Weekend trips across the border with mainland China now feel almost effortless. Hongkongers glide across for cheaper meals out, guilt-free shopping and a range of leisure activities, drawn in part by the ease and value-for-money of a foray into Guangdong province.

A generation ago, the journey represented a different story. Those bound for the mainland often relied on the slow (by today’s standards) Kowloon-Canton Railway, enduring long hours in queues before they could cross the border. Trips were often made for practical reasons; travellers carried with them bags heavy with luxuries and even daily necessities for relatives in a China that was still developing.