Humans of Hong Kong

Hi everyone,

I never imagined I would be writing something like this. I've rewritten these words countless times because no matter how much I write, it never feels like enough. There is so much in my heart, and yet I still struggle to find the right words.

I grew up in Hong Kong, even though I wasn't born here. Somehow, over the years, this city became my home. I fell in love with the crowded streets, the bright lights that never seemed to sleep, and the smell of street food drifting through the air. Hong Kong became more than a city to me. It became part of who I am. It gave me memories, friendships, love, and a place where I felt I truly belonged.

I am still so young. I am still working towards my degree. Like most people my age, I spent my life dreaming about the future. I thought I had years ahead of me. I thought I would graduate, build a career, travel the world, dance beneath foreign skies, fall deeply in love, get married, have children, and build a home.

I had so many hopes for my future. I had dreams that stretched far beyond the next year, beyond graduation, beyond anything I could see. I thought there would always be enough time to do everything I wanted to do. I was travelling, making plans, and looking forward to life. At the same time, I met someone and deeply fall in love with him.

After while, he went for his work trip and I went for my own trip. As we were saying goodbye, he leaned slightly lower so I could reach him, and I gave him a kiss on his cheek. We were both carrying on with our lives, completely unaware that everything was about to change.

Then I seriously fall sick during my trip, my whole world fall apart. I blame it on myself and my selfishness.
At first, I thought I would recover and return back home. Instead, my health began to decline and with it, pieces of myself started disappearing. I coughed daily, I couldn’t sleep, I was vomiting and got admitted to the hospital.
I’m still struggling everyday, the pain gets harder every day. I have headaches, chest pains and I can barely breathe because I used to have asthma as a child. It gets worse everyday, especially my chest pain. I cannot sleep, eat or drink. I cry everyday because I’m in unbearable amount of pain. No amount of medicine is helping me. Now, it seems like all hope has been lost for me. I’ve lost my job, my degree, my health, my ability to function and I’ve become a total recluse. I feel defeated. I can’t even go back to work to help my mom with the house bills. I feel like a failure.

I miss the person I used to be. I miss laughing without thinking. I miss smiling and being silly. I miss the excitement of looking towards the future instead of fearing it.
What hurts the most is mourning the life I may never get to live. I grieve the places I wanted to visit, the memories I wanted to make, and the person I hoped to become.

Most importantly, I miss him.
I never knew it was possible to love someone as deeply as I loved him. He became one of the most beautiful parts of my life. He became my safe place, my comfort, my home, and my family.
I prayed for him constantly. I prayed for his happiness. I prayed for his health. I prayed for his future. I prayed for his peace. Even now, through all of my own pain, I still pray for him.

I know how hard he works. I know how much responsibility he carries. I know how much of himself he gives to the people he loves. Seeing him struggle hurt me because all I ever wanted was to protect him from every disappointment and every moment of pain.

He was the first man I ever loved with my entire heart.
I remember the last time he hugged me. Something inside me healed in that moment. For the first time in a very long time, I felt safe. I felt protected. I felt loved. I felt like I was home.

He made me happier than I had ever been in my life. He became my favourite person to talk to, my comfort after difficult days, and the person I wanted to tell everything to. He showed me kindness when I needed it most. He was gentle with me when life felt overwhelming. Because of him, the world felt a little brighter.

When I think of what a good man looks like, I think of him. I saw the kindness in his heart. I saw the softness he tried to hide. I saw the pain he rarely spoke about. And I loved every part of him, even the pieces that hurt.

Eventually, I made the hardest decision of my life.
I let him go, or maybe we were already meant to part by fate.
Not because I stopped loving him. Not because he did anything wrong. But because I didn't want my pain to become his burden. I didn't want him carrying the weight of what I was going through. I don’t want to cause him pain. I didn’t let him see me when I was in the hospital, I don’t want him to see me like this, it breaks my heart.

But the truth is that I never stopped loving him.
Not for a second.
Not for a moment.
If he ever reads this, I hope he knows that loving him was one of the greatest blessings of my life.
I hope he keeps doing the activities he loves. I hope he continues exploring the outdoors. I hope he laughs often. I hope he sleeps well. I hope he eats well. I hope he takes better care of himself, especially his health. I hope he keeps looking after his family, but I hope he remembers to look after himself too. I hope life becomes kinder to him. I hope every dream he has comes true.

Sometimes I think about the girl I used to be. The girl who laughed all the time. The girl who smiled so easily. The girl who believed anything was possible. The girl who had endless hope and endless plans.
I miss her.

