My career goal was to work my way back east, and as a commercial pilot there just weren't opportunities or openings in Hong Kong when I qualified with my wings, unless I was an experienced expat pilot. So yes me wanting to go back makes sense both financially and in terms of career progression, but more importantly what's been unfolding the past few years only makes my heart bleed China red. I remember the envy I once had for America and the west when I came to study abroad, but now that I'm on the ground I must say that the grass most certainly isn't greener over here.
I'm not gonna name names, but let's just say the airline I worked for flew the British Union Jack. BoJo and his goons have not only killed off the recovery of my industry, they've done bugger all to help its very own national flag carrier. Might've been something to do with the fact the airline is run by a holding company based in Spain I suppose, but I digress. Yay democracy.
We have a saying, 為中華民族發揚光大 (rough translation: to shine for our Chinese brothers and sisters), and I'm sick and tired of the west downplaying accomplishments by the Chinese nation state (and not just the PRC, I'd like to highlight the accomplishments of my fellow Chinese brethren that went abroad to broaden our skills and experience) because our government wasn't democratically elected, and therefore our accomplishments are illegitimate. Pardon my French, but that is complete utter horse shit. Newsflash: The PRC has managed to level the playing field (and in certain areas superceed) with the West in a mere seven decades of existence as a nation. Perhaps it might be time to take off the tinted glasses, shake our hand to say fair play, recognize how far we've come, and dare I even suggest reflect that perhaps the west may very well be on the decline? (Surely you can't tell me going from Trump to Biden is progress? Not like Biden has the election in the bag anyway.) I'm not saying democracy is useless and the Chinese brand of communism should be enforced worldwide, which is seemingly the narative the West is painting. I'm saying that the ability to vote doesn't provide legitimacy to a politician. I'd argue the guy behind the PRC wheel seems legitimate based on his competence as a statesman, and more importantly what he's managed to accomplish.
We have a saying in Hong Kong 身有屎, which basically you've got something to hide, or you're full of crap. All I have to say that most of the "highly-skilled and wealthy Chinese" you described pretty much fall under this category. Trust me I've got plenty of Facebook "friends" that whine about how they can't hack it in Hong Kong, the illegitimacy of One Country Two Systems, and how everything will be rainbows and unicorns when they immigrate. On the other hand there are many folks I went to school with in Hong Kong that ended up studying abroad. Some even stayed behind like myself - they're all now lawyers, doctors, investment bankers... essentially high skilled sought after talent, but more importantly share similar sentiments about how the west is brainwashing the masses, dragging the good name of Hong Kong and China down the gutter. Might I present you the other side to the coin and say that for those of us that "have went to the bolt hole", well we're looking to come back to the Motherland.
Thank you for sharing your story, from someone growing up in HK but living in the West now. You and @Gatekeeper let us come to know there are Hong Kongers that are quite different from what the MSM portrait.
Here is written by a young Chinese American lady growing up in the US and has had witnessed the changes in China over the last two decades. Her sentiment in the article can echo yours above, although they're not exactly the same. I actually came across this piece via a recent opinion piece in Financial Time by former Singapore UN Ambassador in which he linked this one.
It's an interesting read that is very difficult to find in today's MSM.