February 1999 Hong Kong in their eyesBy Joey Yu
Leaving their own countries and social circles, the following
foreigners came to Hong Kong with different reasons. Some came for money, some came for special
experiences and some came for a better career. No matter what reasons they have, they surely
have different impressions of Hong Kong.
"Living here is more stimulating than in England."
Up to now she has been here for four years.
Her major cause of staying was to make money. But she admitted that
living in Asia was a very enriching experience.
In England she was a judge's assistant, but now she works in a pub in
Wan Chai.
Since staying here, she has had more opportunities to approach the
Chinese. She enjoys their sense of humour and generosity.
But there are some things about Hong Kong that she dislikes, such as
being pushed and shoved in the MTR.
She also dislikes the rude taxi drivers and people shouting at her in
Cantonese.
"They think that this can make me understand the language."
Mr. Stobie used to have a balcony in his house in London but it is no
longer the case after he had moved to Hong Kong.
"I need space as I am big. But I can sacrifice my need for space
in order to have a good life," said Mr. Stobie.
Living in Hong Kong for these years, Mr. Stobie observed that there
were many differences between Chinese culture and western culture.
"One of my neighbours lives with his grandfather and grandmother.
It is the Chinese culture that three generations live together.
"For us, we live separately and move on to distinct places to
experience different culture," he said.
Regarding his impression of Hong Kong people, he thought Chinese were
willing to give and be considerate.
"The British always think of making money but the Chinese take the
responsibility to look after their families."
At that time, he came to Hong Kong alone, with the clear goal of
developing his music career here.
In order to make his life easier here, he studied hard to learn
Cantonese. His friend suggested a Chinese name to him, Ho Kwok-wing.
But the road to success was rough.
"During the first two to three years, I had a hard life
here," he said.
He wrote self-promotion letters to
TVB, a local TV station, but there
was no reply.
Luckily, the local TV station was looking for a foreigner who could
speak Cantonese fluently to play a role in its
TV drama series. He succeeded in getting that role after casting.
However, in Hong Kong, the salary for a green actor in a TV drama was
low, so he needed to have a subsidiary job.
Therefore he started his business six years ago.
Unfortunately he has been losing money becuase the business is not
good. Now he plans to terminate the business.
He seemed to be pessimistic about Hong Kong's future.
Said he: "Rich people become richer and the poor become
poorer."
He also criticized Hong Kong people for their selfish behaviour.
"Drivers throw cigarettes at the entrances of tunnels. They do
not switch on the traffic indicators when they change lanes because they care about themselves
only."
He thought that Hong Kong was no longer a shopping paradise as all
things were too expensive and the varieties of the products were very limited.
He commented that people engaged in the service industry were not
polite to their customers.
Said he: "People always talk about courtesy but they just do not
know what it is."
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When Ms Julie Buckley first came to Hong Kong from England for a
holiday, she did not know she would stay in this city.
Five years ago, Mr. Stuart Stobie came to Hong Kong and aimed at money
since he could earn a higher salary here. Five years have passed, and money is not the main
reason which makes him stay.
"I arrived in Hong Kong at around nine o'clock in the evening on
31st of May in 1987," Mr. Gregory Charles Rivers said.