[zukunftsalick]

i've been in Hong Kong for 6.5 years already. Worked in small consultancies, large logistics company, and local startup.

PROS: a) Salary is high, especially if you get to work in finance/insurance/luxury retail fields b) disposable income (aka savings) is extremely high as income tax is low, no more than 17%, also, no capital gains tax! c) great hub to work and explore Asia

CONS: a) IT jobs (development mainly) aren't that exciting as they are mostly outsourced to cheaper countries so you ended up being a lonely team member in HK or in management type of jobs. There's always exceptions to this (Credit Suisse, Lalamove, Chengbao to name a few) b) tech is lagging behind in all aspects, from testing to devops. For example; Continuous Integration I'm yet to see a team in mid to large companies effectively having and respecting the build. This can be seen as an opportunity if you are willing to try. c) You work longer hours, more stress and generally fewer vacation days

However, if you come here to work as a founder to be closer to Shenzhen (factories), you also reap the benefits of an established legal system in Hong Kong. Plenty of highly motivated fresh graduates as well.

[contingencies]

Not to discount the value of your experience in HK, but I feel compelled to point out that in all practical aspects (legal, fiscal, market, visas, business culture, transport, food, education, medical, etc.), certainly for anyone who has spent time in the mainland, Hong Kong isn't even remotely the same as living and working in China.

[goobynight]

Define high (at least the ballpark). I had a much different experience in the same city.

I doubled my pay by coming back home.

[zukunftsalick]

high as in I usually have 50% of my income available after paying rent/food/transportation and other costs. Rent is high if you keep "western" standards for your living space, likewise for food.

[jaxbot]

Honestly that's comparable to SF, percentage-wise. But the 50% that's left will be higher.

[zukunftsalick]

Yes, I know you could potentially earn 180k as a junior per year but then you potentially have to live in the US.

[sealthedeal]

180k as a junior... no way

[jaxbot]

At Google I made around that my first year as a new grad (total comp, not salary) and far more than that in following years (again, total comp).

[seveneightn9ne]

If you're including RSUs in that number, sure

[jaxbot]

That's a great point about access to Shenzhen from HK. How's the language barrier been? Have you had to learn both Canto and Mando and read both simplified and traditional? Is there a distinct advantage to living on one side of the border over the other?

[echevil]

The hard part living in HK for a lot of people is real estate price. It's extremely expensive either to rent or buy apartments. Lot of people live in apartments less than 200 sqr feet, and the average living space per person is less than 100 sqr feet.

Moreover, Shenzhen is one of China's tech capitals while HK is mostly finance.

[zukunftsalick]

HK has uncensored and fast internet. The language barrier can be a issue but English is still widely spoken, even in remote areas of HK like where I live. I know enough Canto for numbers, food and the rare times I get a taxi. I can't ready anything though. There's a big question mark as 2047 looms closer, which is till when China promised to keep HK the way it is now (capitalism, different currency, open, legal system and so on).

[philsnow]

> There's a big question mark as 2047 looms closer, which is till when China promised to keep HK the way it is now (capitalism, different currency, open, legal system and so on).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Hong_Kong_protests

They're not going to wait until 2047. Already many (most?) elementary schools in HK speak Mandarin instead of Cantonese.

[ralph84]

Some elementary schools also have a non-trivial number of mainland children who cross the border every day for school. Birth tourism for mainlanders was big in HK (they've cracked down on it now) because Chinese born in HK automatically get HK permanent residence.

[chaostheory]

> Already many (most?) elementary schools in HK speak Mandarin instead of Cantonese.

Mandarin is far easier to learn and speak than Cantonese

[philsnow]

I don't know what you're getting at. Shouldn't they learn Spanish or something because it's "easier"?

[chaostheory]

It sounded like you lament transition the from Cantonese to Mandarin and you make it seem like a bad thing, near equivalent to the loss of rights and freedoms. I don't feel that way.

Sarcasm aside, Spanish is not easier for Chinese people since barely anyone speaks it in Asia other than nouns in the Philippines. Mandarin is easier because it's already the primary language for most Chinese people and not just the mainland. It's also generally easier to speak and understand compared to Cantonese. Having one standard language is an advantage vs having a million "dialects".

There are many bad things about the HK handover. Standardizing on Mandarin is not one of them.