Returning to Hong Kong

Between 20-30% of Hong Kongers who emigrated prior to the 1997 handover have since returned from abroad to live in Hong Kong full-time.

Living overseas for an extended period of time and then coming back is known as wuih lauh (回流), or return move.

The reasons for moving back are many, but one of the biggest factors was the way business was conducted here versus western countries such as Canada. In Hong Kong, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well; businesspersons think fast, move fast and work fast. But in Canada, many immigrants found the slow economic pace and endless government red tape an unbearable hindrance to business growth.

Another important reason for returning was to ease family tensions that arose when husbands and fathers opted to work overseas while their wives and families remained in Hong Kong. These men were called taai hung yahn (太空人), literally astronauts, because of the amount of time spent flying back and forth between Hong Kong and cities such as Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal. Taai hung yahn is also a snarky Chinese pun; loosely speaking it can also mean man without a wife.

But whatever the motivation for leaving Canada, underneath was something closer to the heart: a deep connection with their birthplace. For numerous emigrants that feeling couldn't be duplicated, even for those who'd intended to become citizens and adopt the ways of their new home. In the end they became paper Canadians: they could claim they were from Canada, but they weren't of it. Being unable to cultivate a true sense of belonging, they opted to return when they were no longer able to resist Hong Kong's powerful pull.

The only way to comprehend the force of that attraction is to spend time here. If you do, Hong Kong's charms may win you over through gradual seduction, or if you're like me, it'll be love at first sight.

Regardless, you'll have a much clearer understanding when your friend or colleague announces that it's time to pull up stakes and head back to the Big Lychee.

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