Life across the water: Mainland, HK youth experience new horizons

Since Hong Kong returned to the motherland, more and more people from the Chinese mainland have chosen to study and live in the city. Likewise, many Hong Kong people have moved to cities on the Chinese mainland. Why did they make this choice? What is life like for them, and what are their thoughts on the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland?

Enoch Wong was born and raised in Hong Kong and now works at Tsinghua University as a senior manager. He said he initially came to Beijing for the large market and customer base as he was running a startup, but later fell in love with Chinese culture and so ended up pursuing a career in the mainland.

Wong chose the word "diversity" to describe the Chinese mainland. He spoke of his experience visiting Harbin during the winter ice festival and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, as well as his time in the vibrant business culture of Shanghai.

"As we look beyond the 25 years into the next 25 and more, I think it's important for Hong Kong people to come together and redefine what would bring Hong Kong into a more prosperous future, what would develop Hong Kong into a truly 'Asian World City'," Wong said.

Christine Wang, born and raised in Xi'an of Shaanxi Province, now works as as investor relations director with a real estate company in Hong Kong. She said she learned a lot about professionalism from working in Hong Kong and the natural beauty of the city fully occupies her spare time.

Wang chose the word "convenient" to describe the city, saying Hong Kong has the most convenient transportation system among the major cities in the world and she likes that she spends less time commuting.

"I have been living in Hong Kong for more than 9 years, and this is the most memorable 9 years of my life. Hong Kong is still one of the most dynamic and international cites in Asia and the whole world. I hope the city continues to grow and the people who live here enjoy their lives in Hong Kong, the pearl of Asia," Wang said.

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