Turning the page

Hong Kong is over. Or is it? JOANNA HUNKIN returns to the Fragrant Harbour as it enters a new chapter.

- JOANNA HUNKIN

Hong Kong is dead. Everyone’s left. It will never be the same again.

I’ve lost count of how many times someone has whispered these solemn proclamations to me over the past 24 months. Every time I run into someone with a mutual connection to the city, the same utterances are repeated. Whether they are ex-pats, former residents, or just those who enjoy visiting the vibrant metropolis, the conversation is bleak and dispiriting.

So when the invitation to revisit Hong Kong came through, I eyed it somewhat warily. Did I really want to see the city I love, my former home of 13 years, broken and bereft? What would I write? If what everyone says is true, how could I possibly suggest anyone spend their time or money returning to the city?

Some research was required. I started by talking to “Big” Sam Young – the Sydney-based chef behind S’more in Castlecrag, who was born and raised in Hong Kong, and had recently returned to spend Chinese New Year with his family.

“Everyone was really looking forward to a great year to come. It was huge. The market was full of people, the temples were full of people. It was pumping,” he says happily. “I was actually very surprised. After the pandemic and the political protests, I thought it would be intense. But it felt really good, I had the best time.”

Like me, he had heard the same bleak reports ahead of his arrival. “They’re at the very end of the journey. They’ve got a bit of catching up to do – there’s not a lot of tourists right now – but the energy in Hong Kong is fantastic. Everyone is still trading. A shop will shut but then something else will open straight away, that’s just how Hong Kong works. Personally I feel like that is normal. It’s not like half the street is empty.”