Oriol Caudevilla says the Tai Po fire confirms that the city’s greatest asset is its people, who always step forward to help their neighbors

A few weeks ago, I was rewatching a 1997 Hong Kong movie called Lifeline (Sap maan fo gap in Cantonese), directed by Johnnie To Kei-fung, which tells the story of a group of firemen in Hong Kong, their rescue missions and personal dilemmas. In this movie, a big fire erupts in a weaving factory located in Tsuen Wan district. Unfortunately, what seemed to me just fiction a few weeks ago has become a reality — but 100 times worse in reality than in the movie, with casualties reaching 128.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has described the fire as a “massive catastrophe”. All activities related to the Legislative Council election slated for Dec 5 have been suspended. Wang Fuk Court houses 1,984 apartments and is home to some 4,600 residents, according to a 2021 government census.

The blaze was classified as a No 5-alarm fire, the second such since the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, and the first since the 2008 Cornwall Court fire. The fire was also the deadliest in Hong Kong since the Canton Road building fire in 1957 that killed 59 people.

Certainly, the images and stories emerging from the latest disaster are heartbreaking. Amid this grief, however, a powerful image of the city’s character has already begun to emerge: one of strength, solidarity, civic spirit and institutional resilience, which we also saw during the COVID-19 pandemic. In these darkest of hours, Hong Kong’s core qualities are on display: its people’s grit, solidarity across communities, its emergency services’ professionalism, and its unique position as part of a broader Chinese nation that stands ready to lend support.

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This spirit of mutual care among ordinary citizens speaks to the heart of what Hong Kong is. In moments of adversity, Hong Kong residents have always shown the ability to come together. Businesses, community groups and individuals quickly mobilized to deliver food, clothing and essentials for those displaced. Shelters and temporary housing arrangements were made available for hundreds of families.

Hong Kong went through the Asian financial crisis, the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, the global financial crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic without diminishing its role as one of the world’s most important financial centers; and it will beat the odds again this time, for sure. This is so because of Hong Kong’s strengths and because of its resilient nature.

Hong Kong’s most valuable strategic asset is its position as a bridge — between East and West, between the Chinese mainland and the international market, and between legacy institutions and emerging systems. But Hong Kong’s greatest asset is its people: They are the city’s greatest strength. In a crisis we see that character, when individuals can step forward to help neighbors, institutions respond swiftly, and national support and resources can be mobilized across borders without delay.

Beyond individual acts of kindness, the coordinated response of government departments (rescue services, transport and traffic management, social welfare agencies, public housing authorities) reflects institutional resilience. Roads were closed or diverted, public transport adjusted, emergency shelters opened, social-welfare and mental-health support deployed to assist victims and families. Indeed, government departments responded with urgency and professionalism. The Fire Services Department, the Police Force, the Hospital Authority, the Social Welfare Department and housing authorities worked continuously to ensure efficient firefighting operations.

More than that, the response and the solidarity echo a deeper reality. Hong Kong is not isolated. As part of China, the city gains strength from national solidarity, support networks, cross-boundary logistics and a shared sense of community. Expressions of condolences, offers of aid, resources for resettlement and regeneration. All of these reflect Hong Kong’s place as a valued and integral part of a greater whole. In difficult times, that connection provides not only moral but practical strength.

In the wider context, Hong Kong continues to pursue long-term goals that require resilience and unity. The Northern Metropolis, FinTech 2030 and innovation development strategies across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are part of a vision that sees Hong Kong growing both economically and socially. Courage in the face of adversity is part of that journey. A city that can respond to tragedy with compassion is also able to seek future progress with conviction. Advancements in technology, finance and urban planning cannot stand apart from community safety and social stability. Hong Kong has always balanced modernity with responsibility. The days following the Tai Po fire show that this balance remains possible. However, none of these things would be possible if Hong Kong people did not show resilience of character. And that is precisely the key element here: If Hong Kong is one of the world’s most important financial centers, enhancing its position year after year, if Hong Kong is a beacon of innovation, if Hong Kong is involved in all those exciting tech-related projects, all of this is possible not by a random series of coincidences, but because Hong Kong is a “we”-structured and organized society whose members always show massive resilience and strength, as we have witnessed over the past several decades multiple times, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic or, currently, with the Tai Po fire.

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Let us make no mistake: Hong Kong people can have a competitive nature when it comes to advancing in their careers, but they always put helping each other first because Hong Kong’s nature is by itself generous and kind and will always remain so.

To sum up, Hong Kong’s character remains clear. The city stands resilient. Its people show compassion. Its institutions remain capable. Its future continues to evolve with purpose and humility. Where hardship has struck, strength has followed. That strength is real and will carry the city forward.

The author is a fintech adviser, a researcher and a former business analyst for a Hong Kong publicly listed company.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.