The crisscross of subways and trams, the simultaneous buzz of Cantonese and English, the aroma of coffee mingling with the steam of dim sum… Central, Hong Kong Island, is not just a vivid portrait of Hong Kong, but also a self-portrait of the city’s internationalization and diversity.
From financial professionals to cha chaan teng owners, from tech entrepreneurs to bar mixologists, in Central, internationalization and diversity are not abstract slogans. Instead, they are embodied in how people of different professions and cultural backgrounds coexist, collaborate, compete and express themselves in the same space.
“Central Time” in Global Capital Flows
At 7:30 a.m., the lights in Central’s office buildings are gradually turned on, and the electronic screens of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited keep flickering.
Financial practitioners are among the first groups to “start work” in the city. Their time does not entirely belong to Hong Kong, but is divided by multiple time zones including London, New York, Singapore and Shanghai.
“Since a large number of multinational institutions have set up their regional headquarters in Central, collaborating with international teams is an important part of daily work. The communication style is direct and pragmatic, emphasizing efficiency and responsibility boundaries, and advocating a work culture of ‘rules first’,” said Mr. Wei from Webank FinTech Co., Ltd., pointing out one of the most prominent characteristics of Central’s financial professionals—their sensitivity to “rules”.
In 2025, Hong Kong’s financial policies focused on “consolidating its status as an international financial center”, promoting digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, central bank digital currency research, establishing gold and commodity markets, advancing tokenization, and supporting biotech listings to meet global opportunities and challenges.
“Major financial institutions, regulatory authorities and innovative enterprises are gathered here. We can communicate with regulators more efficiently and understand the real needs of institutional clients more directly,” said Bao Tianchen, Head of Capital Markets and Strategy at CertiK.
“The irreplaceable international feature of Central lies in its ability to accommodate rules and business needs from different markets at the same time,” Bao Tianchen described his impression of Central.
It is precisely because of this that the gongs at the Hong Kong Exchanges kept ringing in 2025. Investors even joked that “there are not enough gongs for all the listings”. In 2025, Hong Kong ranked first globally in terms of IPO fundraising, demonstrating the vitality and resilience of its financial market, and reaffirming its role as a dynamic international financial center.
Central’s internationalization is reflected not only in cross-border capital flows, but also in the collaboration and understanding between people.
Bao Tianchen believes that multilingualism and multicultural backgrounds do bring certain communication costs, but in the long run, these differences mostly improve the quality of decision-making. “Because team members from different backgrounds will examine the same product or risk point from various perspectives such as technology, compliance and law.”
Mr. Wei opined that Central’s “international vibe” is not only reflected in its multinational workforce or foreign language environment, but more profoundly in its daily operations. The open market and transparent rules enable practitioners from diverse cultural backgrounds to collaborate efficiently under the same framework.
Daily Symbiosis in Cha Chaan Tengs
Amidst the towering office buildings in Central, you can always find long-established cha chaan tengs. Though small in size, they enjoy a steady flow of customers. For many office workers, cha chaan tengs are the anchor of their daily rhythm.
Tsui Wah Restaurant, located on Wellington Street in Central, has been operating in the area since the 1990s. Speaking of its earliest customers, the person in charge of Tsui Wah said: “They were office workers in Hong Kong’s prime locations, as well as young people and tourists who visited Lan Kwai Fong at night. They all wanted to find a cozy place in the city to enjoy authentic local food.”
From the perspective of Central’s cha chaan teng owners, internationalization is not a grand narrative, but “serving people with different accents every day”. Sister Fen, the manager of Tsui Wah’s Central branch, told reporters that Central is not only a financial hub, but also a must-visit destination for tourists.
Hong Kong saw a strong recovery in its tourism industry in 2025, with the annual number of visitors reaching 49.9 million, among which 74% were from the Chinese mainland and 26% were overseas tourists.
Sister Fen said that foreign customers are very receptive to local traditional culture, but compared with the past, customers now pursue a better dining experience, hoping to enjoy traditional Hong Kong delicacies such as char siu, curry brisket and Hong Kong-style milk tea in a cleaner and more comfortable environment. “Now our restaurant is beautiful and cozy, and customers like it even more.”
Although the operators of many time-honored cha chaan tengs are not typical representatives of “internationalization”, they are precisely the important pillars supporting Hong Kong’s diverse society and witnesses to Hong Kong’s economic transformation. This long-accumulated resilience has made cha chaan tengs an integral part of Central with profound “temporal depth”.
Alice Frank, a French music teacher dining at Tsui Wah Restaurant, has been working in Hong Kong for nearly a year. She said: “I love Hong Kong because it is full of vitality and very open; I love Hong Kong because it is close to the Chinese mainland, and I often go there. It is also convenient to travel to various parts of Asia from Hong Kong.”
When asked about her most recommended dish, she shook her cup and smiled: “Hong Kong-style milk tea.”
Cultural Interpreters in the Night
As night falls and lights come on, bars become new social hubs, and mixologists take center stage in the night’s narratives.
In the eyes of mixologists, Central’s charm lies not only in efficiency and resources, but also in openness and inclusiveness. “We hope to make people in this industry and field feel relaxed and at ease, so that they are willing to walk in, chat with people they don’t know, and grow with each other through interaction,” said Anuj Shrestha.
Anuj Shrestha and Suman Gaire, who are from Nepal, run a bar in Central. Talking about the bar’s location, Anuj smiled and looked outside the terrace, saying the view here is great.
The bar counter is also a highly diverse space for communication.
“Bars and clubs are places where you can meet people from different countries and backgrounds. When tourists travel to a country, they also visit bars to meet different people,” Anuj said.
Hong Kong hosted a variety of exciting large-scale conferences and events in 2025, including Art Basel Hong Kong, the Asian Financial Forum, the National Games and concerts at the Kai Tak Sports Park… Financial professionals, entrepreneurs, tourists and local artists converged here. Suman said that the number of customers increases accordingly during the seasons when art events and financial conferences are concentrated.
When making cocktails, Suman tries to incorporate local elements such as tea. He said: “I try to be more creative, for example, adding dandelion tea or mulberries to the drinks. Strictly speaking, they are not traditional teas, but they can be brewed and used in the same way as tea.”
This kind of creation is a form of international expression at the cultural level: it caters to global aesthetics while being rooted in local experiences.
For Hong Kong, diversification and internationalization are never a fleeting trend, but a sustainable state. The portraits of Central are not just a scenic view, but a spirit: letting the world walk into Hong Kong, and letting Hong Kong step onto the world stage.
