I am from a city owned by a country that I don’t belong to.
Britain colonized Hong Kong as a consequence of the Opium War in 1842. While China gave up part of Hong Kong permanently to Britain—the New Territories, which makes up 86 percent of Hong Kong, was also under British control in a 99-year lease. In 1997, when the lease ended, the British government decided to give all of Hong Kong back to the People’s Republic of China, known just as China today, as a “special administrative region” subordinated by China’s government.
To eliminate panic caused by the change, China promised to practice “one country, two systems,” which guaranteed that everything in Hong Kong would stay the same and operated on a separate political system from other cities in China for 50 years.
China appoints a chief executive every five years after a conditional election among the election committee. Hong Kong’s legal system is embedded within a supreme law called the Basic Law, while citizens elect their legislators in the Legislative Council every four years.
I grew up learning that my city’s core values were rooted in the freedoms granted by the Basic Law, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of press and publication. Myself and many people from Hong Kong take pride in being somewhat politically separated from China, which is governed by the Chinese Communist Party that notoriously censors the internet and imprisons dissident people in China. Many citizens even call themselves “Hongkonger” which the Oxford Dictionary later adopted in 2014.
The outbreak of the Umbrella Revolution, a 79-day occupying movement in 2014 when people asked for universal suffrage in electing the chief executive, put a spotlight on people’s ethnic identification. According to a poll by the University of Hong Kong, as of December 2018, 40 percent of citizens identify themselves as Hongkongers, as opposed to 15 percent who define themselves as Chinese. Less than 4 percent of the young generation ages 18 through 29 identified as Chinese in 2017, according to HK01.
Hongkongers ally with Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, which lost control of mainland China to the communist party in the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Unlike Hong Kong, Taiwan has almost no governmental connection with China. Taiwanese citizens even possess the right to elect their president, governors, and legislators democratically. However, people from Taiwan face the same identity crisis as Hongkongers.
One of my Taiwanese friends at Emerson adopted the “Chinese” identity, even though she told me she loves Taiwan. She said she does not feel strong enough to fight over her identity with her Chinese friends. Last semester, after my friend and I presented a final project about China’s “re-education camps,” where they hold more than a million Muslims in China for genocide, a Chinese student discredited our presentation for being too political.
International students from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and other places in relation to China face backlash for not identifying as Chinese. Chemi Lhamo, the newly elected student union president of the University of Toronto Scarborough, received hateful comments on her social media because of her Tibetan identity. An online petition gathered more than 10,000 signatures calling for Lhamo to step down because of her pro-independence statements regarding Tibet and Taiwan.
“We strongly disagree with Lhamo’s political statements and her participation in political campaigns that were clearly against Chinese history, Chinese laws, and Chinese students’ rights,” wrote a student who started the petition online after Lhamo was elected in March.
Chinese international students have become a prominent group at most U.S. schools in recent years. They made up nearly 60 percent of Emerson’s undergraduate international student population in fall 2018, according to the college’s Impact Report on Internationalization.
While it is globally agreed that Hong Kong and Taiwan are different entities from China politically, socially, and financially, it is important for colleges to be politically correct by educating themselves on international politics.
During my orientation in last fall, the School of Communication’s presentation about international exchange programs listed my hometown as “Hong Kong, China.” This move might flatter most of the Chinese students at Emerson, yet it upsets me to see how unaware the college is to this topic.
If the college promotes their education abroad programs to broaden students’ global vision, they must be more cognizant and knowledgeable of the places they accept students from and send students to.
I have never felt so desperate to find other people from Hong Kong and advocate for my culture. I recognize the absence of that voice on campus for Taiwanese, Hongkongers and other Chinese minority groups.
At my previous college in Seattle, faculty members hosted a panel that I spoke on alongside other students from Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan. Throughout the event, we touched on similarities and differences between the three cultures and educated the audience on controversial advocacy in Hong Kong and Taiwan. At the end of the panel, everyone seemed to leave with lingering curiosity to continue the conversation and an understanding of differences between us.
Instead of avoiding sensitive political topics to stay away from conflict, there should be more discussions on these issues to provide different students with an inclusive platform to voice their opinions. Everyone, including students from China or Hong Kong, should keep their minds open for new information and perspectives so as to learn from others.
It’s easy to exclude dissidents, but that only reinforces the problem and enlarges the gap between different nationalities. People should acknowledge the differences and participate in those conversations, despite all of the political tension within these places. This is important to provide a comfortable environment for people to identify themselves as who they want to be.
Although it was difficult facing judgment and disdain as one of the few Hongkongers at Emerson, I will strongly hold onto that identity because I am proud and I want to tell people where my actual home is.
4/25/19: A previous version of this article stated legislators of the Legislative Council are elected every five years. Legislators are elected every four years. The article has been changed to reflect that.
Passing Thoughts / Apr 26, 2019 at 3:32 pm
Leaving a comment solely due to the annoying use of “our own language” in the comments as some grand, distinct difference. Dude, you “HKers” speak Cantonese, a CHINESE DIALECT spoken in and named after a Chinese province … it is no different from Shanghainese or any of the other dialects spoken in many other Chinese cities and provinces – you are NOT that special!
The other cultural, core values, etc. points I can understand (though, the reality is, give the CCP a few generations, and that’ll all be moot, just like people are praising the Queen now when 5 generations ago their ancestors probably weren’t thrilled with being colonized by the Brits either), but please, stop with the language thing, it just reeks of misplaced arrogance and undermines your argument.
As a final note (since I’m already commenting), I had always found the Chinese government’s actions in recent years in HK to be harsh and unwarranted, stupid for alienating the people. However, seeing the comments here, I now understand why they are doing this — clearly they have given up on pleasing these couple of generations of “HKers” who will never identify as Chinese anyway. Since there’s no way to buy your hearts, you and your feelings are now calculated write-offs. They’ll be focused on cultivating (brainwashing…call it what you will) and transplanting the next generations. HK will be the reverse Taiwan (which is more and more splintered off as the One-China advocates/KMT/old guard die off – no hope of reunification without full out war imo). Sure, the post-hand-off treatment of HK presumably won’t fall on the right side of history, but as they say, to the victor goes the spoils … kind of like how the Brits got HK in the first place – full circle look at that!
Latcho / Apr 26, 2019 at 2:26 pm
Your right, Hong Kong is not China!!
Ho / Apr 26, 2019 at 12:00 pm
As a HongKonger, I admit that it is very hard to tell people such as my American friends that I am from China. I have a lot of Chinese friends but we are so culturally different that I could not help differentiate myself from them. I could not even say that I take pride in China because I have never recognized it as my country. I was born and raised in Hong Kong before 1997. I spent 95% of my childhood life in Hong Kong. The education, culture, and languages we spoke, are isolated from China too. How would I say that I am from China? I am from China = I am a mainlander, which I am not as a fact.
I think our mainlanders counterpart need to think about this: if one day, Japanese takes over China. Will the mainland Chinese, on the next day, tell the others that they are from Japan? I bet not. Will Hongkonger tell the others that they are from Japan? I bet not too.
However, in a long run, the differentiation between China and Hong Kong will be diminished given the assimilation taking place in Hong Kong right now. I am not saying the culture of the mainlanders is unacceptable (who am I to judge) but they are simply not HKish. So, the more days I stay away from HK, the more distant feeling I have to the city.
Desiree / Apr 26, 2019 at 11:18 am
Support! Proud to be a Hongkonger??
Ben / Apr 26, 2019 at 10:35 am
As a HKer I identify as Chinese from Hong Kong. I’m not going to throw away my ethnic identity just because the british colonized us.
Ken cheung / Apr 26, 2019 at 8:29 am
I’m from Hong kong , Not China !
The Chinese should not be rich because Chinese has no integrity. It will only destroy the work that everyone lives and does. The Chinese do not need to be pitiful.
Carla / Apr 26, 2019 at 7:56 am
Support ????
Tom Chow / Apr 26, 2019 at 5:53 am
加油! RESPECT!
A post 80s Chinese from Hong Kong / Apr 26, 2019 at 3:28 am
Hi Frances,
I’m really glad that you speak for Hong Kong and being proud to be a HongKonger. I seldom talk about this in public but I would like to express some of my opinions after reading your post.
I’m a post 80s, born and grew up in HK, studied in local school, saw what happened in the 1989 Tiananmen Square on TV. I experienced the time when my relatives and many families were afraid of the Communist government and decided to leave Hong Kong. I was in Hong Kong during the hangover. I saw a lot of the emigrated Hong Kong people came back after the hangover. Then experience the tighten of freedom in recent years. However, all these are about politics and economies. It won’t affect your root and identity. Even with all these events happened, I still call myself a Chinese and I’m from Hong Kong. Cantonese and Chinese culture have a long history. The characters we write, the language we speak, all came from the heart and centre of China. That’s why Cantonese speaking people can understand better the poems from Tong and Song dynasty. How Hong Kong has developed the specialized culture was not because the British but because our ancestors came to Hong Kong to protect the Chinese culture. Frankly speaking, I would say Hong Kong people have the greatest rights to tell the world that we are Chinese. We speak authentic Chinese and we write authentic Chinese. As a Hong Kong grown up, what I understand is that we are actually disagree being ruled by the Communist party, not being a Chinese who was raised under the Chinese culture.
Yes, we think that mainlanders are uncivilized and it’s like our home being invaded. I agree but it’s not all their fault. It’s again political issues. They have been altered in the last 60 years and being treated unfairly in the last century. Like most of the Hong Kong people, sometimes I would have hatred of their attitude and actions. However, when I think deep, we are all from the same root, can we embrace them and make them being good Chinese again? Hong Kong being a part of China, that’s a fact, speaking legally, politically correct and have world-wide consensus. We cannot refuse we have to be labelled coming from “Hong Kong, China”. When we go travel, we still use HKSAR passport. So, I hope you do not feel bad about this as you cannot force others being not politically correct.
I’m currently working in Taiwan. Sometimes I feel strange when some of my friends refuse being Chinese as their parents came from China and some of them have the roots from the Nationalist government officials. I also meet a lot of immigrates in Europe that they still write authentic Chinese and speak Cantonese (or other southern languages). They still tell people that they are Chinese. As a Hongkonger, I’m really glad that you stood up and I do hope we can protect Chinese culture and spread to all Chinese being altered or distracted. Insist calling yourself differently is actually making differentiation and this is how some power would like to fool you to make chaos. If the large group of people refuse to listen to us, then the real Chinese will really be dead. I know this is hard, we are speaking 7M vs 1.3B people but I would appreciate if you, as a Hongkonger, can convert this energy to make Chinese, the ethnic, and Chinese culture great again.
I’m a Hongkonger and I’m a Chinese from Hong Kong.
Janet / Apr 26, 2019 at 3:15 am
I was born and raised in Hong Kong. Now I m doing architecture in the UK. Partly agree with what you said, I always introduce myself as a person from Hong Kong , yes , a Chinese . I see it as a racial thing . That is undeniable . But honestly Hong Kong and China are indeed different .
Dominic / Apr 26, 2019 at 2:49 am
Great reflection
>.sa. / Apr 26, 2019 at 2:36 am
Mentally colonized
Rainbow Tang / Apr 26, 2019 at 2:10 am
Support from a Hongkonger in Hong Kong, really appreciated for telling the truth
Hong Kong is NOT China, that’s a simple facts
Anti-Uncle Tom / Apr 26, 2019 at 1:38 am
A whole lot of Uncle Tom’s in the comments section.
Gigi Cheng / Apr 26, 2019 at 1:06 am
Yes, I am from Hong Kong. Well Support!!
At least, we can speak whatever we want, but China can’t.
Vicky Ng / Apr 26, 2019 at 12:58 am
Support from Hong Kong!
Liyan Wang / Apr 26, 2019 at 12:50 am
I am Chinese but I pretent to be HongKongker when I travel to avoid being diacriminated. There are so many Chinese waiting to migrate to Hong Kong!
Xi’s family 99% gave up their Chinese passport, may i know why??
Leo L / Apr 26, 2019 at 12:28 am
I felt the same as you
I’m from Hong Kong, not China
WY / Apr 26, 2019 at 12:20 am
Well said! China just can’t respect minority and the fundamental differences from Hong Kong/ Taiwan/ Tibet.
I am proud to be a Hongkonger!
Amy / Apr 26, 2019 at 12:06 am
Very well said! Once again “Hong Kong is not China!”
Hongkonger / Apr 26, 2019 at 12:03 am
Thanks for writing this, thanks for voicing up THE FACT even though you will face difficulty. You speak out my thought accurately!
Our freedom and culture should not be taken and erased!
Please spread this article out to the world, HONG KONG IS NOT CHINA.
Gloria / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:34 pm
Yes, that’s true. We are never the same. Chinese and HongKonger, the culture, history, development, core value are totally different. Don’t treat us as a city in China. We have freedom while you don’t. We don’t spit while you do.
For those comment here, especially those Chinese who always think that HongKonger should never call ourselves as HongKongers. I understand you are proud of being a Chinese, and please accept we don’t. I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
And stay strong Frances, you are never alone. Here, we HongKonger support you 🙂 Thanks for writing such a fabulous article to let the world know, we come from a city called HONG KONG. It is owned by a country but we will never belong to.
Charlotte CHan / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:05 pm
A piece of courageous and convincing statement！ As a Hongkonger, I’m proud of you!!
TTL / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:40 pm
Supporting for HK!
Jo / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:19 pm
There are not many people who speak out for Hongkongers nowadays, thanks so much!
Isaac Wong / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:07 pm
HK is HK
Taiwan is Taiwan
China is China
The Communist Party of China has never ruled Hong Kong & Taiwan. NEVER!!!!
Jolin C. / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:02 pm
Feel free to call yourself a Hongkonger because you are. Feel free to say Hong Kong does not belong to China because that’s your political view. However, as you are writing an article on such a sensitive and complex topic, keep in mind that a large number of your readers will be Americans who are not familiar with the politics and history of both Hong Kong and China. To prove your point, discuss your own experience growing up in Hong Kong and how you shaped your political views based on your backgrounds and education. You don’t do it by making assumptions about China that can mislead Americans who don’t have sufficient knowledge of China’s policies and situations and hurt Chinese people’s feelings.
What I came up from your article was that the “majority” Chinese people disrespected the political views of the “small groups” of students from Hong Kong, Tibet, and Taiwan and that you didn’t have your political freedom because of the pressure. I think you should be careful with your word choices. You can give examples to prove that these phenomena existed in your case, but after reading your article, I could have come to the conclusion that the entire Chinese community is disrespectful to people from Hong Kong. I disagree with this kind of inaccurate message in a journalist’s article.
I read the follow-up letter by the three Chinese students at Emerson. To me, both sides are just citing sources that can validate their points of views. Obviously, for whatever points of view, we can always find “evidence” that prove them. The focus here is neither to argue how many Hong Kong people identify themselves as Chinese nor to argue whether Hong Kong belongs to China, because obviously, we will draw different conclusions based on our own backgrounds and education. However, as a journalism student writing such a sensitive topic, I think we can do a better job informing the public to be open-minded and form their independent opinions, instead of directing them to make inaccurate assumptions about China.
Tiffany Li / Apr 25, 2019 at 9:42 pm
Supports from Hong Kong. Thanks for writing this comprehensive article and help shedding spotlight for this issue. It includes many good points on how hong kong differ from China and it’s really helpful to explain to foreigners. Good job and proud of you!
Yourmom / Apr 25, 2019 at 9:25 pm
Hongkong belongs to China.
Fred / Apr 25, 2019 at 9:19 pm
HK born and raised HK guy to show some support here! Thanks for telling the truth, people nowadays is even not dare to speak true, enough for silent, time to wake up
A 50 year old born in the British Hong Kong / Apr 25, 2019 at 9:05 pm
Dear Frances,
I admire the critical thinking behind your article. Whether it is politically or legally correct is beside the point. We are talking about our subjective perception, or on a higher level, our conscience. That is why I have no comment for those from Mainland criticing your article. In a democratic society, it is their rights to hold on to what they believe, if it is really what they believe..
Your article explains why most Hong Kong people (not those from Mainland after 1997) do not like the present Hong Kong. The problem is not really with what the British had given to Hong Kong, the problems are really what the Chinese Government is… It always surprises me that everyone from China highly praises the Mainland Government, and how advance is China, yet everyone of them try their best to leave China… I suppose this is “actions speak louder than words”…
MF Yip / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:38 pm
I agreed what you said!!! Thanks for speak out for Hong Kong??!!
Keith Chiu / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:24 pm
Respect
24yo HKer / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:40 pm
When there are no Shanghai China, or Beijing China, why emphasizing HK China. Simply adding “China” did not make a person feel more connected with the country, not to mention the hateful comments and threat every time when ppl commenting HK.
IMFROMHK / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:30 pm
Thanks for your sharing. With the historical background, we have got our identities as ‘Hong Kongers’ since 1842. No one can take that away from us. I guess those who wants to rewrite the history should work exordinarily to invent a time machine. But need to make sure that the machine won’t explode before the mission or it still works well when returning. Good luck!
Carrie Lam / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:39 pm
China PRC is part of Hong Kong. So one country two system is nonsense. Only China is ruled by Hong Kong, the peace of world can only be able to persist. If contrary, the world war will happen again, and soon.
CM / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:22 pm
Well said. So proud of you.
ccColding / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:57 pm
If I must make a complaint on this, …that would be HK has absolutely nothing to do with China. It was the Chin Dynasty (not china) that ceded the HK island and KW Peninsula permanently to the GB.
Anyway, Hker will prevail. Blessing from your fellow HKer.
Paul / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:54 pm
It is very interesting to see some people being punished by just saying where are they coming from.
As a Hong Kongese, when we say we are coming from Hong Kong, most of us do not deny the fact that Hong Kong is part of China’s territory. When the people from California saying that they come from California, are they actually deny they are Americans? Plus the fact that Hong Kong has its own language, own currency, own passport, etc. We can see Hong Kong is very culturally different compared the mainland China, and that is why we prefer to be differently identified. Keep in mind that when we say we are coming from Hong Kong, we DO NOT mean we obtain a “higher status”, or a “better identity”. Searching the global nationality list, you can find Hong Kong is one of the members. When we fill-in official documents and they ask for nationality, we always put down Hong Kong into the box. Once again, it does not necessarily mean Hong Kong is a country, so please do not overreacted.
Everyone should have their own freedom to choose where they feel like to belongs to. As some of the above comments have mentioned, it is a personal preferences. We shall understand and respect each other’s identity, rather than punish or criticize. Otherwise, it makes no difference between the Communist Party: losing the freedom to express whatever I prefer to belongs to.
Jerry / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:48 pm
My parents are from Hong Kong and myself were born in New Jersey in 1987. I strongly disagree with this article, as I grew up my parents taught me one should never forget about their identity. I am Chinese American, Chinese first then American second. I valued my Chinese heritage a lot even my Polish wife adapted to the culture. I realized Hong Kong is under lots of pressure from the central government, but getting rid of your identity or create a new one won’t win over any respects from the world.
chris / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:35 pm
Are you sure you were born in New Jersey? To be honest, your English appears pretty broken to me. Tons of grammatical errors!
