One afternoon in early April, with the novel coronavirus racing around the world and China still more than a month away from imposing sweeping new security legislation on Hong Kong, Winnie Yu climbed into the cab of a battered white moving truck in Mong Kok, a working-class neighborhood in Kowloon. Wearing a khaki jacket over black pants and running shoes, she grabbed a seat crammed behind a rack that held a ladder, a toolbox, and several umbrellas. A 32-year-old nurse and labor activist, Yu was overseeing the relocation of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, a new union of 20,000 medical workers, and I got in next to her for the ride. As the truck sped through one of the densest parts of one of the densest cities on Earth, it passed dilapidated apartment blocks, sidewalk fruit vendors, fluorescent-lit noodle shops, luxury watch stores, and HSBC branches. When it came to a stop beside a tower named, optimistically, Perfect Commercial Building, Yu and two friends jumped down and started unloading secondhand office furniture, maneuvering it into the tiny elevator.
This story is from the June 08, 2020 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 08, 2020 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App
The rise of AI and the fall of Twitter could create opportunities for upstarts
Running in Circles
A subscription running shoe program aims to fight footwear waste
What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort
Nine wild secrets from the staff at Turtle Bay, who have to manage everyone from haughty honeymooners to go-go-dancing golfers.
How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto
The best restaurant in the world just began its second pop-up in Japan. Here's what's cooking
The Last-Mover Problem
A startup called Sennder is trying to bring an extremely tech-resistant industry into the age of apps
Tick Tock, TikTok
The US thinks the Chinese-owned social media app is a major national security risk. TikTok is running out of ways to avoid a ban
Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria
A UK company produces colors with less water than conventional methods and no toxic chemicals
Pumping Heat in Hamburg
The German port city plans to store hot water underground and bring it up to heat homes in the winter
Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge
Squid's ability to flourish in warmer waters makes it fitting for a diet for the changing environment
New Money, New Problems
In Naples, an influx of wealthy is displacing out-of-towners lower-income workers