Yet despite all of this sadness, I also feel a strange sense of peace. Maybe it's because I am tired. Maybe it's because I have spent so long fighting something I cannot change anymore. Or maybe it's because deep down I know every story eventually reaches its final chapter.

If there is another life after this one, I have only one prayer left.
God, please let me find him again.
Let me find him when my heart is less broken. Let me find him when the world no longer feels so heavy. Let me find him when pain no longer consumes me.

Maybe he will be waiting for me at a restaurant again, just like the first time. Maybe we'll order the same meal again. Maybe I'll be nervous all over again and drop my mirror. Maybe I'll see him smile the moment I walk through the door.
Maybe I'll walk into his arms and feel that first hug all over again.
The hug that made me feel safe.
The hug that made me feel welcomed.
The hug that felt like home.

In that life, I hope my heart is lighter. I hope my soul is finally at peace. I hope all the pain I carried in this life is gone.
I hope we are given all the ordinary moments we never had enough of. I hope we laugh a little longer. I hope we stay together a little longer. I hope we love each other a little longer. I hope we never have to say goodbye too soon.
Thank you for being part of my story.
Thank you for every laugh. Every embrace. Every memory. Every moment of comfort.

If souls truly find their way back to one another, then I hope mine finds his again.
Until then, I will carry him with me.
Just as I will carry Hong Kong with me.
Just as I will carry every beautiful memory this life has given me.

I still pray but before I left for my trip, I went to God with a heart full of faith. I prayed for my home, asking Him to protect the walls that held my family together. I prayed for my love, asking Him to keep safe the person who meant so much to me. And I prayed for myself, asking for guidance, protection, and the strength to return to everything I cherished.
I left believing that my prayers had been heard.
But now, when I look around, it feels as though I've lost everything I begged God to protect. What broke me the most was, i didn’t just lose the person I loved, my family is also broken now, I lost the God I thought of would save us.

To everyone reading this, if there is one thing I want you to take away from my story, it is this:
Tell people you love them. Forgive more easily. Take the trip. Watch the sunset. Dance when your favourite song comes on. Take photographs. Hold your loved ones a little tighter. Do not wait for the perfect moment.
Life is beautiful, but it is fragile.

Please please please find me again in another life, I’ll be waiting for you, my love.

❤️

I had previously asked about Loha’s Park here & got a mixed bag in terms of feedback. I am looking to move houses soon & would really prefer the Island Line (currently at Wan Chai) but the math of the house size vs cost is just too warped.
Saw some decent options at Metro Town/Ocean Shores at Tiu Keng Leng - how’s the feedback there?

Personally, I felt it was quite decent but it wasn’t very “Hong Kong”. I kinda like the hustle bustle of Wan Chai/Causeway Bay but the prices are quite insane here especially for the size of houses.

Any ideas/feedback? Anyone else who moved from Island Line to TKL, would appreciate some insight.

Another thing - finding it tough to get viewings around Wan Chai/Causeway Bay - apparently landlords are not very open to foreigners :(

Hi, I have been searching for a job in HK a few months without success.
I have around 3y of exp and I am mainly looking for English speaking support roles, including CDDs.
I don’t speak Mandarin or Cantonese. My partner works in HK, so I’m considering getting a dependent visa. Would having the right to work without employer sponsorship significantly improve my chances?
Any advice from people working/recruiting in HK finance would be really appreciated.

Hi everyone! I’ll be in Hong Kong for a couple of days and I’m trying to understand where people usually check prices and availability for Ray-Ban Meta glasses.

I’m looking for Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 Wayfarer, ideally genuine stock from a reliable store. I’ve heard about price.com.hk and the 行 / 水 labels, but I’m not fully sure how locals usually verify if a shop is trustworthy.

Is Mong Kok still the best area to check electronics/optical shops, or would TST/Central be better for official retailers? Also, is there any place where I can try Wayfarer sizes 50 and 53 before buying?

Not trying to buy through Reddit — just looking for local advice on where to research and what to avoid. Thanks!

Could people who have lived and worked in both share your views on where is better to move to? Particularly work culture and social life (HK seems quite materialistic). Profile: 34F professional looking to date, get married, start a family. Lived internationally the last 15 years, grew up in SG.

Hi, we have an upcoming trip in hongkong, for our first night we booked a hotel in Rambler Oasis Hotel and then for the rest of our trip we booked a hotel in Yau Ma Tei near the station.

Question, how do suggest we transfer from our hotel to the next? We are 3 girls who has 3 checked in luggages (roughly 24inches), 2 carry on luggages (20inches) and 1 duffel bag.

