Labour costs are up 30-35% since last year, according to Jeffrey Lam, a member of Hong Kong's legislature who runs a toymaking company and is an adviser to the territory's local trade group.

ECONOMIST: Hard times loom for the world's biggest toymaking centre

"The responsible person has a very full schedule recently -- sorry, " texted Hong Kong Airport Authority spokeswoman Chris Lam.

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"I can always tell which clients work in stock markets, " says Yvonne Lam, whose beauty salon is only steps from the Hong Kong exchange.

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There are between 8m and 12m Catholics in China, according to Anthony Lam of the Holy Spirit Study Centre, a research institute in Hong Kong.

ECONOMIST: The Catholic church

Ms. Lam and Mr. Bourne had done major renovations before in Boston and Hong Kong, but this time they faced the challenge of being unable to speak directly with contractors.

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