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There's more to a city than just cultural sites (which HK does lack in, but like I said it's not the end all be all for a city). Hong Kong blows London, Paris, and New York away in natural beauty.
Not saying it's better but for someone that wants to live somewhere with the amenities of a dynamic, global city while also having access to beaches, mountains, etc whenever they please, Hong Kong is nearly perfect.
HK as a perfect place to LIVE? Are you kidding? Yeah, maybe for white high ranking expat executives. HK is well known for its low quality of live in general because people pay through their nose for a tiny apartment, rent or buy, due to artificially low supply of land as a result of the government/RE developer agreement. HK is only a bit cheaper than New York City, but HKers make a LOT less money than NYers.
As to cities with easy access to the nature AND great urban amenities - there are simply too many. None of them is as crowded, claustrophobic and unaffordable as HK. As to "global city" (or alpha city which is probably what you mean), it really doesn't matter to most people. It just means more high end shopping and entertainment people can't afford anyway, plus more skyscrapers to boast about as if that improve one's quality of life.
I partly agree with the above. People who live in a city very often do not visit the cultural sites and tourist attractions. Visiting and living in a place can be very different. Italians certainly do not spend every weekend visiting the museums etc there. Most of our friends in Sydney have seen the New Years Eve fireworks a few times but otherwise leave it to the tourists.
Melbourne tops a couple of the lists of most liveable city year after year. But the number of tourists who go there is quite a bit lower than Sydney.
However I do think that living in a small space is not as much of a handicap as some people seem to think. Increasingly, around the world, people get used to it and adapt.
HK as a perfect place to LIVE? Are you kidding? Yeah, maybe for white high ranking expat executives. HK is well known for its low quality of live in general because people pay through their nose for a tiny apartment, rent or buy, due to artificially low supply of land as a result of the government/RE developer agreement. HK is only a bit cheaper than New York City, but HKers make a LOT less money than NYers.
As to cities with easy access to the nature AND great urban amenities - there are simply too many. None of them is as crowded, claustrophobic and unaffordable as HK. As to "global city" (or alpha city which is probably what you mean), it really doesn't matter to most people. It just means more high end shopping and entertainment people can't afford anyway, plus more skyscrapers to boast about as if that improve one's quality of life.
I specifically said people looking for a global/alpha city. Obviously there are other cities that can fit the bill, but they don't have the things that Hong Kong offers.
I only posted that because people were acting like Hong Kong couldn't possibly be someone's favorite city. I just gave reasons as to why it could be.
^Get used to it. Botticelli just can’t handle other people disagreeing with him. If you look through his post history you’d realise probably 80% of his posts is he fighting with other people over their opinions and preferences.
Y They are unfortunately necessary but cockroaches are more visible because it's a tropical climate. There are also many homeless people -price of life is incredible- which is surprising. I'm use to them in Paris, but I wasn't in developed Asia (Japan, South Korea).
Actually there are quite a lot of homeless people in Japan and South Korea. In the subway stations in Seoul, there are always homeless people seeking shelter in the long and winding underground walkway. In Osaka, many homeless camp out in parks.
But generally East Asians feel it is a shame to be homeless and they seldom bother you.
In Hong Kong, you are not going to see the mixture of Eastern and Western culture. What you will be surprised to see is the sharp contrast of Eastern and Western cultures that co-exist in such tiny place.
For example, ultra-modern building like Foster designed HSBC building looks like a space ship. But how are most modern tall buildings built in Hong Kong? By the traditional bamboo scaffolding. That is not even used in Mainland China nowadays.
There are mosque, Sikh temple, Mormon Church, synagogue,....and even Zoroastrian Church in the City. On the other hand, there are all kinds of traditional Chinese festivals, i.e. Ghost Festival, that are still observed by many in the city.
Trying to decide where to have a stop over on the way to Milan next year. Choices seem to be Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai. We have been to them all multiple times. Our heads say Singapore but our hearts say Hong Kong. But my favourite city of all has to be London.
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