Retired British civil engineer recalls Hong Kong's path to glory

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By CGTN's Zhang He

Hong Kong is chock full of memories for 69-year-old Francis Budge, who witnessed the city's dramatic transformation over the past 20 years.

“I was really fortunate that in 1989 I was sent to Hong Kong by my company. I was so excited because Hong Kong was the place I have always wanted to go to,” said Francis Budge, who serves as Chairman of UK Chapter of Hong Kong Institute of Engineers.

Francis Budge worked in Hong Kong for three years from the end of 1989 to 1992. /CGTN Picture

As a civil engineer, Budge was involved in a number of major projects in Hong Kong, including the master plan for its new international airport. He was filled with excitement upon hearing that the project was of high priority before Hong Kong's handover to China in 1997.

The old diary recorded the memory of Hong Kong by Francis Budge’s father. /CGTN Picture

Among Budge's prized possessions – there is an old diary that his father kept to record all the things he saw in Hong Kong.

“We took him up to the Lion Peak, look down to Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, and old Kai Tak Airport. He was fascinated by the fact that the plane would come in over the people’s houses of Kowloon district, and land at the start of the runway and stop before falling into the sea at the end. For him, it was incredible that you have the airport right at the center of the community,” he said while explaining old pictures in the diary.

The diary shows old picture of KAI TEK airport in Kowloon, taken from the mountains. /CGTN Picture

During his last visit in 2015, Budge was surprised to see the amazing new infrastructure built in Hong Kong, including the high-speed railway link between Kowloon and Shenzhen, and ongoing Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

“When I went in 2015, I took the cable car from the north of Lantau over to the big Buddha. And from that cable car you can see that incredible bridge that was being built sneaking its way through the artificial islands, where the tunnels go so it didn’t affect the shipping, and then to Macau by then it was lost in the mist. It was most amazing project, the longest sea crossing in the world.”

69-year-old Francis Budge retired to market town of Devizes in the English county of Wiltshire. /CGTN Picture

Last year, Budge retired to a small market town in the English county of Wiltshire but the distance makes no real difference – he still does his best to promote the professional link between Hong Kong and the UK. For him, Hong Kong is a land full of opportunities.