Abstract
An overlooked phenomenon in discussions of the exodus of residents from Hong Kong in the early 2020s is that of expatriates who have also joined the outmigration. This study uses stress theory to uncover the push factors in expatriates’ withdrawal intentions, thereby contributing to research on expatriates in Hong Kong and the nascent literature on expatriation in a high-stress environment. This research is a case study that investigates the French community, the largest European Union expatriate community in Hong Kong. Drawing from the author's years of participant observation in community life and 42 interviews undertaken with French nationals between August 2022 and January 2024, this chapter discusses the four consecutive crises (stressors) that dramatically changed Hong Kong in 2019–2022. It argues that it was the controversial prolongation and hardening of the zero-COVID strategy in early 2022 that ultimately led to the expatriates’ exodus. The chapter concludes by discussing the implications this trend has for Hong Kong's status as “Asia's world city”.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Global Hong Kong |
| Subtitle of host publication | Post-2019 Migration and the New Hong Kong Diaspora |
| Pages | 161-182 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781040324523 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2025 |