When my mum visited Hong Kong for the first time in 1985, she brought back a colour TV -- a triumphal souvenir from her venture to a city that seemed very exotic to us. The vivid, colour pictures amazed our neighbours, who thought that Hong Kong must be a spectacular place compared to my home town of Wuhan.
Indeed, in 1980s China, where people still needed permission from the Communist party boss at their dan wei work unit and the local police to travel abroad, few had the chance to go to Hong Kong. The British colony seemed so close, yet so far away.
Even today, the distance is still felt. Hong Kong is...
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