Hey guys + tl;dr
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tailors tailors tailors. which ones do you really like have a new york presence?
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I am not familiar with tailors as I don't require their services. The main cluster of tailors used by expatriates is in Tsim Sha Tsui. From what I have heard they provide very good cuttings at an affordable price (~$400-800 or so)
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How have things changed since the Chinese takeover? Do you feel like there's less freedom (economic/political/social) for the average Hong Konger?
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The main change since the handover is the political goings-on at the top. Instead of the top guy being a colonial governor flown in from the UK, it is now a person hand-picked by the central (i.e. Mainland China) government. The first chief executive was very incompetent and turned the public against him with his incompetent style. He resigned in the middle of his second term and was replaced by a locally trained technocrat. Public opinion of the new person is favourable. He does show worrying signs of megalomania and delusions of grandeur, but nothing too serious at the moment.
In daily life, there has been a slight positive change due to closer integration with the mainland. Now it is more convenient for people to visits areas on the mainland. In economic terms, the closer integration will lead to a pressure on wages for unskilled and semi-skilled labour, but an upwards effect on asset prices.
Socially, it seems to be the same as before. After the political reforms introduced by the last British colonial governor, people are generally more politically aware. However, this is not usually expressed by direct active political participation, but more through civic acts (e.g. pressure to reduce air pollution, environmentally friendly consumption habits, heritage conservation)
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Also, would you say it's more or less crowded than a big U.S. city like NYC?
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Hong Kong is much more crowded, it generally doesn't compare. When I was in NYC it felt like I had so much space due to the huge, wide roads and large apartments.
For comparison, an average apartment in Hong Kong for a family of four is around 600 square feet gross area, or around 450-480 square feet usable area. A luxury apartment would be around 1000 square feet gross. A median price in an average location would be around US$450/sqft for average apartments, and US$1100/sqft for luxury apartments. More details regarding land politics available on request!
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my wife and i wanna take a weekend trip to hong kong and also see shanghai soon. we live in San Fran. Is this a good idea? We could stay up to a week over there.
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It will be stressful for you if you are not used to jet lag. The time difference is around 9 hours. What kinds of things do you enjoy doing on vacations?
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How easy is it to get by if you only know english?
What is the longest tourist visa an American can get?
How westernized are the residents of Hong Kong?
How are Europeans and Americans regarded by the residents of Hong Kong?
How do you refer to the residents of Hong Kong without using the cumbersome phrase 'residents of Hong Kong'? (e.g., Hong Kongians?)
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You can easily get by in all tourist areas knowing only English. Taxi drivers will know the English names of major tourist destinations. Any restaurants you visit will have English names for everything. All public signs are in English. This is because of its history as a British colony.
I am not clear about tourist visas for Americans.
Re westernization of residents - It is a difficult question to answer because there are several classes of residents. For example, the professional class is very Westernized, because many of them went abroad to study, and those that did not have colleagues that did. People in the tertiary industries are generally aware of the world, but maintain strong Chinese cultural roots. Recent immigrants from the mainland usually are not Westernized.
Europeans and Americans are regarded as foreigners, unless you speak Cantonese. Then you will be treated as a local. Generally, Chinese people are very deferential to white people and will show more respect and help than they would to another Chinese person. This can work to your advantage. Chinese people look unfavourably on brown-skinned people. They fear black people. Racism ban imo
Residents of Hong Kong are generally referred to as "Hongkongers". "Hongkies" is another term used, but this can have negative connotations.
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Long shot, but here goes...
You said you know a lot about most industries so - How much demand is there for football coaches in Hong Kong? Could you direct me to anywhere I could find info on this or provide me with some yourself?
To clear this up, it's coaching for recreational playing, not professional.
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The demand for football coaches is low. Sport is not emphasised in Hong Kong. It is true that Hong Kong has its own local football squads, but they are not up to standard and mainly exist for other reasons, not for football.
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how much can you make teaching english there?
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The education department tried running a Native English Teacher scheme a few years ago, to entice NETs from other countries to go to Hong Kong and teach. Schools only want white people as NETs though. There was a minor conflagration regarding some Indian NETs that couldn't find anyone to employ them. Here's the short wiki entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_...Teacher_scheme
Here's the governemnt site:
http://www.edb.gov.hk/index.aspx?lan...amp;nodeid=262
You will generally find Hong Kong to be a more hospitable place to be an English teacher than other countries in the region such as Japan or South Korea. Although, I believe mainland China is also a good place to be.
I am not familiar with the salaries for English teachers. I know that local teachers make around US$3500 per month on average.