Jerry W / Apr 25, 2019 at 7:29 pm
Does grammar have to be perfect to express my opinion? I was at the gym lifting while typing. Are you interweb grammar police or what not. Might as well working for grammarly if you enjoy doing so. Do you need to see my birth cert to hold validity on my point? I have no feeling for Hong Kong honestly speaking, I only been there for couple of times, not liking a lot because ignorant folks like you. But I do respect my root and culture, and very proud of it indeed. I would advise you to be more open minded when comes to opinions that you don’t agree on.
chris / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:43 pm
Sorry for casting doubt on your identity but you are perhaps unaware of how many Chinese trolls there are on the internet! You are of course entitled to your opinion but I have to say you do not really understand how much the ignorant folks(in your words) in Hong Kong have gone through in the last 20 years given that you have only been there a few times and don’t really feel much for the city. Also you probably don’t really know(or do you care?) the differences between Hong Kong and Chinese culture. Hong Kong has developed its own culture through the 150 years while it was under British rule. During the same time, China went through lots of political upheavals and developed their own culture.
Sick / Apr 26, 2019 at 9:13 am
Agree. Jerry is lucky enough to have parents who were willing to leave everything behind to give him the American nationality. But he couldn’t speak for the Hong Kongers. He is just one of American born Chinese in the States whose family is from Hong Kong. I was in the States too, and my parents decided to return to Hong Kong after 1997. They sent my brother and me right back to the States when we finished Grade 8, because they know how sick Hong Kong has become. I see Hong Kong as my hometown unlike Jerry, I love Hong Kong. I grew up in Hong Kong, and I spent half of my life in Hong Kong. I saw how things were going down, and I feel the same as all other Hong Kongers. What Jerry said about identifying him as Chinese is different from what article said. Jerry just agreed that he is ethically Chinese (華人), but not Chinese (中國人). Jerry simply doesn’t know what is going on in Hong Kong, and doesn’t comprehend what messages the article has delivered.
Sine Qua Non / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:41 pm
American students and politicians should realize that Hong Kong is not China, that Hong Kong is anti-China, but that China is occupying Hong Kong and using it to do many bad things globally and secretly, such as relying on people like Patrick Ho, ex-HKSAR government official, to conduct bribery to corrupt America and other countries. Ho is now serving jail sentence in New York. But that is not enough. America should help Hong Kong to become independent of China in all respects, which will be good for America as well. Hong Kong people mostly are descendants of immigrants from China, just like most Americans were descendants from the British. The Americans became independent. Now it is the turn of the Hong Kong people to be independent too. Americans revolted because of unfair taxes. Hong Kong people revolt on much more substantive grounds!
Rebecca Leung / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:39 pm
Dear Frances, as a fellow Hongkonger who is also in the States, I just wanna come here and give you my support! Hong Kong is NOT China, and every time people ask me where I am from, I say Hong Kong, NEVER China! Be strong, there are a lot of Mainland trolls who will come and attack you…… but please know we are on your side. Those mainland trolls are what we say ” body is most honest”, while they say they are patriotic and they love China, they will do absolutely anything to stay in the States to get a green card.. such hypocrites… ignore them… be strong girl!
Democracy / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:16 pm
support Hongkongers. You are not alone.
Judy Adams / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:42 pm
Hong Kong has been a colony of Britain for 156 years, and despite that 99% are Chinese, Hong Kong is very different from mainland China. I don’t see any reason why people from Hong Kong cannot claim themselves as HongKongers.
HongKongIndependent / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:12 pm
Of course, Hong Kong is not China, I used to hope Hong Kong can independent and recently China makes Hong Kong getting worse day by day. Fxxking Chi na.
Ken Ho / Apr 25, 2019 at 12:55 pm
Well, many people ask for a comment from a local Hong Konger, here it is.
I am one of the students from The University of Hong Kong, a local Hong Kongese, born and raised in this beautiful land. My parents are Chinese, of course, they flee from China during the period of cultural revolution.
I understand that Hong Kong is part of China because it was stated in the basic law, article 1. Yet, the problem for ethnic identities is that people could have more than one identities, one could acknowledge oneself as Hong Kongese, Chinese, a global citizen or even a gorilla, at the same time. We have to understand that a person’s ethnic identities should not be restricted by laws or other forms of written restrictions, it is a personal matter. People in Ukraine could say they were Ukrainian and/or Russian, people in Scotland could say they were Scottish and/or English. The same goes for Hong Konger, we could say we were Hong Kongese and/or Chinese, not mutually exclusive. According to the latest research figures by The Public Opinion Programme (POP) on ethnic identities of Hong Kong people, 40% would identify themselves as Hong Konger and 43.2% identify themselves as mixed identities. Nobody should be able to criticize others if they did not identify themselves as something, not even Hong Konger, ourselves.
In the year of 1960, The United Nation adopted the 《Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples》. Yet, Hong Kong and Macao were taken out from the colonial list in the 2908 resolution of The United Nations, 1972 as China protested severely., and Hong Konger, ourselves, could not say a word towards the whole resolution.
Maybe it is worthless to spend time discussing the past, let us focus on the current situation, shall we? Now we go on to the issue of “One country, two systems”. This arrangement was no more than a nominal thing nowadays, we saw a book shop owner in HK that sold censored books in China was “disappeared” and later appeared on Chinese television saying “sorry” to all Chinese people. We saw a Chinese controlled area appears in Hong Kong territory, a blatant attack on the basic law. We are also currently witnessing the amendments to Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance, which would possibly allow criminals in Hong Kong to be freely transferred back to the mainland to face the law of the Chinese, I, as a Hong Konger, are now feared that I would be sent north to face Chinese law (not the basic law) if I criticize the Chinese government one day.
There is much more issue concerning the two identities, difference or clash in cultures, languages and mindset, and could not be discussed in such short paragraphs.
I know you have been wondering what would I identify as. I declare myself firmly and strongly as a Hong Kongese, a global citizen, nothing else.
Joe KFC Yau / Apr 25, 2019 at 12:23 pm
You have a fellow Hongkonger support who lives 160 miles west of Boston. Keep up the fight cos it’s gonna be a long tiring and nasty battle to the ChiCom. Commie is evil.
Thomas Nicholls / Apr 25, 2019 at 12:13 pm
I was born in British Hong Kong in 1967, not Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong was not part of China in 1967, and that is a historical fact. I always tell people that I am from British Hong Kong. From today’s viewpoint, just “Hong Kong” is not good enough because it is too confusing. One has to distinguish between pre and post-1997 Hong Kong very clearly. Most of my documents and papers also show my place of birth as British Hong Kong. I am British and will always be because I was born in British Hong Kong (pursuant to the British Nationality Act before 1981). I am very proud to be British, having lived in the Commonwealth all my life (I currently live in Canada). I have never set foot on Chinese soil, including Chinese Hong Kong, after 1997.
Hilary / Apr 25, 2019 at 12:11 pm
As someone from Hong Kong, my position is quite simple. Hong Kong is still clearly objectively a distinctive identity, or we Hongkongers would not require a permit to even have a stopover in (mainland) China. And many other things. The fact that we’re not allowed to join the Chinese military at all also makes us an occupied territory.
As an expat living outside of Greater China for many years, it’s also very important to me to make that distinction, even only for visa purposes. And the reality is that even though most countries’ immigration officers don’t know the difference (the Argentine one was wondering if he should put me down as China or Taiwan), the policies are different. And even in North Korea, the officer singled me out for holding a Hong Kong passport on a bus full of Chinese tourists.
So my simple position is this: When I was born and growing up, Hong Kong was British. My birth certificate has a British coat of arms, and my first passport was British. The colonial systems have largely been kept today under China, except Hong Kong is now supposedly even more autonomous than before (eg people used to be able to appeal to the Privy Council in London, but you cannot appeal to Beijing legally speaking).
So, if someone born in Hong Kong today is “from China”, then fine. I’m from the UK, then?
john / Apr 25, 2019 at 12:09 pm
nice
mic Li / Apr 25, 2019 at 12:08 pm
I like hong kong, I was born in hong kong. I love hong kong ?
Peter / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:54 am
I couldn’t agree with you more: Hong Kong is indeed not part of China, and the same with Taiwan is not part of China. Mainland Chinese are brainwashed by the evil communist’s propaganda. Look at all the troll comments left by the mainland Chinese and you will agree that Hong Kong is definitely not China, period.
Terry / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:48 am
Hong Kong is belong to China!
Not People of Republic of China.
If insist us belong to PRC, I vote independent.
Cheung Man / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:39 am
I’m so appreciate that you use what you’ve learnt in school to speak up we are different from Chinese citizens. Support!
Aiden / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:37 am
Proud to be a HongKonger, you’re not alone.
Hong Kong is not China.
Cliff Yuen / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:36 am
When HK was part of GB no one urged us to claim some BS like “I am from Hong Kong, British”. Why this have to change when Hong Kong is under PRC dictatorship?
Hazel Lau / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:14 am
Yes. As 100% Hongkonger, I totally agreed with you. Don’t feel Comfortable while people assume I came from China, and speck putonghua.
Besides, really tied of those “glass heart” Chinese.
RAYMOND YEUNG / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:12 am
HONG KONG IS NOT CHINA
同路人加油
Peppa / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:09 am
Mr Hui (the author) shares the same thought of many young Hongkongers, including myself. Both historical and current events contributed to the identity issue.
Hongkongers were once less concerned about their identities in the past. In the last few years the PRC has tightened control over Hong Kong. Many of those who protested for democracy (that the PRC promised) were jailed. Even the legislators we elected were banned. These recent political events triggered the identity debate.
For those who are not familiar with China issue, it should be noted that the term “China” (Chinese) may come in different meanings. China (or Chinese) may mean a race, the general term for the culture or the country PRC or ROC. People in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong are probably not talking about the same “China”. The PRC claims to be the only successor to Chinese culture and all territories historically held by the feudal China. By saying Hong Kong is not China, we are not abandoning our cultural root. Instead, we are distinguishing ourselves from the PRC regime, who oppressed the people of Hong Kong.
Back in the 80s, PRC demanded to take over the city, claiming it was the will of all Chinese people. But in 1982, before the UK and China signed the agreement to determine the future of colony, a survey shows 85% of the local residents preferred to remain a British colony or to be become a trust territory. None of these people, nor any of the 5.5 million Hong Kong residents (at that time), were represented in the negotiation nor they were given any option not to join the PRC, since the PRC prohibited any of them from participation, not even as part of the British or Chinese team. (They called it the “three-legged stool”) Until today, people from Hong Kong are being treated as foreigners by the PRC to certain extent. We are banned from joining the Chinese government and military force, we even need a permit to enter mainland China.
Culture-wise, Hong Kong was ruled by the British for more than 150 years (from 1984 to 1997) while mainland China underwent dramatic changes, including the collapse of imperial China in 1911, the civil wars before and after WWII and all the political “events” like cultural revolution, tiananmen square massacre, etc., Hong Kong has developed its unique culture. On one hand it inherits the traditional Chinese culture, including the language. Cantonese and traditional Chinese are used by the majority of the Hong Kong population of 7.8 million. Both of which are either banned or not used in mainland China. Other elements of traditional culture, like arts, values, customs, kungfu, etc are also preserved here. The PRC on the other hand made its best effort in the 60s-70s to eradicate traditional Chinese culture. At the same time, Hong Kong absorbs westerns cultures. Food, religion, music, you name it. Lunar new year and Christmas are equally important to Hongkongers. The result is a unique fusion culture that we are proud of and we find a strong sense of belonging here.
Note: The author is correct in pointing out part of the city of permanently ceded and a bigger part was leased to the UK by the historic Qing China. The British HK government didn’t differentiae the two parts in planning. Significant local population have lived in the leased part while major commercial activities have been taking place in the permanent part. Handing part of the city to China was never an option.
Nissi / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:09 am
I am HongKonger. I just want to show some support here. I really appreciate that you speak out and let more people to know about Hong Kong. I also appreciate that Berkeley Beacon didn’t take down the article because of some chinese students complained.
I know Frances you are going through some difficult moment and under a lot of stress because of the article.
Please take care and try you best to stand for your ground. We need more people like to you to be brave enough to stand up and speak out.
Thank you, Frances.
Chris / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:54 am
Frances, thanks for speaking up for us Hongkongers! I agreed with what you said. If I may add just one more point……Hongkongers and most of the mainland Chinese don’t even speak the same language! And Hongkongers born before 1997 are generally entitled to apply for a British national overseas passport. (though I must say that a passport does not really define who you are. If it did, who would these people who carry multiple passports be?)
Adrian Tam / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:45 am
Are you a Roman?
If you ask this question in Italy, likely what it means is whether a person lives in Rome, rather than speaking Latin, keeping slaves, worshiping Jupiter, and love watching gladiators fight. The meaning of the word Roman changed. The Roman nowadays seldom can read Cicero. So as Chinese.
I am a Hongkonger. I write and speak Chinese, but I find myself quite difficult to understand Chinese. If you are confused about the last sentence, that is the reason we are denying we are Chinese — because we are like the Latin-speaking Roman and do not want to be confused with the Italian speaking Roman. Thank god our parents and grandparents are protected by the British to stay away from the Communists. And we still keep our language and culture and folklore like without the influence of the Communism. That is why we found ourselves culturally more coherent with the Taiwanese people than the mainland Chinese (see, I have to use mainland to distinguish different meaning of Chinese). May be I am too young to remember the time of Generalissimo Chiang in Taiwan but I never need to argue about the value of freedom and democracy with Taiwanese people. This is not the case for the mainland Chinese.
If anyone want to accuse me for not being Chinese, that is because the word Chinese is ambiguous. I will gladly accept that I am a Chinese if you are talking about the tea, the literature in Tang dynasty, or confucius philosophy dated back to 3000 years ago. I believe in the Chinese value that values humanity. But if you are thinking about a country with impressive economic growth in the past decade while keeping the Nobel Laureate Liu Xiao Bo in jail until his death, I am not Chinese.
Thomas Nicholls / Apr 25, 2019 at 12:27 pm
It is interesting that you use Italy as an example. Rome, the capital of Italy today, was the centre of the Roman Empire, which once invaded Britain and controlled part of England. Hong Kong, similarly, was once part of the Qing Empire which ruled over East Asia. As you know, the Qing Empire ceded HK to Britain in the 19th century,but the empire has since dissolved. China is one of the successor states to that vast empire.
Do you think that Italy may lay claims to the United Kingdom or part of it today because its predecessor state, the Roman Empire, once ruled over part of the UK?
Such is the ridiculousness of the Chinese “claim” to Hong Kong!
Ben / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:17 am
China is a nation with a five-thousand-year history. CCP is only 70 year, Party can be replaced, but China will still exist
Vivian / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:09 am
I am a Chinese National, born and raised in Mainland China from the 90s to 2010s. I am anti-Communism, I don’t like the communist party regime, I dislike this government’s dictatorship in every way and perhaps life in China overall. In fact, I have always been pro Hong Kong and Taiwan independence because Mao and his successors have ignorantly destroyed or are still sabotaging our rich historical cultural heritage which I used to believe were better conserved and passed over in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Yet it disappoints me more and more these years as I see the new Hong Kong generation being too naive and narrow-minded to look at this issue in a bigger picture. I’m sorry but in one simple word this generation is just …lame. I don’t think your generation can take on the role of either restoring the democratic China (民國), or building a better Hong Kong, if gained independence.
Oh I miss the old Hong Kong and people back from the 80s. Best time 最好的年代 ❤️
Walter / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:04 am
While it’s good to see the author mentioning the cultural and political differences between HK, CN and TW, being as objective as she can and makes it a great food for thought. Some repliers still just throw off the stuffs they were implanted with, and miss the chance to dig deep into the reasons causing such a difference…
Back in the school days, a anthropology professor explained how the authorities in different eras implants the concept of ‘ethnic group’ to the people : maps (create a geological boundary for separation), historical records (describe or hide past events and entities to affect public perception), and numbers (like population, GDP .etc, for comparison between groups)
Once the methods used by authorities to strengthen ‘identity agreement’ are identified, we can withdraw from their effect and observe the ‘identity formation’ process in two main parts: What the authorities do towards the people, and how the people respond
During the British Hong Kong government era, those officers assigned to work in HK have to attend courses, and pass the test which checks their knowledge about the HK culture. The British government also gave them a name written in Traditional Chinese (which has a similar pronunciation towards their English one), as a way to not just showing their respect to the local culture, but also facilitate the communication between the authority and citizens.
Let alone the efforts they have done during the 1956 riots and the 1967 Leftist riots against those who set fire and bombs causing hundreds of casualties.
For the things the RPC government have done to HK after 1997, it’s not so difficult to guess their attitude towards the HK culture: Mandarin was introduced to try replacing Cantonese for teaching traditional chinese, some government officers even said HK people should learn simplified chinese instead… The Causeway Bay Books Disappearances and the recent extradition law controversy even makes RPC’s will more clear than ever: they don’t respect the existing cultural and political difference, and want to turn HK into the same place as them – a place without the human rights stated in ICCPR and ICESCR. Given those events and government officers’ speech it’s not surprise the concept of HongKonger emerges, as people want their culture to be respected.
A entity’s image is not formed by what he says, but by what he does. Relationships exist in bidirectional manner, and should not be enforced by one over the other. I have mentioned the situations of Hong Kong here, and I would like to know the opinion of the Taiwanese students about the place where they grew.
Paul Chan / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:03 am
I always wonder why the people from Mainland China never analyze the reason behind so many Chinese feel so disgusting to be associated with Mainland China.
Derek Ng / Apr 25, 2019 at 9:55 am
Proud of you Frances
Michel / Apr 25, 2019 at 9:50 am
The 150-year British rule has shaped a new identity in HK, incorporating Asian and European elements and culture. This is an identity beyond race. Those who embrace the culture, history and language of Hong Kong are true Hong Kongers.
Gao Fu Shuai / Apr 25, 2019 at 9:46 am
The Chinese students on this college campus seem to not know much about the repression that the government has had on Hong Kong. There is a reason they want freedom. Instead of writing these long, boring posts about supposed treaties, why not take time to educate yourself. You’ve been lied to, programmed to think that way, courtesy of the Chinese government propaganda machine. Wake up! You are denouncing your brothers and sisters who just want freedom to make their own choices.
A Secondary 4 student preparing for HKDSE exam / Apr 25, 2019 at 9:39 am
The identity of citizens in Hong Kong has been widely discussed. Being part of the syllabus of liberal studies in Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, a subject which emphasizes on critical thinking skills, this topic deserves to be further explored by Hong Kong, and even international students.
