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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Easter in Hong Kong

Every year I get super jaded that our Hong Kong office get's Friday and Monday off for Easter and we don't get any days off for Easter (US government does not provide any national holiday time for Easter). This year I asked our HK GM about this:

Me: Did you know only 8% of the population in Hong Kong is Christian yet you get off for Easter holiday and we don't?

GM: You need to study more of our history. We used to be governed by England for more than a century. Many Religious holidays were based on the English culture. After 1997 we were guaranteed with no change for 50 years. The easiest thing to keep with no change is keep same holidays as before. This makes us happy and therefore easier for Chinese government to 'rule' us.

I thought that was interesting enough to share.

6 comments:

crazywildberry said...

I am leaving for MD tomorrow or Thursday sans hubby for the sole reason that kids have 6 days off of school (2 of that weekend days) and he doesn't get any days off. I am torn but really want to see my folks too. Plus, this will give him a chance to be home and do some house project that he wants to do.

R. Molder said...

Ah yeah it sucks to be apart for holiday's but have fun in MD!

With Bowl + Spoon said...

See, that's what I'm talking about. I hear people all the time saying "this state doesn't offer paid maternity leave" or "the us government doesn't provide that paid holiday" ...Yes, we are capitalists, and the country is run by corporations who make that call. Each company, regardless of how big or small, is free to make those decisions and provide those benefits to their employees, regardless of whether or not the government tells them to. You can tell a lot about a company and how much they value their employees by the perks they provide...take google for example. Hey, if a company is taking care of you and wiling to work with you, then most people are going to feel obligated to that company. And who would want to leave a company that's so great to them?

Suburban Turmoil said...

Wow. I had a friend from Hong Kong back in college, when the change was happening and I've been wondering how it's been going. She was very upset about the transition, as a lot of Hong Kongers (Hong Kongonians?) were. That makes sense about the holidays, I guess. By the time it changes, she'll be too old to care, if she's still alive.
Depressing. Yeesh.

R. Molder said...

Hi Lindsay - for the most part, the government has left Hong Kong independent and from what I've discussed with our GM the HK people are very settled now on the issue. I can say from my time traveling between HK and China it's a world of difference in the freedoms and mindset of the people. HK feels like a visit to New York City, busy and I can come and go as I please. China I have to get a special Visa to enter the country, way less English speaking people and I usually need a guide just to get around. Big difference in cleanliness and things we take for granted like entertainment and flexibility to do what we want.

R. Molder said...

Hi Shiny & Odd - love your comment! You are a true capitalist my friend.