Hong Kong – Towers of Neon

It was my last stop, adding sentimentality to my nostalgia adoring mind.

I wanted to savor every moment, that had passed, passing, and about to come.

The thrill of a modern, mega-city buzzed each step. Fragmenting crowds, flashing lights, whizzing taxis.

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The city pulsed, people weaving in and out of shop walls plastered with Chinese hieroglyphs. Once the sun came down, the rain fell. Glowing neon burst through fog.

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Lives unfolded, romances developed, broke, and shattered into drops on the pavement. 7 million chests rising and falling, a breath, a heart beat, swept by time. Water flowed into the sewage, while crowds haggled over produce. Meat hung in shops, the rawness exaggerated in red light. Despite the weather, the bustle didn’t slow.

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A city of trade, the Hong Kong Dollar is the 7th most exchanged currency globally. From a group of fishing villages, the deep waters of the bay brought thousands of ships. The British, the Chinese, a global mesh emerges.

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Commerce rang in the streets, shoes, radios, glasses, food. Steamy tofu, loaded into a glass. Spoons clanging, the heat of a wok. The smell of sugar caramelizing. Steamed Dim Sum, chicken feet.

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Anything can be found here. Waters bring in products from all around.

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The economy stretched into the skies, finances grasping at the clouds. Money stacking towards a new future- one with China.

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Behind the facades, the Hong Kongese stand apart, bred in a more liberalized system than their neighbors. Artistry prospers from an open-minded core.

The color palettes, moods and tones heavily reminisce Wong Kar Wai’s yearning romance.  His work never left my mind.

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13 hours left.

It’s 11 pm and I wander til my energy burns through.

A passing gallery owner senses my spirit and invites me in for an open night. I find myself among other transients, sharing talents, beers, personalities.

From radically varying trajectories we find ourselves at the same crossroads. speaking Russian, English, French, Chinese.

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The natural spontaneity hit me especially hard. I knew it’d be an occurrence I would grow to miss.

I’m an outsider here.

They’re outsiders here.

A communal curiosity brought us together.

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Street signs, spoken tongues, stares; completely nonsensical

Everything came together in Hong Kong, all my memories, experiences, moods

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Roaming the streets recalled all the intersections I passed.

Every encounter altered my life.

There remain many unknown, unseen qualities of human existence.

I couldn’t wait to search for more.