HKG — Blog — Healy Chen

Too many Chinas

In my many yearly travels back home to China, I’ve taken the route through Hong Kong. An arduous 15 hour plane ride from SFO to HKG, followed by another two hour train ride into mainland China back to Guangzhou. Factoring in commuting and wait times, it’s an easy 24 hours from closing the door to my home, to opening the door to the hotel. Why put myself through such pilgrimage year after year? The food. Cantonese cuisine is undefeated.

A slight pain-point when taking the transfer through Hong Kong is that you’re essentially crossing two borders. Hong Kong customs welcomes you in HKG, while China customs checks you again before you’re allowed to board the train. This is a logistical inconsistency that undermines the whole “One China” attitude. If it’s truly One China, then why the heck am I subjected to two sets of immigration checks? The Hong Kong one at the airport should more than suffice.

Then there’s restrictions on how frequent Chinese nationals can visit the Special Administrative Regions like Hong Kong and Macau. Restrictions that logically should not exist if it is truly one China. That would be like if I’m only allowed to visit Florida - as a Californian - for only a few weeks out of the year. Though that would be just fine because I’ve zero desire to visit Florida. Everybody knows the best Disney theme park is the one in Tokyo, Japan.

The One China policy is a mere political bluster; a power-play by the reigning communist regime. The party’s legitimacy is predicated on being recognized by the outside world as the de facto China. Anything that can threaten that legitimacy - however small - must be censored immediately. You think the Taiwanese national team really wants to compete in world sports under the “Chinese Taipei” banner?

Come to think of it, why allow athletes from Hong Kong and Macau compete under anything but China? One China, one national team, right? If anything, Taiwanese athletes, you guys come on over as well!

Hand-pulled salty chicken is worth the 15 hour flight.

HKG is not the same

I bought plane tickets for my trip back home to Guangzhou way back in June of last year, well before the Hong Kong protests started. I then - along with the rest of the world - saw the uprisings happen, and the mess have lingered and continued on into 2020. My father joked that there is no way the protests will last the many months to coincide with our trip through Hong Kong, and yet there we were two weeks ago, flying into HKG whilst protest was scheduled to happen in the city yet again that very day.

It’s a shame, because the Hong Kong part of the trip on the way to Guangzhou is something I enjoy immensely, well worth the extra four hours it takes to fully complete the journey compared to flying directly into Baiyun International. Some years I even spend a few days or a week in Hong Kong before going home. It’s a city I have great affinity for, but unfortunately due to the demonstrations, I was unable to do my usual tour. Rather not risk any potential clashes, though I do wonder what the protesters think of a person like me: born in mainland China, but is now a citizen of the United States.

Anyways, the game plan then was to immediately hop on a direct bus to Guangzhou right at the airport. Upon exiting out into the arrivals lobby, I immediately knew that these were not normal times: they’ve shut down the outbound transport terminal, which used to be in an external building. Instead, the ticketing for buses are now inside Terminal 1 itself. After purchasing our tickets, we walked through guarded doorways to get to our waiting hired car, which is something I’m so not used to seeing in what is one of the safest metropolises on the planet. Surrounding the airport itself are many police barriers and fencing, a legacy from the unrest that reached HKG last year.

Coming back into Hong Kong for the flight home was different as well. We took the same direct bus in the reverse direction, and it’s when we arrived outside the departure deck that things got interesting. The entrances to the terminal are cordoned off by police barricades, third-world checkpoint style. To get in, you have to show your passport, and either the flight confirmation or boarding pass. I’m not even sure they would let family or friends who are seeing you off to go inside with you. The price of fighting for liberty, as it were.

I have no dog whatsoever in the Hong Kong situation. I only selfishly hope that on my next trip home, HKG -and Hong Kong - will be back to what it were: a fabulous airport that’s one of my favorites.