I woke up half-asleep today because of getting in a bit later last night. We took taxis from school to Shenzhen, and toured Qianhai, a huge center of investment of construction on the Shenzhen coast. The place was really impressive, and I think it really represents the kind of spirit of the city. Shenzhen was only a very small city up until 改革开放, and I think its successes and high standard of living are a testament to a lot of people’s hard work and resolve. The plans for this district are also really bold, and I hope to come back and experience its finished look after 2020. After a while, I headed back to Hong Kong to meet up with my friend from Taiwan, pretty close to Victoria Harbor. I napped almost the entire subway ride (about 50 minutes). After a few must-do pictures, we took the ferry over to Central. This is my second time in Central, and I have to say I’ve been struck both times by how much it reminds me of Manhattan. We ended up grabbing our meal at this outdoor place that was situated on a hill, enjoying some clams, fish, and tofu. After wandering some more, we left for Mongkok. There were some interesting street performers, singing cantopop and kpop. I think one of the memorable parts of the day was the subway ride back. I gave my seat to this lady with a really precious baby boy. I forget how the conversation started, but it turns out she has relatives in Vegas, and plans on bringing 弟弟 there in a few years. I told her I will hopefully be studying in Beijing this fall, and after I left she did the thing where the mom takes the babies hand and does the fake wave. I think I was just struck at how welcoming Hong Kong feels to me sometimes, and look forward to a relaxing day tomorrow.