"No way!" When John asked his two children — both raised in Hong Kong — whether they'd consider moving back to the UK, their answer didn't hesitate.
John is 59, from Birmingham, England. In 1994, he was traveling the world on a tight budget. He ran out of money in India. Two choices—go back to the UK, or come to Hong Kong and crash with a friend.
He chose Hong Kong. "Best decision I've ever made."
Thirty years later, he's lived in Hong Kong longer than he ever lived in the UK.
On his second day in the city, he visited Lamma Island. He walked around, saw the countryside, the beachside bars, the friendly neighbors. "Within a month, I moved from North Point," he says. North Point was "crazy." Lamma was just right — relaxed, green, surrounded by water.
He moved to Beijing for a while, then Thailand for a few years. When his first child was born, he came straight back to Lamma. "It's a great place to bring up kids. Small community, very safe. No traffic — as long as you teach your kids to swim."
The night his daughter was born, a helicopter flew them from Lamma to Wan Chai at 2 am, then an ambulance to Queen Mary Hospital. The bill? About HK$280. "If that was in America, you'd be bankrupt."
He and his wife bought a small restaurant. Before long, it unexpectedly went viral on Xiaohongshu. Mainland tourists started showing up. John doesn't really follow social media, but he's happy about it. "They like the presentation. Looks good, tastes good."
The restaurant has become part of the community. People come in just to use the WiFi and chill. They sponsor the local dragon boat team and the rural committee's events. There are 86 nationalities on Lamma Island — Thai, French, Israeli... "You see another Lamma person, even if you don't know them, you say hello."
He loves milk tea. He says Hong Kong's healthcare system is "the best equipment you can get, no complaints at all." The food is better than the UK. The weather is better. And you're close to the Chinese mainland, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia — "all these really interesting, different cultures."
And the UK? "Rarely go back." He misses his mom, his brother, his sister. But his mom just visited last month. He once asked his two kids — now 21 and 23 — what they thought about moving to the UK.
"Whoa, no way!"
John has lived in Hong Kong for 30 years. He raised his children here.
"Hong Kong is my home," he says. Plainly. Like a fact that needs no proof.
(Produced by Kiki, Jack, Ian)
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