香港成物联网创业乐土 Hong Kong promotes tech credentials to lure entrepreneurs
As he scoured Europe to find parts last year, German entrepreneur Florian Simmendinger was able only to locate a handful of motors small enough for the wearable, smartphone-controlled metronome he was building to help musicians keep the beat — and even they were too weak.
去年遍访欧洲寻找元件时，德国企业家弗洛里安缠馉丁格(Florian Simmendinger)只能找到为数不多的几款足够小的马达，可以装入他为帮助音乐家保持节拍而打造的、用智能手机控制的可穿戴式节拍器中——而且这些马达的振动效果太弱了。
But a move to Hong Kong in November jump-started the development of his product, as he was soon able to find everything he needed in the sprawling Chinese manufacturing hub of Shenzhen, just across the border.
但是，去年11月的一次香港之行却使他能够开始一款产品的研发，因为在地处香港对面、不断扩张的中国内地制造业中心深圳，他很快发现了他所需的一切元件。
“In Shenzhen, they sell every motor that has ever gone into a consumer product and I was able to get the one I needed, which is 600 per cent stronger than a mobile phone,” he says as he shows off his $99 Soundbrenner Pulse, which looks like a watch and emits vibrations rather than an intrusive tick-tock sound.
“在深圳，他们销售用在消费品上的所有类型的马达，而我能找到我所需要的那一款，比手机的震动强6倍，”他在展示其售价99美元的Soundbrenner Pulse节拍器时表示。这款节拍器看起来像一块手表，只不过它发出的是震动，而不是滴答滴答的恼人声音。
Mr Simmendinger is one of a growing number of international entrepreneurs moving to Hong Kong to set up businesses focused on the so-called internet of things (IoT), developing products that use the latest digital technology to enhance everyday items from headphones to electricity meters.
就像西蒙丁格一样，越来越多的国际企业家来到香港创办公司，专注于所谓的“物联网”(IoT)领域，研发可利用最新数字技术的产品，以提升从头戴式耳机到电表等各种日常用品的功能。
They are attracted by Hong Kong’s unique position, on the doorstep of a vast market and manufacturing base in China but benefiting from a British-influenced legal system, straight-forward regulations and low tax.
他们被香港独特的条件所吸引，这里是通往中国内地这个庞大市场和制造业基地的门户，却拥有受到英国影响的法律体系、明确的法规以及较低的税率等优势。
Cities and nations are racing to emulate the success of Silicon Valley and Hong Kong is particularly keen to promote its credentials as a tech hub because the economy is under pressure as tourism and luxury retail have been hit by a drop in Chinese visitors caused by a corruption crackdown in China and rising political tensions with Beijing.
很多城市和国家都在竞相效仿硅谷，而香港在经济面临压力的背景下，格外热衷于提升自身作为科技中心的声誉。由于中国内地的反腐运动以及香港与北京日益升温的政治紧张气氛使得内地到港游客减少，香港的旅游业和奢侈品零售受到了打击。
“The government knows that we can’t continue to rely on financial services, retail and tourism,” says Allen Ma, chief executive of Hong Kong Science Park, one of two slick campuses built by the government to promote the technology industry in the early 2000s.
“政府明白，我们不能再继续依赖于金融服务业、零售业以及旅游业了，”香港科技园(Hong Kong Science Park)的行政总裁马锦星(Allen Ma)称。该科技园是香港政府在本世纪头十年初期，为促进科技产业发展而建设的两个园区之一。
While the Science Park and its counterpart Cyberport have been in operation for more than a decade, Hong Kong’s tech industry struggled to grow because of a lack of experienced venture capitalists, the small size of the domestic market (only 7m people) and a risk-averse business culture.
尽管科技园与数码港(Cyberport)已经运营了十余年，但是由于缺乏有经验的风险投资家、本土市场较小（仅有700万人口）以及不爱冒险的企业文化，香港的科技业一度发展艰难。
But investors say that has started to change in the past year or two as entrepreneurs have realised that Hong Kong is well placed to capitalise on two fast-growing global sectors: the IoT and financial technology.
但是投资者称，近一两年来，随着企业家逐渐发现香港在利用全球两大快速发展领域——物联网和金融技术——方面具有得天独厚的条件，情况已经开始发生改变。
David Lynch, head of technology for DBS in China and Hong Kong, says Hong Kong’s position as one of the world’s leading financial centres makes it an ideal location for start-ups focused on banking technology in Asia and beyond.
新加坡星展银行(DBS)中国内地与香港科技总监林大卫(David Lynch)称，香港作为世界主要金融中心之一的地位，使之成为创办面向亚洲及其他地区、专注于金融技术的企业的理想地点。
“Banking as we know it is being unbundled, and unless we participate actively in this ecosystem, there is a real chance that ourselves and other banks will be left behind,” he says.
他说：“众所周知，银行业正在细分，除非我们积极参与到这个生态系统中，否则我们和其他银行很有可能会被甩在后面。”
When it comes to financial technology, Hong Kong start-ups are going head-to-head with rivals in other banking centres such as Singapore and London. But David Chen, who runs an investment group called AngelVest, says Hong Kong has a big competitive advantage in developing IoT technology.
在金融技术领域，香港初创企业正在与新加坡和伦敦等其他金融中心的竞争对手展开正面交锋。但是投资集团天使谷(AngelVest)的联合创始人陈泰杰(David Chen)称，香港在发展物联网技术方面具有很大的竞争优势。
“For IoT, we see Hong Kong as much more advantageous than other places like Singapore because of its proximity to Shenzhen and the ease with which you can rapidly develop prototypes,” says Mr Chen.
“对于物联网，我们认为香港比新加坡等其他地区有利得多，因为其毗邻深圳，并具备你可以快速开发原型的便利条件，”陈泰杰称。
Shenzhen has a thriving start-up scene of its own but Isaac Mao, a Chinese entrepreneur, says Hong Kong is better suited to smaller companies that want to expand internationally.
深圳本身就呈现出一派欣欣向荣的创业景象，但是中国创业者毛向辉(Isaac Mao)称，香港更适合希望在国际上发展的较小型公司。
“It’s much easier to start a business in Hong Kong, the intellectual property protection is much better and there are no internet restrictions as there are in the mainland.”
“与内地相比，在香港创办公司要简单得多，知识产权保护也好得多，并且没有像内地那样的互联网限制。”
