Kahaha - I think the point is that the person has been there for 35 years. They will only have some close family left in the UK and a herd of distant nephews, nieces etc who they probably meet once a year when they go back. Their daily hobbies and interests are probably very different
They'd be going back to a a UK they left in 1985 - and it's a very different place now. They probably can afford a nice place in the country but they'll know no-one and (if they think) know they'll have to keep quiet about their time overseas - no-one likes "when I" 's back home. If they've enjoyed life in HK I think they'd be very wise to stay there