What is left of the old China in Hong Kong after the handover from Britain to… China? Before the handover, in 1997, I had visited the easternmost of the British colonies three times, and three times I had been kidnapped by the charm of the home of Suzie Wong! Especially the islands: the temples, the markets, the ferries, the HK China Club, the sellers of snakes and jades, the masters of feng-shui, the silks, the ivories, the artifacts, the embroideries, the food, the fortune-tellers, the tailors, the junk shops and antique dealers in Hollywood road, the drugstores, the Victoria double-decker bus, the premises of dimsum, the airport landings so close to the houses, the Gucci-Louis Vouitton-Nike-Adidas-Lacoste-Rolex strictly false! Few were already anyway the sampan anchored in Aberdeen; Sir Norman Foster had already built the futuristic building of the HK and Shanghai Bank and the Metro marveled for its efficiency and modernity. Then, the true designer boutiques, shopping malls and convention swept in, the freeways, the smog: in short, the progress!
Perhaps it is time to return to the scented city to re-take some photos!
