Robert Wang spoke about Hong Kong’s tycoons on RTHK Radio 3’s “Money for Nothing” programme. The show’s name is a nice reflection of something top tycoon Li Ka-shing once said to the author: “Robert, there is so much money lying on the ground, I don’t have the time to bend down and pick it all up.”
Photo courtesy of RTHK. You can listen online at this link.
English standard has been dropping since 1997 among H K students. Such a trend may affect the market for English books in the territory. Just relying on the expatriate community is inadequate.
Yes, that’s why we also export books to US, UK, Canada, Singapore etc.
There is an old Chinese saying: you can’t put out neighborhood fire by distant water. After 1997, H K does not seem to be of much concern to the rest of the world. To foster interest in these overseas countries about H K stories or themes is like distant water. If you fail to foster interest in H K and hope that you will make it in distant USA where I live, I would not be too optimistic.
After 1997, H K no longer has an English-speaking environment. Even most of the lawyers appear in court can’t make themselves understood in English. Lower courts and even at the High Courts, lawyers and judges can speak Chinese.
After 1997, English has become less significant than Putonghua. In the hotel I stayed for the last two weeks, almost 80% of the guests come from China. If I were the owner, do I need staff who speak English or Putonghua. Even in the financial districts in H K island, English is not understood. People asked me for directions were from the Mainland.