertile intellectual culture. Many campuses are inside the cramped city itself, whereby the lecture rooms are housed in huge highrises. Part of them, such as Lingnan University, are outsided the core and have more roomy campuses. We had the chance to visit quite a few labs and activities, learning that the academia is enjoying support and funding of the scale that would make any European and American academics go green of envy. A a consequence they have attracted best brains from everywhere in the word, and they do excellent work.



As is - in my modest opinion - the due historical responsibility of the young intelligenzia, university students were the drivers of the massive democracy demonstrations. University campuses became the home bases of the movement, as well as the only topic of the fall semester across the campuses. But this is not only a reason to celebrate, but also a dilemma.



Although even most faculty were explicitly supportive of the democracy movement, for some sad reason some of the destructive fury turned also against the universities. Most campuses were vandalised, most seriously the Polytechnic University which suffered enormous damage. All of the campuses had to close and programs to turn their classes online. The holiday break started early already in November. This unrest has also compelled organizers of cultural events to cancel performances, exhibitions and alike. 



Nevertheless -  and this may be my own interpretation - few people in the cultural sphere seemed to be angry or annoyed anyway. Rather, most intelligenzia appeared to show solidarity to the movement. 

PARADOX 4: PROSPERITY VS. POVERTY

The city is where the best and the worst consequences of the international greed capitalism culminate. Yes, the city seems highly prosperous to an occassional downtown visitor's eye, with shining bank headquarters occupying the core of the city, and chic and healthy looking citizens shop in gigantic  malls selling most famous makes of fashion design, juvelry and most luxury. Huge car showrooms exhibit the most exclusive car brands as they were everyday merchandise, and as if everyone actually needed such means of transportation in the dense city.

The tax rate is low (5% to 17%), but this does not tell the whole story. As a peculiarity of Hong Kong, the government owns all land and rents it out for some considerable cost to developers, a kind of hidden tax among others. One direct consequence is the spectacular height of the buildings, apparently only the technology setting the limit. The second is the very high cost of housing, hitting hard the low and middle income citizens, as well as young adults for whom the threshold of setting up a decent household is often unreachable. It follows that people are living densely, which may have social consequences. The city infrastructure seems generally very good, although state services such as tax and post offices are shabby and worn out as one typically sees in the US.





In Sheung Wan, the oldest part of the city. is still retaining the character of the old Chinese marketplace of the harbour city. There seemed to be a totally different economy in action, with thousands of small ground floor shops and family restaurants that apparently could provide everything a normal household might need. There was an abundance of Chinese seafood and vegetables of sorts that we had no idea of. There were also all kind of skilled handicrafters, such as tinsmiths.- working right on the street in front of their tiny shops. Each part of the city was specialized as a market of particular kinds of goods, such as the flower and goldfish markets around Prince Edward, or the tailor shops and original and pirate watch markets of at Tsim Sha Shui. Out street constituted the antiquity market, with shops selling everything from all dynasties to tourist crap.


While not all villagers of places like Aberdeen appear to enjoy a very high living standard, it is possible that food and other necessities and services are still affordable. But there are even areas of downright slummy looking areas, such as Tai O on the west end of Lantau. However, walking through Pok Fu Lam in the west end of the main island it occurred to me that it might not be the worst place to live after all, at least compared to the cramped mini flats in impersonal mammoth-sized highrises around Hong Kong. One could sense a bit of relaxed hippie air around, and despite of the clearly modest huts, they are close to earth and there are gardens in which people grow their own vegetables. Apparently though, there was electricity and water in-out provided even in the poorest areas, Whatever, the statistics show that Hong Kong's life expectancy was highest in the world (84.89 years for 2020), suggesting that something must have been done right. Maybe the tropical climate is a factor contributing to health and happiness, but this is just the perspective of someone from the cold north of Europe.

Summa summarum, that city is absolutely fantastic, and it was so sad to leave. I could have stayed for ever in that paradise, even knowing that the snake hides somewhere. Well, I did learn that it is a hell too. Hong Kong is a miniature world of good and bad, beautiful and ugly, rich and poor, peace and war. All things considered,  Ich bin ein Hong Konger!

A gweilo reflecting Hong Kong at unrest

We have stayed in Hong Kong for nearly four weeks now. From the beginning, the city gave a very strong and unique sensation, and I felt an immediate urge to say something right a way. Yet it is obvious that to city is so many things at the same time that there is a danger of saying something immature or blind-eyed. Therefore I have done my best to first learn about it through reading books, seeing films, talking with people, and sure enough, walking streets. Sure enough, the city is spectacular, people friendly, and we are enjoying our stay, comfortable and fully safe. However, it would feel intellectually dishonest and indifferent to start with a tourist account. Therefore I just have to start with a humble analysis of what I think I see. The burning issue about Hong Kong is the continuously escalating unrest.

