Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020 | Page 80

Fiction – Group 4
Xiao Lu chuckled. “That doesn’t surprise me. Global Tech companies which have listed
in Shenzhen for the past 20 years have been phenomenal.”
“Everyone wants to be in Shenzhen. But to be fair, Hong Kong is not doing too badly as
well. I travel to Shenzhen every other week. Takes me 10 minutes by drone. I prefer living in
Hong Kong. Still has its charm. The country parks for walking, the dai pai dongs for street
food. And still a shopping metropolis. And the stunning scenery at night. The view of the
harbour is still wonderful”.
Xiao Lu reflected on life now in the megalopolis of Greater Canton compared to the past.
Everything was so much more convenient now. The improvement in the living standards
of the people of the area as a whole was amazing. The whole of Greater Canton had been
transformed into the most advanced area in the world. And Xiao Lu was proud to be living in
it, and to be part of it.
There had been numerous challenges. It had needed top government officials to pave the
way to let drones fly freely over Greater Canton within stipulated boundaries. This then had
knock on effects on reducing vehicle transportation and creating a cleaner road environment.
Technology had improved considerably such that factories were almost all automated
processing. Accuracy was improved. No more was the Made in China label considered a joke
or cheap by the international community.
Technological advances have made Greater Canton safe in terms of travel. Very rarely
do drones crash. The last one happened 5 years ago. Consider this against the statistics with
millions of drones in the skies.
One disadvantage though is that drones tend to block out the sky from people. Except
for no-fly zone areas. Maybe something had to be done to improve the situation. Xiao Lu
considered sending a message to the municipal government on ideas to improve the skyline.
Maybe the cities could copy what Hong Kong and Macao were doing by making very strict
large no fly zone areas. This also protected bird and insect species.
It was important to keep Greater Canton as evergreen as possible, given the attractions
and inevitable migration of people to the area. The rivers that run through Greater Canton
must be kept mellifluous and constant, to attract an ever-growing population.
The delectation enjoyed by those living in, working in and visiting the Greater Canton
area must be able to withstand the process of change. And change for the better.
He Wei had a client in Zhuhai. Xiao Lu asked if she could join her for the trip. Xiao
Lu would like to see Zhuhai, having not been there for a few years, and to see how it had
progressed.
Zhuhai was renowned for its industrial output such as electronics and computer
technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical production. In the past there were many
factory workers working hard to produce such products. The factories here and indeed in the
other major cities were very well equipped and automated.
He Wei’s client was in the pharmaceutical production process. Given her strong
relationship with her client, they allowed Xiao Lu to tour the factory floor with He Wei and
the factory manager. They wore protective overalls to ensure they would not pollute the
productions process. Robots, mini drones, automated arms and pincers were doing all the
work on the factory line preparing medicine tablets. There was no one on the factory floor.
It was an awesome sight. The factory manager said that the lines worked on a sempiternal
basis, which meant it never stopped. How about that for efficiency!
He Wei suggested a quick round of golf at Zhongshan in the afternoon. A quick
10-minute drone ride away. Nothing much has changed. You can enjoy the bright skies
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