Hong Kong immigration focus on life in Hong Kong: Taiwan's "China Times" published an article by a scholar on the 10th titled "The Shocking Education of Taiwanese Youth in Hong Kong." The article begins with the experiences of students who traveled from Taiwan to Hong Kong for exchanges. The author raises a question that young visitors from their hometown cannot help but ask: Why is Hong Kong so attractive that it keeps talent from all over Asia and even the world staying here?
Excerpts from the article are as follows:
The summer vacation has just begun, and I have already interacted with three groups of young visitors from my hometown. They are EMBA students, master's degree students in in-service programs, and undergraduates from different universities. They come in an endless stream, searching for the lost elements of their hometown in this crowded city.
What are they looking for? Perhaps it is a high-paying job, perhaps it is a competitiveness that is hard to define, or perhaps it is something more profound. The answers that the politicians in their hometown could not provide are what they are searching for, running through the streets of Hong Kong day and night, even getting drenched and looking disheveled in the unpredictable summer afternoon rain.
After a few days, their bodies are exhausted, but their minds are full. What they discovered is not just the magnificent glass curtain walls and towering skyscrapers; not just the dazzling night views and crowded streets; not just the high-speed elevators that make their ears ring or the hurried pace of pedestrians. They also saw that "in Taiwan, the worst-selling newspaper is the Economic Daily News; conversely, in Hong Kong, the best-selling one is the Economic Daily News." They saw the embodiment of a Greater China perspective, an international outlook, a diverse society, and international languages in this city where East meets West.
In this tiny place, they saw countless top-tier companies competing. Through visits and exchanges with US-funded, European-funded, mainland-funded, and Taiwan-funded enterprises, they saw many outstanding Taiwanese people chasing their dreams, sticking to their ideals, and shining in a highly competitive workplace. The young visitors saw in their predecessors that "attitude determines altitude" and realized the importance of stepping out of one's comfort zone.
They also saw in university campuses a significant number of young students who gave up admission offers from top universities in Taiwan to start a difficult academic journey in a foreign land in Hong Kong.
Young visitors from their hometown cannot help but ask: Why is Hong Kong so attractive that it keeps talent from all over Asia and even the world staying here?
One student left this answer on Facebook: "Because of her freedom, you are not tied down by regulations like in Taiwan. You can stick to your ideals here without having your passion worn away."
Because of this, some senior Taiwanese managers working for foreign or mainland companies fly between the two shores like migratory birds, rushing between work and family. After work on Friday, they fly back to Taipei under the stars. Before dawn on Monday morning, they board an early flight again, flying to Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai...
Does this sound like a remake of the song "Moving Forward" sung by singer Lin Chiang more than 20 years ago?
─The train is gradually starting to move / Goodbye to my hometown and relatives / Dear parents, goodbye / Friends who have been together, farewell / I am going to Taipei to work hard / I heard that all the good things are there / Friends laugh at me for being a fool who loves to dream / No matter what, the road is one I must walk myself / Oh! Goodbye! Oh! I fear nothing! Oh! Goodbye! Oh! Moving forward!
Airplanes have replaced trains, and airports have replaced stations. What is even more sigh-inducing is that the surrounding cities we once ignored have replaced Taipei as the magnetic core for talent where "ideals and hopes are all here."
No matter how warm the human touch in the hometown is, its appeal has faded. The wandering sentiment in the pop songs of 20 years ago still resonates with the new generation of Taiwanese.
Why has Taiwan changed from a center to a periphery? Why are excellent managers wandering abroad? Why do young students have to leave their homes? Can wages still grow in a place that watches its talent gradually drain away? Can diverse international people still find a base in their hometown where they dare to think, dare to want, and dare to dream?