Let me give it a shot, taking both risks, first that of a) sounding like and old slightly paternalizing Besserwisser fart, secondly that of being labeled b) an idealist radical academic. I understand that it is first and most young peoples' movement, although not exclusively. It brews in all university campuses around the city. Understandably, the young are the ones who have most reason to worry about the future of HK, and those who care most about freedom of expression, and privacy. They are those who will be around after 2047 when Hong Kong is supposed to quit being a special admistrative region and turn to an ordinary city of China, which does not currently seem to prioritize those values. A high level of frustration is generated by the fact that there are no democratic means to change things.
At the same time, even if not explicitly pronounced, behind the unntenable situation is the extreme capitalism of the city-state. Hong Kong has developed into a safe haven of banks, investment brokers and property tycoons, where orninary people's concerns are only secondary. This keeps turning the rich even richer and the poor even poorer, a development surely not sustainable. (See OXFAM report 2018). Downtown where we live and move around we tend to see the prosperous Hong Kong, with smiley, fashionable, beautiful  people, and expensive cars. However moving any further from the downtown area, there are shabby looking houses and homeless people under bridges. Even if the students have been most active in the demonstrators, even workers are involved.  While it today's students who are likely to have better salaries besides other prerequisities of surviving in the future, but even they feel threatened by the society turning untenably inequal. All of this is taking a heavy human toll. According to a therapeutists who works with young people, mental health issues are rising alarmingly and this has already lead to a surge of suicides.



Sure enough, by default my sympathies are on the side of activists that strive for democracy, equality and freedom of speech. I also confess that I don't even automatically condemn breaking laws, when they are on the side of the oppressor. Whether or not this is so extreme right now I cannot tell. As a pacifist, I would personally love to believe in the idea of this being a peaceful movement at the core, but it is getting harder here. One factor making it difficult to judge is that one can't really tell who are the violent ones, whether violence is part of the movement itself, or whether there are provocators who do these things. Whoever those are, shops are being trashed, windows broken, ticket vending machines and property vandalized, and worse. Apart from material damage, also people-hurting violence is escalating. Police is using tough measures from tear gas and water pressure all the way to live rounds. This very morning a police officer shot a demonstrator hitting him to the stomach, possibly fatally. In the vicious circle, the undertakings of the police incite flames of revenge, for example in the form of petrol bombs thrown at police. Also homes and families of police officers have been threatened. Such deeds are sharply against my idea of reasonable activism.
One ugly consequence is that divisive talk and acts emerge, very much like elsewhere where nationalism is becoming a leading guide. This means people turning, not only against mainland Chinese companies, but also against ordinary people and even their little family enterprises, many of which have been totally destroyed. Mainland Chinese students are no more feeling safe, some leaving. Some protests have also turned against universities, of which the faculties actually are inclined to understand the causes of the situation.


Altogether, the situation seems to be serious and in a deadlock. The protesters stick to their five demands, and the government does not compromise, unless the violence stops, which is very unlikely to happen, in particular in the lack of internal leadership. Not many locals that I have spoken to are optimistic of a solution to be found any time soon. On one hand, it is obvious that the government of Hong Kong under its chief executive Carrie Lam has made dramatic errors, first by introducing the extradition bill that set aflame the situation, then being neither capable of dialogue in the course of the unrest, nor exercising any other means of releasing the tension besides forceful police actions. On the other, even the protest movement seems to roll ahead rather uncontrolled without an obvious leader with whom the government could even have a dialogue. The five demands have been nailed on a wall, but there seems to be no capability for peaceful compromises. More and more, the movement starts to seem like a hopeless attempt to get everything at one bite, and as young peoples' black-and-white irrational rage.


Obviously, all of this has to do with the giant of China, not likely to bend easily. So far the idea of Hong Kong's national autonomy is somewhat in the background, but turning increasingly more obvious. Yet, Hong Kong is part of China, and there is no way around the fact. The China's military presence in the city is particularly real at the Babtist University campus, namely across the street. One can actually hear the military commands being shouted in their daily exercises behind the wall! The threat is there, but not many want discuss it. The chief executive is no democratically elected president, but essentially China's administrator. The citizens have few means of changing the big picture by any democratic means, on the other hand, the prospects of a revolution seem also meagre.

What a mess! The truth is, I am just a visiting gweilo without words of wisdom to tell neither to the protesters, neither the government, just trying to make sense what's happening at a historical moment.

An update one month later: The democratic movement won a landslide victory in the district council elections. This calmed down the demonstrations for a while. However, the inaction and indifference of Carrie Lam's government toward the five demands has taken people back to the streets. Yesterday near a MILLION citizens across ages and professions walked peacefully from Victoria Park to the Center. The struggle for democracy continues.