Letters | Hong Kong is still attractive to expats – just walk around Happy Valley Racecourse

Readers discuss the many cultures that converge at a recreation ground, the city’s declining birth rate, the disadvantage of elders switching to the JoyYou card, and fatal taxi accidents

Reading Time:3 minutes

A child examines her shoe as footballers enjoy a game at Happy Valley Recreation Ground in 2017. The ground still attracts people of a variety of nationalities. Photo: David Wong

Published: 11:30am, 22 Jan 2024Updated: 12:17pm, 23 Jan 2024

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Recently I have been spending a lot of my time in Happy Valley. My wife had been in Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital and whenever she took a nap, I would step out and take a stroll around the Happy Valley Racecourse for some fresh air.

During these walks, I saw groups of people – children and adults, male and female – playing soccer, rugby, field hockey and even frisbee together. They were from many different ethnic groups: I could hear Cantonese, Mandarin, English with different accents, French, Spanish, Hindi, Urdu and Russian being spoken. As the players on the field enjoyed their sport, their family and friends would cheer them on from the sidelines.

The Hong Kong Premier League plays at the Hong Kong Football Club Stadium located within the racecourse. On match days, I would see locals and expatriates playing for rival teams.

The Hong Kong media should not only be telling the world that expats no longer love Hong Kong and are leaving the city with a sour taste in the mouth. We should also tell the world that many expats still enjoy living in Hong Kong.

Of course, the Hong Kong government could do much more to attract more foreign talent to Hong Kong. Hong Kong remains the regional hub for many companies. After all, Hong Kong is still the only global city of the People’s Republic of China, a country of 1.4 billion people and a trading giant. A big bulk of the goods and services being bought and sold pass through Hong Kong.