Just before the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China on July 1, 32-year-old Lam Chak-kai from Hong Kong celebrated his seventh wedding anniversary with his wife, who is from Quanzhou, Fujian province.

In 2012, Lam enrolled at Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) in Guangdong, the neighboring province of Hong Kong. At the time, however, students from the two regions were unfamiliar with each other's social media platforms. To bridge the gap, Lam took a more traditional approach — he carried around a small notebook and asked new friends to write down their names and phone numbers.

"I probably looked a little strange," Lam laughed. "But it helped me connect with people from all kinds of backgrounds."

One memorable moment was when a classmate introduced him to liangpi, a cold noodle dish from Northwest China. "The spicy, tangy flavors really stuck with me," Lam recalled.

This open-mindedness not only allowed Lam to explore new cultures but also led him to meet his future wife. Despite coming from different backgrounds, they bonded over shared interests.

"We both love soccer, enjoy reading martial arts novels by Hong Kong writer Jin Yong (Louis Cha Leung-yung), and are passionate about Chinese history," Lam said. They married in 2017 and welcomed their first child last year.

Lam's cultural exploration also influenced his career path.

After graduating, he returned to Hong Kong and became a financial advisor, frequently working with clients from various regions of the Chinese mainland.

"Business customs can vary significantly across China," Lam observed. "In northern cities, for example, there's a strong drinking culture, while in cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou, meetings are often held over coffee or tea."

As exchanges between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland continue to grow, more young people like Lam are seeking opportunities for education and work across the two regions.

Among them is 31-year-old Lui Hok-chun, who fondly remembered the moment in 1997 when Hong Kong returned to China. He and his family counted down together in front of the TV, marking the historic event.

"Reunification gave Hong Kong a stronger sense of identity and opened up more opportunities for young people," Lui said.

In 2014, he came to SYSU to study business administration. During his time there, he launched a startup offering transportation services — a project that gained national recognition and received 50,000 yuan ($6,972.88) in seed funding.

Stronger together

After graduation, Lui moved to Shenzhen, Guangdong province, to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions. Over the years, he has founded three companies, including one that grew out of his university project.

His ventures also help Hong Kong businesses recruit talent from the mainland and serve as a platform for communication and collaboration between enterprises in both regions.

"Shenzhen's policies foster a supportive and open environment for entrepreneurs," Lui said. "It really feels like anything is possible here."

One of his companies is now based at the Hong Kong and Macao Youth Home in Guangzhou's Tianhe district. This startup incubator is designed to assist young people from Hong Kong and Macao with business development, investment, and financing.

Lui shared that the center's staff offered hands-on guidance, helping his team navigate early challenges.

"The continuous, proactive 'person-to-person' support allowed us to quickly get the help we needed," he said.

Tam Wai-man, 34, is another example of a young entrepreneur benefiting from the growing integration between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

In 2016, Tam and two friends relocated from Hong Kong to Jiangmen, Guangdong, to establish an aquaponics farm supplying the Hong Kong market.

Although Tam had previously visited the mainland for exchanges and travel, neither she nor her partners had any experience living there. Worried about the availability of supplies, they even brought a suitcase full of lab equipment. "But we soon realized that online shopping here is even more advanced than in Hong Kong," Tam laughed.

Tam graduated with a journalism degree from Hong Kong Shue Yan University, and none of the three had a background in agriculture. Despite this, they immersed themselves in research at an agri-tech park in Jiangmen.

Still, their early crops were sparse and underdeveloped.

"The local farmers used to joke about our 'toothpick-sized' vegetables," Tam recalled with a smile. These lighthearted exchanges turned into valuable learning opportunities, as the team drew inspiration from traditional farming methods and built lasting connections with the local community.

During holidays, villagers would invite them into their homes for meals. "I never expected to be embraced so warmly by the families here," Tam said. "It made me feel truly integrated into their way of life."

After about a year and a half, Tam's team secured their first angel investment, allowing them to move from research into full-scale production.

"We also participated in several startup competitions across China, which helped us secure funding and gain exposure for our products," she said.

As the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) began to develop after 2019, Tam noticed increasing opportunities for her business to expand.

In 2021, her farm became one of the first 11 to be certified under the GBA's "Vegetable Basket" project — a recognition that solidified its role in connecting the two regions.

"We've literally grown alongside the GBA," Tam said, recalling how, when they first arrived in Jiangmen in 2016, the GBA concept was still in its infancy.

"Just like our team, which combined different areas of expertise, the cities in the GBA have come together through collaboration to achieve remarkable things."

Building bonds

Last year, Tam took another bold step in her career and returned to her Hong Kong alma mater. She now helps middle school students interested in studying and developing on the mainland to better understand the education system, lifestyle, and environment there.

"More young people in Hong Kong are looking for opportunities on the mainland, but many hesitate due to unfamiliarity," Tam observed. "I want to use my own experience to show them what's possible and help them take that first step."

Lui shared a similar experience. He recalled attending a youth exchange event in Shenzhen, where he had a long conversation in Mandarin with another participant — only to later realize that they were both from Hong Kong and actually spoke Cantonese.

"Fluent Mandarin speakers used to be rare among Hong Kong youth, but that's changing. More and more young people are now comfortable using Mandarin," he said.

Lui emphasized that while the internet has made communication easier, misleading information also exists on certain social media platforms.

"I believe genuine trust is built through direct interaction," he said. "Youth exchanges are not just about culture — they're about connecting hearts."

Over the years, Lam has noticed a shift in how Hong Kong's return to China is commemorated, with fewer large-scale celebrations. To him, this change signals a deeper level of integration between the two regions.

"Today, young people from both sides connect more naturally — through shared interests and everyday interactions. That's how true understanding develops," Lam said.

mengwenjie@i21st.cn