A sense of dislocation is felt by Hsiao-lin, a Hong Kong designer now living in Taiwan. She who spoke to AFP using a pseudonym. "I hope that Hong Kong can have its freedom back. But we can never tell what the future holds or dictate how events are going to play out," she says. "What we can do is continue doing what we are able to do and you never know when it's going to bloom and bear fruit." Government estimates show hundreds of thousands of people quit Hong Kong in the years that followed the handover for a new life overseas -- many citing fears of a future under Beijing's thumb. As the territory celebrates the handover's 25th anniversary on Friday, with citywide posters proclaiming "a new era of stability, prosperity and opportunity", another exodus is under way. ATTN CLIENTS: Hsiao-lin is a pseudonym IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES