One Way Ticket Out Of Hong Kong: Our Family’s Journey | One Way – Part 1 | CNA Documentary

It's crazy. So many people. The flight is at 11.30pm,
but check-in started before 7pm. There are four in my family, and three families are going together. Eleven people in total. In terms of the political environment,
and education, Hong Kong has changed a lot, It will just become just another Chinese city. I don't plan to ever
come back to Hong Kong Okay, 1, 2, 3. Bye bye, Yat Yat. Bye bye. Chow Hoi Namů Chow Hoi Namů You still have
homework to do! Come out now! Don't you have homework to do? Do you homework. Homework again. Why is there so much homework
in Hong Kong? Is this 5 or 50? If you write "0" like that,
won't your teacher say it's wrong? You won't finish at this rate, hurry up. What about the last digit? If you keep quiet, I'll do it faster. Let's fill out the BN(O) visa application. I don't know that much English. I'll be the main applicant. Can't we both be main applicants? No, we can't. Need to scan the face. Is it too bright here? Oh I am backlitů It takes so long just to take a photo.

You kept saying no rush.
You have no idea how long it takes. If you have updated your… Since you have applied,
you must read the details of theů I don't really understand what it saysů (Producer) Thinking about the UK,
what excites you the most? To have time to sleep and watch TV. To live in a house big enough
to get out of bed from either side. Come and learn about studying
and emigrating to Germany! Okay, today's topic,
Canada and United Statesů From one investment,
three generations get to go. Spend NT$6 million (US$213,000),
open a company, and use a year to get residency We hope we can help our customers overcome obstacles in emigration
and get the visa they want. This is a world record. Wow. Just five days
after submission of the proposal All of them call me Master. My skill set is extraordinary. -Mr and Mrs Chow.
-Hi, good morning. I am John.
Here's my card. We are the best and biggest
emigration consultancy in Hong Kong. We've worked on many BN(O) applications. What sets us apart
is our comprehensive service.

Why? That's because many clients
are just like you. You have no family or friends
in the UK, right? No. -You've never been to the UK, right?
-No. So, we have people on the ground, mothers who have
been there for more than 20 years, and they'll be able to help you. My kids are not very good with school, so we just want to send them
somewhere average. This is money worth spending, because it's for your children's future,
for years to come. Okay, thank you, Keep in touch. Bye bye. BN(O) is very easy to qualify for. But if they are not well prepared, then chances of them
coming back are very high, because they'll find it hard to adjust. I give Mr and Mrs Chow
a 50-50 chance. Such a salesman. All he wants, from everything he says,
is to get money from you. Sit down. 5 times 8 isů 40, so total is 41. Oops, wrong, check it again. (Producer) Do you want to go to Britain? I do. (Producer) Are you worried it's going
to be difficult to make friends there? I'm not worried.

As long as I leave a good impression
on the Queen, I'll have lots of friends. So, I just need to meet her first
and see if we can be friends, that's all. My name is Ah Man. I am 40 years old. I've driven all kinds of vehicles. Now, I drive a bus. Drivers are looked down on
in Hong Kong. We have a saying, "Fail in school,
work in transportation." In other countries,
a driver's social status isn't as low. What is that, babe? There is what? There is what? Fiů Fire. Fire. What? Who's back? Wow, who's that? Who's that? Who? My name is Fiona,
I am 31 years old.

I'm a teacher in Hong Kong. Work is so busy,
we hardly spend time with the kids. My daughter's teacher told me
she was failing in many subjects. My daughter cried and said
she didn't want to be forced to study. Yat Yat, what is
the cartoon character doing? Playing. As for my son, I noticed he had
speech problems some time ago. He still couldn't speak when he was two. We worked so hard
to give them a good life. But why, even with the money we've made,
has nothing gotten better at all? We met through cycling. We have been married
for seven to eight years. I thought she was polite. And the fact that she was
a teacher was very impressive. What did you like about me,
aside from my good looks? Nothing really, it was incidental.
I regret it sometimes (Producer) How much are
your combined salaries in Hong Kong? I make more than HK$40,000 (US$5,100)
a month. On average, the two of us together, we could make about
HK$70,000 (US$9,000) -When did you make HK$30,000 (US$3,800)?
-When I…

-Do the maths yourself.
-Of course I did, stupid. -Not that much.
-I did once. Only once. Tai Lam and Siu Lam prisons. There is one for women inmates,
a general one, and the most terrifying one
is for inmates with mental illnesses. I hope we will never be put
into that one. I am going to visit Wong Ji Yuet. Because of the democratic
primary elections last year, she was arrested
under the National Security Law. She is now being held at Tai Lam. Please go and vote! I think she's a very brave girl, but I don't know if she
can adapt to life in prison. It would take more than bravery to adapt.