We should be very aware of the meanings of the word ‘identity’. National identity can be easily defined on one’s passport; while can also be referred to one’s sense of belonging to a nation (Tajfel, Henri; Turner, John C, 1986). Obviously, all Hong Kong citizens can gain an identity of living in ‘Hong Kong, China’. However, they also have the right to voice out their concerns about their subjective identity of being a Hongkonger, or Chinese, etc. I would like to analyse how the identities of ‘Hongkonger’ and ‘Chinese’ form among citizens in Hong Kong.
To factorize what leads to the change of identity among Hong Kong citizens, we have to more directly analyse it, while considering the events occurring historically. According to a continuous poll by HKU, in 1997, 60% of citizens identified themselves as Hongkongers. It decreased gradually to 50% in 2003 and reached 47% in 2008 with fluctuations, and skyrocketed to 70% in 2012, plateauing until now. For the identity of Chinese, 40% of citizens admitted that in 1997. With fluctuations, it rose to 50% in 2008, peaking at 52% in 2008. The identity of Chinese plummeted to 30% in 2012. The handover of Hong Kong happened in 1997. In 2003, a plague which was SARS broke out in Hong Kong. China held the Olympic Games in 2008. In 2012, the government proposed a compulsory ‘national education’ for secondary school students. In 2014, Occupying Central movement occurred after protestors found their expected universal suffrage for the Chief Executive of Hong Kong were not accepted by both central and Hong Kong government.
Hong Kong citizens may be proud to be a Hongkonger after the handover. This was referred to be the ’1997 effect’ (Cheng, Wong, 2002) because they now can own a unique passport issued in their home, which differs from that of mainlanders and British. With the deflation and economic downturn in 2003, Hongkongers may tend to refer themselves as Chinese because they can’t find the sense of security from the macroeconomic environment of Hong Kong. Some may seek China as the ultimate economic support to Hong Kong and be proud as a Chinese. In 2008, amid the jubilant atmosphere of China after the success of Olympic Games, more citizens tend to refer themselves as a Chinese, and forget their initial identity of Hongkonger (Fung, Chan, 2017). In 2012, the government sparked anger in the society after being doubted to ‘brainwash’ students through ‘national education’, and ironically strengthened the identity of Hongkonger among citizens as they would strive to retain their unique identity. Citizens also suspected whether this was intervened politically by the mainland government, not trying to identify themselves as a ‘Chinese’ after losing confidence in the central government, which promised ‘one country, two systems’ in 1984. In 2014, Hong Kong citizens became united to protest. They thought that the Chinese government failed to guarantee universal suffrage as stated in article 45 in Basic Law. Protestors, with other citizens, tried to strengthen their identity of a Hongkonger, while denied their identity of a Chinese.
It is observed that socio-economic factors and political factors played a very important role in the topic of identity of Hong Kong citizens. It is inappropriate if we say ‘people in somewhere should identify themselves as someone’ just purely because ‘they should be patriotic’ while ignoring other factors stated above. In my own opinion, legally, citizens in Hong Kong should be referred to live in ‘Hong Kong, China’ since it is an inevitable fact as citizens own a ‘Hong Kong, China’ passport. However, it is proved that different objective factors indeed affect the subjective identity of Hong Kong citizens. These provide solid reasons for Hui to identify herself as a ‘Hongkonger’.
Ken Kwok / Apr 25, 2019 at 9:10 am
Hong Kong is not China. Long live Hong Kong!
Ken Kwok / Apr 25, 2019 at 9:01 am
Hongkonger is not Chinese. Fucking China! Long live Hong Kong!
Lok / Apr 25, 2019 at 8:53 am
I am also a native Hongkonger who was born in 1995 and now is 24 years old. Although I was just a baby when the handover came, I can still witness the declare of Hong Kong after being so called ‘return back’ to China.
I can undoubtedly tell everyone the truth that our government is the servant of China. Every policy has the sake on the Chinese and Chinese government. A statistic was found that there is 150 Chinese who immigrate to Hong Kong EVERYDAY. It means the portion of Chinese in Hong Kong is increasing day by day. Our first language is Contonese, but not PuTongHua. However I hear Putonghua most of the time on street even students. The asslimation of Chinese to Hong Kong is obvious.
There is a weird phenomenon that I observe: The Chinese who escape from their own country eulogise how good China is and how proud they are being a Chinese. Plus they suppress all the objection towards the rule of China using freedom of speech, which is prohibited in China. It is how ironic they act.
As a native HongKonger, I don’t see any future to this place. Apparently it turns to a City to China in terms of human rights gradually. I will try my best to resist erosion by China until a day that I fully desperated to this country that I used to be proud of.
Siu Yan / Apr 25, 2019 at 8:46 am
Hong Kong and China embrace different cultures, what’s wrong to refer ourselves as Hong Kongers? My root is from Hong Kong and my mother tounge is Cantonese. Sorry to say that, I have no ties with China at all. For those who think that Hong Kong is returned to China and hence we should be referred as Chinese, please visit Hong Kong and find out our difference. At the very least, we can access the internet freely while Chinese needs to break the firewall to see what it’s like outside. We enjoy the freedom of speech!
Andy / Apr 25, 2019 at 8:15 am
What a great sharing. You tell the world the true and facts “HK is not China”. Heartly thanks for your efforts. Although HK is going to the worst situtation after 1997, HKers will try the best to get back their freedom and democracy.
Alex Chow / Apr 25, 2019 at 8:03 am
I’m really proud of you voicing support for Hongkonger. And, I hope those Chinese students will learn to respect others’ cultural identities.
Chan / Apr 25, 2019 at 7:32 am
Hong Kong is not China.
Tim / Apr 25, 2019 at 7:30 am
Hong Kong people didn’t have any chance to choose their route. They forced to be ceded and forced to be transferred. Their government and law are not established on their will.
We should be men first, and subjects afterwards. Only a man can decide who is he, it is not a matter of nationality, culture, history, bloodline, race or anything else. By the principle of tolerance and respect, there is no reason to challenge one’s conscience. No one should be destined to accept an identity which he questioned and ignored.
tat / Apr 25, 2019 at 7:24 am
Hong-Kongese can negotiate with PRC in a peaceful manner unless PRC wants to slaughter its people again just what it did in 1989.
I am doubtful about the legitimacy of PRC to Hong Kong. Did PRC concern Hong-Kongese’s willingness?
See Wong / Apr 25, 2019 at 7:14 am
Thanks for sharing this so that more people may know more about Hong Kong, thanks!
peter / Apr 25, 2019 at 7:09 am
true
Henry Wong / Apr 25, 2019 at 7:02 am
Hong Kong is not China, but also not a country. Support Frances and hope you can promote Hong Kong!
KittyChan / Apr 25, 2019 at 7:02 am
I also come from Hong Kong. I agree with you.
David / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:56 am
The haters simply miss the point. We should not treat ‘identity’ from one angle only. Yes, it is universally acknowledged that Hong Kong is a part of China. Therefore, politically, Hong Kong people are Chinese. The citizens of Hong Kong has no room to deny it.
Yet, the cultural and social discrepancies between Hong Kong and mainland China has caused a conflict between the political identity and the sense of belonging in Hong Kong people’s mind. As a result, culturally, they regard themselves a unique group and name their identity ‘Hongkonger’.
Outsiders can never understand the feeling of being forced to fully accept a ‘politically correct’ identity and abandon others. While the author is urging for more understanding and acceptance of differences, some commenters neglect this key message and reply the passage with hateful language. It is totally a disgrace.
Hayley / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:54 am
Most of the Hongkonger would not be identified ourselves as Chinese as we have totally different cultures and systems, even the basic issue – the difference of language. So don’t try to let Hong Kong belong to and look same as China and please respect the culture of hong kong, learn and speak Cantonese with us when you come instead of saying your mandarin and aspected we all know what you all are talking about.
Hongkonger / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:48 am
Most of the Hongkonger would not be identified ourselves as Chinese as we have totally different cultures and systems, even the basic issue – the difference of language. So don’t try to let Hong Kong belong to and look same as the fxcking China and please respect the culture of hong kong, learn and speak Cantonese with us when you come instead of saying your fxxking mandarin and aspected we all know what the fxxk you are talking about.
Dan Thomas-Reid / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:43 am
There are different facets on every subject. In light of Hui’s perspective, I do concur with her. I am a British man who has resided in Hong kong for nearly three decades and I have seen the changes over the years. There are underlying issues where a lot of expatriates will not see, and until you have assimilated yourself into the HK society, understand their culture and language, then you have the rights to make a constructive criticism in this regard. Most of the comments I have seen on here are pitiful personal attack rather than an intellectual conversation.
PETER FOKAS / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:55 am
You could shorten you comment by
“fellow HongKongers” ,surrender or die
Just to save our time
samatha morrison / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:41 am
I have stayed in both China and Hong Kong for a long while, the people are clearly quite different to be honest ,to me Hong Kong is quite a “western” place (the people there,the rules there..etc) maybe due to the long history of being a British colony?(anyways I know Hong Kong is founded by Brits ,I do not quite understand why Hong Kong became a Chinese city later on)
I know there are many Chinese ethnic citizen residing in Hong Kong, but how does it make a British founded and built city (for over 150 years) a Chinese city? Tthis is a quite funny point in human history, I mean Chinese also contribute a major proportion of population in Singapore or other south east asian country, could this fact make those countries a Chinese cities and “hand-over” , “back” to China regime?
kkkkkkk / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:41 am
Hong Kong has no say on the discussion table when dealing with British-Sino Declaration. Both PRC and Britain didn’t give Hong Kong people a chance to speak out what we really want for our future. Why PRC insist of getting back Hong Kong? Simply because President Deng wanted to reinforce his power and status within CCP, he decided to get back Hong Kong as one of his major achievement in his session.
I hope all Chinese can open their eyes and mind when interacting with freedom and liberty, and stop using Chinese Imperialism to deal with territorial disputes. Let people choose what they want, is it that hard to imagine? That’s what freedom means.
I am 100% Hong-Konger, 0% Chinese.
Peter Wong / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:40 am
Frances did write a good article. Hope it won’t be soon taken down for some reasons like some video games, speeches, movies, posters, books.
The article by Frances has covered the big background but it is a pity it missed some points. For example, the education policy (the new generation stop speaking Cantonese anymore and you can only hear Mandarin as requested by the teachers), medical services (flooded by the Chinese), the policy of “One-way Permit ” (allow 150 Chinese migrate to Hong Kong per day starting from 1997, where HK government has no right to reject, so there have been about 1 million Chinese migrated to HK, accounted of 1/7 of HK population), Chinese people’s loss of confidence in their own food quality (so many Chinese visitors/travelers flooded into HK to buy mass of baby milk-powder, cosmetics), the uncomfortable behavior of Chinese (favor of jumping the queue, talking aloud, finding loopholes in rules, gaining petty advantages, etc. )
Hope Frances will write another article covering other points, not just the major (history, legal) points, but also the minor (policy, cultural difference, language) .
P.S. it has long been a culture slaves like protecting their master from being criticized, and request the other free people join them. Strange . Weird. Pathetic.
It is well said by Donald Trump, “I don’t understand why a country’s leaders, governors keep sending their children to US even they hate US)
Hugo / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:33 am
I, as a Hongkonger, have never denied the history of China, and I do love China, but the China it used to be.
And the people who talked about fake news from the western world is what distinguished us from them. Freedom of speech has always been our core values.
Goldenjai / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:21 am
Support from Yuen Long.
Jordan / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:11 am
Maybe Chinese people should think about what is the reason there are so many revoltation from the district they “owned”.
Jason L / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:08 am
This is after all about a self-identification process of the author: something rather personal. Some of the fierce response, especially from mainland Chinese circle, went so far to suggest that it is almost politically incorrect to address oneself as “Hongkonger”; one must and can only call himself/herself as “Chinese”. What’s wrong with these guys? It is just one way of expressing his/her own identity, and it is part of the freedom of speech that is granted to everyone in a civilized country like the US. The author did not even try to declare that Hong Kong is not part of China and should become an independent sovereignty, or persuade others to think so. She just presents her own thoughts on how and why Hong Kong is a different “place” to China to her, and also voices concern on, according to her own experience, how some of the ethnic Chinese outside the PRC are being forced to declare their identity as “Chinese” instead of whatever they truly feel comfortable to associate with in the face of other “Chinese” friends. Any literate person who have received some decent education would have noticed that this belongs to the realm of identity politics at most, not quite close to political struggle, and even no relation to anti-government movement whatsoever. So please DON‘T try to distort this piece of personal reflection as if it is a pamphlet that violates the Anti-Secession Law in PRC! Don’t escalate it to the level of nationalism and patriotism. I respect everyone’s freedom of speech (whichever side you may be on), but also criticize any attempts to try and silent any arguments or stances that is not music to one’s ear simply for being “politically incorrect”. This is intolerable.
Jason L / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:04 am
This is after all about a self-identification process of the author: something rather personal. Some of the fierce response, especially from mainland Chinese circle, went so far to suggest that it is almost politically incorrect to address oneself as “Hongkonger”; one must and can only call himself/herself as “Chinese”. What’s wrong with these guys? It is just one way of expressing his/her own identity, and it is part of the freedom of speech that is granted to everyone in a civilized country like the US. The author did not even try to declare that Hong Kong is not part of China and should become an independent sovereignty, or persuade others to think so. She just presents her own thoughts on how and why Hong Kong is a different “place” to China to her, and also voices concern on, according to her own experience, how some of the ethnic Chinese outside the PRC are being forced to declare their identity as “Chinese” instead of whatever they truly feel comfortable to associate with in the face of other “Chinese” friends. Any literate person who have received some decent education would have noticed that this belongs to the realm of identity politics at most, not quite close to political struggle, and even no relation to anti-government movement whatsoever. So please do try to distort this piece of personal reflection as if it is a pamphlet that violates the Anti-Secession Law in PRC! Don’t escalate it to the level of nationalism and patriotism. I respect everyone’s freedom of speech (whichever side you may be on), but also criticize any attempts to try and silent any arguments or stances that is not music to one’s ear simply for being “politically incorrect”. This is intolerable.
Hongkonger / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:58 am
Can’t agree more with “I am from a city owned by a country that I don’t belong to.”
A Hongkonger who respect Chinese / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:57 am
I, as a HongKonger, I don’t have a reason for myself to be identified as a Chinese although we got similar language and faces.
Having said that, we grew up in completely different economic, political and social system, Hong Kong has not rely on any help from China since the 1800s.
While HongKonger has been helping the Chinese before China is reform and opening up in 1979, and also until the recent years (2004 the great Earthquake of Sichuan). Recently, part of people from China keep claiming that without China, Hong Kong is done after they are getting rich in this decade.
Moreover, the China’s government trying to put their system (how they rule their country, like no freedom of speech, no freedom of election etc.) to Hong Kong. The Hong Kong people feel like they are being disturbed, exploited, that’s why Hong Kong people don’t like Chinese in this few years.
To be honest, I don’t mind to be friends with any in this world, I don’t mind if you are Chinese, White, Black or anyone else. I will not judge a people from their race, color, where they from etc. But please, respect our culture and core values, we HongKonger identity ourselves as Hongkonger doesn’t mean we cannot be friends with Chinese as long as you respect our culture and identity. And, we will also respect your identity and culture.
Curse and hatred doesn’t make things better, I truly hope people could respect and love anyone from different cultrue and country.
Andrew / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:55 am
When people are debating about the relationship between Hong Kong and China, I’ve realised many do disregard the history among, which leading to the consequences that we are now seeing. The extremely complicated history between Britain, China and Hong Kong are deeply twined, and I’m aware many may have excluded the comprehensive view while supporting their thoughts. My point is the generation from the past 2 decades (or more) were brought up in a totally different lifestyle (i.e. language, entertainment) and political environment, which I believed a background that a lot of ‘Hong Kongers’ are proud of. Despite that, I am hearing a lot of voices from different places who gave zero attention to that, and some even being a hypercorrection. So who is being disrespectful here? The fact that not a lot of places have the same situation as HK, nor you are FULLY exposed to the environment, is truly hard to give a fair opinion simply you had missed out a lot. I want to emphasise one point: Identity does not equal to nationalism. I believed calling ourselves ‘Hong Kongers’ does not discredit to anyone nor places, not even being xenophobic.
Shell / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:50 am
I totally agree with the author here. I am ethically Chinese, but it does not make me identify myself culturally as Chinese.
Fran / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:49 am
Oh boy…. typical hate speech comes. Lucky I have British passport in my hand. Not like the youngster born after June 1997 who have no choice but force to get a HKSAR passport. Most hongkonger don’t want the so called “handover” on 1997. By the way, PRC is a new country from 1949 but Hong Kong under British from 1842 which is 107years before PRC becomes a country. Also, Qing Dynasty inherited by ROC(Republic is China aka Taiwan) . Technically Hong Kong now is under Taiwan but Brits makes big mistake which caused the falling of Hong Kong now. Anyway, as a Hongkonger, support you. Don’t bother those nonsense people.
Johnny Chung / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:48 am
Hey guys, for those who agree the idea of ethnic Chinese. Please read the history carefully. The word Chinese ethnic (中華民族） was first found by Sun Yat-sen in 100 years ago. Who define Chinese? Chinese is just a discourse. It can be changed.
Eunice / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:45 am
This is simply identity problem.
I AM HONGKONGER, and I am NOT Chinese.
I don’t need Chinese ppl to judge or to tell me whether I am correct or not.
There is freedom to pick the identity.
I AM HONGKONGER FOREVER no matter what you Chinese say.
And we will try to achieve Hong Kong independence.
This is how other countries become a country.
And I believe, Hong Kong will be a country one day.
Mature Hongkonger / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:42 am
Very well said about the fundamentals of Hong Kong.
Diuleelomo / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:37 am
We “HongKongers” speak different language, write different words and have different culture. How would you say we are same as RPC citizen? We only want to distinct ourselves from the Chinese because of the “high” reputation of China. We don’t share your China dream, we don’t share your honour to be a Chinese. So let us be, there is no harm to your “great” China.
Elsie / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:32 am
It is funny to see how the Mainland Chinese people are commenting and claiming the the one country two system promise is still holding in Hong Kong. I have been living in Hong Kong for 20 years and what I see is that our government is turning this beautiful city into China. Everyday when I am reading the news, I only feel desperate because the news are getting more and more nonsense. I am very sad about how our freedom and democracy is deteriorating.
No one is borned being proud of their country nor it should be taught to love their country. What makes one feeling proud of their country is what the country have done. I admit that China is strong in economic development and they have strong international influence. But all these achievements cannot cover up the fact that they do not protect human rights and they have poor democracy and freedom there.
Tell me to love China when they truly respect their own people.
Danny / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:31 am
Hi Roz, I respect what you’ve said.
But since you’re not a Hong Konger, you may not understand how hard for most of us (the local Hong Kongers with no foreign nationality) to survive in Hong Kong. The corrupted government, the most expensive housing prices in the world, lack of democracy, the disappearing legal system and the social immobility, all these problems can be attributed to the communist and imperialist China since we can never elect a democratic government that truly represents our minds and thoughts.
