Quite honestly looking back with the aid of the long lens of history I would happily give Expo86 and 2010 Olympics a miss in exchange for a sleepy little town where young adults can afford a house (or even a condo), where we’re not overrun by the McLarens of the Scions of Chinese oligarchs, where folks may have been a little more neighborly. For the record, I’m Asian. And that goes for the WC too. And I’m not a killkoy by any stretch of the imagination; back in the day there used to be a thriving artist and alternative scene in the city, but most of those folk have been priced out and left for a saner life - to the great detriment of the city IMHO.
I would attribute this to a huge inferiority complex by the folks who felt we needed to become a “world class city” whatever the fack that means. Oh it means those folks down at the Board of Trade wanted to hang out with the cool kids. Thing is, if you’re cool, you’re just cool. You never hear London, or New York, or Paris, of HongKong ever bill themselves as a “world class city.” They just are, and the residents there aren’t obsessed about seeking the approval of others.