What's it like to be an expat in Hong Kong?

November 5, 2007 9:46 AM

Tell two academics from northern Europe about living and working in Hong Kong on a long-term basis.

My boyfriend found an ad for a university job that seems to fit him to a tee (he's in a pretty specialized field so that's unusual--and attractive--for him). However he's unsure whether to apply because it's in Hong Kong. He's European and has lived all over Northern Europe; I'm American and have lived in Northern Europe for the last 11 years. We're open to moving to a lot of different places to get work but Hong Kong seems really far away both geographically and culturally.

I'd like to hear about people's experiences living and working there as expats, for an extended period of time (at least several years). As an American expat in Northern Europe, the culture shock for me hasn't been too severe. What obstacles might we face as residents of Hong Kong? What might we really enjoy? What is the university culture like?

posted by bluebird to society & culture (4 comments total)

I did already find this blog mentioned in the archives, by the way: http://www.bigwhiteguy.com/
posted by bluebird at 9:48 AM on November 5, 2007

You asking this question leads me to believe that you would want to go if the job offer was good and if you felt like you wanted a change.

I can't answer those questions for you, so I will only say that in cases like this in my own life - where there's never going to be enough information to make you feel totally informed or completely aware of things in advance - I've said yes, and haven't regretted it.

The way you phrase your question makes it sound like he hasn't even applied yet; that's the least you can do.
posted by mdonley at 11:45 AM on November 5, 2007

You might want to check out Jan Morris's Hong Kong (and perhaps this follow-up essay). I've never lived in Hong Kong, but I lived in Venice as an expat and Jan Morris's account of that city was the most spot-on description of my own experiences there that I've ever read. She has a great feel for what makes a city tick. (And I did read Hong Kong and liked it very much; it very much made me want to visit the city.)
posted by occhiblu at 12:51 PM on November 5, 2007

Do you love big noisy bustling cities? If you do, then you will probably enjoy Hong Kong—it's one of the world's great cities that never really sleep, along with New York, London and Tokyo. If you've both already lived lots of different places, you're probably already flexible enough that somewhere as cosmopolitan and historically filled with expats as Hong Kong won't throw you, despite the distance and occasional language barriers. And it's so wonderfully situated that you can hop on an affordable flights to any one of thousands of beautiful cities and resorts all over Asia for the weekend, whenever you feel like getting away. How could you not go?
posted by lia at 1:53 PM on November 5, 2007