Tag > Hong Kong

Oct 18, 2025
China, Hong Kong
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Reorient

 Hong Kong 香港

Well, it’s been a minute, hasn’t it?

Without a previous frame of reference, Hong Kong is vibrant. There’s a strong sense of atmosphere steeped in nostalgia, even if you never experienced that past — the buildings, the ding-dings (trams), the neon signs, the street-level restaurants, the fishing villages, the traditions, the wet markets, the aromas… There’s an aura of efficiency above all, even if it may seem brusque. With one foot firmly rooted in the grit of the working class, it keeps the other foot in the present, with its bustling subway, that vibrant skyline, the endless malls, and its ever-expanding propulsion, with new neighbourhoods under construction.

If you’ve been here before though, you could say the same story. The gist may be the same, but the tone might be a little different.
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Jun 12, 2016
China, Hong Kong
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Emigrant

 Hong Kong 香港

It’s taken me over a decade to focus on my birthplace.

I used to come to Hong Kong every couple of years, back when my grandparents were still alive. Being a rather lazy and petulant kid, I was pretty much dragged kicking and screaming every time, and never really enjoyed the many trips. Outside of seeing family, every trip seemed to involve spending weeks staying at a hotel next to a mall. The few times we left the confines of one of the seemingly thousands of shopping malls never really left an impression on me, and as a result, I never got to know the city or how to get around short of hopping into a taxi and magically teleporting to wherever my family needed to be.

The last time I was in Hong Kong was for a mere eight-hour layover, which I greatly enjoyed — spending it with my good friend Jacqueline, who took me around the city for the first time without it being a family obligation. That was five years ago. The last real time I spent any significant amount of time in the city was 14 years ago.

It’s a strange feeling being here. I look like everyone else, I speak Cantonese like everyone else (although with a pretty noticeable accent and diction of a non-native), I have plenty of extended family that I’m seeing, the food is comprised of many of my favourite dishes, I know the culture since it’s what I grew up with in Vancouver’s large Hong Konger community, and yet… This is my homeland, but it’s not home.
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