Many have expressed curiosity, surprise and bewilderment as to my recent move, so here’s a concise FAQ for reading at a time of your own choosing.
Why are you leaving Hong Kong and your job?
The simplified answer: there is a way of life I wish to practice and values according to which I would like to live. I am not able to do this if I continue my current mode of city-living, which for all its benefits, also has its fair share of detriments.
The (really) long, consider-yourself-warned answer: see here.
But why now, at this point in time? Well, I’m an obsessive planner. This is the culmination of plans which have been made since 2016. A confluence of events, including being sufficiently secure in my abilities and finances, have now made my departure possible.
Where will you be after this?
My mid-to-long term base will be: Yunnan, China. Additionally, I will be in these places from time to time each year:
Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Shenzhen
What will you be doing after your departure from Hong Kong?
I have on other occasions mentioned my educational non-profit, Ellume (pronounced illume). Details are here. Its core objective is to use internet/AI enabled means to improve access to education and to promote self-directed/autonomous learning.
For the China leg of this non-profit, it will start in Yunnan and focus on helping individuals receive higher education/qualifications and gain employment in place (in place meaning: where they live), with the hope that this reduces population drift in rural villages and consequent weakening of communities therein.
I also have various selfish (in the sense of not wishing to decrease one’s quality of life for a putative greater good) interests. Here are a couple of personal projects that I have:
Papermaking: producing traditional paper from pulp extracted from unwanted fruit/vegetable waste, see this post for details
Languages: have always liked words — Japanese is the fourth language I’m picking up
Calligraphy: I have occasional sparks of inspiration which are let down by my terrible handwriting when I put pen to paper, which I intend to rectify
Understanding my body: most of my life I’ve used my body functionally and spoken to it through rational thought; but the body has its own language which I still do not properly understand. Its time to unlock the words by spending more time swimming, kayaking, trying yoga and revisiting ballroom dancing.
Learning: feeding my capricious curiosity about random disciplines as I please in general but also staying updated on developments in AI, how it changes/informs our understanding of consciousness and intelligence (and also how we learn, which feeds back into Ellume’s aims), legal tech etc
You must be rich if you’re quitting at age 35
Not at all. It’s just a question of quantifying expenses for the next 30 years (retirement schemes/pensions/other investment returns kick in at that point so that’s a separate topic) and understanding what one is comfortable with (e.g. no kids)/willing to give up (prestige etc). Yearly expenses are at approximately RMB 130,000 with the breakdown as follows.
Housing: 200-300 sqm two storied apartment in suburban/rural Yunnan, RMB 30,000-50,000 a year
Meals: RMB 3000/mth (actually closer to 1500 but higher estimates provide a buffer), RMB 40,000 a year
Amenities (travel, premiums for term and critical illness insurance, donations etc): RMB 40,000 a year
Side hustles include the following.
Working with students on law university applications, entrance exams, and interview preparation: currently enough to cover my yearly expenses without requiring any capital drawdown
Agricultural/tourism/culture projects for international audiences: Yunnan is such a beautiful place and it’s a shame it doesn’t receive more interest — marketing agricultural produce, cultural/heritage linked by-products and bespoke tours are all possible projects for the future
Papermaking: mentioned above
Consulting work: advising mainland clients who need a preliminary understanding of the HK legal landscape for pre-disputes queries
I’m so jealous, you must be really excited!
Actually, it’s more a mix of uncertainty and excitement. Movies are always more exciting than daily life because none of the mundane and tedious bits are shown (hands up if you’ve ever seen a movie protagonist have to head to the toilet every few hours to relief themselves).
As with many things, the devil is in the details. It is tempting to vicariously live one’s fantasy (of quitting one’s job etc) through others but I would stress that beneath the surface, embarking on a new mode of living comes with its own bag of issues.
Having said that, it is true that there is a burgeoning energy born from this tentative and restive state (I alluded to this in a post from 2020, which touched on my trip to the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich).
You’ll have so much free time after quitting your job! Won’t you get bored?
So here’s the paradox. I’ve looked at my schedule and it looks more packed than ever.
Having a full-time job leaves very little time for personal growth. When time is scarce, we focus on one or two hobbies and are content with the minor gains we make. But quitting means that the range of possibilities increase dramatically. And suddenly there is so much more to do than ever before. Everything comes alive.
And this really drives home the realisation that work stands in the way of one’s own holistic development, which cannot be achieved solely through occasional weekend hobbies or a few hours of spare time at the end of each workday.
You’re not going to practise law anymore? Isnt that a waste?
There are various pursuits open to each of us, some interesting, others intriguing and a rare few — inspiring. I have developed many skills as a disputes lawyer and these will stay with me throughout my life. But there are other, more important endeavours that I wish to focus on for now.