The mental stress of dealing with the pandemic has been going on for three years in Hong Kong, and the tenseness and stress show no sign of dwindling, making it a historic test that challenges and stretches the resilience and endurance of residents in Hong Kong. Although Hong Kong did a very good job with the alpha and delta variants by closing borders internationally and with the Chinese mainland, the Western mainstream media intentionally downplayed the city’s outstanding performances. However, we have learned we can’t please the unpleasable, and we know that we were the global poster child for keeping the virus out.
The dramatic scenario in Hong Kong started with the unexpected outbreak of omicron — we were two days away from opening the border with the Chinese mainland, and the city was expecting a revival before omicron vehemently hit the city like a predatory beast. However, for many expatriates in the city, the sarcastic mainstream media narratives are as undesirable as the virus because they erode the public’s confidence in their bitter fight against the pandemic.
We were two days away from opening the border with the Chinese mainland, and the city was expecting a revival before omicron vehemently hit the city like a predatory beast. However, for many expatriates in the city, the sarcastic mainstream media narratives are as undesirable as the virus because they erode the public’s confidence in their bitter fight against the pandemic
I have stayed in Hong Kong this whole time because I wouldn’t be able to handle the 21-day quarantine. I learned to Zoom, and business continued. Actually, during our zero-infection period with the first two strains of the virus, business was not bad, and even The Economist had to accept the fact that Hong Kong was then the most resilient city in sustaining its economic vitality. We learned to open and close, and open and close again, and it was OK: We got by.
But the formidable challenge comes with omicron; every business in the city is fighting for its life. I’m both a landlord and an operator. I am trying to work with my tenants to keep them alive and figure out how we can help them. For our own restaurants and business, I’m trying to figure out how to survive this, because with tables capped at two people at lunchtime, making ends meet appears to be impossible.
Many people in Hong Kong, including tycoon friends of mine, feel the same way. The ending of the pandemic is yet to come, and people are also worried about the drastic measures, including mass testing or mandates to remain homebound.
I’ve been doing whatever I can to help Hong Kong. I’ve been working with the government. I wrote a letter to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, which was supposed to be private and somehow got leaked, causing a huge stir when it went viral. People were happy that someone had spoken out. I wasn’t criticizing the government; I was just trying to explain that Hong Kong needs concordant guidance from the authorities to assure people of what they can expect in the future.
I am thankful that the Chinese mainland came to build extra facilities for isolation. But Beijing’s kindness was deliberately distorted by hostile media outlets, which churned out a plethora of fake news: Someone spread fake images of what the isolation facilities’ toilets looked like, with no walls or privacy, and they went viral around the world and freaked their readers out. That was upsetting to me.
(LUO JIE/CHINA DAILY)
I’ve been doing a lot of interviews to build up a positive story of Hong Kong and dispel such rumors because lots of places in the world have already gone through what we are now going through. The clearing of supermarket shelves was not unique to Hong Kong, but the Western media portrayed Hong Kong as a failing city, which was anything but true. I’m hoping to help Hong Kong people not to panic. We will get through this together.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. Once the virus peaks, which, according to the University of Hong Kong, happened on March 4, the infection rate drops very quickly. Vaccination rates have also gone up, which will also help to mitigate the virus’s impact, as it did everywhere else in the world.
We went through a lull in 1997, when the handover happened, and people didn’t trust the idea of Hong Kong going back to China. I’ve been through the ups and downs of Hong Kong, and many media outlets have called this pandemic the end of Hong Kong. I really don’t believe that. I think we’re in a temporary lull, and Hong Kong will come back very strong once this is over, as other places around the world have.
Yes, many people have left Hong Kong. But China needs a strong, international Hong Kong. “One country, two systems” is important to China because Hong Kong is a super-connector for the West and the East. Of course, the future of Hong Kong is tied to the mainland, but the mainland is the fastest-growing economy in the world.
The 11 cities in the Greater Bay Area (Zhaoqing, Foshan, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai) have an estimated population of 86 million people and, last year, had a combined GDP of $1.67 trillion. Once those borders reopen, a lot of people from all over the world will flock back here. This will send a positive message to the entire world, and people will start trickling back into the city.
Post-pandemic, there’ll be revenge spending too. There’s pent-up demand. People have been locked up for too long. I hope that the last half of this year will be good for Hong Kong, just as it was for Europe, the US, Canada and the Middle East when borders reopened.
I have business in many parts of the world, and I’ve traveled a lot throughout the world. My experiences endorse my confidence in Hong Kong. I have not given up on Hong Kong because, to me, Hong Kong is still the best place in the world; it is a city bound to bounce back this time as it has done in the past. And that’s why I haven’t given up and won’t give up on Hong Kong.
Hong Kong will only get stronger and stronger. People who choose to stay here and have real faith in it will be abundantly rewarded in future. I am someone who can afford to leave and live anywhere in the world, but I choose Hong Kong because, to me, there is no better place.
The author is the chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group. A resident of Hong Kong for over 50 years, the author has been very involved in HKSAR government services, and has been a holder of Chinese nationality since 2008.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.