How did Hong Kong, a city was dramatised as a chaotic ruleless city not too long ago, reappears as the most expensive city? Perhaps, it’s been foretold by the origin of its name.
Hong Kong, literally means the Fragrant Harbour in Chinese, got it name from trading and exporting the most expensive incensed wood, the agarwood, from its harbour historically. Agarwood is formed in the heartwood of a native tree of Hong Kong, the Aquilaria tree, after the trees have suffered external damage or invasion by fungi bacteria or deliberate cut, a resinous liquid naturally produced from the trees form around the wounds, and over time, this resinous liquid hardens and gradually develops the fragrant heartwood called agarwood or Oud (in Arabic). This fragrant wood is highly valued to have medicinal and religious powers in the East and the Middle East.
Looking back on Hong Kong’s own history, Hong Kong was an ordinary fishing village until the Qing Dynasty, an external colonization led to its development into a significant trading port, a revolution on the mainland led to its development into a leading manufacturing and exporting centre, an economic reform on the mainland led to its transition from manufacturing centre to service and financial power house, no doubt, the unrest and protests of 2019 will pave ways for Hong Kong to bring out its resilience and transform itself again, like the native Aquilaria trees, becomes more valuable after each trauma.
https://www.mercer.com/about/newsroom/hong-kong-remains-most-expensive-city-in-the-world-for-international-employees/