Even Hong Kong's fast pace of life cannot compare to the hectic dash in other countries, but support is growing for a more sedate approach
In Hong Kong's fast-paced society time is king. People walk fast, eat fast and always seem to be in a rush. The same is true of many big cities where people live and die by the clock.
But it might come as a surprise to learn that Hong Kong was ranked a mere 10th in a 1997 survey of the pace of life in 31 cities and countries cited by Robert Levine, professor of psychology at California State University in Fresno, in his book, A Geography of Time.
The country with the fastest pace of life was Switzerland and the slowest was Mexico. In between Switzerland and Hong Kong were, in order, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Italy, England, Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands. Each place was rated on three measures - walking speed, work speed and the accuracy of public clocks.
In the annals of human history, the idea of being a slave to time is a recent phenomenon. The Industrial Revolution made accurate timekeeping a necessity, but it was not until the mid-19th century that clocks became widely available. Wristwatches were popularised during the first world war when they were issued as standard military equipment.
However, not all societies paid as much attention to 'clock time', Professor Levine wrote. Some countries subscribe to the concept of 'event time', which occurs when 'activities are allowed to transpire according to their own spontaneous schedule'.
