Hong Kong street crypto ads are everywhere, while we in the mainland can't even chat about it.

I attended the Binance annual conference in Hong Kong these past two days, and the streets are filled with advertisements for virtual currency companies—Cardano, Gucoin, Grayscale… The sponsorship list is as long as a film festival poster. Looking back at our place, let alone advertising, even a few words about Bitcoin in WeChat groups might lead to "content violation," and both WeChat and Douyin can ban accounts.

Being part of China, how can the differences be so vast?

One side is a "crypto new city," the other is "afraid to talk about coins."

Hong Kong is desperately embracing Web3, issuing licenses, hosting summits, attracting investments, eager to become the Asian crypto center. Meanwhile, here, the mines have already been cleared out, exchanges have said goodbye, and even mentioning "blockchain investment" could lead to account bans.

Many retail investors are holding back a sentence: it's not that we oppose regulation, but can we have a way to survive? Even if it's like Hong Kong, opening up in a regulated way so that those who want to participate have a proper channel would be good...

Retail investors really just want to safely earn some money within their understanding

You know as well as I do, we retail investors have no background, no inside info, and can only learn bit by bit following the trends. Blockchain and cryptocurrency are already global trends; not engaging with them doesn't mean they don't exist. Many young people have already quietly participated through overseas platforms and wallets, but this is not a long-term solution; it's risky, unguaranteed, and there’s fear of frozen accounts.

If the mainland could also have a regulated channel, even with more restrictions and higher thresholds, at least everyone wouldn't have to operate nervously in the gray areas.

Perhaps, what we are waiting for is not a "release," but a "visibility"

Behind the advertisements in Hong Kong is an attitude: this field is worth studying, worth regulating, worth developing. Here, it seems we are still stuck in the stage of "just banning it." Technology is not guilty; speculation is guilty. If we can differentiate between the two and give some space for technological applications and innovative investments, many retail investors wouldn't have to envy Hong Kong while sneaking around.

I hope that one day, we can openly discuss, learn, and participate in this era of technological change, instead of just staring at screens, envying the billboards of others. #区块链发展史