South, the trump card vol.2

My first Chungking Mansions stay was five years ago. Not so many changes since then. The first floor is crowded with African guests as usual. It's a stopover place for the main land China. Liberian guy brought me a business talk if I would buy zinc. Uganda woman try to sell her body. Although it must be just a stopover, they aggressively try to make a deal. Their toughness was even respectable.
Meanwhile, familiar faces were changed to new one. Time's past. Sales-persons of tenant, newspaper woman at the entrance was replaced. Guest house owners were generation changed.
The building was covered by construction net. I could not expect beautiful Nathan Rd. view with that. I worried if the mansions would be taken down. But it's said "only out side renovation without changing the original shape"

Whereas around the Chungking Mansions, TsimShaTsui area was changed. High story hotel was constructed. On the other hand, a good old HongKong taste building, opposite side of Nathan Rd. to the Chungking, was also demolished. I cannot watch HongKongnese life from my room any more.
The developing pace of HongKong was quite high. Brand-new buildings had been built and many were still under construction. Infrastructure of transportation or the e-money systems were much more effective than Japanese one. The convenient system make me spend money. The clean and blight building has boutiques of well known brand's. People were talking in the cafe and went shopping in the downtown on the weekend. The air-conditioning was fully working. Sea of night illuminations. When I came from Tokyo, a city of patience and shrinking' economy, to HongKong, a city of huge consumption, some how I was relieved.

"Thoroughly cut budget. Subsidy after subsidy to the certain people and industry by the government" Japanese economy got sick. Compare to that, the theory of HongKong "Work hard if you want better life" was quite healthy as a capitalistic economy. I could say the power of HongKong economy was a heart of merchant. Their behavior dealing with everybody without prejudice on political or religious belief was quite pure. Then they spent the earned money. Making a big money, spending a big money. So after all, the money would be well circulated. Once I described HongKongneese nature as a type of people comparing one salary to another, and said it's funny. But comparing salaries between neighbors is much better than comparing governmental life support or food stamps.
The dryness is merit of capitalistic economy. However once the money circulates outside the business dealing, it becomes underhand. That's the situation of Japan.

So after all, HongKong, the city make me stimulate, can be a kind of trump card for me.