(Producer) Will she tell you
to leave as soon as possible? I don't think so, because
the prison guards will be right there. (Producer) Do you have survivor's guilt? I am easy on myself. I don't think we all have to go to prison
to stay true to ourselves. (We really love Hong Kong!) (Carrie Lam on TV) Hong Kong's
electoral system is in line with the very important principle
of One Country, Two Systems, and to ensure that it is patriots
administering Hong Kong. Hong Kong is finished.
If you ask me, it's done. I know I will leave sooner or later. It's not a question of yes or no, but when. My English is really bad. I probably won't be able to communicate,
let alone find a job there. Also, the cost of living in Britain is high. Once I use up my savings,
what should I do? I bought a lot of condiments.

-(Fiona) I heard soy sauce is expensive there.
-(Grandma) Is that right? I've rented a house
for the first one and half months. Two storeys. No, three storeys. I am worried about you,
because so many people are going there. (Mother) So they can
take care of one another. (Grandma) What if they don't want
to take care of you? At the very worst, I can work
in a Chinese restaurant, can't I? You have a well-respected job here, why do you go there
and do such a lowly job? It's not good. (Plumbing Instructor)
Here it goes, it's leaking. That doesn't work,
you've failed this time. (TV) The police ban
on the June 4th Vigil is upheld.

Plumbers are well paid in Britain. About GBP40-50 (US$53-67) an hour. But does the union discriminate
against the Chinese? I spent five years in the US, but I am not going back.
I won't emigrate. I am not trying to discourage you,
but I personally won't do it. This pandemic has exposed a lot of problems
in the US and the rest of the world. Freedom and democracy are out of control. It's too much. (Police on TV) We hope residents
won't challenge the bottom line of the law.

Chairman Chui Chi-kin is unable
to attend today's meeting. In the circle of street dancingů Application approved.
Thank you, Chairman. I'm working as an assistant to the
Chairman of the Eastern District Council, drawing a monthly salary
of HK$20,000 (US$2,500). This job could be gone any minute. Maybe in a few days,
maybe in a few months or a year, there won't be any more
pro-democracy district councillors. (Colleague) I bought a stool
for our street booth. But never used it? No one can do anything Like I said to Jason,
what can we do really? In the short term,
there's the pandemic. In the long term,
the political environment won't allow it. So, what to do? -(Leon) Nothing.
-(Colleague) So, best to do nothing. -I'm ready to order.
-Okay, sure. I want Meal Dů Oh no, Meal A. Do they have soup? -Just one kind?
-Yes, corn soup. Then I want Caesar Salad. Time for us to learn
some Western manners.

It's more romantic. Have more bread.
It's free flow and delicious. I resigned today. -He's been trying to get me to do it.
-Resign. We are leaving soon,
better resign now. If we don't get the visa after 12 weeks,
then we'll travel around the UK first. -We can go to France.
-We've never been to Europe. I want to try French food
by the Eiffel Tower. I heard it's expensive
and difficult to book. Can I pack the rest of the bread to go? Just eat it here. No, I want to save it
for Chow Hoi Nam. She's already asleep. She can eat it tomorrow,
I'll reheat it.

Excuse me, more bread please. I used to think
only the rich can emigrate. I never thought I'd leave. Tomorrow's Apple Daily
is the last edition. No more Apple Daily. The world is so unpredictable. We just do our best every day. I am posting my boss'
resignation announcement. If you don't quit voluntarily, when the government
disqualifies you from office, you'd need to pay back all
your salaries from the past 18 months. That's why there's been
a wave of resignations, including the resignation from my boss. I've been a district councillor
for more than 30 years. It's very difficult to call it quits. For you, the most important thing now
is to make ends meet.

