Hong Kong's Defiance — page 2

Hong Kong and china are indeed becoming more like one country. Despite the political differences that many Hong Kongers have with China, most of the territory's residents acknowledge that Hong Kong's future is tied to the mainland's. Jeff Ip, for example, like thousands of other local businessmen, makes his money on the mainland and enjoys it in Hong Kong. Ip, 26, works for an electrical accessories company founded by his grandfather. The manufacturing used to be done in Kowloon, once the pumping heart of the territory's industrial economy. They don't make much in Kowloon anymore. Ip's factories are in Malaysia and mainland China nowadays. Once or twice a week he takes a train and then a chauffeured car to his Shenzhen factories, arriving around lunchtime, to check that the plugs, extension cords and sockets are being made properly. He usually gets back to Kowloon in time for dinner. The mainland workers refer to him as "Small Mr. Ip," in deference to his father, who labors five days a week in Shenzhen and weekends in Hong Kong. "When I first came to China," Ip says, "I didn't like it. It's a totally different society, people were weird, the culture was weird, things just seemed messier [BRACKET {there}]. But what's the point of complaining about something you have to do? It's a way of life for Hong Kong now."

	Hope for democracy in Hong Kong is getting narrower and narrower. —STEPHEN WONG,  IT worker

At the time of the handover, there was widespread concern that Hong Kong would deteriorate into "just another Chinese city," becoming more crowded, dirtier and more corrupt. But it hasn't happened. Instead, large parts of mainland China have become more like Hong Kong—more prosperous and sophisticated—narrowing the gap between the two places. Today, no one fears that mainland hordes will descend and ruin Hong Kong; on the contrary, the territory's economic recovery this year is partly due to Beijing's opening the floodgate for mainland tourists to visit and spend money in Hong Kong. They have been welcomed heartily: the city's Mass Transit Railway started announcing stops in Mandarin in addition to Cantonese and English, and many shops now accept payments in renminbi. Christian Dior Couture's Hong Kong stores used to train their staff in Japanese; now they also get Mandarin lessons. "Our core business," says regional managing director Pierre Denis, "is now Chinese business."

Those tourists may be on the freest patch of Chinese soil, but you never read of a busload from Shanghai or Wuhan trying to defect. "Maybe 10 or 20 years ago people wanted to come to live here," says Pearl, who is on a weeklong holiday to Hong Kong from far-off Xian, "but not now. China has so much opportunity. Of course, it's not as open as Hong Kong, but you are free to enjoy life." Last year, 53,507 mainlanders were allowed to migrate to Hong Kong, while 61,800 Hong Kong residents relocated in the opposite direction—a 50% increase over 2001's total.

Yet there's still a big gulf between the two sides. After an afternoon at one of his Shenzhen factories, businessman Ip, born in Hong Kong and raised in Toronto—one of a whole generation of Hong Kong Chinese whose parents raised them abroad in case the handover didn't work out—breezes through immigration and then walks the bridge over the narrow creek that separates the mainland and Hong Kong. "Sometimes," he confesses, "you feel like you're going back to civilization when you cross this bridge [BRACKET {to Hong Kong}]."

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	Shocked Jocks [May 25, 2004] Hong Kong's incendiary political climate claims another outspoken radio host Who's in Charge Of Hong Kong? [Apr. 09, 2004] To the dismay of democracy advocates, China is tightening its control over the territory Push and Shove [Mar. 09, 2004] It's not just Taiwan. China also has to deal with growing pressure for democracy in Hong Kong More Related Items | Search all issues of TIME Magazine