Category Archives: Elderly Hong Kong

Hong Kong is lauded as one of the freest places in the world. This particular freedom is another world for neoliberalism, which prioritises the needs of the wealthy and marginalises the rest. Unlike many places, elderly people are visible in Hong Kong, which offers a bittersweet encounter with our own future.

We connect through laughter

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We connect through laughter

I have no idea who the gentleman in the picture is, except that two things in particular struck me about him as I sat opposite him on the MTR heading toward Shenzhen, and the magical world of Lo Wu Commercial city. The second was his attire as he was smartly dressed for a day out to collect provisions with a friend across the boarder in China.  The first thing that caught my eye about him, however was his smile, which seemed to cover his whole face. What was particularly unusual is that smiling is something particularly uncharacteristic amongst adults in Chinese culture.  Continue reading →

Seeing below

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Hong Kong is a city of views. Upon arriving in Hong Kong one is assaulted with the image of the famous skyline. This commanding perspective offers a view of the top both literally and figuratively, if we also consider that much of that skyline represents the global circulation of things and money.  Populated with 294 buildings over 150m tall (35-40 floors), and 2,354 buildings over 100m tall (New York only has 794), the city handily wins as being the place with the most opportunity to look down from above. But what do you see when you look down? Continue reading →

Do you know where that box comes from?

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Wet Market Boxes

Have you ever wondered about the life of that recycled cardboard box that your child’s new toy came in?  Many of these boxes will have come from Asia, where there are armies of elderly people who collect them and then recycle them as a way to make extra money to make ends meet. This practice is another side to neoliberal approaches to economic freedom.  Continue reading →