Hong Kong

The king is dead. Long live the new king!

For me, Shanghai was always the king of Chinese cities. Stylish, modern, expensive.

Yesterday Hong Kong took its place.

Hong Kong is far from perfect. It is loud, scruffy, terribly cramped. Tower blocks stand pressed right up against one another, their facades mouldy from the endless damp, hung all over with air conditioners that drip condensation down on you. It is unreasonably expensive.

But there is another side to it. Hong Kong is a city of ambition. Life boils here, and so does business. Easy transport. Astonishing nature within walking distance. English everywhere, which makes the city unusually approachable for Asia. Above all, though — the people.

Hong Kong seems to draw in the most talented, the most open, the most ambitious. Russians, Americans, Australians, Danes, Swedes, Chinese — and every one of them is glad to share their story.

The Chinese in Hong Kong were a particular joy. In Shanghai, making Chinese friends is a nearly impossible quest (I got very lucky, but that was chance). In Hong Kong it is as if a positive selection takes place, and the most talented Chinese gather here.

I adore Tokyo. But Tokyo is a cold city. The Japanese are, after all, less open to other cultures. In Hong Kong you feel like one of your own very quickly.

I hope I will be lucky enough to spend more time in Hong Kong in the future.

For now — onward.