If you can't support yourself, and you have no money in your pocket,
then you will lose your freedom. Of course you can starve to death,
but I don't think it's worth it. I was once young, but life back then
wasn't as uncertain as now. What do we do
with the dried seahorses? Give them to your grandmother. Aren't they already rotten? Come sit and eat Talk to Grandma. You wonĹt see Grandma in person anymore,
only on video calls. My old colleague moved
to a town next to us. He even bought a house
for HK$800,000 (US$102,000). Do you have HK$800,000 (US$102,000)? -No.
-Seeů I do, but if we bought the house,
we'd have nothing to live on.

You haven't packed the rice cooker,
how come the suitcase is full? Put the rice cooker in the nylon bag. What if it got damaged? What did you put in the suitcase? The rice cooker is so tall,
how do you put it in? What if I can? If you put that in,
you can't put in another layer of stuff. Of course I can. It's very small. Of course you packed
your gaming console in the suitcase. Gaming console is expensive. But you can just quit playing.

pexels photo 4792728

Take all the toys out. Yay, no toys. Throw away these foam bullets. Bring the (toy) train. Chow Hoi Nam,
you can't bring the purple helmet. It's already broken,
it can't protect you anymore. Throw it away. Is the (toy) truck empty inside? No. What do you want to put inside? Put a few Tomicars inside. Bring BBQ sauce. Seafood, too. How come you aren't rich? Otherwise you can
buy everything over there. That's because I didn't marry
a rich husband. Okay, 3, 2, 1. Let's send Grandma off. -Get two more packs (of udon)
-Only 20kg so far. Perfect. That's good. (Helper) Put it in here, Sir. No need. Not bringing it? No.

-(Fiona) Wait, you can vacuum-seal it.
-(Helper) Yes. Vacuum-seal both of them. Hurry up, Chow Yu Man. What about this one? No good printing. No good printing. Feels like fleeing a disaster. So sad. Put this on the door
to ward off evil spirits. Scares them off. Ze Ze (helper), you keep this. Why me? Yeah, you're so beautiful!
Put it in your house, just remember that you were
in a sweet moment at the time. (Helper ) Sir, this is only once in a lifetime. One time only. This is a horrible time. I regret it. Crying. Later cry. Cry later. Once over there, you should take care
of yourself and your children first.

Only after that, should you think
about getting part-time job. And for you, the most important thing
is to get a British driving licence. (Leon) Aiyah, it's stuck. (Colleague) Hold on. Tape it up from the top diagonally. (Colleague) Why did you ask me for help? (Leon) I literally couldn't find anyone else. (Colleague) Really? Is Coek Kiu working? (Leon) Coek Kiu hasn't been
disqualified, I think? (Colleague) Really? Sha Tin District Council's Johnny is fine.
They still have jobs, not like us. (Colleague) This world has
never been nice to me.

(Leon) It has. It's led you to me.
What else do you want? (Colleague) It will be crushed. It will be fine. This shows how "clamped"
the living space for Hong Kongers is. You mean cramped.
What the hell is clamped? Whatever. I am illiterate. I have been living here since May 2019. When I moved in, the protests broke out
and I left it empty for a month. 140 square feet.
HK$5,800 (US$740) per month. It's okay for one person. In Hong Kong, it's actually pretty nice
to have your own place. But I'm currently unemployed
and I make little money, and I happened to find a cheaper flat, so I am moving.

I really need to save up (for emigration). I think I'll put the cats in the bag
in the final round, and just carry them home
on my motorcycle. The problem is then
they can't use the toilet, because we will move the toilet
in the second round. The mattress should
go in the first round. Mattress? Mattress, desk, TV and this bag. Look at those neon lights. We are like some old Hong Kongers,
envisioning a dark future. No! I don't like that. I am from Jiangxi. They asked me
if Hong Kong is a good place.

Hong Kong is good, Hong Kong is great,
Hong Kongers are the best. If you come to HK, I'll treat you. You guys are awesome. Where are the kids? Sit in the front. Me in the front? Call me on Zoom when you reach. -Bye bye.
-Bye bye. Was it hard to say goodbye to Granny? Is it hard to say goodbye? -No?
-No. You won't see Granny for a long time. What's wrong? -It'sů rainingů
-R-A-I-N-I-N-G. U-M-B-R-E-L-L-A Yes, it's raining, bring an umbrella. (Announcement) To keep yourself
and others safe, please keep your distance
and wear a face covering at all times. Hello… Yes, I'm Fiona Lai,
I've booked your car. Can you go to Terminal Three? Sorry, can you speak again slowly? (Announcement) Passengers who
require a taxi are advised to use only licensed London taxis….

