| Homegrown
Heroes
It
was the best of times; it was the worst of times.
Though Dickens published that line exactly 150
years ago, it could not be more appropriate today.
What was originally thought to be only a US mortgage
crisis a year ago has deepened into a global economic
recession – or depression, depending on
whom you talk to. Flashy real estate ventures
in Dubai and, closer to home, Macau, have crashed
and burned, taking down bankers, developers, designers
and tradespeople in their wake. Hong Kong has
had its share of woes, with runs on banks and
the Lehman Brothers mini-bonds collapse not so
distant memories. Yet, local interior designers
and architects, usually the first group of professionals
to be affected during economic downturns, are
resiliently optimistic. Firms small and large
are not only surviving, but are doing interesting,
challenging projects. Here in China and further
abroad, there are still clients willing to take
risks with Hong Kong talent. Which is the reality:
the Hong Kong of doom and gloom splashed over
nightly newscasts, or the Hong Kong where creativity
flourishes and things are actually pretty good?
Is this really a tale of two cities?...
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