1/6/18 – Transfixing Tours

Today was a whirlwind, but satisfying – we toured two radically different Hong Kong institutions: the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, which occupies a glittering skyscraper (the second tallest in the city) in the middle of the glitzy Central district, and the headquarters of the charitable NGO Yan Oi Tong in the peripheral district of Tuen Mun. Our tour at the former was a whirlwind of economic history and financial jargon, ranging from the early development of Hong Kong’s currency to the advanced anti-counterfeit techniques they use today. Despite the fact that most of the technical terminology went over my head, it was still interesting to learn (at least partially) about the systems that underlie Hong Kong’s financial prowess. Our tour at Yan Oi Tong was much more intimate, and we got to see firsthand the vast smorgasbord of social services that the organization offers, from elderly care to education to environmental initiatives to recreation facilities. Our guide’s passion for his work was infectious, and I was blown away by the sheer number of roles that Yan Oi Tong plays in more suburban Hong Kong communities. All in all, although the two were different in a lot of ways, what they both (rather overwhelmingly) reminded me of how much I don’t know about this city. Walking around, taking in the sights and trying the food, it’s easy to see the city as a landscape, offering a patina of different vistas and aromas and personalities to be admired like a piece of art. Today’s tours, though, reminded me that Hong Kong is a dynamic, mind-bogglingly complex, and ever-changing human enterprise, and they got me excited to start delving deeper into its history, culture, and society.