Is Hong Kong really that undesirable when it comes to bringing up a child?

[virago]

What I dislike about hk....

- too humid in summer. I really dislike it. Winter is fine but summer is shit.
- too many people. If you don't want to live out in middle of no where there are just too many people.
- pollution is crap. Compared to home this is terrible. Nuff said.
- HKers are racist. Biggest issue for me. Though it is not directed at me particularly it is directed at my GF whom is not a HK'er and us together.
- education is expensive and not great. I'm comparing against home. Better education, more cost effective.
- housing is shit and expensive. Same price back home you get 4-5 times the size.
- nothing to do here except shop and have dinners. Also why you think hiking is popular? F@#k all else to do.
- English is not widely spoken on the street even though it's an official language. Ok, I'm being very bitchy now. At least I can speak some mandarin but doesn't always help.

Unless you earn alot of cash or you have nowhere else to go hk is ok I suppose.

Yes I focus on the negatives and there are more positives but they don't outweigh the negatives.

Don't worry I know where the airport is and will use it soon.


Sent from somewhere....

[HowardCoombs]

For your sake, it would be wise to divert the topic over to guns in the US.....that's a much smarter move than trying to defend HK air toxicity. ...

I'm not defending the air of Hong Kong but only stating that the air does not prevent one from having/bringing kids to Hong Kong, having them grow up happily, have them thrive here but most importantly, the air does not make it *that* undersirable to avoid coming here.

It's pretty pointless with HC... You could say that it rains a lot in the summer here, and he would argue it doesn't

You would talk about how lovely SoCal is, how great Florida weather is for kids, you would mention the fantastic outdoor opportunities of CO for kids and probably add 100 more irrelevant places that would be great to raise kids in but in the end , its irrelevant.
Yes, it does rain a lot in Hong Kong during rainy season and my kids love it. They go out catching worms, they go out splashing in the water, they go out and do rainy hikes and a couple of days after the rains we all go swimming in mountain pools. Rainy Hong Kong should not deter parents from coming here and enjoying the place.

[dannycat]

What I dislike about hk....

- too humid in summer. I really dislike it. Winter is fine but summer is shit.
- too many people. If you don't want to live out in middle of no where there are just too many people.
- pollution is crap. Compared to home this is terrible. Nuff said.
- HKers are racist. Biggest issue for me. Though it is not directed at me particularly it is directed at my GF whom is not a HK'er and us together.
- education is expensive and not great. I'm comparing against home. Better education, more cost effective.
- housing is shit and expensive. Same price back home you get 4-5 times the size.
- nothing to do here except shop and have dinners. Also why you think hiking is popular? F@#k all else to do.
- English is not widely spoken on the street even though it's an official language. Ok, I'm being very bitchy now. At least I can speak some mandarin but doesn't always help.

Unless you earn alot of cash or you have nowhere else to go hk is ok I suppose.

Yes I focus on the negatives and there are more positives but they don't outweigh the negatives.

Don't worry I know where the airport is and will use it soon.


Sent from somewhere....

I agree and will also be using the airport in 2 weeks,

[statman]

I'm a Brit, my wife is Brazilian and we've been living in Hong Kong for 3 years and have a 27 month old girl who was born here and another girl on the way in July. Prior to living in Hong Kong, I've lived in UK, Brazil and my wife and I then moved to India for 18 months before moving to Hong Kong. I personally think that HK is a great place to raise kids for the following reasons:-

- A lot of modern apartment buildings have great facilities for kids such as indoor and outdoor pools, playgrounds etc.
- Kids are highly valued in HK with lots of activities for them such as sports clubs, ballet etc.
- I live in Tung Chung and we have lots of nice parks for kids to play in here and we also have several beautiful beaches within 30 minutes by cab (Mui Wo, Cheung Sha, Pui O). My daughter loves the beach!
- It is EXTREMELY safe. This is a huge plus for me.
- My kids will have friends from all around the world. My daughters best friends include a local Chinese girl, an Australian girl and a British / American / Phillipino girl.
- Quality of education here is very good but can be pricey.
- My daughters can learn Mandarin which will give them a good headstart in life
- My daughters will be exposed to both Eastern and Western cultures.
- We live 10 mins away from Disneyland. Granted it's not fantastic but my daughter loves it.
- Ocean Park is great for kids.
- Healthcare is excellent.

