Life in the Metropolis: A Tale of Three Cities – Level 2

Hong Kong is a city of extreme contrasts, functioning as a global financial hub while being one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Its landscape is defined by skyscrapers, earning it the title of the world’s most vertical city. This intense development is a solution to housing its seven million residents, but it also creates severe challenges.

The high cost of living forces many into precarious situations, with an estimated 200,000 people residing in illegally subdivided flats or “caged communities.” In these spaces, a single bed can cost £180 a month. This highlights the significant inequality in one of the world’s wealthiest cities. The city’s economy relies on over 300,000 domestic workers, who have only one day off per week. On their day of rest, they create makeshift villages in public thoroughfares, building a sense of community far from home. Amidst this modern struggle, ancient traditions persist, such as the folk ritual of “devil beating,” where commuters pay to have bad luck symbolically beaten away under a city flyover.

New Words:

1. Densely: In a way that has many things or people crowded closely together.
Example: The neighborhood is densely populated, with apartment buildings on every street.

2. Inequality: The unfair situation in a society where some people have more money, opportunities, or power than others.
Example: The organization works to fight poverty and social inequality.

3. Thoroughfare: A main road or public path that connects two places.
Example: The city’s main thoroughfare is closed for the parade today.