Some of us may behave disrespectful to the Chinese, but when you understand the underlying reasons, it’s hard to blame the people who are oppressed. The nationalism and neocolonialism of what China is spreading all over the world is not only affecting the Hong Kongers, but also others. My friends from Angola, Ecuador, Taiwan and Australia also feel resentful towards China.
I appreciate that you do care about Hong Kong. I hope you can stay with us in the future and learn more about what is happening.
A 80's HongKonger / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:28 am
Support from HKer who love HK & really hate China.
Wish we got more attention & support from domestic & international parties.
Hong Konger / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:21 am
In fact, there is tension among Chinese minority groups, e.g. Shanghaiese people and Cantonese people had strong identity and got their own languages in the past, but the Soviet Chinese Government is very successful in building up patriotism by different ways, e.g.:
1) internal migration of patriotic people;
2) banning the young kids to use their mother tongue language, e.g. Shanghaiese and Cantonese, from kindergarten (kids would be punished if they spoke mother tongue language)
The Soviet Chinese Government has been adapting and adopting these strategies to Hong Kong and Tibet in different degree.
The cultural identity of “Greater China” was only created after Republic of China established in 1912. Before that, during the so-called “Qing Dynasty” ruled by Manchu (滿族), Han (漢族) people and Manchu (滿族) were hostile with each other, as Manchu took over the mainland of Han.
Cantonese people (廣州人) and Taiwanese, please try your best to hold your identity!
Aragorn / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:14 am
To be honest, no American identifies himself as Briton, and the case is even more extreme for Hong Kongers, as we HongKongers do not spit, pee or shit in the street or on shopping mall floor. What Chinese are doing is like someone telling you to identify yourself as a monkey or chimpanzee. The difference? Monkey or chimpanzee is a more civilized animal that bullies less, and most probably has a better isea whete to shit.
Isaac / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:58 am
The most important thing is that lots of Chinese people acting like uncivilised animals insist that Hongkongers, the group of people with higher level of education, belong to China. That’s correct in the definition of nation territory but not in terms of culture and level of civilisation. Btw, I am using BNO passport and never used my HKSAR passport because I love the western culture more than that of communist party created by dictatorship. Go love your dictator, Chinese! Do brother Hong Kong!
Nick Z / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:48 am
Fellow HongKonger here. I would like to express my opinion regarding why I too not like being addressed as Chinese.
One of the biggest reasons is that the Communist Party has full control of China, The People’s Republican of China to be precise.
With ‘one country two systems’, HongKongers (HKers in short) are in an environment without censorship. Unlike in mainland China, we are easily exposed to the actual information about the Communist Party. With the bad histories of the Communist Party like the Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square protest, many of us are naturally repulsed to it. Besides, the Communist Party is still a negative term by now because of their insane media censorship and incidents like that of Ai Weiwei and Xinjiang re-education camps (you can look up news about these incidents if you’re not familiar with them). Therefore, it is very normal for us HKers to dislike the Communist Party of China.
Right now, the Communist Party runs China without any other party to compete with. Without real liberty in China, it is extremely unlikely that another party can ever come to power in a peaceful society. This means that the Communist Party now represent China.
Unfortunately, manipulating nationalism is a technique that the Communist Party loves using to unify such a vast country. Through different media, the Communist government has successfully linked ‘The Communist Party of China’ and ‘China’ together in people’s head within the last ten or twenty years or so. The two terms are basically interchangeable at this point and the idea that loving the Communist Party equals to loving China the country is very common now. One of the reasons why the Communist Party can stand so strong in China is that after years of controlling the media, they have created many Chinese patriots who are actually die-hard supporters of the Communist Party. In such case, us HKers can’t really love China without loving the Communist Party.
That’s why many people often wonder why would we dislike China, a country with such a vibrant culture. I as a HKer, am truly fascinated by the 5000 years of Chinese history and culture, I don’t think there’s any other culture on Earth that I love as much as the Chinese culture. However, how can I truly love China if the big, bright portrait of Mao is still hanging on Tiananmen?
Another reason why I don’t like to be addressed as Chinese is a bit more personal, that is the image of Chinese people as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely don’t think HKers are naturally superior to and more civilized than mainland Chinese. I believe that most of the Chinese are very civilized and polite. However, there’s a black sheep in every flock and China just happened to have more ‘black sheeps’ than many other countries.
First, we need to know the situation of China. Not that long ago, China was just a third world country, just like Mao said. People were starving and struggling to survive, so most of the people didn’t have any decent education. Besides, educated people were being put on trial and killed during the Cultural Revolution. Therefore, many people couldn’t, and did not want to get education back then. As for more recent time, about 30 or 40 years ago, China was still very poor, the educated were the minorities.
As we all know, China became very rich lately, perhaps a bit too quickly. People’s level of education and such haven’t exactly caught up with the level of wealth. For example, as we can see in the news, Chinese tourists, mostly middle-aged ones are causing quite the trouble worldwide by disturbing the locals, damaging relics and such. Maybe many Chinese hasn’t yet learned how to respect other people and places outside of China.
The situation is similar in many universities in the Western world, especially those that the entry requirement are easier than others. Many Chineses still have the mindset that the western world is more superior, for many reasons. That, and some other reasons like are why many wealthy Chinese parents choose to send their children to study overseas. The situation is a lot better in prestigious schools that are harder to get into, but it is pretty bad in the other schools. Many schools are filled with Chinese kids that don’t even want to study, they are just there to kill their time, get an overseas degree, then go back home. Some of them choose to never go to class and just play videogames in their room, some choose to smoke everywhere and party all day with their circle of Chinese students. Neither of them example of good students. There are even people who don’t know English at all and got forcibly sent to study overseas by their parents, which I have actually seen and heard of pretty often. There are certainly many Chinese students who study really hard and are very proactive, but the vast number of Chinese international students everywhere make the ‘bad ones’ appear extremely high in number. Many Chinese friends of mine here in the US are also very irritated by those people, we all agree that they make us normal students look rather bad.
With such a bad reputation, I believe most of us HKers would choose to avoid claiming themselves as Chinese when they can, let’s say, identity as HongKonger instead.
Us HKers try to distinguish ourselves from just Chinese for a reason. Would we try so hard to explain to everyone with all sort of facts, data, news examples that Hong Kong isn’t China if China is a great country with freedom, great image and a government who actually care about the people and our culture? Of course, the answer is no.
There are definitely many more important reasons for HKers to claim not to be Chinese, such as the Communist Chinese government trying to eliminate Hong Kong culture. However, the points I mentioned above are those that I think people do not mention as often. I believe that other comments have more in-depth analyses of other reasons. I’m just here to express my thoughts and trying to let more people know what we HKers think.
Tommy / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:46 am
Yes! Hong Kong does not belongs to China. We are different from those uncivilised Chinese
Law / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:39 am
Yes, HK is not China. HKer have different culture, language and value, and they are far different from the Chinese.
The Chinese still believe that ruling by a good king is better than democracy. Eating like a dog, sleeping like a pig and being innocent about politics are the Chinese’s desire lifestyle. But Hker are not, we want to develop our own society with love and freedom.
Siu Chi Hang Domingo / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:37 am
I am from Hong Kong, not China!
Ryan / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:27 am
totally agree
Henry / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:13 am
To all Chinese:
You all saying that you love your country, but why do you and a large number of your fellow citizens study abroad instead of staying in your own country? It’s quite preposterous.
Another thing is that why many Chinese are saying Hongkongers should say they are Chinese and love China? Isn’t it ridiculous and barbaric?
In fact, the reason why Hongkongers don’t identify themselves as Chinese is because of the intervention of China to the legal system and politics in Hong Kong. China want to suppress the freedom of speech (you can know more by searching Causeway Bay Books disappearances).
Also, Chinese is seizing the social welfares in Hong Kong. There are 150 residents of mainland China moving to and settling in Hong Kong everyday. It is making prssure to Hong Kong, including the trasportation, education and housing system. Many of those mainlanders are taking the welfares without contributing to the society. Of course, to name but a few, there are much more reasons for Hongkongers not identifying they are Chinese.
The Chinese government promised to maintain ‘one country, two systems.’ However, in the perspective of Hongkongers, it is just a joke, leaving only the name.
Honk honk / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:13 am
Hello 50cent army no. 69420, there’s your hard earned coin. 六四天安門大屠杀
Cait Y / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:10 am
It’s so funny to see lots of chinese people criticize others’ opinions, personal views and thoughts, even saying the article contains “fake news”; while they cannot even accept their shameful history, e.g. 1989 Tiananmen Square Protest.; re-education camp.
A government who likes to hide and alter history, and even forbid their citizens to talk and know the truth. What does that indicate? It is clearly stating china isn’t a good place to stay. That’s why a lot of chinese dignitaries send their family and children, transferring their assests to overseas.
And yet, back to the first line. Seeing these Chinese immigrants or immigrants wannabe talking about how they love snd precious China and their chinese identities is really ironic and humiliating.
I am sure majority of people from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Mongolia, Xinjing and etc. do not like to be identified as Chinese. Why is there so many people of such thought? If China is really that good, why don’t you all China lovers go back and help your own country, to educate people, to review the truth, to build an better international image. The more Chinese rebuking others, the more hatred of China would be resulted. image. Do something more applicable than rebuking other please
Don / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:07 am
I was born from Hk, British.
I don’t really think I am a Britain, so that I am not a chinese at the same time.
Weddell seal / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:58 am
Don’t let the bigoted people bully you into submission just because their way of thinking is delusional. Don’t let them slience you, instead resist and fight back, and tell the world that Hong Kong is a special city that embraced and enjoyed democracy and freedom, but it’s freedom quickly eroded by the Chinese dictatorship to turn Hong Kong into just another Chinese city that is bland, forced, artificial abomination.
LC / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:51 am
I am a Hong Longer, born and raise in Hong Kong.
Unlike most Hong Kong people, I do get the chance to work in China for sometime. So I get the chance to meet more And I can tell you that Hong Kong people will never be recognized as Chinese by mainlander. Hong Kong, however is insisted by every Chinese as a part of China.
Deep down, they all share similar mindset.
Hong Kong people seeking independence and keen on retaining their own identity, are not just because of history or the regime but matters of survival.
Byron / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:49 am
I support the author, I am HongKongese, Chinese people are destroying HongKongese culture.
HongKongese culture will be eliminated in future, because once we voice, many Chinese ppl will blame us. They use the power of quantity (they always say 1.3 billion ppl hate it, u should stop it and follow them); not the power of quality.
My city is dying,
People's Republic of Chi Na / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:46 am
Abolish US-HK Policy Act Now!!
People's Republic of Chi Na / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:45 am
Abolish US-HK Policy Act Now
Dave / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:45 am
Everyone is talking about the law and history.
Of course every HongKonger knows that technically Hong Kong is now part of the China, we know more about ourselves than you do. But we are taking about how we want to identify ourselves and be identified, we won’t blame you if you say you are a “Beijinger” or you come from Beijing, so why are you judging us for identifying ourselves as HongKonger?
Further, we are not doing this randomly, saying that we are from a place that we do not belong to. We identify ourselves as HongKonger or come from Hong Kong because we find a Major Difference in ours and Mainland China’s culture, we are using different currency, speaking different language, ruled by different law and whatnot. We have our own unique culture and do not misidentified as from all other China’s cities. With so many differences, that’s why we call ourselves HongKonger / HongKongese.
For people who say we are arrogant, who is the one really being arrogant while judging other’s feeling and thinking that everyone should identify themselves the same as they do? By the way, talking about fact, “HongKonger” is actually an official word in dictionary, and if we do not use it to describe ourselves, where else are you going to use this word?
Rebecca Chan / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:42 am
I don’t understand why everyone is focusing on whether or not the author should consider him/herself as a Chinese. Self-identification is very subjective and personal that there is actually not much room for discussion. It is how you see yourself, no one should have the right to tell you how you should identify yourself.
But, this is a thing in Hong Kong right now! A majority of Hong Kongers no longer consider themselves as Chinese and the question is why is this happening?
Instead of arguing if Hong Kong is a part of China or if Hong Konger is Chinese, I think it’s better to focus on the reason behind ‘I am from Hong Kong, not China.’ There are tons of problem in culture, political, society, humanity and many other aspects that lead to this statement. If you have ever thought about that or if you know what Hong Kongers are facing, then you will understand why this is happening. And I believe that’s the author’s main purpose in writing this article.
Dave / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:40 am
Everyone is talking about the law and history.
Of course every HongKonger knows that technically Hong Kong is now part of the China, we know more about ourselves than you do. But we are taking about how we want to identify ourselves and be identified, we won’t blame you if you say you are a “Beijinger” or you come from Beijing, so why are you judging us for identifying ourselves as HongKonger?
Further, we are not doing this randomly, saying that we are from a place that we do not belong to. We identify ourselves as HongKonger or come from Hong Kong because we find a Major Difference in ours and Mainland China’s culture, we are using different currency, speaking different language, ruled by different law and whatnot. We have our own unique culture and do not misidentified as from all other China’s cities. With so many differences, that’s why we call ourselves HongKonger / HongKongese.
For people who say we are arrogant, who is the one really being arrogant while judging other’s feeling and thinking that everyone should identify themselves the same as they do? By the way, talking about fact, “HongKonger” is actually an official word in dictionary, and if we do not use it to describe ourselves, where else are you going to use this word?
Qi / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:37 am
I just want to said we have different language. We have our own money. We have our own passport which can travel to most of the countries without visa. We have different politics and education system. We are Hong Konger.
Carman / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:36 am
All I can see here are some hateful comments from “Chinese”, who claimed to be “proud” of their country. You can love your country, at the same time you can “not” love your country. And first, Hong Kong is a region with a totally different system from your country. Hongkongers can always love their hometown but not the so-called “country”. I don’t see any fake news or wrong facts in this essay. As some of you said, not admitting something does not mean something is not happening. Some of you were educated in a system which taught you to love your country, but, did the system tell you that the ruling party of the country is doing something inhumane to their “people”? Now you see who are denying some facts. Hong Kong is Hong Kong. China is China. Simple enough.
Stephen Lau / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:31 am
I am from a city owned by a country that I don’t belong to.
Impressive!!! We are just being colonized the 2nd time , from the Queen to an Great Empire without any problems.
Poorly , You are not part of it but still part of it.
L / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:23 am
Well-said.
Hong Kong’s culture, language, and even the law system are totally different with China. I forced to admit that Hong Kong is belong to China, but I will definitely say that Hong Kong is not same as China. I don’t know what’s wrong with the write who just want to point out the fact. I deeply appreciate the writer wrote these facts and published it to international. Please respect and protect our right to speak different opinions out loud.
Nikita / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:21 am
Thanks for voicing out what are the majority people think in Hong Kong.
Ed / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:16 am
It’s hard to hold on what we believe in especially under the Chinese suppression and I’m sure you must have a hard time after what you wrote but I just want you to know WE HONG KONGERS are with you.
Hong Konger / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:12 am
So many Chi Na puupy here
I am Hong Kong er and not Chinese
I will make sure all the Chinese ppl in Hong Kong have fun in Hong Kong 🙂
Anonymous from LIHKG / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:10 am
Agreed. But further discussion on the differences is preferred. Keep this voice further and louder. Proud to be a true Hong Konger.
ps. Showing love from LIHKG 😉
Marvis / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:07 am
Read the comments from those “Chinese”. U will understand why we(HKer) don’t want to be part of them.
Chris Lo / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:07 am
Hong Kong is Hong Kong, China is China, historically we are different, value judgements either.
How come those Chinese always wants to take away the freedom of speech of others, while they are enjoying it? Especially you won’t have the chance to enjoy it when you’re in China.
I come from Hong Kong, not China. I am proud of being a Hongkonger. If you’re not comfortable with this, you can speak anything you want. I won’t put you under the threat of losing your freedom of speech. That’s the difference of us.
Andy Cheng / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:07 am
People must understand why there is identity conflict between Hongkongers and Chinese. I am not talking about how socially or economically different they are as these are all well explained by the author. The most distinctive one is the core value which make Hongkongers distinguish from Chinese (or the other way round, if this will make you feel better but it just the same).
Hongkongers had tasted the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of press and publication in the past decades before 1997. With that sense, these basic rights are embedded in Hongkongers mindset and I guess so do you if you are from a democracy country. Think of how the dissidents and petitioners ended up in China and you can tell the difference, just to name few here, Zhao Lianhai, Lao Xianbo, Li Wangyang etc. Obviously the communist party of China, or Chinese government, whatever, they are the same, knew that well too, otherwise there would not be ‘one country, two system’ promise. However, within 20 years after the handover, the communist party of China is trying very hard to compress those rights by different means.
Another thing that marks the difference is cultural factor. The most obvious one is language, Hongkongers speak Cantonese while Chinese speak Putonghua. To be frank, no one cares about the difference language that we use as Hong Kong has long been a so called cosmopolitan city with diversified cultures. Yet, the communist party of China pay no respect to our language and want it to be replaced by Putonghua. To ensure this, they implement ”educational measure” like ”encouraging school” to ”encourage” students speak Putonghua instead of Cantonese. School principals are controlled by the education bureau, which is controlled by the Chief executive, who is controlled by the communist party of China. Walking on the street, you hear Putonghua more often then Cantonese from children and teenagers. This irritated Hongkongers and make them feel insecure and the core part of themselves being invaded.
And to all my dear Chinese students here, while enjoying the freedom of speech of a democratized country, please use it to encourage discussion and narrowing the gap. Discuss the points and views that stands but not ‘go back to be colonized’, remember you are representing your own country.
Tony Hui / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:05 am
Support you Frances! Hong Kong is not China! Let the world know that Hong Kongers are not Chinese!
Tim / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:01 am
Hongkonger were given the Cina nationality without own consent. Small group of people here are destroying Hong Kong for thiet own short term benefit or wealth, eg. the government.
Xi MingPang / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:58 am
Unfortunately, when I took my flight from Beijing to Hong Kong, the Beijing officials rejected HKers to take Domestic Flight, rather, they ask HKer to take International flights. I have no idea why
Nicole Ng / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:57 am
As a Hongkonger AND a former US student, let me just have a few words.
Before I went to the US, I never really knew the difference between race, ethnicity, culture, nationality, and territories etc. But I always knew that I was different from those that are from China. But the “how” was unclear. Then I majored in History. I met people from around the world. I read political classics. I started to think about my identity.
For those ignorant and poor souls from China that ALWAYS demand how Hongkongers are “Chinese”–oh yes, we are more “Chinese” (華夏) than you.
While your disgraceful ancestors destroyed temples and monuments and burned ancient classics, we, Hongkongers, were and are the ones who held on to them.
While our Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian Temples flourish, your laughable regime is forcefully making them worship the Party and, if not, well they’re doomed.
And not to mention, the Japan that your despotic country always told you to hate is reserving “Chinese” (華夏) culture even better than us.
Now tell me, what is so “Chinese” about you?
