Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 453

Thank You, Cantonesia
Sha Tin College, Wong, Nicole - 14
[A special journalistic piece written for the Cantonesia Times marking 50 years since the formation of
Cantonesia]
When I was a young child, I lived in Hong Kong. Now I live in Cantonesia - and while it is still the same place
in terms of geographical landmass, society is completely different.
One of my earliest memories was of watching television with my family after New Year’s Eve dinner. I was four
or five years old at the time, but anyhow, not old enough to understand what the person inside the big, shiny
glass screen was saying. It was a comfortable atmosphere, with my auntie crouching at my side, carrying a bowl
of rice, my grandma, sitting on the plush leather sofa, my dad laughing at a joke somewhere else in the house.
Until everyone around me gasped. It was June 12, 2026, and the chief executive officer of Hong Kong, Special
Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China had just announced concrete plans to develop the
then-named “Greater Bay Area”.
“Huh? We Hong Kong citizens, have to share our land and resources the Macau people? And the mainland
Chinese? HUH?” shrieked my oldest cousin, collapsing into the nearest armchair.
-
I was 8 when the first practical measures happened for the Greater Bay Area, and 14 when it was aptly renamed
to Cantonesia and became an official state. A lot of major changes happened during this period, and although
some decisions caused a dip in public morale, ultimately, it combined the best aspects of the three major
communities - that of Hong Kong, Macau and China.
Throughout the course of fifty years, we faced adversity, but eventually, we were able to make a diverse yet
welcoming community through Cantonesia. Though it seems far-fetched, I believe establishing Cantonesia was
the catalyst for lowering hate crimes and xenophobia - especially in Hong Kong, where discrimination and
racism were rampant.
When I was in school, a frequent topic of discussion was the Mainland Chinese; while I had no opinion back
then, all of my friends agreed that they lived more frugally than us, had a lesser education than we did, and were
worse people than us. Although I never ended up buying into that narrative, this is one of the many examples of
how anti-Chinese sentiment formed.
What pioneered the change was meeting the so-called “outsiders”, and getting to know them as people instead
of making assumptions and believing stereotypes. It taught us to learn and seek the truth before blindly believing
others or succumbing to peer pressure.
-
As I walked through the streets of Cantonesia, going to a small coffee shop to interview the former Director
leading the Cantonesia scheme, I marvelled at the advancements that had taken place over the last half a century.
Through these fifty years, many new patents and inventions came from scientists based in Cantonesia, most of
which are used today. We developed countless sustainable technology, benefitting people and animals alike.
Using our gadgets, we eventually partnered up globally to create the first mechanism to combat climate change,
and it worked! Something that seemed unimaginable just a few decades ago was now a reality, thanks to
Cantonesia.
Looking around, clouds streaked the clear blue sky, covering the tips of spiralling skyscrapers and looming over
the sprawling land that was Cantonesia. Environmental groups had gained traction in the past decades, pushing
for new green technology to be released; everything around me ran efficiently on sustainable power, leaving
nothing to waste. It truly looked like a utopia, similar to the blueprints drafted years ago by moviemakers and
scientists alike.
-
“Mr Director, it is nice to finally meet you in person, after our previous correspondence via. Telemail! Tell me,
why did you choose to join the Greater Bay Area scheme when it first started?”
“Even though it was a small project at the time, I admired the world that was imagined. Stories of how we could
live together peacefully in one large community, utilising all the strengths of each city to create an unprecedented
global superpower. This was something that was only previously heard of in stories, so I wanted to make it
happen in reality.”