I could go on. The downsides for me as far as kids are concerned are really just the fact that it's very crowded and can be difficult to get around some areas like Causeway Bay and Mong Kok at the weekend. I also get very frustrated when people make a run for the lifts in the MTR stations and cut in front of you when they have no luggage, are physically able and can see you have a pushchair.

Air pollution is an issue although I find that here in Tung Chung it's generally much better than in Central. It can be bad on some days in winter but during summer it's generally fine. Apartment size too is a problem but here in TC you can get a spacious apartment for a fraction of the price on HK Island and in my opinion, here has a much better living environment for children than HK Island.

I personally love Hong Kong and feel at home here but my wife has struggled a little to adapt. She does appreciate a lot of the good things here but is very close to her family and does miss them. She also finds the locals very 'direct' and not so friendly but this has a lot to do with the fact that she's Brazilian and is used to people being very friendly and open even to strangers. For myself, I find that once you get to know the locals they are very friendly and great people to know. Ironically, my wife's best friend here is a local......she found a lot of the other expat wives (mainly other Brazilians) quite false and snobbish whereas her local friend is much more humble and a genuine friend.

I would say to the OP that if they can get a good package in terms of salary then go for it. HK is a great place to live if you have a good salary but not so good if you don't, but then again, is that really much different to most places?

[big_panda]

HKers are racist. Biggest issue for me. Though it is not directed at me particularly it is directed at my GF whom is not a HK'er and us together.

HKers are not overtly racist, and poor service or discrimination to certain ethnic minorities is usually more rudeness than anything else, or as a result of taking a view on one's wealth. In any event the level of racism in HK is nothing compared to the racism that Chinese experience in the UK, Australia or NZ at the hands of the Anglo Saxon majority, where the racism is usually in both verbal and physical forms.

[usehername]

HKers are not overtly racist,

Absolute rubbish.

[bibbju]

HKers are not overtly racist, and poor service or discrimination to certain ethnic minorities is usually more rudeness than anything else, or as a result of taking a view on one's wealth. In any event the level of racism in HK is nothing compared to the racism that Chinese experience in the UK, Australia or NZ at the hands of the Anglo Saxon majority, where the racism is usually in both verbal and physical forms.

Totally disagree. I find HKers shockingly racist, and very overt about it too.

[big_panda]

Totally disagree. I find HKers shockingly racist, and very overt about it too.

Examples please?

Whereas in NZ my Chinese mates were called 'gooks' and every other foul name under the sun, or given the bash for no good reason other than being Asian. I dont think we are at that level here.

[Char Siu King]

Examples please?

Whereas in NZ my Chinese mates were called 'gooks' and every other foul name under the sun, or given the bash for no good reason other than being Asian. I dont think we are at that level here.

Sure, each and every country has a racist underbelly. There are uneducated hicks everywhere. However the most overt racism I've witnessed is in China and Hong Kong. It's completely acceptable here in mainstream society and they seem to lack a proper system to eradicate discrimination. At least in NZ there must be laws against discrimination based on age/gender/race/sexual orientation, and they are enforced at least to some degree?

[kimwy66]

Sure, each and every country has a racist underbelly. There are uneducated hicks everywhere. However the most overt racism I've witnessed is in China and Hong Kong. It's completely acceptable here in mainstream society and they seem to lack a proper system to eradicate discrimination. At least in NZ there must be laws against discrimination based on age/gender/race/sexual orientation, and they are enforced at least to some degree?

http://www.hrc.co.nz/
What can I complain about?
The prohibited grounds of discrimination are set out in section 21 of the Human Rights Act. They are:

Age (from age 16 years)
Colour
Disability
Employment Status
Ethical Belief (lack of religious belief)
Ethnic or National Origins (includes nationality and citizenship)
Family Status (having dependents, not having dependents, being married to, or in a civil union or de facto relationship with, a particular person or being a relative of a particular person)
Marital Status (single, married, in a civil union or a de facto relationship, separated, a party to a marriage or civil union now dissolved, widowed)
Political Opinion (including having no political opinion)
Race & Racial Harassment
Religious Belief
Sex & Sexual Harassment
Sexual Orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian, bisexual)
It is against the law to be discriminated against in many areas of public life, including in work, education, official practice and policy and the provision of goods and services. The Commission can also consider broader human rights issues.

These grounds apply if they currently exist, have existed in the past, are suspected or are assumed to have existed by the person alleged to have discriminated or relate to a relative or associate of a person.

Although I in no way claim that New Zealand have an unblemished history of race relations, nor that the country lives in a state of cultural harmony now. They will however do something about it if you complain, and there are laws to prevent it.