If you call me華人 (ethnically Chinese), that’s still fine. If you call me中國人 (a narrow definition of a Chinese “race” characterized by skin color, eye color, hair color, and whatever the hell those from China feel like belongs to them), sorry not sorry, I was not, I am not, and I will NEVER be that.
I am sick of those weak arguments involving “oh well look at your passport”; “oh well look at your yellow skin”; “oh well look at what language you’re using”; “kiss the Brit’s a$$”…Those who managed to make such “arguments”, I think, simply lack the basic human intelligence required to understand why they’re so wrong from an academic standpoint. So, allow me to ask these questions based on these idiotic “arguments”:
1. I hold an American passport. So I am completely American? And I also have a BNO. What am I now? British? Britmerican? You are going to tell me that Chinese is my ancestry, and I will tell you this: Since all humans are from Africa, we are all Africans. Sounds about right.
2. Minions have yellow skin. So minions should be Chinese.
3. We proudly embrace and preserve traditional Chinese. You, on the other hand, are using a written language that was crippled by a murderous regime that once tried to erase historical traces. So thanks, I know damn well what I am using, way better than you do.
4. Being a British dog is better than being a “human” under China. See how I had to quote human? Lacking simply the freedom of speech is straight up inhuman. And plus, a British-Chinese tradition is what Hong Kong was always about. We don’t deny history like you. And guess what? We are going to be neither. We are going to be Hongkongers. Humans with freedom.
Take Hong Kong if you want it. Hong Kong is wherever we stand, and that is more than a confined piece of land.
Shing / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:57 am
Hong Kong definitely not the same as China
Johnny / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:51 am
I could not choose my nationality given that Where I was born, but I can decide how I view myself as. There are various things that HKers value and enthuse that separate us from being simply a Chinese. The freedom of speech, freedom of press, the embrace of human right, democracy and rule of law. Given there is such a huge gap between the value and culture between we and the Chinese, I don’t think simply define us as a ordinary Chinese is fair.
Ps: One country two systems was just a lie to enter this fraud planned By the CCP, I believe every HongKonger can see how worse HK had become after only 20 years of returning back to China. How can HKers still believe this term when a Chief Executive of Hong Kong is not serving HKers but knowing how to flatter the Chinese government and make Hong Kong more closer to become a Mainland city
Old man / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:49 am
Nice! HK needs you instead of those stupid politicians.
Bryan / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:49 am
How naïve someone would be to believe communist party does not equal to China (PRC)?
Lawrence Yeung / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:48 am
I don’t have many comments, just want to say that as a Hongkonger, I am proud of you. Clearly, Hongkongers and Chinese are completely different no matter in culture, values and the mindsets. Please keep expressing your opinion, most of the Hongkongers will support you without a doubt. Thank you, Frances.
k / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:48 am
I am Hongkonger and I am a 16years old girl.I am proud of being a Hongkonger but not a Chinese however I find many of my friends not care about that and they like idols from china , follow their culture or even support the china government .This make me very concern about Hong Kong’s future . As the china government starts interfere with our politics and citizens dont have power to fight against them because our government obeys the china government .And the next generations dont have a clear mind about their identity, it speeds up their interferences and Hong Kong will truly become a part of china.This really terrifies me .
Christy / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:44 am
I am from Hong Kong, not China.
Terrence / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:43 am
I am from Hong Kong, and i am not identifying that i am a PRC Chinese
HK Independence / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:39 am
Hong Kong should be an independent country
China is making Hong Kong a colony
Wto / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:39 am
This is a support from Hong Kong. We are difference with China.
Dhhs / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:39 am
I agree with the writer’s viewpoint. I love Hong Kong. However, the country does not alleviate the problems which affect the citizens such as medical problems and housing problems. It only promotes some useless program. Without a shadow of a doubt, Hong Kong cannot maintain its one country and two system. It erodes our culture. I hope that some ppl would give some suggestions such as sending a petition to government departments which we,civilans, can lend a help to Hong Kong.
Hongkong / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:27 am
We are American Hongkongese
We r from HongKong but not China
We respect everyone from every country
I hope ppl from China respect HongKongese and stop destroying our home.
Thanks
Derick / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:22 am
Hongkonger is different from Chinese people. Chinese people get used to “one voice” among the country, they show hateful and aggressive reaction while listening what they don’t want to hear. That is what make hongkonger different from Chinese, HKers grow up in a environment that respect everybody while Chinese shut everyone up and follow.
Doris / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:22 am
ADD OIL HONGKONGER
We are from HongKong ,not China
James / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:18 am
Support you!!!
HongKonger is not Chinese!!
Roy / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:18 am
As I am scrolling through the comments, I saw a lot of emphasis from the pro-Chinese identity side upon heritage, roots, descents and the necessity to call oneself Chinese due to these preconceived factors. I personally have no problem with people caring so much for their heritage, roots, and descents, as myself is a Hong Konger that will admit I’m ethnically Chinese. But I feel like a lot of people are not seeing is that as Hong Kongers we ourselves have emerged our own infant culture. The reason why we cling to the identity of Hong Konger is not that we think we are better than everyone else, but is because the culture that Hong Kongers grew up in contain many things that are so unique to Hong Kong that there must be a distinction between us. Again to reiterate, we are not better, we are just different. A lot of Hong Kongers get touchy around the subject of Hong Kong identity, I believe, is because we feel like the government is not respecting this apparent difference in culture. Yes, Hong Kong always has strong roots and influence from China because we are all ethnically Chinese, but please recognize that we have also either been influenced by western countries or created different cultural elements that are unique to Hong Kong. For example, mainland people watching Dayo Wong’s standup comedy might not understand why some jokes are so funny, but to Hong Kongers that sense of relatability stems from the Hong Kong culture that has flourished in the past 100 or so years. In conclusion, your heritage, roots, and descent do make up a part of your identity, but the culture in which you were raised also makes up a large part of your identity. With Hong Kong, please understand that Hong Kong culture and Mainland Chinese culture does not 100% match and please respect our culture because this is the culture that we grew up in and that is the culture we know and love dearly, just like you all with your own culture.
On a more personal side note: I personally hesitantly to just call myself Chinese and always add that I am from Hong Kong is because of the fact that I never lived extensively in mainland China. I understand we are culturally different, and I don’t feel like I have a right to call myself just Chinese when I never immerse myself in the modern mainland Chinese culture.
D Au / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:02 am
I was born in HKSAR and I would never tell others I’m a Chinese people but I’m from Hong Kong.
There are so many differences between Chinese and HongKonger, no matter their daily behaviour, the way of thinking or even their core value r totally different.
In this case, Hong Kong is def not the same as China as its tyranny, nonsense, and no freedom.
Victor Wong / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:00 am
As a Hong Konger, I have witnessed how our democracy was deprived, since BeiJing ‘s colonisation in 1997. We would be in better off, without being controlled by BeiJing.
Besides, I would like to highlight that, most Hong Kongers, especially the younger generation, wouldn’t consider themselves as ‘Chinese’ , as there are huge difference between our culture, value, and civilisation.
Hongkonger / Apr 25, 2019 at 12:47 am
Well-wriiten piece. It’s proud to see HongKongers defending their homeland.
P.S. I left my comment wrongly in other article, just ignore the same comment in that one.
K.W / Apr 25, 2019 at 12:37 am
I’m Hongkonger and I never think I’m Chinese too, and also Taiwanese is not Chinese too.
People in China always say our blood is chinese so we are Chinese, did you ever hear Singaporean, Malaysian, (and some people in Vietnam or Thailand that their families immigrated from China ) called themselves Chinese?
No, if you need to define someone by their blood, there’ll be no American, Australian in the world.
It’s so funny that they use the blood to define people out of China but not to do the same inside China, Tibetan, Uighur, Mongolian…etc, their blood are absolutely different with chinese, and they don’t they are Chinese too, the result is, China just destroy their culture and brainwashing them to make them to be a “chinese”
So, what is chinese mean?
The people being persecuted by the dictator?
Vlad / Apr 24, 2019 at 10:30 pm
Fellow “Hongkonger”, please destroy the Hong Kong passport you are carrying immediately, as it has the national emblem of People’s Republic of China on its cover. Form a group of guerilla fighters to fight against the “regime’s oppression”, otherwise you are acknowledging the legitimacy of PRC’s administrative authority over Hong Kong. No revolution could prevail without the spill of blood.
Josh / Apr 25, 2019 at 12:00 am
Best comment I have ever seen here. lol.
Hongkonger / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:11 am
You do notice that many of us hold British National (Overseas) passports don’t you? So yea we don’t give a damn about the PRC Hong Kong passports you just mentioned.
Bryan / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:51 am
How on earth do you know that I am not having a HKSAR passport? What a genius, 10/10.
Linda / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:40 am
What makes you think I’m holding a HK passport? Many own the BNO, but poor babies born after 1997 have no right to do so. A political party controlling your place of birth is not under our control, we simply cannot just destroy our ID cards and passports, can we? It would be illegal. If you’re stopped by the police and asked for identification, you can’t just say you disagree with the party so you don’t own one. YOU WILL BE ARRESTED. For God’s sake, it’s the government that forces us to carry one, not us willingly acknowledging the name of China printed on the official documents.
King / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:47 am
Quite a number of Hong Kongers did that actually. Ever notice the constant stream of people renewing their Brtitish National (Overseas) Passport ? You can check that out from Home Office. We renew our BNOs not so much because we miss the colonial days, but we do not want to be regarded as a Chinese National.
True, we are ethnic Chinese but it doesnt mean we wish to be a Chinese citizen.
It appears that some of the people here fail to distinguish the difference between ethnicity and nationality.
You can really force a nationality on somebody but this is exactly what the PRC government did.
Back then in 1997 (or probably earlier), the Chinese (Hong Kong) nationality was forcefully put upon every single Hong Kong citizen. None of us has the right to choose which nationality we wish to have, be it Chinese, British or Hong Kongese.
(Even if today you wish to strip off your Chinese nationality, it’s not allowed by the Immigration department. The explanation given by the department is that it would render one stateless but more importantly I suspect the true reason is that it would allow one legitimately to become a British citizen if he is a BNO holder) Such blatant violation of internation law of de-colonization was made without any regards to Hong Konger’s view. Not to mention it is an abrogation of right to self-determination.
In fact, why do we need to find a legitimate reason to draw a distinction between Hong Konger and Chinese ? Afterall the question, at least to us Hong Konger, is whether we want to regard ourself as a Chinese. Putting aside the fact that the language is different from China, the polciy treatment from USA is different from China as enviced in the United States-Hong Kong policy act, the currency is different from China, that we have our own international number, that Hong Kong is a separate entity in the WTO, the true difference is to which nation we wish to pledge our loyalty to. To me, and on behalf of some of my fellow Hong Kongers, it’s to Hong Kong and China.
Stephen Cho / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:48 am
“No revolution could prevail without the spill of blood.”
Are you suggesting Hongkongers should start a war of independence from PRC?
Chan / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:03 am
There are 3.5millions of BNO citizens, 300 thousands of Canadians, 250 thousands British Citizenship, 80 thousands of Americans, and 30 thouasands of French, etc, those are might not be holding a HK SAR passport for travel. However, they are all Hongkongers as they live in Hong Kong.
Danny / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:12 am
I’ve already destroyed my HK passport and I’m current holding the British National (Overseas) passport (which is the passport the British issued to Hong Kongers before the transfer of sovereignty to China).
Btw holding a passport or not doesn’t mean that you accept the legitimacy of the authority. It’s a very simple logic.
You may say I’m ethnically Chinese, but you can never change what nationality i identify with.
Please respect the freedom of speech and freedom of thought.
Mark Cheng / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:49 am
All chinese who emigrate to America share your thoughts. Instead of defending the rights they deserve, they destroy their china passport proudly and ran away from regime’s oppression. That’s what the Hong Kongers should learn.
PETER FOKAS / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:53 am
You could shorten you comment by
“fellow HongKongers” ,surrender or die
Just to save our time
Wing yee fan / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:07 am
I’m from Hong Kong, and proud of my ethic identity as a Hong Konger.
First of all I wanna respond to you that the writer never deny Hong kong is a part China, therotically. It’s more about a sense of belonging, where we don’t feel like we are Chinese but Hongkongese. China does have the authority to manage Hong Kong, as you can see about the situation in Hong Kong is fucked up.
Second, holding what kind of passport doesn’t always represent who you are, and how do you identify yourself. You as a Chinese citizen may not be able to hold two different passports, but we Hongkongese do, as many others in the world too. It is too shallow to define oneself simply with a passport.
Wing yee fan / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:08 am
I’m from Hong Kong, and proud of my ethic identity as a Hong Konger.
First of all I wanna respond to you that the writer never deny Hong kong is a part China, therotically. It’s more about a sense of belonging, where we don’t feel like we are Chinese but Hongkongese. China does have the authority to manage Hong Kong, as you can see the situation in Hong Kong is fucked up.
Second, holding what kind of passport doesn’t always represent who you are, and how do you identify yourself. You as a Chinese citizen may not be able to hold two different passports, but we Hongkongese do, as many others in the world too. It is too shallow to define oneself simply with a passport.
John Lee / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:22 am
There is no such thing call Hong Kong passport, only the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport. Besides, I use British national (Oversea）Passport. God save the Queen.
C. Al / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:22 am
Dude, Hong Kongers who born few years before the handover were GIVEN the the identify as a Chinese national. They wish get the chance to choose to be a British or Chinese as Irish too.
You have to understand due to the abuse of the word “Chinese”, its meanings have been mixed up, both ethnic and the nationality. Identifying oneself as Chinese is basically claiming loyalty to the CCP. One thing that Nazi German assemble CCP is that they both combine the recognition of the party and the country.
Just try to understand her reluctant to be ruled by CCP and stopping blaming her for something she never said like refusing to be a ETHNIC CHINESE.
(and btw I know some of you mainlanders are really rich becoz at least one amongyour parents is an officer in China. Looking forward to the justification about being proud of a Chinese servant and striving to get green cards for the families.)
Ryan / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:44 am
3 Million HK people are holding a British Hong Kong passport. I have never owned a PRC passport
LOUIST / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:04 am
You really think there’s no blood? Fool.
Sick / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:12 am
Then how can you explain almost the entire family of President Xi holding Canadian/American/Australian citizenships or PR? Can you tell me how the world can I love the country, when the leader of the country simply just doesn’t love his own country? If you all are so proud of everything in China, why would you want to study in the States? When would so many people from China would migrate to the States every years? Don’t ignore the facts, just because they hurt.
Steven Hu / Apr 24, 2019 at 2:48 pm
Rather than a social activist, I’m just a simple guy with a simple personality. Yet nothing makes me feel more sad than seeing my brothers and sisters begging for a different identity from the western world in name of the idealized liberal concepts, and nothing makes me feel more sick than arguing with my brothers and sisters about their wrongs when the truth is so simple: Hongkong is, was, and will always be part of China, and that’s what I have been taught growing up as a proud Chinese citizen. Mao and the Chinese Communist Party fought for the nation, built the nation, and strengthen the nation in to the Great People’s Republic of China we know today. My father, his father, his grand father, and his great grandfather severed the country in the military, and I will always remember that wherever I go. I was born in 1996, and I remember my Mom tells me how happy everybody were when they heard Hong Kong had returned to the motherland: And that make me feel much sorrow when I see my own brothers and sisters tearing the country apart. Now I’m standing here, in this different yet intriguing land of America, where people value patriotism and hardworking, speaking to my so called brothers and sisters about how one should show at least some respect to the language his or her speaks, to the hair and body his or her possesses, to the bloodline his or her families pass over, and to the very lands his or her ancestors come from. If freedom of speech, as Americans would valued the most, apply to everybody, I feel like I have the right to speak up as a proud Chinese citizen, against those who discredit my country, those who discriminate my nationalty, those who disturb my believe, and those who despise my origin. If you want “freedom” and “justice”, then leave the land, go back to your British slave owners, put those shackles back on, drag them along with you on your trail of sorrow while pursuing your imaginative Eden. But do remember, wherever there is blossom of the Chinese redbud, there is the very lands of People’s Republic of China.
Hinshelwood / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:54 am
So why don’t you just go back to your proud motherland but stay in this evil country? Why do you give up your proud greatest China and hugging America? Is it because you want “freedom” and “justice”, so you leave your motherland?
For the age of globalization, talking about nationality or bloodline is worthless. We are all human. If you really that proud of China just go back, great American doesn’t need you.
Anonymous but Rational / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:53 am
If freedom of speech, as Steven seems to value, applies to me, a feeble little Hongkonger, I feel like I have the right to speak up as a proud Hongkonger against those who discredit my beliefs and invalidate my identity. Please remember that ethnicity does not always equal identity. It is understandable that Chinese have been taught growing up that Hong Kong is a part of China, that we are all “brothers and sisters”. Geographically, Hong Kong is part of China’s territory; but ideologically, Hongkonger’s values might have some conflicts with majority of the Chinese. This, is the reason why Hongkongers find it important, crucial almost, to draw such a clear line between Hong Kong and China. It’s almost ironic how Chinese get so triggered whenever issues like these are raised – are you really sad that we are “tearing the country apart”, or more likely unable to accept how we are actively challenging the beliefs that have been instilled into you since young? And Chinese’s defence mechanism when their beliefs are challenged is even more intriguing – telling people to “leave” what they consider their territory directly, without bothering to listen or even tolerate dissenting voices. It’s okay though; we shouldn’t expect so much from proud citizens of a country with only one single political party and thus one single, unquestionable, absolute view, tolerating no diverse beliefs while demanding that theirs should be respected.
Sapphire Law / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:17 am
My apologies, but I can’t find myself agreeing with what you have said here.
The statement that Hong Kong was, is and will always be a part of China is simply wrong. Hong Kong was a British territory without any doubt, and even for now, the locals do not recognise China as their home country. There should not be any land that “belongs” to a nation forever as it only rings true with the people’s support. Nation exists for men; a nation should never render its own people into servitude. National identity should not be forced upon anyone and patriotism should come from a genuine love for the country.
As a Hongkonger, I do not identify as a Chinese. I do not think this is a discredit to your country as I only speak the truth here. Perhaps it is not to your liking, but this is simply how it is. It is wrong to tell Hongkongers to leave their homeland simply because they don’t agree with you or China; it is our home, and it will always be our birthplace. It is our city, and we should be the one who is at the helm, deciding for the city’s future. We are gradually losing control because of intervention from the Chinese Government who has gone against their own promises.
Respect goes both ways, and you have disregarded that by calling those who desires for freedom and rule of law as slaves. I will refrain from returning the name calling as achieves nothing. Still, it is regretful that you have been in the Land of Free, yet you have not learned the true meaning of freedom.
Tayman Cahn / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:59 am
Seriously dude, so Mao is good now?
Mark Cheng / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:35 am
Please be reminded that Mao Zedong did not build the nation, he just took advantage of Japan’s invasion and overthrow the former regime.
And I am surprised that how all your father, his father, his grand father, and his great grandfather successfully survived all kind of political movements and disasters caused by the commies. Your family certainly has a cockroach-like survivability. What a legend.
