Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2020 | Page 7
Hong Kong Young Writers Awards 2020
My Family and the Greater Bay Area
Diocesan Girls’ Junior School, Ngai, Ching Audrey – 10
What is Greater Bay Area (GBA)?
Guangdong-HK-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) is an initiative from the Chinese
government to link up Hong Kong, Macau and 9 cities in Guangdong Province to form a
big cohesive metro area to foster growth by developing technology and innovation, boosting
infrastructure and increasing financial links between the cities 1 . The GBA has a combined
population of 70 million in 2017 2 . To me, it is like bringing 11 individual people with
different skills together to create stronger companies and more comfortable living condition.
Let me introduce the cities to you in my eyes and how they can work together to bring out
the best of all regions!
First of all, Hong Kong is my home. It’s full of people, high-rise buildings, malls,
and convenient transportation. Hong Kong also has highest quality in financial, legal and
professional services. My father always tells me that he needs to work with Hong Kong banks
to provide cheap loans to support his business.
My family’s duty-free trading business has an office in Futian, Shenzhen, right above
the high-speed train station. I went with Daddy to Futian many times by the high-speed
train, which only takes 14 mins from West Kowloon to Futian, it is so fast I didn’t even have
time to finish my pastry! There, I don’t need to pay cash for anything; people just need to
scan a QR code from Daddy’s phone, even when you take taxi! To me, Shenzhen is like a
technological inventor, with high speed train, 5G mobile phone network, and all taxi are
electric cars. It offers lots of technology innovations for better living.
Dongguan is right next to Shenzhen with factories everywhere. I have been there two
times to visit handbag manufacturing factories as my mother owns a handbag label Esemblē.
Mommy took me there to understand how things were made. The staff even taught me
how to weave bracelets out of three strings! It is like a LEGO master builder, who can
build anything.
Next is Guangzhou. I went there in 2016 to visit my great grandfather’s old home, which
is now a historical building. My great grandfather grew up in Thailand but returned to China
in 1949. He eventually became a politician but he lived in Guangzhou when Daddy was
young. Guangzhou is just a massive city with lots of people everywhere (Guangzhou has a
14.5-million population which is the highest in GBA 3 ) and most well known for food.
I also went to Macau a few times, and we stayed in gigantic hotels mimicking Paris and
Venice, with large pools and lots of children adventure. Macau is also full of casino that
children are forbidden to enter. It’s an entertainment heaven!
Zhuhai is next to Macau. Daddy drove us across the longest bridge in the world - Hong
Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (Bridge)– in just 40 mins! We went to a big mall and also visited
Daddy’s office in Zhuhai. I also went to Hengqin during Christmas to go to Lionsgate VR
park. Everything seems cheaper and is less crowded in Zhuhai.
I have been to 6 out of 11 GBA cities already and I know them quite well!
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