IT SEEMED ALMOST too good to be true. After 34 months of hard quarantine rules and ever-shifting regulations that scared off all but the most determined travellers, Hong Kong announced in late 2022 that it would drop almost all COVID restrictions. These days, only a self-administered rapid test is required of visitors coming from the US.
I jumped at the chance to be one of the first Americans to enter under the newly relaxed rules. Though I hadn’t been to Hong Kong since May 2019, this would visit to the city—a place that my parents once called home. Much has changed, as a result of both the pandemic and recent political turmoil, including protests against government curbs on freedom of expression. Yet I still found much to enjoy, not least Hong Kong’s blend of Chinese and international cultural influences—a mix that, as a Chinese American, resonates particularly strongly for me.
