Voices of Hope and Doubt

Mohammed Aslam, 60, businessman

My father was a Hong Kong policeman, so I was born in Hong Kong, and have spent nearly my whole life here. Hong Kong is my country. But we don’t know what will happen to us after 1997, so we are going to Pakistan.

My family saw the British leave India in 1949 and split the country. Now we will see the British leave Hong Kong in 1997 and make two countries one. But China is already taking over. Hong Kong is slipping. I don’t want to see it happen.

Edward Heckels, 28, investment banker

I just arrived recently, but I will certainly be here beyond 1997. My company just doubled our offices here, though I think that reflects optimism about the region as a whole, not just Hong Kong.

We’re in a period of transition. Power is moving from Britain to China, and Britain is obviously diminishing quite quickly. And it’s taking place well before 1997. After 1997, it may be harder to do business here. Corruption may be more prevalent, and the authorities may become less predictable.

I receive my salary in Hong Kong dollars now, but next chance I get, I will ask for something else--probably U.S. dollars.

Raymond Lam, 38, bamboo steamer manufacturer

I was born in Hong Kong, and I like it here. It’s easy to make money. I had plans to leave, but I changed my mind--now I have more confidence in Hong Kong’s future. The Chinese government is gradually improving, and seems like it can satisfy our expectations for freedom.

China’s power in Hong Kong is growing. You can see the number of people supporting China going up, like civil servants and businessmen.

I think Hong Kong will become more like China, but that should not be too bad for the people of Hong Kong. It could even get better. China might establish policies to narrow the gap between rich and poor, and make housing more affordable.

Peter Yiu, 40, tea merchant

I live in Hong Kong, but I am a citizen of the United States, and I also have an Australian passport. I don’t have much confidence in Hong Kong after 1997. My biggest concern is safety; the law won’t be upheld like it was under the British. China doesn’t work inside the law, and Chinese police don’t play by the rules. It could be like that in Hong Kong too after ’97.

Now Britain and China share control of Hong Kong, and Britain has to consult China on everything. If the legal system can be preserved, it could be OK, but I think Hong Kong has peaked.

Chan Yan Kong, 43, deliveryman

I was born here, and I like Hong Kong’s freedom and good lifestyle. You can eat whenever you want. People have left, but some are coming back. My two sisters went to Sydney, but now they’re back in Hong Kong because the money is better here.

I don’t think about what will change after 1997. Hong Kong is Chinese anyway, so returning to China is OK.

Ida Hong, 14, student

This is my home and I will never leave. China is an autocratic country, and does not give people a lot of freedom, so some people are afraid and are leaving Hong Kong. We worry sometimes about what China might do--for example, there is capital punishment in China, but not in Hong Kong. Yet.

I am Chinese, so I hope China can improve itself in the future, and give people an opportunity to help themselves and get rich. I hope Hong Kong will not change. I think all of Hong Kong hopes it will not change.

TO STAY OR LEAVE: THE OPTIONS

To the people of Hong Kong, a foreign passport is not just a travel document, it’s an insurance policy in case things go wrong after 1997.

Hong Kongers first started seeking overseas citizenship after the 1984 agreement to return the territory to China in 1997. The stream of emigrants turned into a flood after Beijing’s 1989 crackdown on demonstrators in Tian An Men Square. The exodus peaked in 1991 with 60,000 Hong Kongers leaving that year, causing a serious brain drain. Now the tide is reversing as people trickle back to Hong Kong’s thriving economy.

An estimated 400,000 of Hong Kong’s 6 million people hold foreign passports. The rest will become Chinese nationals on July 1, 1997--with a few exceptions. Some Hong Kong citizens hold British National Overseas passports, which look just like true British ones but do not provide right of abode in Britain. Indians and Nepalese Gurkhas born in Hong Kong will become stateless if they remain in Hong Kong beyond 1997.