HK man who moved to Guangzhou reflects on 17 years of change

Ming Wai-fung, who works as a dentist in Guangzhou, Guangdong province and moved from Hong Kong 17 years ago, sees significant potential in the city's development.

"When I first came to Guangzhou in 2004, people's monthly salary (in this field) was a little more than 1,000 yuan. Now it's increased more than tenfold," Ming said. "We should look forward, and the room for development is substantial."

Ming moved to Guangzhou in 2004 to study oral medicine at Jinan University, where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees.

Back in 2004, the Zhujiang New Town area was largely undeveloped, he recalled. Now the area has become the central business district dotted with high-rise office buildings, international hotels and modern public venues, such as a museum and a library.

Life has become more and more people-oriented, with services such as electronic payment widely available, he observed. The metro network has extended from two lines to 531.1 kilometers.

With the help of his tutor at the university, Ming got a job at a private dental clinic. Preferring a public employer, he later joined Liwan District Dental Hospital, again with his tutor's help.

He works five days a week and treats about 30 patients a day.

"The workload is big. The salary of a dentist in Hong Kong is higher, but so is the spending," he said.

He is fully accustomed to life in Guangzhou, where he met his wife, who is from Jiangxi province.

There are plenty of opportunities for learning and training. "If you apply, the hospital management usually would approve it. They encourage us to learn. It's also a way of raising the standard of the hospital."

Like some of his colleagues, Ming was assigned to help at COVID-19 quarantine hotels and with massive nucleic acid test sampling in Guangzhou. He also helped guide epidemic control at primary schools and kindergartens.