HK IT professional finds meaning of life in Beijing

As part of an 8-year stay in Beijing, an IT professional from Hong Kong has managed to launch his own business, and also found love in the city.

Isaac Lau runs a technology company based in Beijing which provides digital services for various brands.

Starting out with a staff of 5, Lau now employs close to 40 people.

He says he's managed to use his experience from the different parts of his life to help establish his business.

A screen shot showing Isaac Lau at home in Beijing. [Photo: China Plus]

"One third of my life in UK, one thirds of my life is in HK, and almost one thirds of my life in Beijing."

With insight into various diverse cultures, Issac Lau brings a unique perspective to his work.

"In terms of business wise, Hong Kong is more competitive and more regulated, has less of opportunity, but in Beijing, you get lots of opportunities and people are much more willing to take risks and start new things, which I think is a good time to start a business in Beijing."

From his perspective as someone from Hong Kong, Lau says he considers Beijing a place of opportunity.

He notes the city, home to numerous state-run companies and other multi-nationals, provides a raft of business options for his company.

But life wasn't always easy for Isaac Lau when he first arrived in Beijing.

He admits to feeling homesick and detached from his friends in both Hong Kong and the UK.

But after joining a local football team, he says his social circle slowly expanded.

This circle of friends later led him to his wife, who was a friend of one of his teammates.

"That was a nice girl, that was my first thought, we hangout like every day, and then one thing led to another, she became my girlfriend, and then essentially wife, it just pretty natural that we came together in the end."

The two were married in 2013.

To accommodate their friends, the couple held separate weddings in Hong Kong and Suzhou, as well as a reception in Beijing.

Having lived in Beijing for the past 8-years, Isaac Lau says he's seen many changes, particularly with the advancement of the Internet and other social services.

"Nowadays when I go back to Hong Kong, it's really inconvenient without WeChat pay and the sharing bicycles, and I cannot live without JD.com now, order something in the morning and have it delivered in the afternoon, the city has grown a lot, this is the most impressive stuff that happens in Beijing."

Although he goes back and forth between Beijing and Hong Kong every couple of months, Lau says he feels Beijing is now his home.

"At this point I cannot foresee myself leave Beijing anytime. I have this company running here, and friends and everything. I've been here for so long; basically this has been a part of my home as well."