View Poll Results: Stay or Leave Hong Kong

Voters
216. You may not vote on this poll
  • Planning to leave in 1-2 years

    74 34.26%
  • Planning to leave in 3-5 years

    42 19.44%
  • No plan at the moment

    73 33.80%
  • HK is my Home, will stay forever

    27 12.50%
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[Poll] Stay or Leave Hong Kong

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  1. #41

    Happened upon this thread. For a newbie in the process of moving from London to HK, all your posts are very concerning..


  2. #42

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    Quote Originally Posted by Londoner4057:
    Happened upon this thread. For a newbie in the process of moving from London to HK, all your posts are very concerning..
    I certainly think you learn a LOT from living in HK that can change your perspective about life. I said, too, we hiked all the trails. All because they're amazing. So come and enjoy a few years and then be able to go back home with a better idea of the incredible impact humans have on the earth.
    WMDS, Mrs. Jones, MerMer and 2 others like this.

  3. #43

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    Quote Originally Posted by Londoner4057:
    Happened upon this thread. For a newbie in the process of moving from London to HK, all your posts are very concerning..
    Most of the comments are from people who have been in HK years. Most of us loved it to start with, then for some the magic wore off. If you are intending to make HK your home for the rest of your life then you are right to be concerned, if just staying for a few years then come and enjoy.

  4. #44

    Join Date
    Jun 2016
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    The humidity in the summer alone is enough to eventually drive anyone out of HK. Feels like a freaking jungle during the summer.

    To add to that, the dense urban setting, pollution, decline in the use of English in a non-professional setting among other qualify of life considerations make the long term attractiveness of this place questionable. If you throw career, and for some extended family considerations, out the window, its a no brainer to leave IMO. I can also think of countless other places to retire or be an empty nester over HK. Would you rather retire in Hawaii or Hong Kong? A no brainer Hawaii is a better choice.

    Last edited by RMDNC; 06-07-2018 at 07:17 AM.
    biffski and Mrs. Jones like this.

  5. #45

    Join Date
    Oct 2012
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    Just waking up and thinking about how you can pay some $4 million HKD for a 40 sq/ft flat here and not even have double glazed windows. I mean, why... why would anyone want to settle here? And yes, @RMDNC it's that 5-showers-a-day, drying-off-with-a-damp-towel time of the year.

    I know very well though, every place has it's ups and downs. There is no utopia, unfortunately. Grass is definitely greener on the other side...


  6. #46
    Quote Originally Posted by Elegiaque:
    I know very well though, every place has it's ups and downs. There is no utopia, unfortunately. Grass is definitely greener on the other side...
    That's definitely true ... and we thought a few years ago that Hong Kong would be a place we could see ourselves living for another 10 year or so, after a holiday in Europe that somehow changed to three years and more recently we decided to move to Europe next year and let our daughter start high school there. Been struggling as to the where but decided to go to Portugal after a few visits there. Sense of community, friendliness, great food and wines, laid back life, clean air ...... and like you say...every place has it's up and downs but Hong Kong is on the down side for us now.

  7. #47

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    Quote Originally Posted by Londoner4057:
    Happened upon this thread. For a newbie in the process of moving from London to HK, all your posts are very concerning..
    Don't worry. Hong Kong hasn't really changed that much in 20 years. It is still a great town in many ways. I guess for some of the old lags it is the lack of progress in the city combined with the decay on the governance side that results in the city feeling as though it is going backwards. If you want to come and enjoy Hong Kong for a few years that is still perfectly possible.
    Skyhook, shri, Elegiaque and 2 others like this.

  8. #48

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    Feb 2011
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    Quote Originally Posted by Londoner4057:
    Happened upon this thread. For a newbie in the process of moving from London to HK, all your posts are very concerning..
    I like to add, I don't regret coming to HK. I learnt alot and started my family here which give me a different perspective to one I had when I came back.

    HK to me is all about money. You can make alot (albeit in long hours) and especially if your good at investments.

    In my opinion, if your single or in a relationship with no kids HK can be quite good to make some cash, meet ppl etc. The convenience of eating out, late shopping and everything being in close proximity is still the same as it was 10 years ago.

    Just that after you have kids, you eat out less, you more likely to go shopping at supermarkets or kids clothing stores, you probably move to the New Territories (like i did) due to cannot afford 3 bedroom in the city and also better air quality/less crowding.

    Also, the working environment is not great for english speaker or more precisesly, non-mandarin speakers. More banks and major corps now work more closely with China and alot of european/us companies are moving away or downsizing. So if you speak Mandarin, you will be fine. If not, you probably want to start learning as its importance will only grow.
    Last edited by tw888; 06-07-2018 at 09:12 AM.
    TheBrit, shri, East_coast and 1 others like this.

  9. #49
    Quote Originally Posted by Londoner4057:
    Happened upon this thread. For a newbie in the process of moving from London to HK, all your posts are very concerning..
    The same happens on any expat forum in the world. The greater the cultural differences, the greater the complaints get over the years. Especially once people have decided to make an exit, then the grass gets greener on the other side by the day. It's only natural. Moving, especially with a family can be quite emotional. Hence people trump up the positives of the move.

  10. #50

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    Quote Originally Posted by Londoner4057:
    Happened upon this thread. For a newbie in the process of moving from London to HK, all your posts are very concerning..
    Don't sweat it. You'll be swimming for the first six months. Then you get the hang of it, like you learned the secret handshake. Then it'll sneak up on you how well you like it. Then you'll realize it isn't going to last forever and need to have an exit/retirement plan. The entire process will likely take years and you'll have some good times and make lasting friendships. I would guess if there were another poll asking GXPers if they regret their decision to come to HKG, very few would answer yes.

    Also, complaining is the national sport of HKG. You can't take it all to heart.
    tf19, hullexile and Bernadette J W like this.

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