♪ ♪ recently, an increasing number of hong kong citizens have been moving to taiwan. this cafe is run by a man from

hong kong. >> some families move here with young children. >> some citizens of hong kong even quit their jobs to move here. these new residents struggle to build new lives among the mixed emotions of hope and insecurity. >> friction is being felt in hong kong in the relations with

mainland china. amidst such delicate situations, why are more and more people moving to taiwan? this episode follows a family that just migrated. >> hong kong, a region with a population of 7.3 million. at an international exhibition held in the city, one event attracted a lot of attention. taiwanese developers gathered to host one of the largest real estate exhibitions they've ever held in hong kong. the 20 companies sell condos and second homes to hong kong

citizens. seminars migrating to taiwan are also held. >> the popularity of taiwan as a new home has been soaring. the number of approved residency applications has more than tripled between 2011 and 2014. but why now?

>> surging real estate prices have become a serious social problem in hong kong recently. add that a real estate agency in hong kong show that even a used apartment measuring 60 square meters is priced at about $860,000 u.s. investment money mainly from china is driving up real estate prices in hong kong. >> the residents of hong kong, real estate prices in taiwan are very appealing. in taiwan, a 76 square meter

apartment is sold at about $150,000. the exhibition is full of people in their 30s and 40s. why would people, in the height of their career, change jobs and uproot themselves from familiar environments? some say it's more than just real estate prices. >> in 2014, hong kong residents clashed with authorities regarding the system to elect their leader. when beijing tried to implement a new election system where it would screen candidates, many hong kong residents opposed.

large-scale demonstrations calling for democratic elections lasted for months. after intense clashes, the demonstrators were disbursed by authorities. it gave a strong impression of beijing's power and control over hong kong. >> it's only a 90 minute flight between hong kong and taiwan. tainan is a town in southern taiwan. real estate is relatively affordable, which attracts the younger generation of hong kong residents. the city has flourished in the center of taiwan for more than 200 years since the 17th century. many historic buildings still

remain, making them popular sightseeing spots. one family moved from hong kong to a residential area in the city. >> lo chun-ki is 37. he and his wife have three children. a 3-year-old boy. a 10-month-old girl. and a 6-year-old girl. they moved to taiwan in august, 2015.

>> lo's family lives in a rented 130 square meter apartment. rent is $600. he says in hong kong rent would be five times as much. every morning after his wife drives their oldest daughter to school, lo has to do the laundry for the family of five. this is a drastic change in lifestyle for him. lo worked for tv stations and web content companies when he

lived in hong kong. but he decided to quit his well-paying job and leave there. he came to taiwan with his wife, three young children, and 14 suitcases. what caused lo to make such a bold decision? >> on this day, lo and his wife went out with their 3-year-old son. they took him to a condo in the corner of a residential area. it's a private kindergarten.

the couple visited to decide whether to send their son here. >> unlike kindergartens in hong kong, this school doesn't give children homework. the idea is to allow the children grow in a comfortable environment, free of stress.

>> lo and his wife wanted a stress free environment for their kids, not one that forces kids to do things against their will. lo had become distrustful of hong kong's education system for the past few years, due in part to a major incident. >> the national education refers

to lessons aimed at building a sense of patriotism towards the chinese government. in 2012, hong kong officials announced that such lessons would become mandatory at schools. many residents opposed this, which forced authorities to retract the requirement. but many schools voluntarily incorporated the national education.

>> lo, who quit his job in hong kong to move to taiwan, is now searching for work that makes use of his media experience. >> today, he visited a local store. >> this glass is designed with the town's logo, made under japanese colonial rule. the store is full of products based on taiwanese history and culture. lo is considering launching a

website that introduces taiwanese culture and sells products unique to taiwan. he also contacted a coaster maker on this day. >> why did the makers decide to use the glass design on its products? the maker took lo to the place that inspired him to make the design.

>> tainan retains its decades old look thanks to locals who cherish the traditional lifestyles and cultures. lo says that hong kong residents feel differently about their own culture.

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>> lo and his wife often eat out because they're busy raising their three children. >> the family can obtain permanent residency in taiwan a here after moving there. thanks to the warm weather and affordable prices in tainan, the

number of hong kong residents who have moved there has jumped by 60% in the last three years. local real estate agencies are depending on a surge in hong kong residents moving to taiwan. on the other hand, they can't count on investments from mainland china. >> to prevent a surge in real estate prices, taiwanese authorities are regulating investments from mainland china.

but these restrictions don't apply to hong kong residents. these conditions can be seen as a reflection of the relationship between taiwan, hong kong, and mainland china. roughly three months after moving to taiwan, lo is feeling financially strapped.

>> after paying for food, rent, and tuition, they have already spent half of their savings, which they thought would last them a year. hoping to gain stable income as soon as possible, lo begins organizing pictures to launch a website that sells taiwanese goods.

>> in december 2015, taiwan's largest opposition party, the democratic progressive party, dpp, held a convention ahead of the presidential election. >> 40 days before the presidential election, according to a local survey, dpp chairperson had been enjoying strong support, surpassing that of the ruling nationalist party. the focal point of the election was relations with mainland china. she has expressed on keeping a

distance from mainland china while maintaining the current situation. meanwhile, the nationalists, led by president ma, have been strengthening relations with mainland china. they are expected to continue strengthening ties with china. how will taiwan build relations with china from now on? the outcome of the election hinged on this question. 12 months after moving to taiwan, lo will obtain voting rights. how does he feel about china's relations with taiwan and hong

kong? he heads to a cafe run by a friend from hong kong where local immigrants from hong kong and taiwanese have come together to exchange views.

>> hong kong and taiwan continue to experience difficulty in the relations with mainland china. those who decided to leave hong kong admits these difficult times continue to watch the future of china with mixed emotions. the lo's family favorite place is a park near the beach. they still have concerns about how to make a living in taiwan,

but they plan to stay and carve out a new life here. >> this family moved to taiwan seeking the most important thing in life -- their children's future. what sort of future awaits their children? ♪

steves: the dramatic rock of cashel is one of ireland's most evocative sites.

this was the seat of ancient irish kings for seven centuries. st. patrick baptized king aengus here in about 450 a.d. in around 1100, an irish king gave cashel to the church, and it grew to become the ecclesiastical capital of all ireland. 800 years ago, this monastic community was just a chapel and a round tower standing high on this bluff. it looked out then, as it does today, over the plain of tipperary, called the golden vale because its rich soil makes it ireland's best farmland. on this historic rock, you stroll among these ruins in the footsteps of st. patrick, and wandering through my favorite celtic cross graveyard, i feel the soul of ireland.

glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." it's thursday, february 11th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the world nuclear authority has weighed into the zika virus to discuss using radiation to combat the mosquito-borne disease. the international atomic energy on wednesday opened to reporters outside of austria, researching ways to use nuclear techniques to sterilize male mosquitos. the method involves exposing larvae to make them im potent, and they're released to the wild which don't