Hong Kong remains a city where opportunity, competition and cultural vibrancy continue to coexist, according to Timo Kantola, the Consul General of Finland to Hong Kong and Macao, who has lived and worked in the city for over three years.
As Finland’s representative in Hong Kong and Macau, the Consul General works closely with Finnish companies exploring the local market and the wider Asian region.
“Hong Kong is a very competitive market, and companies really need to be prepared,” he said, adding that the city’s intense competition was a defining feature of its business environment.
When advising Finnish firms, he often highlights Hong Kong’s proximity to the mainland and the Greater Bay Area, as well as its market size, which is larger than Finland’s population, approximately 5.5 million.
While most of Finland’s exports to Hong Kong are business-to-business, the city also offers potential for consumer brands.
Nordic products, he noted, are often seen as innovative and stylish in Hong Kong. Finnish design, like Marimekko, is “associated with simplicity, sustainability and a close connection to nature,” which is popular in the local market and serves as a good starting point for future development.
“I would certainly like to see more Finnish consumer products in Hong Kong, like candy, chocolate and dairy products,” Kantola said.
Beyond business, cultural exchange also plays a role in shaping Hong Kong’s international character.
In 2025, cultural events including exhibitions, pop-up stores, and social media activities of the Finnish cartoon character Moomin have attracted public attention across the city to celebrate its 80th anniversary.
“What Moomin represents fits very well with Finnish values – love of nature, peacefulness and kindness,” he said.
He also noticed the character, Little My, who was described with a sharp tongue and quick temper, actually demonstrated the Finnish spirit sisu – determined to live the way she wants.
Kantola said he was pleased to see these Finnish values resonate with local audiences in Hong Kong and to see a cultural work created by a Finnish author gaining such recognition.
He added that many people in Hong Kong are already familiar with Moomin from an early age and are now keen to reconnect with the stories.
“It brings back childhood memories, and people smile when they see it – not in a comic way, but in a sympathetic way,” he said.
For Finland’s Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao, Timo Kantola, life in the city is very different from his hometown in Finland. But adapting to Hong Kong has not meant giving up the way he prefers to live.
“I can keep my Finnish way of life to some degree,” said Kantola, who has lived and worked in Hong Kong for more than three years.
Living in Mid-Levels, he chose a quieter neighborhood away from the busiest parts of the city.
“Every time I come from the airport, I still feel the same. I remember the first time I came to Hong Kong and said, ‘wow,’ because of the buildings and the city skyline. It’s very different.”
He noted that, having spent time in global cities such as New York, nature is far more accessible in Hong Kong, with very different environments coexisting within the city.
Kantola has explored hiking trails across the city, from the Tai Tam area and the Ma On Shan to the Lion Rock.
“I go hiking a lot,” he said. “That allows me to be in nature, very much like what I would do in Finland.”
Not everything was easy to adjust to for Kantola. Asked about the biggest challenge of settling into the city, it was “the weather, definitely,” especially referring to Hong Kong’s hot and humid summers. “In Finland, you can go running at almost any time of day. Here, if you go running or hiking during the day in summer, you really need to be careful.”
He also took time to get used to Hong Kong’s complex pedestrian network.
“In the beginning, I always tried to walk at street level and got lost,” he said. “It took time to understand that many pedestrian routes go through buildings and elevated walkways.”
“But now I more or less manage,” he added with a laugh.
Finland is frequently ranked as the world’s happiest country, and Kantola believes happiness is often misunderstood.
“Happiness is not just about economic indicators,” he said. “People have space and freedom to be themselves and to decide how they live their lives.”
In Finland, he explained, happiness is closely linked to personal space and access to nature. Hong Kong, while very different, offers its own ways for people to find balance.
“People here can find happiness in different ways,” he said, pointing to activities such as hiking, cultural events and traditional practices like tai chi.
“Happiness is not the same for everyone,” he added. “It exists in different forms in different societies.”
For Timo Kantola, promoting Finland abroad is not only about trade figures or official meetings, but also about explaining how Finnish culture is experienced in everyday life.
One of the most frequently discussed examples is Finland’s high happiness, he said.
Kantola said happiness cannot be explained solely through statistics such as education or welfare levels. Instead, he believes it comes from giving people space, both physically and mentally, to shape their own lives.
In his view, happiness in Finland is closely linked to having space and freedom to be oneself, particularly in education and working life, where individuals are given more autonomy to decide their own paths. That freedom also means responsibility, he said, as people are largely expected to motivate themselves rather than being pushed by external pressure.
Another factor he pointed out is sauna, a central part of Finnish life that can be difficult to explain outside Finland.
“For us, one thing for happiness is also about sauna. We have the sauna culture,” Kantola said.
He described sauna not simply as a way to relax, but as a form of mental practice.
“It’s like Finnish meditation,” he said.
In Hong Kong, Kantola said he sees similar ideas of relaxation in local practices such as tai chi or hiking. “I think some people are doing things like tai chi,” he said. “It’s a little bit similar, in terms of some sort of meditation.”
Beyond everyday traditions, cultural exchange also takes place through film and the arts. Kantola said Finnish films have been introduced to Hong Kong audiences through festivals and screenings.
“We have had film events, including Finnish film screenings,” he said, adding that Finnish films are often included in international and European film festivals held in Hong Kong.
“They are quite popular,” he said.
Kantola said the Finnish community in Hong Kong is around 300 people, including exchange students.
Finnish festivals are also celebrated in Hong Kong, he said, citing a reception held ahead of Finland’s Independence Day that attracted around 150 guests.
He added that cultural and social activities are organized not only for Finnish people, but also as a way to connect with the wider Hong Kong community.
“I try to connect both with the Hong Kong community and with Finnish people here,” Kantola said, noting that such gatherings often include Finnish business people as well as local colleagues.
Kantola said such cultural activities are part of ongoing efforts to introduce Finnish culture in Hong Kong.
