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There are other surprising sides to Hong Kong. For me, it's a place to find solitude. I spend much of my time zipping around the world, to Europe, Australia, the U.S. When I'm in Hong Kong, though, I find peace, and I find myself. I take long walks around Black's Link, marching up to the Peak. Or I take the long route down to Repulse Bay on the south side of the island. It's often said that Hong Kong is a conservative place. But I've made it in business because people here turned out to be very accepting. In 1969, my uncle, who ran Wing On department stores, gave me a small corner of the outlet in Western to set up a boutique. It was a non-descript space, but I did it up in the styles that were then big in London. The overall look was psychedelic. It was a success, and two years later I opened my first free-standing boutique. Hong Kong is a great place to take risks. The first time I did so was in the 1970s, when I began bringing in Italian designer clothing. I succeeded, but competitors soon crowded me out, and I had to look for new opportunities. Several years later, I introduced to Hong Kong Japanese designers, like Issey Miyake and Comme des Garcons. One of my managers warned me:
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