"I have a confession to make. I am a “locust”. I qualify because I was born in the mainland, and I am now living in Hong Kong... Hong Kong people think they are superior to their mainland brothers and sisters, and some politicians perpetuate this myth by frequently repeating the slogan: “We don’t want to be another Chinese city.” I think their superiority complex is wholly unjustified... I am not a fan of the young people of today’s Hong Kong. They have poor language skills. Never mind English; many are unable to speak clearly even in Cantonese. And they are arrogant and self-centered... In the near future there will be millions of talented, Western-educated people swarming all over the major cities on the mainland. Many of them will come to Hong Kong, not to shop but to work, and Hong Kong youngsters will be no match for them. Hong Kong was promised 50 years of autonomy. I predict at the end of that period most of the business and academic leaders in Hong Kong will be mainland-born Chinese, and no one will even notice they were not Hong Kong people originally. Things change in 50 years. It has been that long since I left Diamond Hill. Nowadays, no one would guess I used to be a “locust”."
Hong Kong

January 1, 1970

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Original Language: English