I haven’t been back to Hong Kong in more than 10 years since I lived there in 2014. It’s interesting revisiting cities. It’s curious, nostalgic, surprising, and sometimes even bittersweet. Not just to see how a city has changed or not changed, but how you have yourself as well. 

As I was traveling around Asia last month, I jotted down some observations and reflections, which I’ve broken up into two parts below. The first are things I noticed about Hong Kong (and a few about Southeast Asia). The second part is on how adulthood can change your relationship with a city. 

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1) BYD & electric cars 

I was already impressed in 2019 by how quiet Shenzhen was because of its roll out with taxi EVs. Now I’m impressed with how Hong Kong has now moved into EV public buses as well as how prevalent BYD is (including its designs that, dare I admit, are cooler than Tesla’s). 

2) Labubu

It’s still wild to me how something can be such a phenomenon in one part of the world and practically non-existent elsewhere (achem, America). I knew they were a craze, but I had thought with a niche population, like how special edition Stanley cups are with American housewives. But Labubus are everywhere – to celebrate store openings, on people’s bags, and on restaurant displays.

3) New constructions

I’ve always admired the impressive speed and sleekness of new construction everywhere in Asia -Singapore, China, Indonesia. But I’m still impressed with how much new construction has continued in every city I went on this trip (Penang, Taipei, and Hong Kong). It makes me wonder why the US is incapable of projects at a similar scale. I can’t imagine it’s a lack of capital or demand, so my best guess is policy. Asia welcomes investments for new construction, while the US limits it with regulation and processes. Another hypothesis is the perpetual debate in my head if the age of America really is on its decline.

4) Integration of Korean culture

I first moved to Singapore in 2015 and then from Shanghai back to the US in 2018 when Korean pop was exploding. Now almost 10 years later, Korean culture really has permeated and integrated itself across Asia, from Korean fried chicken appearing in a Malaysian hawker center to all the 7-11 snacks now featuring K-POP celebrities to boost sales.

5) How cities might change/ not change

I didn’t visit Singapore this trip, but I last visited in 2023, after not having visited in 5 years since I moved away in 2018. What struck me then was how little it had changed, and what little did, was decaying. I wandered back to my old apartment and gym, both of which were premium and new when I first moved. Now, wear and tear and a lack of maintenance was showing. This was surprising to me, as I normally would expect this in China. Another was how little new interesting stores, restaurants, or bars had opened in the last 5 years. There’s an endless list of new places to explore in Taipei, Hong Kong, or Tokyo, but I didn’t see that in Singapore on that trip. I write more on my observations on how adulthood can change your relationship with a city here.