The Economist
Almost a decade ago, when China's government backed plans for a new museum
to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997,
not everyone was grateful.
Back then, many Hong Kongers were confident and sassy enough to point out
that no one had even asked if they wanted the gift.
A lot has changed since then.
Today, Hong Kong is eager to win any favors it can get from Beijing.
But while the Hong Kong Palace Museum is full of mainland visitors
and the city's stock exchange is flush with Chinese listings,
closer ties have forced painful adjustments on retailers.
Hong Kong's high streets, which used to be a shopper's paradise,
are now losing their customers to neighboring cities like Shenzhen.
I'm Sarah Wu, The Economist China correspondent, based in Beijing.
And this week, I'm joined by our China's Economics editor and Hong Kong resident, Simon Cox,
to ask, is Hong Kong really back?
And could cartoon cats help?
This is Drum Tower from The Economist.
Hi, Simon.
Hi, good to see you.