Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 518

A Dystopian Story in a Utopian World
Carmel School - Elsa High School, Lenga, Eyal - 14
Every story familiar to man has a beginning, then something goes wrong in the middle, and finally, the
quandary is fixed in the climax and everyone is jovial in the end, except for the villain. Well, this story is
exactly like that — if you write the explanation on paper, tear it up and then burn the paper in an oven. If
you did not penetrate the message, this story is like no other. So, if you feel like you are not composed
enough for tragic stories, don’t bother to read one more word of this one.
Hong Kong, Macau, Guandong, and states nearby just formed a unification like no other — it was called the
Greater Bay Area. The year is 2048, one year after Hong Kong returned to China. Every state in the Greater
Bay area is ecstatic because they have all doubled their economic and financial income. For adolescents
living in the Greater Bay Area, it is much easier to find sustainable jobs than it was 30 years ago. Some
people have categorized the Greater Bay Area unification as ‘utopian,’ as there is no conflict between the
citizens and the Chinese government. Due to the fact that so much money was made last year, the Chinese
government decided to expand the number of buildings so more people come to the Greater Bay Area to
make money. Currently, there are around 3 million buildings. For 2049, China is planning to have over 5
million buildings, which will almost double the income.
Out of the 2 million buildings left to construct, 1 million will be built in the state of Zhaoqing. In order to
complete this task, the Chinese will need to use every piece of land they can. Although this seemed
impossible to begin with, China’s best architects came together to figure out how to build in the small space
they were given. And they managed to do it.
It all seemed so perfect for them, but they did not realise that a part of the space they used belonged to a
poor farmer. The farmer’s name was Ben. Ben is 51 years old, he has no children, no wife, no friends, and
his parents sadly passed away when he was 20 years old from a common heart disease. To honour his
parents, the farmer decided to quit college and spend his life growing the farm that his parents started. This
led to the farmer not having a financially sustainable job, but he wasn’t worried about that because he was
happy to continue his parents’ legacy.
Eventually, things were looking good for the farmer, and he was able to buy a small house. He had more
crops than ever before, and he was able to move on from the memory of losing his parents. In addition, he
realised that the Greater Bay Area plan will support him better financially, as it brings more people to the
area, so he can sell more resources.
On the 1st of January, 2050, the farmer woke up to a sunny day with a cool breeze striking his face. He
couldn’t help but wake up with a smile between his two ears. Feeling very motivated, the farmer began his
day by taking a look at his farm and garden. He saw the beautiful sunrise just above his blooming garden.
Suddenly, though, he saw a lot of big rocks with ash coming out of them, and strangely enough, they were
moving towards him! The farmer didn’t understand what was going on, so he went towards the big rocks to
get a closer look. It turns out, they weren’t rocks — they were massive trucks. When the trucks arrived at
the farmer’s house, a small man with sunglasses came out. He was wearing a big brown blazer with a small
bowtie and blue jeans. In his hand, there was a massive pen and a small paper. The small man with the
sunglasses demanded the farmer sign the paper. The farmer had a bit of trouble reading the words on the
paper because ever since he moved to his parents’ farm, he was only working in agriculture, so he didn’t
read at all. Although the farmer had trouble reading the paper, he managed to understand what was written.
It said that he had to give up his farm so that the government can build buildings in his property.
Without thinking twice, the farmer refused to sign the paper. The small man walked back to his truck with
his arms crossed and an angry look on his face.