"NEW NORMAL"
A Chinese banker at a Wall Street bank who is in his 30s and has lived in the city for about 10 years said he has several friends who are considering moving to Beijing, Shanghai or Shenzhen for their children's education.
The banker, who like all the people interviewed by Reuters declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, said while he is getting used to the "new normal" in Hong Kong, many of his China-based clients have avoided travel to the territory since the protests escalated in June out of fear for their safety.
He, however, has no plans to leave as he believes Hong Kong is still a better place to live than China and more important in terms of his career.
Many mainland Chinese move to Hong Kong instead of returning to mainland China after studying and working overseas, mostly thanks to the city's high degree of autonomy and wide-ranging freedoms that don't exist on the mainland.
A senior mainland Chinese investment professional who planned to settle permanently in the city when he moved from the U.S. over a decade ago, said he is now looking for an exit as months of protest darken the city's gloom.
"Society will be more divided, more confrontations between locals and mainlanders are expected and the city's uniqueness and core values will be further eroded (by Beijing)," said the investor in his 50s.
"I don't know how we can find a solution to end this crisis. I am quite pessimistic about the long-term prospects for the city."
One senior mainland Chinese executive at a large North American insurance firm said, however, he plans to remain in the city so long as the protests do not pose a threat to his family.
He plans to offer internships to more Hong Kong youths to help address their "anger and frustrations".
"(More internships) will be a very small contribution to help them, to help society. But that's the right thing to do. Be the change you want to see in the city."
