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Would you like to have been born as a Hong Konger?

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  1. #31

    Should not be surprised If anyone have read numerous previous comments about HK, the cultures and people from the western expats on forums. The comments were usually negative when western expats are comparing between the west and the east. Many of the negative comments are not only about HK, actually about Asia.

    Quote Originally Posted by kungpaochicken:
    I'm surprised by the overwhelming "no". Is Hong Kong that bad? After all it's a developed city and the standard of living is quite high.
    I enjoyed outdoor activities in HK too when I was studying in local schools.
    Quote Originally Posted by civil_servant:
    My 4-year old went mountain biking the other day. 12 km in total.
    The week before he did a 4km hike from Wong Nai Chung reservoir to Tai Tam Tuk reservoir and ending up swimming on Stanley beach.
    The week before that he learned ice skating and did a 10km bike ride from HKSP to Tai Po and back.
    The week before that we went camping on Wan Tsai West campsite.

    Hong Kong isn't lacking outdoor activities for children. Parents are just too busy complaining on Geoexpat instead.
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  2. #32

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    Quote Originally Posted by MerMer:
    Couldn't agree more.Of all the places where I've taught, Hong Kong is the only place where students are NOT happy on a Friday or just before the holidays, since it means piles of homework. They don't have much of a childhood or connection to nature. I'm very glad I didn't grow up here, and there is absolutely no way I would raise kids here.
    Where do you teach?Most kids in my son's class - holidays mean trips to Cambodia, Vietnam, Europe, Ski etc etc - they don't look unhappy. Many are HK born, some are not. If local schools then you probably right.

  3. #33

    There is a misconception about HK local students. Many local students still get bad grades when they receive their HKDSE results. This is similar to not all HK locals speak good English. Some locals schools don't pressure their students as much. The results of their students are pretty mixed.

    Also some international schools in HK are selective, selecting the best applicants not everyone. The workload in these schools isn't light and also have focus on test taking.

    Pretty sure selective schools also exist in some western countries.

    Last edited by lighthse003; 23-04-2018 at 06:09 PM.
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  4. #34

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    I think that just like any place there are advantages and disadvantages. I couldn't have gone to the beach and do all the water sports where I grew up and certainly didn't have the opportunity to visit a variety of different countries, have the opportunity to learn different languages, if kids are good at sports they can more easily make Hong Kong team and travel. Big fish in a little pond... Academics are generally more valued so there's more pressure but also a better atmosphere to study particularly in the better school than in many western countries.

    Of course, kids have a lot less space here, will likely not drive or get a car as teenagers, you don't ride your bike to the park and hang out with your friends and play sports here, it has to be more organized, pollution is awful and not conducive to spending many hours outside. No easy access to winter sports.

    So you can choose to focus on the positive or the negative to suit your outlook. At the end of the day, if you have a good family and enough money, it really doesn't matter all that much.

    twelve98 likes this.

  5. #35

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mat:
    Where do you teach?Most kids in my son's class - holidays mean trips to Cambodia, Vietnam, Europe, Ski etc etc - they don't look unhappy. Many are HK born, some are not. If local schools then you probably right.
    Local school.
    SpeakCantonese likes this.

  6. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by civil_servant:
    My 4-year old went mountain biking the other day. 12 km in total.
    The week before he did a 4km hike from Wong Nai Chung reservoir to Tai Tam Tuk reservoir and ending up swimming on Stanley beach.
    The week before that he learned ice skating and did a 10km bike ride from HKSP to Tai Po and back.
    The week before that we went camping on Wan Tsai West campsite.

    Hong Kong isn't lacking outdoor activities for children. Parents are just too busy complaining on Geoexpat instead.
    had a nice soyi chu yiu (fish in spicy broth) a spicy northern Chinese dish for lunch yesterday. Which was followed by building sand castles with my 3 year old son on the golf coast beach. Later, spent a couple of hours in yuen long park enjoying couple of beers while watching over my son scoot around. Rounded off the day nicely with a decent dinner. Wife and son happy, I'm happy


    Yes, I would have loved to be born in hk, preferably as a Caucasian. In fact I wouldn't mind being white anywhere in the developed world.
    Last edited by Jaz Paul; 23-04-2018 at 06:32 PM. Reason: Answered op's question
    civil_servant and R.O. like this.

  7. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by Golem:
    I think that just like any place there are advantages and disadvantages. I couldn't have gone to the beach and do all the water sports where I grew up and certainly didn't have the opportunity to visit a variety of different countries, have the opportunity to learn different languages, if kids are good at sports they can more easily make Hong Kong team and travel. Big fish in a little pond... Academics are generally more valued so there's more pressure but also a better atmosphere to study particularly in the better school than in many western countries.

    Of course, kids have a lot less space here, will likely not drive or get a car as teenagers, you don't ride your bike to the park and hang out with your friends and play sports here, it has to be more organized, pollution is awful and not conducive to spending many hours outside. No easy access to winter sports.

    So you can choose to focus on the positive or the negative to suit your outlook. At the end of the day, if you have a good family and enough money, it really doesn't matter all that much.
    So is that a yes or no?

  8. #38

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    It would depend how your grandparents invested their money. If they bought property then you should be OK. If not...


  9. #39

    Oh yes, I should've specified too. I would've been fine growing up in Hong Kong. I'm raising a family here because I like it. I believe I can provide them with the same or better than I can provide them with in all the other places I can legally reside in. That includes all of the EU and Canada.


  10. #40

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    No. An Australian born tiger mum of East German descent was bad enough.