Yeah, I worked in HK for a while, and the expectation of working hours in East Asia is over the top in its own way. I remember my co-workers sitting at their desks until 7 pm even though they literally had nothing to do. My impression is that it’s generally driven by a cultural expectation of loyalty to a company, which in theory at least returns that loyalty with long-term employment and benefits, although I can’t say from direct experience that this remains true.

The gig economy, and the whole approach to workers as disposable commodities is a whole different animal in my view.