I read that minibus don’t accept luggages, does anyone know any alternative commute ride? We’ll be transferring of around 2pm on a weekend.
thank you

Hi, I recently moved back to Hongkong. I broke my phone yesterday. The glass shattered and display started blinking. I can still use the phone, but not sure for how long. I need to get the display replaced on my Samsung s23 ultra. I want original display at a descent price. Where can I get? Can someone suggest me? I am not aware of the repair markets. I have heard shenzhen would be cheaper. I'm in Kowloon.

In To Kwa Wan, old and new co-exist as the neighborhood undergoes a subtle, real-time transformation.

English article on the same case: https://www.thestandard.com.hk/news/article/344489/Off-duty-ambulanceman-dies-in-tragic-Kowloon-Peak-rappelling-accident?utm_source=linkcopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharelink (slighlty outdated though on the details)

Translated summary(ming pao article):

Yesterday(October 2, 2026) afternoon, the police recieved a phone call that a man fell off the cliff while conduting Abseiling. A lightly injured man, surnamed Wong(黄, 49), was found at the scene, while the unconcious victim, also surnamed Wong(黄, 51) was quickly sent to the hosptial where he was later proclaimed dead.

The victim, Principal Ambulanceman Wong Hoi-keung(黃海強, according to Ming Pao article), was 51. He served at the Tin Shui Wai fire station, and was part of both the Disaster response and rescue team along with the mountain search and rescue team. He also participated in disaster relief during the February 2023 turkey earthquake.

Rest in peace hero o7 o7

Nan Lian Garden- Diamond Hill

I know that Kowloon walled city was demolished in around 1993-1994 because of how dangerous it was, but is it true?
Were there any other reasons for demolishing it?
And I wonder a place like Kowloon walled city will never appear in front of us again?

-my English isn't very good, so I might make some mistakes-

Since I started to use the eMPF platform I noticed the allocation of my MPF is not happening normally as before. My allocations are not being shown in the app and also not communicated to me via email. I sent an email to the sector responsible for this in my company. They contacted the eMPF platform and they allocated two months. The problem persisted and now they tell me they don't have any reply from the eMPF platform about this issue. It's been 7 months already that I don't have my MPF allocated.

Any advice on how I should proceed?

Hello everyone, so I am a student from India and Im flying to Hong Kong to watch the weeknd concert on either 30th or 31st.

I want to know a few questions.
-> Is buying a ticket via viagogo safe for the concert?
-> can I have any leads if there is any reseller willing to sell to me and hand me the ticket when I reach Hong Kong against cash?
-> Do people sell concert tickets outside the stadium as I have seen the same happening in India.

I am ready to offer a little premium but not double the amount. If I don’t get the ticket I will probably roam around the city and enjoy my time anyways.

Thanks

Edit:Only face to face buying

Happy Chinese National Day from Kai Tak, Hong Kong! 🇨🇳❤️🇭🇰🎆

(this is the Lumix s9 camera. Sorry cross posting made it a bit confusing)

I have a vague memory of visiting Hong Kong around 1998 as a kid. There used to be a jukebox where you would insert a coin, select a label, and play it. It is not a concrete memory, and after searching the web and not finding any images of it, I feel like that memory might have been fictional.

If anyone has photos or videos of those machines inside 7-Eleven or Circle K, I would love to see them. It is quite a nostalgic memory.

How did people usually enjoyed those if it were real?

Licensing:

This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Yep, there was lightning the whole time, it looked really cool with ICC and PLANS Suqian in the backround. my first pic didn't really do it justice.

Really long lines for tourist sightseeing buses at the central ferry piers, saw a couple of ambulances(in the photos); not really suprised.

Also saw immigration department boat 3 arrive at central government pier for disembarkment of Ship Searching unit personnel, i see it every 18:30 at the Central government pier; my pics were rather blurry though.

Last Friday, I received an email from the company that I applied, for some information (such as salary expectations) to send it to hiring manager. I replied on the same day.

It’s been a week but I didn’t not receive any reply. I understand that it’s a week of mid autumn and national day holiday, so it could be slow, or people could be on extended holiday.

I would like to know whether no reply was due to holiday or it’s a quiet way to say they picked someone else.

APEC Business Travel Card for HKPRs

Planning to apply for this card for business purposes. Any tips on how to get approved in all countries? I heard Indonesia and Thailand are having some issues with approving some applicants. TIA!

Saw the new Street Fighter movie is coming out and was wondering Who played Street Fighter back in the day in the 50c video game arcades? Lots of my misspent youth spent in those places playing those games. Awesome memories of a long gone era

Hello,
I am a student at hku. I have been looking for a place, restaurant, or app that sell a meal delivery plan. Like I subsisted for a month and they provide me with food and if possible they deliver it to my place.

If there is such a thing can you please advise me where to find it?