With subways and trams crisscrossing, Cantonese and English echoing simultaneously, and the aroma of coffee mixed with the steam of Dim sum... Central, Hong Kong Island, is not only a group portrait of Hong Kong, but also a self-portrait of a city that is international and diverse.
From financial practitioners to cha chaan teng (tea restaurant) owners, from technology entrepreneurs to bar mixologists, in Central, internationalization and diversification are not abstract slogans, but are specifically reflected in how people from different professions and cultural backgrounds coexist, collaborate, compete, and express themselves in the same space.
"Middle Ring Time" in global capital flows
At 7:30 in the morning, the lights of office buildings in Central gradually came on, and the electronic screens of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange flickered incessantly.
Financial practitioners are among the earliest group of people to "go online" in this city. 
"Due to the large number of multinational institutions setting up 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 also advocating a 'rules-first' work culture." Mr. Wei, who works at WeBank Technology Co., Ltd., said one of the most prominent characteristics of Central's financial professionals is their sensitivity to "rules".
In 2025, Hong Kong's financial policy will focus on "consolidating its position as an international financial center", promoting research on digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and central bank digital currency, establishing gold and commodity markets, promoting tokenization, and supporting the listing of biotechnology companies, in order to respond to global opportunities and challenges.
"This place gathers major financial institutions, regulatory stakeholders, and innovative enterprises. We can communicate with regulators more efficiently and gain a more direct understanding of the real needs of institutional clients," said Bao Tianchen, Head of Capital Markets and Strategy at CertiK.
"The most irreplaceable international trait of Zhonghuan lies in its ability to accommodate rules and business needs from different markets simultaneously," said Bao Tianchen, describing his impression of Zhonghuan.
As a result, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was buzzing with activity in 2025, with investors joking that "there weren't enough gongs for all the listings." Hong Kong's IPO financing in 2025 ranked first globally, demonstrating the vitality and resilience of its financial market and proclaiming its continued vitality as an international financial center.
The internationalization of the Central District is not only reflected in cross-border capital flows, but also in the collaboration and understanding between people.
Bao Tianchen believes that multilingualism and multicultural backgrounds do indeed bring about certain communication costs, but in the long run, such differences will enhance decision-making quality even more. "Because members with different backgrounds will examine the same product or risk point from different dimensions such as technology, compliance, and law."
Mr. Wei believes that the "international atmosphere" of Zhonghuan is not only reflected in the presence of multinational employees or a foreign language environment, but also more deeply manifested in its daily operations. The open market and transparent rules enable practitioners from different cultural backgrounds to collaborate efficiently within the same framework.
Daily coexistence in a Hong Kong-style café
Amid the towering office buildings in Central, one can always find long-established tea cafes. Their facades may not be grand, but they attract a steady stream of customers. For many office workers, these tea cafes serve as an anchor in their daily routine.
The Tsui Wah Restaurant, located on Wellington Street in Central, has been operating in the area since the 1990s. When asked about its earliest customers, the person in charge of Tsui Wah Restaurant said, "(They) were office workers from prime locations in Hong Kong, as well as young people and tourists who would visit Lan Kwai Fong in the evening. They all hoped to find a comfortable place in the city to enjoy authentic cuisine."
In the view of the owner of a tea restaurant in Central, the so-called internationalization is not a grand narrative, but rather "serving people with different accents every day". Sister Fen, the manager of the Central branch of Tsui Wah Restaurant, told reporters that Central is not only a financial center, but also a pilgrimage site for tourists.
Hong Kong's tourism industry experienced a robust recovery in 2025, with a total of 49.9 million tourist arrivals for the year. Among them, mainland tourists accounted for 74%, while overseas tourists accounted for 26%.
Sister Fen said that foreign guests are very receptive to local traditional culture, but compared to the past, they now pursue a better dining experience and expect to enjoy traditional and authentic Hong Kong cuisine such as barbecued pork, curry beef brisket, and Hong Kong-style milk tea in a cleaner and more comfortable environment. "Now our restaurant is beautiful and comfortable, so guests prefer it even more."
Many operators of time-honored tea restaurants, although not typical representatives of "internationalization", are precisely the important fulcrums for the functioning of Hong Kong's diverse society, and also witnesses to Hong Kong's economic transformation. This long-term accumulated resilience also makes tea restaurants a highly "time-rich" presence in Central.
Alice Frank, a French music teacher who dines at Tsui Wah Restaurant, has been working in Hong Kong for nearly a year. She said, "I like Hong Kong because it is full of vitality and very open; I like Hong Kong because it is close to the mainland, and I often go to the mainland. It is also very convenient to travel around Asia from Hong Kong."
When asked about her top recommendation for a delicious dish, she smiled, shaking the cup in her hand and said, "Hong Kong-style milk tea."
Cultural translator in the night
As night falls and the lights come on, the bar transforms into a new social hub, with the bartender emerging as the protagonist of the evening's narrative.
In the eyes of bartenders, the charm of Central 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 come in, chat with people they don't know, and grow together through interaction," said Shrestha Anuj.
Anuj and Gale Suman, both from Nepal, run a bar in Central. When asked about the location of the bar, Anuj looked out from the terrace and smiled, saying that the scenery here is beautiful.
In front of the bar, there is also a highly diverse communication space.
"Bars and clubs are inherently places where one can meet people from diverse countries and backgrounds. When tourists travel to a new country, they often visit bars to interact with different people," said Anuj.
In 2025, Hong Kong will witness a plethora of large-scale conferences and events, including the Art Basel, the Asian Financial Forum, the National Games, and concerts at the Kai Tak Sports Park... Financial practitioners, entrepreneurs, tourists, and local artists will converge here. Su Man said that during the season when art events and financial conferences are concentrated, the number of guests will also increase accordingly.
When mixing drinks, Su Man tries to incorporate some local elements, such as tea. Su Man said, "I will try to be more creative, such as adding dandelion tea or mulberry and other ingredients to the drinks. Strictly speaking, they are not traditional tea, but they can be extracted and used like tea."
This kind of creation is an international expression at the cultural level: it is both oriented towards global aesthetics and rooted in local experiences.
For Hong Kong, diversification and internationalization have never been a fleeting trend, but a persistent state. The bustling scene in Central is not just a scenery, but also embodies a spirit: to let the world enter Hong Kong and to let Hong Kong embrace the world. (Liao Xin She)