Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2020complete | Page 24

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
cities1. The GBA has a combined population of 70 million in 20172. 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 GBA3)
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!
How my family business benefits
1 BBC.com, “Greater Bay Area: China’s ambitious but vague economic plan”, 26 February 2019
2 SCMP.com, “Greater Bay Area: 10 facts to put it in perspective”, 1 April 2019
3 SCMP.com, “Greater Bay Area: 10 facts to put it in perspective”, 1 April 2019