In recent years, many Hong Kong people have blindly followed the trend and emigrated to the UK. However, after the initial fervor faded, the harsh realities have gradually come to light.
Recently, a Hong Kong man who had lived in the UK for four years shared his bitter experience of a humiliating retreat on social media. He admitted that despite having spent several years in the UK, he had never been able to develop a fondness for the country, and ultimately ended up losing spectacularly.
The Hong Kong man, who had emigrated to the UK, posted on Threads that he had lived in the UK for four years. Looking back, although he could not conceal his sense of failure in reality, he still expressed gratitude for the experience, which he said had strengthened his "ability to withstand stress, combat depression, and handle gains and losses." He emphasized, "To reiterate: this is a defeat and retreat, not a return."
He said that life there was "great in summer, great in the countryside, the air is fresh, and watching football with a drink is great—but that's about it."
The man went on to reveal that he had fallen into a difficult situation in recent years, with fewer and fewer pleasures in UK life, and even his passion for life beginning to wane. More tragically, after emigrating, communication with his family had become increasingly infrequent, and the circle of friends with whom he used to have fun and spend time had "shrunk more and more." He asked, "Compared with all that talk about what the future might hold, shouldn't these issues be addressed immediately?"
He refused to accept blind rebuttals, saying, "There's no need to share your success stories—everyone is different, and survivor bias means that just because you made it doesn't mean everyone can. I tried, and I couldn't do it. So, I admit this is a defeat, and I genuinely mean that—no need to make excuses."
He further explained the reasons for his decision to leave, saying: "I come from a Chinese-Japanese-Korean cultural background, and I just can't get interested [in British culture]."
"And I actually quite like travelling in Europe, visiting museums, and watching football, but I just can't adapt over the long term, and my family's adaptation has been only so-so." His words were filled with despair over life in the UK.
The post quickly sparked widespread discussion among netizens. Many people in similar situations came forward to share their own experiences.
"I'm also preparing to go back—what I thought before leaving is exactly what you said." "I totally understand—living abroad without family or friends, all you've got is money, but we don't have welfare benefits, and if we don't even have money, we can't hold on." "Whatever you do, don't look back—stay strong. Unfortunately, I'm too old to leave." "It's not a defeat and retreat—Brits themselves are desperate to leave, they just don't have a choice!"
However, some netizens also scoffed at his plight, saying, "No need to specifically label it as defeat or not—just go back if you want to." "The UK is only fit for primitive people… It's normal to not be able to stand it."
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