It’s 9 p.m., Saturday November 23, at a bar called Amazonia in Wanchai, Hong Kong, the night before the port city’s much anticipated District Council elections. The house band from the Philippines is playing covers from the 1980s and is taking requests. They hammer through “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Eye of the Tiger” and some Guns N’ Roses, every time raising the expectations of my American friend visiting for the weekend. As each new song starts my friend turns to me to reveal a still greater astonishment at the range and skill of the band. He can hardly believe it’s just the…