You clearly express the view of chinese and china government: anyone who lives in Hong Kong and disagrees with the Chinese should be deprived of the right to stay in their home. What the chinese needs is only the land of Hong Kong, but not the Hong Kongers.
Besides, just to let you chinese know, the flower representing Hong Kong is Bauhinia blakeana, not Cercis chinensis(Chinese redbud). Fact checking is important, thanks.
Eric / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:57 am
Yeah well my dad’s brother and his friends disappeared after the June fourth incident and my grandpa is still very upset. So pardon me for doubting the CCP and China (as they were so closely linked now that they are inseparable) and disliking such regime.
Moreover we don’t even have the same language. Our family’s bloodline were threatened quite a few time by CCP. (Great grandpa was wealthy so…)
Sandy Ha / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:30 am
Mao killed over millions Chinese and destroyed the traditional culture and values. As a Chinese, I felt sad that my country has been tortured by a group of gangsters for so many years, who call themselves “Communist” but indeed they are shameless thefts who suck blood from ordinary people. Young people from PRC has forgotten all these, and they are kept manipulating by those gangsters using peer pressure. When we Chinese can be free from all shackles!?
Ziwei Qin / Apr 24, 2019 at 1:20 pm
You don’t have to identify as Chinese, but presenting your idea in such a derogatory tone is disheartening. The western world already think of Chinese and even Asian culture as less than. You and your “Hongkongers” seemed to adopt the same idea. Articles like this with fake news and minimal research amplifies that idea, praising your identity by bashing another is unacceptable. Feeling shameful for being associated with China and Chinese culture is insulting to our entire population. I guess it might make you feel better to be associated with and colonized by Britain.
Back to you / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:07 am
You know what, it is also DISHEARTENING that we could not embrace our own DEFINED identity when we struggled to embrace our Chinese identity. We do not speak mandarin, and most mainland Chinese don’t speak Cantonese. The language gap has already shaped part of our culture like slang. We do not view things from the same scope because we were educated so differently. I truly love my mainland Chinese friends, and I am jealous that they could take pride in their identity, yet, I am struggling to call a place that I barely resonate with as my “home country”. I guess you tried to make yourself sound more thoughtful and considerate, but ZiWeiQin, quoting what you wrote, “praising your identity by bashing another is unacceptable.” And, No, it does not make me feel better.
Sy Ho / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:35 am
Out of curiosity….. can those from Mainland China explain to us why you ppl love your country so much and so proud of being Chinese still want to move to a western country?
Doesnt belong / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:48 am
Sure it’s not like we have any say in being rented out/ returned anytime. Why should we feel unsure or even dislike to an unfamiliar country that we are now forced to call it our motherland and love to from our heart?
Kevin Lam / Apr 24, 2019 at 10:09 am
It’s interesting to see people opposing the author are all non-local hongkongese while Hongkongese who commented just hated them. I see Hui trying to talk about only her personal experience as a Hongkonger. She didn’t talk about the situation in China because she wasn’t coming from the mainland-Chinese culture. If people were not raised in Hong Kong and are not 100% rooted in the culture, who are you here to judge her and other Hongkongers’ opinion?
Joo / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:19 am
Completely agree with you. It’s the personal experience that made us feel so different than mainland Chinese, not simply because of the geological location. We have such a different culture and education that I could barely relate to any mainland Chinese that I have met when studying abroad, and I strongly believed that they felt the same way too.
Meilin Zhu / Apr 24, 2019 at 5:04 am
I am from Chongqing, and I am Chinese.
I am from a city that once was the capital of the Republic of China, which you want to be referred to as.
Ok, I don’t want to go deep about my city. Let’s first talk about Britain and Hong Kong. According to BBC (British Broadcast Company) city profile, Britain returned to Hong Kong because the 99-year lease was expired. And PRC did promise Hong Kong its capitalist system as the term of return (not to eliminate panic). From 1997 to now, China has kept this promise, acting on “one country, two systems.” When people from the mainland want to travel to HK, we need an individual passport. HK owns its dollars. There is a designed flag for HK. The official language of HK is English and Cantonese.
Under this rule, HK grows as a capitalist city within the communist system. I grew up learning that HK is a unique city. Many actors, actress, and singers from HK influenced my whole childhood life. My friends and I would always try to sing Cantonese songs from HK. I take pride in what we share in common, and what HK has achieved on the global phase.
Yes, I’m surely aware of how China is not perfect, such as media censorship and other things. However, I always believe that you can dislike any party in the country, but you have to love your own country. It is the same in the US, in the UK, and anywhere in the world.
A question to think about for US citizens: You can hate Trump, you can hate democrats, communists or anyone else, but by the end of the day, are you American?
As a person who lives in the mainland, I talk about the policies in China all the time, but every time people ask me, I still will proudly say that I am from China.
Hong Kong’s situation cannot put on the same table as Taiwan. I can understand how people from Taiwan don’t identify themselves as Chinese (but if we are talking about ethnic groups as you said at the beginning of the sixth paragraph, I think they should be called Chinese), but HK remains a part of China, not separated, should take pride in the country. Or if not, which is ok, the Republic of China is also called China. What you are doing is similar to a person from Texas now saying that he is Texian, not American.
And you mentioned Tibet, which is another case we are talking about here. Unlike Hong Kong and Taiwan, Tibet has never left mainland China once. It is a part of China period. When a person claims to support the independence of Tibet, it is the same as support Massachusetts to be its own country. Won’t you be upset to hear about this?
Additionally, as a person who works in journalism field, please do research thoroughly and focus on facts. Tibet and Hong Kong are a part of China. The School of Communication presented what is fact here. It won’t change because you are upset or desperate. It is similar to your GPA won’t change because of your emotion.
In the end, honestly, I’m ok with you not identify yourself as Chinese, because I seriously never met a person who denies her/his own culture like this. Culture is not defined by country, by the identity you see yourself as. China is China. It is not the People’s Republic of China or the Republic of China. It is China, and I am Chinese.
And reply to PRC China=Nazi Germany. German at least identify them as German. Please identify yourself as Chinese, and we can talk about other stuff.
Waters / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:48 am
Hey, I am from America and the analogies you made about Trump, Texas, and America don’t sound very right to me, I would say. I believe that the situation with Hong Kong and China is not similar to the States at all.
Chucky / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:13 am
Due to geographical location and how we look, it is true that ethnically, we cannot deny we are Chinese.
But never will we say we are from China. The fact is, we are from Hong Kong – a region have different government, different currency as well as education systems etc. Yes, we do not want absolute control by the central government, we do not need censorship. HOWEVER, the fact is that CHINA is trying to take over HONG KONG by all means, violating the promise. Perhaps you need to cross the digital “great wall” to have a better and closer look of authentic news. I am not suggesting all Chinese are barbarian, I have really good friends from China as well. We simply hate the CHINA GOVERNMENT and they are using all means to CONTROL HONG KONG, taking away our TAX and spending on things that WE DO NOT NEED – rails/ bridges but not hospitals/residence.
Leo / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:49 am
Yes you mentioned some general points. But those cannot represent the same thing happened in Hong Kong.
In early 2000s, you didn’t see much complaint on the communist party and even some people called themselves Chinese, unlike now.
Any case in any place can be unique.
And sorry that we don’t want to be censor and monitor in both real life and internet.
Shadow / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:51 am
Stop pretending there are no one in China try all the ways to get away from China. China has the huge number of migrating to other countries (except Mid-East refugees). Getting UK, US, European passport, buying properties outside China is what they do, leaving all the poorer people in China, working to death, inhaling PM2.5 and getting block from major social media worldwide. Defending China doesn’t change anything. If your country is SO GOOD, why would people keep leaving? Simply just stay in China for university and work in China for the rest of your life.
If you won’t do it, why would HongKongers do it? Funny.
Lawrence / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:01 am
It’s always sad to see how Chinese interpret the ” love ” they held to their country. Just like how an ordinary Chinese mother spoil their child.
NO, love does not mean praising and supporting everthing a country does, while ignoring and hiding the faults and ” imperfect “.
That is not love my firend, that is what your country ” taught ” you.
That is worship.
And what will happen when a Chinese really love his country and openly discuse about how he thinks the country should do to improve herself, to respect her citizens, to learn from the mistakes she made ? Well, you must be more qulify then me to answer that.
So no, please don’t say like we own China our love. China casted that aside since the very beinging.
And no, i worship no president nor country.
Matthew / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:19 am
I found it deeply disturbing that you have mixed up the concept of “country” and “government”. If you wish to stand up for your country, one thing you do is to criticize your government for what it did wrong. But then you can’t because its illegal.
“Tibet has never left mainland China once.” Well, it was basically invaded by Mongolians before you called it part of China. Your “country” invaded Tibet during Yuan dynasty. You forced them to give up their religion, their culture, and finally their Dalai Lama. She seek independence several times but failed because of the lack of military force. Do you think its righteous to keep what that’s not yours? Fact is Tibet have very different cultural and religious background to China, the Chinese government simply wants to keep their land and get rid of the Tibetans by brainwashing them.
Secondly, ethnic origin is what we called a fact, no opinions can alter fact.
However, the term Chinese was not as well defined as you think, for instance, Tibetan are not ethnic Chinese, but they are forced to identify themselves as Chinese, Mongolians are not ethnic Chinese, but you called Yuan Dynasty history of China. I said these because ethnic Chinese are well defined as Hanzu descent. Or, more commonly referred as Hua. However, “Chinese” is a much more fuzzy term, if you decide to define it based on your passport, its clear that Hong Kong inhabitants and Taiwanese are not Chinese. But then the majority of them are Hanzu. Denying to be a Chinese should not be equivalently seen as denying to be a Hanzu, because the later is fact-based, the former based on your nationalities.
Fun fact, daughter of President Xi hold green-card. Do you call her a Chinese or an American? Based on law, she’s both. Should her be proud of her “country”? Which one you are asking? And there’s more, Xi’s sister is Candian, his brother is Australian, he’s only a Chinese because constitution law prohibits him to have dual-nationalities.
Get things right, Hongkongers are no Chinese, its a fact. They can be Hanzu, but there are also many HK citizens from the globe such as the middle-east. Its really stupid, if not nonsense, to ask them to identify as Chinese. The idea that you require people to identify as Chinese before you engage a discussion is just really Nationalism.
Alaina / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:44 am
We are not denying HK is a part of China, really. (And as you said, it’s useless to deny such fact, unfortunately)
But whether we have the same culture, that’s quite debatable. We don’t use the same currency, the same language (written or not) and I believe deep down we have vastly different values. It’s nobody’s fault, though, and there’s no judging of which is better. I just thought our difference (capitalism v communism, views on freedom, peace and democracy etc) were an unfortunate result of a long period of division. This kind of created a huge chasm between HKers and mainlanders. And for years, both parties were able to handle that quite well, actually. We HKers, while would not claim we are Chinese outright, would not deny it either. This only changed for like, the recent few years and I think the main point of the discussion should be why had we been okay with the various views on our identity ( like when it’s ok to call yourself hker without angering most fellows in mainland) then suddenly this changed. Maybe it’s because of our arrogance. Maybe it’s due to the increasing oppression of central gov on HK. I don’t know. Really. I just dislike it when I was forced to call myself anything else but a hongkonger. It may be quite contradictory, esp I really do know we are geographically part of China and it is a veritfied fact, I can’t feel entirely comfortable calling myself Chinese.
And on the topic of loving your country.
Do Hongkonger feel belonged to China? For me, not really. We don’t have any country to belong to, since we were given away by Qing in 1842. We don’t share the mainland’s fate any longer. What we experienced is unique and this didn’t help to develop a sense of belonging to China. We don’t share national pride, joy and any other emotions. Nominally now we are part of China, but deep down it is hard to identify yourself as Chinese. Are we special? Yes. Are we sad? Also yes. But thats how it is.
Moreover, it’s hard to distinguish the party and China now. Seems like if you say one bad thing about the party you’ll be accused of not loving the country. Then again maybe it’s just me or the rotten politics/ officials in HK.
Once I have heard people describing HK as an orphan abandoned by his own family, and adopted by another. Soon after he grew to adulthood, he was returned to his original family. There was a warm reunion and happy celebrations and stuff, but after a while their difference became very apparent. They don’t understand each other. They tried, but they didn’t share a strong bond that enabled them to trust and reconcile.
I as a HKer do not hate China nor Chinese. (Maybe just the unreasonable and irrational one, sorry;p) I just thought our division is due to the course of history. I wish you would understand our reluctance and discomfort in simply identifying ourself as Chinese wholly.
Ps. Apologies for any grammatical/ agreement mistake coz I’m in a pretty boring lesson and decide to make good use of my time!
Queenie Wong / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:50 am
I grew up in Hong Kong so I am more credible (at least than you) to tell the fact that we are a generation growing up and educated with values and virtues different from what a tyranny used to frame their people. I think the author has already stated his “fact”, with his personal assertion derived mostly from his personal living experience (if you understand what’s “Letter to Editor” and its difference compared to a journalistic news report). His “fact” has been presented, you may chose whether to believe or not. If you think border and territory is all matter to you and defines who people are, then I use the same logic to challenge you as a people from Chongqing growing up with some Cantonese culture exposure, you have no solid ground to challenge the authenticity of a Letter to Editor written by someone who live in Hong Kong for perhaps most of his life.
Shinn / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:32 am
Well speaking! But may I know the reason the family of our President Xi, all of the family members got non-Chinese identities? like US or Canada?
Please identify yourself as Chinese by owning Chinese identity only, and we can talk about other stuff.
Peter Pang / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:21 pm
I think China case is peculiar,as the system actually is rooted in communist party forever as the sole ruling party of PRC. This renders the idea of “loving the country” equivalent to loyalty for the communist party. And any action or thought to end its monarchy would be perceived as a subversive action to the country.
So here you cant compare it to U.S. or other countries.
Peter Pang / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:24 pm
Meilin Zhu claimed that Tibet is always part of China. That s dubious.
For long time, Tibet is autonomous, which did not have the modern sense of country, but instituted serfdom n religious head of Lamas as political leaders. China as middle kingdom was revered nominally as sovereignty. However it s only a trick of the tribute system – you ptetend to subdue to me, or else u risk attack from me.
I would tell u the PRC now operates along the same line. So long as Taiwan still say they r republic of china, we can take our time. If u dare change it to republic of taiwan, we r sure to send our troops.
Read more about this from works of Wang Lixiong 王力雄 n Woeser 唯色
Francis / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:43 pm
You are so naive. One country two system no longer existed as commented by “Chinese officials” multiple times.
Almae / Apr 24, 2019 at 2:49 am
When they list Hongkong as a part of China, they are not technically wrong because Hong Kong IS a part of China. Your claim of HK not belonging to China is just an opinion. HK has not obtained political independence from mainland China. It belongs to China, as agreed by both Britain and China in the treaty signed a century ago. Unlike Taiwan, there is no political dispute over this whatsoever. If you are sensitive enough to write an essay to accuse schools for identifying that, you should learn to accept the fact and, if you wish, fight based on the fact, rather than denying it. Total denial of lawful facts shows nothing but stupidity and stubbornness. I see a lot of yong ppl from HK simply saying “Im not from China bc I dont wanna admit”. I mean, is it something that requires your permission? Your identity is determined by the treaty signed by both Britain and China, regardless of your opinion. I can’t say I’m not American while I hold an American passport. My opinion doesn’t matter in this case. Neither is yours. Lol
Some HKer / Apr 25, 2019 at 9:37 am
You can only say HK is part of China by law. Simply, we speak differently, live differently, have different cultures in terms of music, sports, and entertainments, have a different passport stated as HKSAR as shown in the article, have freedom of speech like at least we didn’t ban a movie of Winnie the Pooh because it looks like some country’s president, use different currency, and more. After all of these BS, if you still consider they are in the same country, hey, something is wrong with you.
K Lau / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:03 am
It belongs to China, as agreed by both Britain and China in the treaty signed a century ago.
The treaty was not signed between Britain and China, but between Britain and Qing government. Qing government ceased to exist and its successor was Republic of China.
I doubt if there is no political dispute. Moreover, even if there were no such dispute, Hong Kong people should be given the right to vote for or against independence – that’s our fundamental human right that is denied by the PRC. That’s simply unlawful.
Gu / Apr 24, 2019 at 2:28 am
Global society identifies Hong Kong as HKSAR under the PRC sovereignty, not British Hong Kong or a country. That’s simple.
Mark / Apr 24, 2019 at 10:35 am
That’s incorrect. The global nationality list has “Hong Kong” as an option for long. When you apply for colleges or fill in forms identifying your information, there are always options of Hong Kong and Taiwan.
William / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:51 am
And Hong Kong is established much older than PRC.
Tom / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:53 am
Global society identifies Hong Kong as HKSAR under the PRC sovereignty. What you have just said I thought it is a joke. As a westerner, I don’t give a Fxxk. Most of my friends subjectively think hongkong is a god damn country just like Singapore!
Tom / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:57 am
It is funny when when you said “Global society identifies Hong Kong as HKSAR under the PRC sovereignty”. As a westerner, I don’t give a Fxxk. Most of my friends subjectively think hongkong is a god damn country just like Singapore!
Stephen Chow / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:51 am
Global society identifies Hong Kong as Hong Kong.
The tyrannical PRC coerces other countries to recognise Hong Kong as Hong Kong SAR, China
Chan Kwan Kit / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:57 am
However, whether you register an account from eBay, or buying some accessories from taobao, or maybe even transferring money through the western union, Hong Kong is always as a choice of country or overseas China
Marcus / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:03 am
This is jusr Chinese spreading its propaganda. And I think you are missing the point. Hong Kong IS different from China no matter how you view it.
Different language, different legal system, different law enforcement system, different currency, different goverment (tho its a puppet due to China’s active influence) and to some extent different culture.
HKer / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:40 am
oh really, then why the global society identify HK and China into two different region? that’s also simple. HK is not China.
Oxford Franklin / Apr 26, 2019 at 7:53 am
So what？It does’nt change a bit that Hong Kongers find PRC disgusting.
Patrick / Apr 23, 2019 at 6:55 pm
Agree with you Steve. You ve written what I d like to say. Having a strong sense of belonging to our city doe not warrant racist. Yet when talking about key issues like the home city planning, education , medical , daily groceries…..HKer comes first !
Bruh / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:08 am
It’s funny to see how people are linking this to racism. Resource allocation is another thing. I suppose protecting the basic living rights of local residents is a government’s responsibility. What’s wrong with the taxpayers enjoying their own social benefits?
And, respect comes from your behavior, not where you come from. If you do well, there should not be any hate or unfair discrimination on you.