He speaks English? Hello, I'm at Level One, Row C, and may I have your car registration number? You are here? Where are you? The guy (immigration officer) got upset
and said to me, "Don't let your child go there." He pulled a long face
and kept staring at Yat Yat. But he let us through in the end. Yes, luckily. Praise God! (Producer) Did the immigration officer
ask you about your BN(O) visa? Let's not talk about that. This question is too personal. He didn't ask me.

He said he didn't know
why we hadn't got our visas. He treated us as if we didn't apply.
Wait, no, he said we did apply. It's a mystery. I don't get it. Excuse me, how long will it take? (Driver) It'll take one hour…
two hours and 50 minutes. -Okay, thank you.
-Nearly three hours. Chow Hoi Nam,
how are you feeling right now? When you look outside,
how is it different from Hong Kong? No idea.

It's a three-hour drive. Three-hour drive,
then I'll look at the scenery. Don't disturb the driver. Go over! Go over! Go! Go! Stop, or I won't let you sleep here. -It's Airbnb, yeah?
-Yes. It's always like this, the key. -Open the door?
-Open the lock. There's a key inside. Oh! Key inside. -Yeah!
-Okay, thank you. Bye bye. Okay? All good?
Thank you very much Welcome gift? No, it's a COVID test. Oh. COVID test. Let's see what's here. There's a supermarket
just down the road. See if there are kitchen basics. Why would you think there are? If there are,
then we don't need to buy them. Why would you think there are? Let me check the outside. The bathroom is here. I broke the latch. Don't try. It doesn't work. This is Mom and Dad's room. This is the camera. This is Yat Yat. This is the staircase. (Grandma) Have you eaten? No. (Grandma) Are you not hungry? What time is it in Hong Kong? (Grandma) What time is it over there? What time is it? 10:45am.

10:45am. 10:45am. (Grandma) Remember to wear your mask. Okay. (Grandma) Where in London are you? We are not in London.
We are in Crewe. (Grandma) Where is that?
Is it in England? In England, near Manchester. Call Granny next. Bye bye. Bye bye. The mushrooms look so nice. Do you want meat?
You want to pick? Only HK$40 (US$5) each.
Let's try it? How do we cook the steak? Just with salt and oil and
maybe we can buy some herbs. I wanted to bring sauce, but you said no. Eggs! Let's buy prawns and fry with eggs. -Do you want prawn omelette?
-Yes. Do you know how to make it? -Where is Ze Ze (helper)?
-Nowhere. Without Ze Ze, who will cook? Who will cook? Gor Gor (Cameraman)?
Did you ask if he can cook? Does Mommy know how to cook? Mommy doesn't? Do I put this whole thing
into the microwave? Or should I put it in a container? I rarely use the microwave at home,
I have no idea.

I haven't used a microwave before.
Don't ask me. Have you ever seen me
using a microwave at home? Ask for help. Should we steam it? Chow Yat Shun, are you full?
You don't want to eat this? Not even a bite? I really miss the days
when everything can be outsourced. You just shut the door and said,
"I am tired, Ze Ze (helper), Ze Zeů", and that solved everything.

Towel? Where's the towel? I am beginning to doubt
if we should be here. I'd rather be a beggar here
than an emperor back there. We'll see how you do. You'll do all the dishes from now on. O-L-I-V-E-R. Oliver, hello. Hello. You are a little cutie, aren't you? -Thank you, say thank you.
-Thank you. A little Bruce Lee! Aiyo, doesn't look like…

No? Fighting with his sister. Bruce Lee. Wah, close my door? Take your shoes in.
Hurry, go! Naughty. Lovely little girl she is. Yes. -Bye bye.
-Bye bye. (Producer) How long have you guys been married
and how long you've lived here? -Go on, Sweetie.
-Me? Yeah. Thelma, and I met Stephen 49 years ago. Then we've been married
47 years in August. I was 16 when I started working
on the railway. It used to be a railway town, wasn't it? Yeah, my dad was on the railway,
I was on the railway. Your granddad was on the railway. -Everybody.
-Everybody, yeah. And then it went private. And we all lost our jobs. (Producer) Do you think it's a good idea
for them to come to Crewe? I don't, personally.

But then, I don't know. I just think Crewe's had it..

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