Hong Kong’s big economic dreams: what’s the reality and where do the poor fit in?

In the first of a two-part series on the economy as Hong Kong marks 29 years since its return to Chinese rule, Denise Tsang and Vivian Au look at efforts at transformation, including the city’s bet on the Northern Metropolis, and the challenges ahead. Molly Lam lives alone in a public housing flat in Tsuen Wan but fear is a constant companion as she worries about losing her job.

The restaurant worker in her sixties has seen how her company is shrinking its operations amid an industry...