Steve / Apr 23, 2019 at 11:18 am
“I found it quite disturbing that ‘Hong Kongers’ were so precious about maintaining their difference, that for the most part they were so vocal in denying their roots, background and heritage”
The wider issue here is that Hong Kong Chinese people have been culturally misplaced. Maintaining their difference is very much a result of history, so to speak. It is hard to identify with a cultural and belief system that you are not exposed to and it is a fact that Hong Kong people have a distinct way of life from Mainland China. Thus, I doubt Hong Kong people would deny their ethnic roots as most of whom I know have no problem identifying as Chinese and, even then, such a denial does not necessarily translate as a deep-seated arrogance. If there is something Hong Kong folks despise, it is mostly the unruly behaviors of Chinese tourists and uncertainty about Hong Kong’s political environment.
Having said that, the way of life that Hong Kong people have enjoyed has become a privilege that underwrites the maintenance of difference. The political arrangement has been that Hong Kong people hold a different passport, thereby enjoying a different citizenship status. It follows that one should recognize here that the Hong Kong identity is not so much a choice, but to a large extent, a given entity. If we follow the logic of the quoted comment above, then Australians should proudly identify themselves as British Australians rather than simply Australians. Yes, this is a different context altogether, but this seems to be the subtext of the comment. Faulting Hong Kong people for their denial of ethnic roots is somewhat unfair.
The bottom line is: there is no problem maintaining the cultural difference and openly declaring a Hong Kong identity. What I find disturbing is when one holds onto this difference to engender xenophobic statements and behaviors. In other words, having a strong sense of belonging to a particular region does not warrant racist remarks.
Irina / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:15 am
Thank you for speaking my mind.
Annie Kwong / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:10 pm
Well said
Vin / Apr 26, 2019 at 6:11 am
This is it! Steve pretty much cover it. Thanks Steve!
Say no to patronizing expats / Apr 22, 2019 at 11:53 pm
Why are Hongkongers so precious about maintaining their difference? I presume you do know the difference between Hongkong and China, and understand the reasons why far more mainland Chinese are eager to migrate to Hongkong than Hongkongers going in the opposite direction, don’t you?
life is hard / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:08 am
Because the Chinese government is trying to assimilate Hongkongers by sending 150 new immigrants to Hong Kong every day. Not to mention the current HK government is obviously controlled by the Chinese government and it is ready to establish law to eliminate any potential opposition towards the Chinese government.
K / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:06 am
Cause China is shit
For HK / Apr 26, 2019 at 10:03 am
‘patronizing expats’ — this is so spot on!
Roz Allardice / Apr 22, 2019 at 8:57 pm
Whilst you make some good points, there are some areas that need further comment.
Britain did not simply ‘decide’ to hand back Hong Kong to China; this shows a very naive view of the Treaty, and the 150 years of British goverrnship following the terms of the treaty after the Opium Wars. The terms of handing back the territory were part of the signed agreement. You must be aware that the Handover was deeply troubling to Hong Kong and to the rest of the world, Christopher Patton, indeed to all the British diplomats and lawmakers in the leadup to 1997.
As an expat who moved to Hong Kong at this time I was very aware of the concerns the rest of the world expressed in the months leading up to the Handover. Britain certainly didn’t just decide to hand HK back to China willingly or happily.
At the time, Britain fought very hard to legally establish and maintain rights for the people of Hong Kong. Lawmakers were very troubled by how things might pan out.
Secondly, re your concerns at the term ‘Hong Kong, China’; this is not as simplistic as you imply. The PRC insists, demands, that Hong Kong be referred to, geographically and politically, as ‘Hong Kong China’. My daughter ( who grew up in HK as she lived there all her life due to my work there) is now studying Chinese at University here in Australia. Her classes include Putonghua language studies (which she learnt at school in HK during her entire schooling; the PRC makes this mandatory for all expat students) as well as Chinese politics and Diplomacy. Her classes comprise mostly Chinese, Hong Kongers, Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese. Her lecturer, a Chinese national, made it very clear that some topics are not to be discussed: Taiwan, the Tianamen Square massacre, Tibet, to name a few. The Chinese central government emphasises to overseas universities that all Chinese enrolments will cease immediately, that the university will be blacklisted, if certain topics are addressed in classes. Universities depend greatly on funding from overseas (mainly Chinese) enrolments. So they are in a predicament. They are forced to refer to ‘Hong Kong, China’ or lose crucial funding.
This is not simply a casual whim by institutions to refer to Hong Kong as such. I was living in Hong Kong when all signage and official documentation was replaced to refer to Hong Kong as now being part of China.
In my 16 years of living in Kong Kong, I worked entirely with Hong Kong Chinese within a local environment, out in the New Teritiries on the border between the NT and Mainland China. I interacted freely between these two localities and mingled between Hong Kongers and Mainland Chinese on a daily basis. I was the only foreigner ( or ‘alien’ as I was so quaintly referred to, even on the offficial Immigration boards between HK and Mainland China). I found it quite disturbing that ‘Hong Kongers’ were so precious about maintaining their difference, that for the most part they were so vocal in denying their roots, background and heritage Many referred to their cousins across the border as ‘locusts’ and fequently in conversations and in the local media, Mainland Chinese are described as ‘uncivilised’ .
I found Hing Kongers’ overt elitism, xenophobia, misplaced Nationalism and pride in ”being different’ (and therefore, by implication, better) extremely divisive. Attitudes evealed a deep-seated arrogance which is similar to the sentiments revealed in this article.
In all my travels between Kong Kong and Mainland China, I am very aware of whom I found to be the more welcoming, the more gracious, the more humble, the more proud of their rich heritage history and culture.
If I were a Hong Konger, I would be proud to acknowlege my ethnic roots, and be proud to identify as Chinese rather than simply a Hong Konger.
Kevin / Apr 23, 2019 at 11:01 am
You’re just a Chinese troll who literally do not understand why we must make a distinction. The fact you’d want us hongkongers submit to a Chinese identity none of us wished for says enough.
BBB / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:58 am
you use google translate? What a stu pid wording（＾ω＾）
Anon / Apr 23, 2019 at 6:08 pm
“I would be proud to acknowledge my ethnic roots.” The most color this woman has is the blood her ancestors spilled in Africa but ok
Sean Tierney / Apr 24, 2019 at 2:04 am
Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon peninsula were ceded in perpetuity; Britain had the right to keep them if they chose. The lease only applied to the New Territories. The British clearly understood that a boundary in Prince Edward (that’s why it’s Boundary St.) was not feasible and returned the whole thing. Please check your facts before writing falsehoods.
Jonathan Wong / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:57 am
If you trace ethnic roots all the way back, you can never define where it ends. So Australia should be British, Canada British, Quebec French, so on and so on? What defines countries / region / ethnic groups today depend on how they consider themselves who they are. Hongkong was founded as a creole community, where our cultural identity was nurtured and blossomed because of the separation from the turbulent China. After more than a century, we are very different entities. We do observe some of the Chinese rituals, but that’s the same for many countries in eastern Asia. Would you consider them Chinese?
Wendy Sze / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:00 am
Expat in Hong Kong will never know how desperate and hopeless Hong Kong citizens are and their eagerness to change the status quo. You are just a group of privileged in Hong Kong. Don’t stand on the moral highground and blame Hongkongers. Period.
from HK / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:14 am
Living long in Hong Kong doesn’t prove you are good enough in understanding our culture, our background especially when you mentioned Hong Kongers are xenophobia. Reading your comment, what I can say is “Don’t pretend you know a lot just because you live in HK for 16 years. And you won’t understand us because you only think, experience in a foreigner’s perspective.
A. Loo / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:07 pm
True!
Lawrence / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:19 am
Should you spend more effort in understanding the reasons behind Hong Kong people’s intense emotionally response towards our ” neighbour “, you would understand that our strong ” opinion ” towards them are results from lots of daily experience, no matter in the social, political, cultural or financial areas.
We did not became disrespectful on the very first day, in fact, you should found out that Hong Kong people is an extremely tolerant group of people, almost never resort to any Unpeaceful action in most of the circumstances.
Our Wish is always clear, simple, humble and resonable, we just want to live our life the way we used to be.
That’s all we want.
A hker / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:41 am
I appreciated that you posted a long comment about your 16 years life in Hong Kong and described your thoughts on the differences between HK and China that Hongkongers are less friendly to you. However, I afraid that your length of the comment does not make you sound more reasonable. As a local Hongkongers, I can say that you are only looking at the glance of the reality, how treat ‘badly’ to Chinese.
I am going to state out my views as point from in the following.
1. Chinese Communist Party keeps limiting the freedom of Hong Kong
China promised HK and the UK that one country two systems will run for 50 years until 1947. The fact is after the hand over, CCP cannot wait to turn HK into a simple China city. The imposition of the 23 articles and the most infamous 150 daily quota that Chinese can immigrate to HK. You should know, Hong Kong is a small land, and contains a bigger population than New York. Our gift of hand work is stolen by a group of zero contributions new Chinese immigrants, our resources are not enough for our local, and the government doesn’t care.
2. I don’t have time to reply your comment anymore because you made lots of mistakes and if I tell you the truth here, it probably takes a whole year. All I can say is that your comment is purely personal judgement, the political views and reasons are lacked. I don’t know what job u do, where you live, but I recommend you to see things in a local eyes, your 16 years living in HK doesn’t not make u a Hongkongers and you don’t understand the true problems Hk is facing. All u care about is how bad u treated by Hkers, like now I am treating you bad online by saying things that u don’t like. If you want a short access to the truth, I recommend you to watch a series of videos about Hong Kong on YouTube made by VOX.
Peace.
Lol / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:20 pm
Agree with you point. She is actually Bias. I am Hong Kong people but also a Chinese. I feel proud of being Chinese. I know that Chinese people are taking our government for granted. Live with that. She is Hong Kong citizen who watch apple daily
Shadow / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:44 am
You can say whatever you want because simply you are not a REAL Hong Kong local. If you were, you wouldn’t have said that. Being “gracious” and “humble” doesn’t make us a better person. And we don’t need to be a better person if we cannot even hold on to our own rights.
You know nothing. Just stop pretending you understand and try to lecture the REAL HongKongers.
Sapphire Law / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:47 am
Forgive me, but may I ask what is the issue with Hongkongers maintaining their differences?
For your reference, I am a local Hongkonger, and I must say our culture and values are distinctive. We are different from Chinese with different mindsets and core values. We do not identify with China’s heritage because we are Hongkongers and we are proud of our own history. Our heart belong with and yearn for Hong Kong; the place we called our home. Our homeland was named and built on scratch by the Brits; it’s only natural that we do not identify as a Chinese as we have been separate entities ever since Hong Kong made its first debut on the global stage.
Everyone should be free to express their self-identity, and I humbly ask for your respect in honouring that right. It is not elitism and xenophobia to love our own city; we merely wish to protect and preserve her beauty and grace by retaining our unique culture. We identifies as Hongkongers because that’s who we are. Your belief that we should identify as Chinese is baffling to me – A nation is defined by its culture and national identity instead of ethnicity, with a prime example being the Anglophone countries having a common ancestry in being Anglo-Saxons, but they have formed different countries, each with their own cultures.
I am not proud of being a Chinese because I am not one of them. I am a Hongkonger, and my city has a wonderful history and rich culture that I should be acknowledging.
Kelvin Tan / Apr 26, 2019 at 2:55 am
Hi Sapphire,
Where is Hong Kong? In China right? That makes you Chinese
The same way your parents , grandparents and great grandparents were Chinese
Marcus / Apr 25, 2019 at 2:48 am
I really want to know where does it say “alien”. Hong Kong was definitely more western leaning at the time you were first staying.
Also, I hightly doubt Hong Kong is xenophobic when foreigners are praises more often than not. And employees usually prefer expats than local graduates.
Chloe / Apr 26, 2019 at 11:49 am
We hker, welcome foreigners who respect our culture, language ..
but not foreigners who came to occupied our resources without respecting our culture,not even contributing to our society when they got all the houses and money in the fucking China.
yeah, tell them learn to line up, dont spit and lit everywhere, dont even poo and pee on street/public transport, are they wild animals?
Arrogance is on them. Not US.
Suzanna / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:13 am
I am afraid that for so many years you had resided in Hong Kong, you still fail to notice differences between Hong Kong and China. We, Hongkongers, grew up in a very different background and environment from Mainland Chinese. The society, education and culture in Hong Kong leads to some fundamental differences between Hongkongers and Mainland Chinese. To simply categories the reasons as ‘overt elitism’ or ‘misplaced nationalism’ is an oversimplification to the situation we are having now. I myself have talked to many Chinese as well, and I still feel that we have some differences in terms of culture and way of thinking. You, who do not identify yourself as a Hongkonger or a part of Hong Kong, can of course sit on the sidelines and say that if you were coming from Hong Kong, you would identify yourself as Chinese (but you aren’t born and raised in Hong Kong so what’s your point?). May I remind you (and anyone commenting under the article) that one’s identity are not simply based on one’s ethnicity or nationality, but more about how people perceive themselves and where they are emotionally attached to. For me, if you ask me what my ethnicity is, I will say I am Chinese. But if you ask me where I come from, I will say I come from Hong Kong, without a doubt. My root, culture and history are all coming from the land of Hong Kong, not China.
Andy / Apr 25, 2019 at 3:53 am
Identifying ourselves as Hongkongers doesn’t imply that we are superior to the Chinese (i.e. the mainland Chinese under Communist rule since 1949) in any sense. What we are asking for is acknowledgement of and respect for the differences between these two groups of people. After being politically separated for over one and a half centuries, the mainland Chinese and Hongkongers share enormous difference politically, socially, economically, etc. Instead of being “merged” as a part of the Communist China, we would like to uphold and advance the freedom, liberty, respect to judicial independence, and the rule of law… which, imho, the Communist China is currently lacking of.
It is irrelevant to ethnic background. I admit, and I think there is no point to argue, that most Hongkongers are ethnically Chinese, just like Chinese Singaporeans, Chinese Malaysians, Chinese Americans, etc. Ethnically they are all Chinese, but clearly you would not identify them as mainland Chinese, right? To draw an analogy, you won’t blame a white American for not identifying himself/ herself as a European, do you?
Elsie / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:13 am
I am surprised to know that China have restricted foreign schools to touch on the sensitive topics such as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. What surprise me more is that after knowing this fact, you still say that you would be proud of a country that killed their own people and refuse to admit it and refuse to apologise for what happened.
1999 / Apr 25, 2019 at 9:02 pm
I like how she stated all the reasons foreign schools have to follow what chinese government instructed them to do or not to do, were simply because the schools had to bend the knees to Chinese Money and she thought that was justified. No wonder she doesn’t understand anything after 16 years in Hong Kong. We can never wake those who’d already turned a blind eye to or even embraced the evil.
Bob / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:44 am
The reason why Hong Kong people are being “divisive” is because the PRC forcefully labeled us as “one of theirs”, while the truth is that we had been separated for 150 years — easily 5-6 generations of people if not more.
The Communist Party has been trying to blur and diminish our own culture in ways that expats simply won’t understand. One easy example: more and more schools began to teach the Chinese language in Mandarin instead of Cantonese, while hardly anyone born and grew up in Hong Kong spoke the language at all before 1997. Similar things have started to happen in all parts of our lives, but none of these will affect you, an outsider, in any possible way.
This is something you won’t ever understand even if you spend the rest of your live in Hong Kong, which is why I feel very offended by your comments “If I were a Hong Konger, …” — you don’t understand a thing, Ma’am.
Kelvin Tam / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:54 am
Hong Kong has a long history of immigrants from the mainland. It’s undoubtedly true. However, we the local, criticize mainlanders as locust mostly due to their uneducated behaviors (like talking loud in the public, never queueing up etc.). I personally accept anyone who moves into HK to be a part of us, as long as they respect our unique way of living, culture, language etc. I got loads of secondary schoolmates who weren’t born in Hong Kong, but they learned to speak Cantonese, agree our core values like freedom of speech, democracy, some even participant in the Umbrella Revolution in 2014. I am very happy to call these people Hong Kongers as we share the same idea and way of living. I just feel extremely annoyed when mainlanders come, aftering trying to destroy or political and legal system , they still wanna force us, Hong Kongers to agree on how China does things, in other words: Love the Country, which is disgusting like hell to us
Another thing I wanna point out is, yes we are Chinese, which in English refers to both ethnically Chinese and Chinese national. However in Chinese languages, both words have separate phrases to represent themselves. We mainly against the idea of being Chinese national, rather than ethnic Chinese. If the logic of “Speaking a Chinese language makes you a Chinese (national)” works on everyone, I guess all Americans should be British now. It doesn’t make sense right? But this is what the government printed on student textbooks these day. Mixing up the idea of nationality and ethnicity is like Chinese education at it’s finest these days in the entire Greater China region, not only in Hong Kong.
Again, I recognize myself as a Hongkonger. If you ask whether I am Chinese, I would say ethnically yes, but at the same time, I was born as a British national. That’s all.
Henry / Apr 25, 2019 at 4:58 am
If you are not born and grow up in Hong Kong, please do not make any statement like proud to identify as Chinese rather than simply a Hong Konger. It is disgusting for the real Hong Kong people.
Timothy Chan / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:09 am
I guess you would not denounce Hongkongers for denying their ethnic roots as casually as you just did if you tried to dig in a bit and learn more about the actual mainland china-HK relationship since the handover. Up to this point, China has always regarded HK as a tool to boost their economy and international status, while paying no respect and regards to HK’s culture and core values. PRC is literally weakening HK through soft measures such as infiltrating legislation sectors and other soft controls. I as a Hongkonger will never recognise a country that has done nothing but erosion to my homeland as my root.
Angela / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:36 am
You can like China more than Hong Kong, that’s your own opinion.
But since you have your own preference, you have to admit Hong Kong and China are not the same, right?
Hong Kong is not China, no matter how rich, how “improved”, how “rich in culture” China is.
We are simply different, because of historical reason.
Kelvin Chan / Apr 25, 2019 at 5:41 am
“…the more proud of their rich heritage history and culture.
If I were a Hong Konger, I would be proud to acknowlege my ethnic roots, and be proud to identify as Chinese rather than simply a Hong Konger.”
I’m not very sure what “rich heritage history and culture” you are referring to, but Hong Kongers do still practice and preserve Chinese traditions and culture. Take Cantonese as an example, it resembles the ancient Chinese language much more then that of Putonghua. You can understand the rhymes, the rules that composed those ancient poems and literature in Cantonese but not in Putonghua. Yet in the eyes of the Chinese government, Cantonese is no more than a mere dialect. Step by step, the government had been promoting/pushing Putonghua since the handover and it is on its way to overtake Cantonese as the primary language in Hong Kong.
It might just be my own opinion, but I don’t see Hong Kongers abandoning their Chinese “ethnic roots”, they still value propriety, they still celebrate/commemorate traditional festivals and history, but they also pursue freedom, equality, justice and more.
“…I found Hing Kongers’ overt elitism, xenophobia, misplaced Nationalism and pride in ”being different’ (and therefore, by implication, better) extremely divisive. Attitudes evealed a deep-seated arrogance which is similar to the sentiments revealed in this article.”
