Twenty years ago in a general knowledge class, our textbooks described Hong Kong as having a wide and deep harbour, with skyscrapers lining both sides of Victoria Harbour, earning it the reputation of the Pearl of the Orient.
Twenty years later today, young people standing in Tsim Sha Tsui looking at Hong Kong Island are accompanied by several street bands humming Supper Moment’s songs about endless happiness and singing that you are your own legend. On this small island, millennials who are fluent in both Chinese and English seem to yearn more for the good old days of Hong Kong. Gazing at the office towers, they don’t want to work in Central, earning the same graduate salaries as twenty years ago; looking at the new forty-storey residential buildings, they don’t want to spend three million on poor-quality flats with no character. They’d rather spend their spare time exploring nature, making friends from all over the world, or escaping to quieter corners of the city.
The high density of the city, swelling population, stagnant wages, rising inflation in living costs, and shrinking opportunities for development — being stuck in a city that’s not very youth-friendly seems to be grinding down their minds.
Broadening horizons abroad helps personal growth
As a millennial, the only way is to first go out after graduation, gain international experience and qualifications, broaden your perspectives, and then come back — your chances of success will be much higher.
Back then, I had a friend whose college entrance exam results were average. She went to the UK for further studies first, then earned a scholarship for her master’s degree. When she came back to Hong Kong to find a job, she was better than local graduates.
Another friend who graduated with an architecture degree went on working holiday trips to the UK and France. The salary wasn’t particularly high — just enough to eat and live — but after returning to Hong Kong, she got a job at a top-tier architecture firm.
There are also those who love Korean or Japanese culture, who worked hard to apply for government scholarships in those countries to study at top universities in Seoul or Tokyo.
The dilemma in Hong Kong is actually the result of rapid global economic transformation. The same issues are happening in Taipei, London, and Cairo. As long as young people acquire one more language, develop several more skills, and make friends around the world, viewing Hong Kong as home but seeing any place in the world as a potential workplace, stepping out of Hong Kong is the only way to find a way forward.
Opportunities must be actively soughtDon’t just complain about the difficulty of upward mobility
Staying put and complaining non-stop that society offers no opportunities or that those in power don’t promote or raise salaries won’t help. It’s better to actively seek resources everywhere, create your own value and unique presence. When you meet your mentor, that’s when you’ll truly shine.
It’s been twenty years since the handover. The integration and development between mainland China and Hong Kong still require a lot of improvement and adjustment. Millennials facing these political and economic changes have it tough — but the only way is to strengthen themselves, put in more effort and preparation, and fight a career planning battle that belongs to their generation.
The city’s population density is already very high, while investment from mainland residents in Hong Kong is surging. Mainlanders are looking for a safer place to park their wealth. At the same time, Hong Kong officials strictly control the supply of new land, exacerbating the shortage.
The article represents only the author’s views and does not represent the stance of this website.
Originally published in ThinkHK