No tax on pension income in Hong Kong for starters. Unless you have the misfortune to have a passport from a benighted country that taxes world wide income as a non res.

And for the moment it is one of the safest countries in the world from contracting COVID and all its chronic debilitations. Apart from the dumb expats that go around without masks...

Given the performance of the leadership in the Western world, China looks pretty good.
Admittedly also a sort of 'Ancien Regime', where 'lese majeste' is a serious crime as well, plus an arbitrary legal system with catchall crime categories.
Against that, a pretty broad effort to deliver some prosperity for the people instead of costly foreign adventures.
For a retired couple, staying in a society that still respects older people and that is pretty crime free does not seem irrational.

One could just stay in Discovery Bay and pretending to be in a retirement village in Florida, not much difference in terms of scenery and excitement.

Nicer people in Discovery Bay tho'......................

Not to mention nicer weather than old blighty... :}

The world of dreams..l Ahhh Hudson Bay..

Asturias56

I never noticed any soulful humanity in DB.
There’s the “ I own my buggy dont you know” brigade, who scorn all other vehicles, and ridicule those who rent a buggy.

The wives meet in the plaza, always on the look out for signs of marital infidelities . Maybe a friend’s spouse was spotted chatting to a phiippino maid. Tut tut., I better send out a photo of the db gossip WhatsApp.

There are many smug house owners who have made a mint. They are aloof and hate newbies to db.
There are those who love hk , but ironically have never been to Chai Wan even Shek O.

I would hate to retire there. Insular, petty and repetitive. Then finally, your last act is to be cremated en mass at Quarry Bay.

Bloody DB, I had to get out of there..
Good to get adjusted in the beginning but too limiting..

it's like a convict island. With weird stuff going on in the bushes.

Can you say dipshit ??
 

One of the last to speak negatively of the #CCP and by far one of Chinas richest, Jack Ma has been "disappeared".. I'm sure HE doesn't agree with it 🧐 Just happens to own the SCMP as well, coincidence you say ??

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

You can always stay as Sim Instructor and not retire at all!

The Somewheres v the Anywheres and HK retirement
 

You all make good observations on ....why to stay ....or not, in a HK retirement.
I was once told that the big financial institutions work you to " burn out" at the high end and you seldom want to stay in a firm beyond age 60. They say that you come home to die. How true this is, we just dont know, but it happens. Plenty examples.
Perhaps something to do with the person division into the "Somewheres or the Anywheres". This has been around for a while now.
"Somewheres" have to be somewhere, anchored and close to home. Identity, fear of the unknown, social profile and attitude feature.
The "Anywheres" are happy to go out anywhere, any place, take it in their stride, do not fear the bigger world and have a totally different social makeup.
I used to be an Anywhere, flippin loved it. In the 80s and 90s you could 'ave it large' and there were no complaints.
Now retired, my only fellow crewmember is a naughty Terrier. Like a true 1980s FO, he loves the ladies, getting dirty and does not mind getting into trouble.

Ultimately the “Somewheres” win.
The vacuousness of Western capitalism is being exposed.
And its why China will win in the long run.
Sad isn’t it ?

grottyyottie
You have freedom. Lucky you had enough intelligence to not lose the plot and not get married. Most dogs are great especially terriers. They love you unconditionally, not like many CX Wives.

Been to HKG more times than i can remember -remarkable place .
But hasnt anyone on this thread reflected on how Hong Kong came to be, A little history puts the whole Chinese normalisation but into context and is another sad example of all too common western hypocrisy
1 We can have nukes but other nations can't
2 We can spy , subvert, intercept communications but other nations doing it are bad people
3 We can use brute force to press our demands on small backward often helpless countries

Doesnt make what the Chinese are doing right but they are the people with might on their side now

Fair point, for sure hypocrisy is prominently present in the Western perspective. But one should not forget the achievements either. Of course you can focus on all the mistakes and crimes of the West, the history of wars, slavery, undermining legit regimes in the cold war, supporting the wrong side out of self-interest etc. Still it is the West that offers a quality of life, wealth and individual level of freedom that no other region in the history of our planet has ever achieved. Not even close. Then add all the technological advances, the contribution to science, the arts, literature etc. What has China or Russia contributed the last 100 years?
Additionally, all historic events have to bevseen in the context of the time, it is a huge difference to suppress democracy and human rights in 2021 rather than in 1841.

Sam I agree in part but actually the west is not the source of all good things, Russia for example had the Russian revolution which was a kick up the backside to the complacent conservative west in much the same ways the French one was . Russia has also contributed greatly to the arts and sciences. China developed the Confucian ideals and has made contributions certainly to the arts but in an eastern and not western style and perhaps that's rated less important than say Shakespeare or Rembrandt. Equally i don't think you can use the excuse that enslaving people ,stealing their land and territory was any less evil 200 years ago than it is now.
But the other points you make about a sort of generically liberal Democratic idea in the West (which we are just bout clinging onto) are legitimate and good reasons why China should be challenged , whether they care or not is another matter. ,
And the point I was making was that its hard to be holier than thou if you are the Uk Government when speaking of HK.

And this all has to do with AVIATION in Fragrant Harbour?

A little erudite diversion among a couple of learned fellows is quite refreshing.

And besides, there is a paucity of discussion worthy aviation of being committed in the FH region.