Expand that patch of green field

Whenever I visit Hong Kong, my hometown, I can't help but compare it with Shanghai where I now live. Of course, I know that the two cities have pursued diametrically different routes of development in the past many decades. But they both share a common aspiration to be the premier financial center of the region.

On the way from the airport to the hotel in Hong Kong last week, I was dismayed to notice how ugly the city has become. My rather negative impression was reinforced as I wandered through various districts of the town in the time I stayed there.

I don't live in a fancy residential district in Shanghai. But the walk to my office in the morning on a fine day along tree-lined streets can be most enjoyable. On weekends, I can choose to take a short taxi ride to the heart of what was formally the French concession and take a leisurely stroll down the streets lined with quaint shops and elegant cafes. Or I can take the bus to a neighboring water-town, sip tea and dream dreams on the balcony of one of those ancient houses by the banks of the canal.