To a certain extent, this is correct. In my opinion, the independent judiciary system is the greatest asset the British left behind. Hong Kongers can trust the court to fight injustice, even if the injustice is from authority/government. In China however, you’ll have to tread carefully to not trigger the communist government’s red line (pun intended), for the law is by the communist party’s side. In Hong Kong, people can (supposedly) fight the authority against injustice, and that’s where the pride comes from.
Fenix Yuk / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:43 am
Roz you don’t even have a basic idea about the “treaty” you talk about, “The Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting an Extension of Hong Kong Territory” refers to the “New Territory” north of Boundary Street (hence the name)
Veronica / Apr 25, 2019 at 7:14 am
I respect others ethnic group’s decision. However doesn’t mean Hong Kongese should follow their path. At least “Hon” is a race but not “Chinese”, ok? You can say 90% of the Hong Kongese are come from China Hon immigrants in the past but doesn’t mean we are Chinese. Ethnicity is a identity that base on different elements, race is not even the compulsory element. We share the same memories about Hong Kong, same Hong Kong culture, same Hong Kongese language(Hong Kong standard “Cantonese”), same cuisine, etc. Those are more important than just focus on Han race.
There is no such a thing call “Government approved ethnicity”, ethnicity is base on a group of people’s their own will with similarities.
A lot of Europeans including British migrated to America during the late 1600 to the mid of 1700. So Americans should be British or what? Only chinese would have fuckup logic like this. If that is the case, we’re all Eastern Africans then. It is because the origin of Homo Sapiens were from East Africa.
Amie / Apr 25, 2019 at 8:41 am
I, born and raised before the hangover, personally would be very happy to embrace the identity as a Chinese but I also believe that loving my country needs to be separated from loving the ruling party. That’s probably the reason why most HongKongers find it hard to claim themselves as Chinese.
China does have so much adorable cultures from philosophy, music to architectures. With that being said, I’m also upset about how communist party has been ruling my country even since cultural revolution that tried to erase the cultural values that had established for thousands of years, for example confucianism, and yet opposing the core values of communism. I’m also perplexed of seeing how news happened in China that people were not willing to give helping hand due to all the scams and deception that they had experienced. China is developing fast today but people are not keeping up with the Confucianism values of struggling to be a honest, faithful, and respectful person.
Generation that experienced cultural revolution might not have opportunity to learn enough about real Chinese culture. To me, they are also victim and I never blame them because I’d never want my children to be the same. I feel sorry to hear hostile example you gave. At the same time, I totally understand how frustrated the young people in Hong Kong are feeling toward people from Mainland.
To a large extent, the conflicts are created by the government – for example not setting tourist limits and the over-crowded mainland tourists shopped all the daily products from shampoo to medicines; allowing newly immigrants from China to go for fast tracks to obtain medical and housing benefits while a local graduated student would be totally impossible to apply for housing benefits.
Apart from those household conflicts, another biggest challenge is that we hold different core values than communist party. In Hong Kong, we used to be proud that we are ‘rule by law’ and things are rational but not political nor emotional but nowadays it’s worrying that Chinese Communist Party classified judges as “administrators” to change the situation here in Hong Kong to “rule by law” and neglecting the independent judiciary. Without such proper lawful protection on freedom of speech, the images of a Chinese could easily be changed from “a respectful man” to someone who is doubtful and sorrowfully about surrounding people by using all the strategies happened in cultural resolutions.
Again, it is not that we want to deny the identity as a Chinese. It is how the communist party changed the image of “Chinese” that it has became something inconsistent with what we have learnt from Chinese philosophy.
Here, I’d proudly say that I learn Chinese culture through the education here in Hong Kong as a Chinese. I’m sure anyone who has exposed to the bright side of Chinese cultures would be appealed and thus I agree that we should be proud of Chinese Culture. But what most Hong Konger worry is to be labelled or become the “communist-style” Chinese which is not how a traditional Chinese role model would be like. I would not judge it is right or wrong for Hong Konger to deny the identity of “Chinese” as it has changed so much with the ruling of communist party. I’m just saying that one must embrace the core values of an identity before adapting it and Hong Kongers are just miserable that we learned the right way of being a Chinese but we also witnessed how communist party sharping China differently making us hard to embrace to right identity.
Ken Cheung / Apr 25, 2019 at 8:47 am
If you are so proud to identify as chinese, why you don’t just go back to china? Why are you still staying Australia?
口裡說不，身體卻很誠實。
Btw, mainland chinese are now enforce to study the community regulations/political rules (強國apps) otherwise, their salary or bonus will be deducted accordingly. It is more likely to be another evil country like North Korea.
Mitchell / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:40 am
The Treaty of Nanking was signed by Great Britain and the Imperial Qing Empire. In 1911, it was overthrown by Kuomingtang later named The Republic of China or they’d like to call themselves Taiwan now. Therefore, the Nanking Treaty should be null and void. The People’s Republic of China should not have any authority over Hong Kong because they don’t even have the original Treaty. What they have is a copy. The original Copy of the Nanking Treaty is in the possession of The Republic of China aka Taiwan. The Treaty of Nanking was signed in 1842. The Republic of China was found in 1912. The People’s Republic of China was found in 1949.
Joan / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:43 am
Actually most HKer don’t resent being a Chinese until recent years… The true color of the Chinese communist government and the characters of their people just make you don’t want to be part of it.
Rara Luk / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:50 am
I understand your point, we should be grateful that we could get back to our motherland but not a second citizen anymore under the rule of Britain. I could imagine that the past situation of Hong Kong when we are oppressed by the foreigners…
However, if you are still living in HK, you will know the situation of HK people, especially our living and working environment. There are 150 mainlanders immigrants being allowed to be the permanent residents living in HK. They can get the public housing immediately. I, as a HK teenager, is very depressed to this situation. I have been studying and working hard in HK for 24 years… We could hardly afford to buy a flat, if you have read the news, you must know that Paris, HK and Singapore are the three cities with the highest flat prices. It is not a joke! That is why we don’t like mainlanders as they are competing with us, do you know those pregnant mainlanders even compete the public hospitals beds with us just few years ago? They come here all for the social welfare. They often claim that HK people discriminate them and they are poor as they just live in a crowded home, how come there are still so many mainlanders come to HK to be president residents? There are too many reasons that pissed HK people off. Come to stay in HK for a longer time, you will see the street are full of mainlanders with their luggages, they will just push you, no queuing to get on the Public transport, yelling next to you in Tsim Sha Tsui outside the luxurious brand shops.
Alison / Apr 26, 2019 at 4:38 am
The word “Chinese” is simply a derogatory term.
A true HKer / Apr 25, 2019 at 11:52 am
Regarding your three points:
Point 1: agreement to handover HK to PRC NEVER exists
Firstly, as already said, kowloon island and hk island are CEDED, not LENT to UK (i.e. a handover was never agreed). Secondly, the lending agreement for New Territories was made with Qing Dynasty, not PRC. In fact, PRC didnt even exist at that point! So, it is wrong to say an agreement to handover HK back to PRC was made.
Point 2: your reasoning explains the cause of why HK is called ‘HK, China’ but it DOES NOT JUSTIFY such actions
In fact, your explanation proves China’s infiltration across the world. In Australia (where your example happens), Hamilton, a professor at Charles Sturt University, couldn’t publish his work ‘Silent invasion: China’s influence in Australia’ because the publisher feared legal actions from ‘Beijin’s agent of Influence’. By raising that point, you are only verifying that indeed, China is making a move to infiltrate and dominate the world, and HK is one of the places that suffer the most.
Point 3: Your opinion is biased and incomplete regarding HKer’s ‘behaviour’
You claimed HKer call Chinese ‘locust’ and ‘uncivilised’. Have you ever explored the reason behind? HK is now infiltrated by both well-off and poor Chinese. The well-off comes shopping and turns all our streets into jewellery shops and pharmacies. The poor makes use of the 150 daily quota to immigrate to HK (policy controlled by China), occupying our public housing, public houspital and educational services without contributing a penny to the tax system. Not to mention the regular peeing/shitting events in public and the political influence from chinese government. If your own home was destroyed by such a vast swarm of impolite vistors and its values damaged, I am sure you would call them the same.
Finally, you said we ‘deny our roots, background and heritage’. Our roots, background and heritage lie in HK, where we are born and raised. In fact, the only reason why this article arises is because we, as HKer, appreciate and want to protect our own values and heritage. Being yellow doesnt intrinsically mean China represents our roots and background. Would you say a Singaporean Chinese deny his heritage if he opposes China? Or, should I say you are denying your background if you oppose to any policies/values in caucasian-dominated countries simply because you are white?
P.S. you live in HK, but you are not a HKer (using your own words – ‘if i were a HKer’). If you were a HKer, you wont post such an ignorant comment. Please remove the HK flag in your profile picture. It disgusts me when HKer who fight for this city’s values are going into prison every day, and people like you who think living in HK for a few years give you enough credibility to speak for HK are happily posting irresponsible opinions leveraging your few ‘proof’ of linkages to our beloved homeland.
HKer / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:27 pm
Well said, my friend
KT / Apr 25, 2019 at 12:16 pm
I’m afraid I disagree with much of what you say, dear Roz Allardice.
You mention it’s disturbing that HKers were so precious about maintaining their difference and it showed a deep-seated arrogance. But what’s wrong with maintaining one’s unique identity? Do you find Australians arrogant if they identify as Australian rather than British/German/Irish? Do you find it disturbing when Australians are proud of their country and distinguish themselves from Europe? I don’t know why “being different” is wrong in any sense. There are also factual errors in your arguments, e.g. Hongkongers never refer to mainlanders as “locusts” but only those who badly behave in public. Nobody would refer to democracy fighters like Liu Xiaobo and notable writers like Mo Yan as “locusts”.
If you believe Australians of European heritage have the right to identify as Australian, then HKers should also have the same right too. Otherwise, that would be a blatant double standard. If one day Britain recaptured Australian and required all Aussies with British extraction to identify as “British”, do you think most of them would happily agree to follow?
HK Independence / Apr 25, 2019 at 12:37 pm
Being an expat in HK for 16 years doesnt mean you are a HKer. At least from your words, it can be inferred that you never really paid any attention on our culture.
Just a few things that distinguish HKer from those Chinese:
1. we are under common law system and China is under civil law system
2. we hv our own passports (BNO before 1997; HKSAR after the nightmare in 1997) and Chinese hv their own Chinese passports
3. we hv our own police force (though they are now corrupted by the Chinese govt)
4. we speak Cantonese (yes Cantonese, dont just sinply say Chinese, this word is far too vague and inaccurate). Chinese speak Mandarin, their own language; completely alien to ours
5. We write traditional Chinese and they write simplified Chinese
6. We use HKD and they use CNY
7. For HKer going to China, we need a visa. Yes a visa named HK travel permit to China. For Chinese coming to our country, they need visa TOO. Chinese students coming to our country need Student Visa.
8. We hv Google, Facebook, Instagram and others in HK. They dont. They just have Baidu which is being censored by the communist govt
9. so many more
In short, if you cannot tell the above obvious differences between us and those Chinese, I have reasonable grounds to believe that you are JUST another “50 cents” group employed by the Chinese govt. 所以，收皮啦5毛。咪撚用我地HK旗扮曬野啦
Alexander / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:01 pm
This may be an overly simplified view of Hong Kong, and may reflects a view from someone observing the community but not actively involved in it.
Hong Kong comprises of more than one specific group, examples include the Tanka, which were never under the various Chinese empires’ rules and never considered citizens of China regardless of dynasties, but were assimilated during the colonial era due to housing policies; the Indian-Pakistani community who has established a community there before the Partition, before both the formation of the Republic of China and People’s Republic of China. Moreover, a significant part of the population in Hong Kong are Hong Kong permanent residents but have no Chinese citizenships, these include (a) HKers not of ethnic Chinese descent, (b) ethnic Chinese Hongkongers whose parents were not born in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet or China, and (c) ethnic Chinese Hongkongers whose parents are HK permanent residents but they themselves are born outside of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and China after July 1, 1997, but lived in Hong Kong for 7 years. In all these cases, the person in question are legally not a Chinese citizenship and not recognised as such by the People’s Republic of China.
In addition, the majority of the population were born during the colonial era under a government established before either the Republic and the People’s Republic of China. The Qing Empire has also only signed treaties with the Republic of China, not the People’s Republic of China.
Kenneth / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:03 pm
You had been living in Hong Kong for 16 years and you used “xenophobia” to describe Hong Kongers? What a joke.
Annie Kwong / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:08 pm
Although you lived in Hong Kong for 16 years, that doesn’t mean that you can understand the sentiments of the people who are born, raised and live in Hong Kong. What do you mean by “deep-seated arrogance”? No offence, I have encountered foreigners who are are very arrogant towards Hong Kongers. I don’t agree that all Mainlanders are uncivilized and it’s stereotyping to say so. That being said, you cannot deny the fact that a lot of them are rude and inconsiderate. They are not welcomed tourists in a lot of places because of their behaviour. I had bad experience in Champs elysees in Paris because I was being mistaken as a Mainlander. Hong Kongers are not denying their roots. At least for me, I am not denying my root, I am of Chinese descent , but I am not Communist Chinese. Take Canada as an example, one can be Canadian of Irish descent. Why is it wrong for Hong Kong people to identify themselves as Hong Konger and not “Chinese”. You are entitled to your opinion, but please don’t accuse the Hong Kongers for being arrogant when you can only see the surface.
AC / Apr 25, 2019 at 1:12 pm
Roz, while some historical key points were overlooked in this article, the issues you are accusing the writer (and Hong Kongers at large), simply do not apply. This is a tribal mentality. When one is looted off living space, clear air, safe water, hospital beds, baby formulas, university admissions, job opportunities, right to speak one’s language, right to speak the truth and stand up to evil, and most importantly the right to choose someone to help protect one’s interest, one must fight back.
Kaelthas Kamiya / Apr 25, 2019 at 6:27 pm
How is it elitism when we are adamant that the chinese must abide by local laws and customs? What happened to “when in Rome”?
How is it xenophobia to protect our culture from china’s incursion? Is it wrong to protect our Cantonese language and traditional written words from being cleansed from existence?
You feel as if your 16 years of living in HK gives you the right to comment, but since you do not know Cantonese, you’re a Westerner and you can exit anytime you choose, you do not understand the pain and suffering we Hong Kongers have had to go through at the hands of the chinese.
Zephyrus / Apr 25, 2019 at 8:00 pm
That’s because you’re not longer living in HK and didn’t notice the invasion from PRC lately.
HKers have to wait for more than 6 years for a government subsidy housing, while the new comers from PRC could get one once they immigrant; HKers have to wait for more than 25 months for a public hospital appointment, while all the money and taxes are taken to build useless infrastructure that pleased PRC; HKers are find guilty for civil movement, while police, politicians and PRC migrations are walk free from their crimes.
Please don’t speak for HKers before you really realise what are happening now and here, thank you.
Identity / Apr 25, 2019 at 8:15 pm
Problem for Hong Kong is that there are more and more people coming from China legally. 150 per day!!! Many of them carry political agenda. Sooner or later, Hong Kong will become part of China. Many brave Hong Kongers like Frances are still trying to voice their concerns including potential loss of freedom of speech, freedom of press and even freedom of using the local language Cantonese! But I am afraid one day it will become true if international community not giving pressure to the Chinese and the HK government (HK government becoming a puppet of the Chinese government). The one country two system is pretty dead under the regime of President Xi.
Francis / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:40 pm
Good job, Frances. Proud of you!
Lorraine C / Apr 25, 2019 at 10:53 pm
Roz Allardice, you are completely ignorant about how Hong Kongers suffered under Chinese rule. The words you used to describe Hong Kongers, such as “arroganance”, “overt elitism” and “xenophobia” just showed that how ignorant and arrogant you are. You don’t understand how Hong Kongers are being suppressed and discriminated against in their own land. We speak Cantonese and write traditional chinese characters, and yet the Chinese government wanted to replace it with Mandarin in schools and simplified characters. Cantonese is already being suppressed in Guangdong province for many years. Nowadays, school children in Guangdong province are forbidden to speak Cantonese at school. And the government are now doing the same in Hong Kong. If you think that we have the same “ethnic root”, think again. We are like Irish under British rule, or Catalan people in Spain, that have a different language and culture and that the main population sees us as a minority.
We enjoyed freedom of speech and press freedom under British rules, while Chinese government has taken that away from us. Recently, many leaders of the 2014 umbrella movement were jailed for one year. They are innocent people who supported peaceful protests. And those youngster who have thrown a few bricks in 2016 MongKok civil unrests were punished even harder, some for as long as 7 years. The Chinese government has been letting thousands and thousands of mainlanders to enter and settle in Hong Kong, in a way to make sure that more and more people will speak Mandarin in the future, and mainlanders have taken control over important positions in government, in all business sectors, universities, etc. Hong Kongers are the people being marginalized and discriminated against, not otherwise. It is not Hong Kongers being “xenophobic”, it is Hong Kongers’ living environment is being threatened day by day. And look at Uyghur and Tibetan people. Now millions of Uyghurs are being held in concentration camp. That’s the future for Hong Kong people.
Philip Lau / Apr 26, 2019 at 12:10 am
Great! Go for it….! Hong Konger
SimonT / Apr 26, 2019 at 1:54 am
Wow, wow, wow, hold your horses, Roz Allardice! Your responses to Ms. Frances Hui were offensive, discriminative and way over-board. As an American Chinese, I need to sound off about your rude, arrogant attitude towards Hong-Kongers. Your derogatory comments actually revealed that you’re exactly the type of people you described above to stereotype and insult the Hong-Kongers, “I found Hong Kongers’ overt elitism, xenophobia, misplaced Nationalism and pride in ”being different’ (and therefore, by implication, better) extremely divisive. Attitudes revealed a deep-seated arrogance which is similar to the sentiments revealed in this article.”. The fact that you had lived in Hong Kong as an expat for 16 years by no means gives you the privilege on your final statement, “If I were a Hong Konger, I would be proud to acknowledge my ethnic roots, and be proud to identify as Chinese rather than simply a Hong Konger.” I’m sorry. You’re NOT a Hong-Konger and have no place to speak for someone else! Nobody with a decent mind will NOT tell you British (based on what you said in the beginning, I assume you’re British and not an Aussie) if you should support your government and be proud of the UK. You can kiss the corrupted communist China all you want, and no one will care. Just go mind your own business. As a fact matter of fact, UK may face the biggest crisis of your own since the two World Wars.
Austin / Apr 26, 2019 at 3:44 am
I appreciate a lot that you feel concerns about the identity issue in the Chinese community.
But I found it so confusing about the treaty you mentioned. From what I know, the treaty was signed by Qing, not PRC. And after Qing was gone and ROC moved to Taiwan and lost their power, PRC refused to admit the legality of the treaties and claimed back the land was given away by Qing, mainly the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It was a cession, the new territories was the area that leased.
Therefore, of course Britain gave Hong Kong back unwillingly, but I don’t think it was legal for PRC to claim it back just by saying its “historically a place of China from ancient time.”, which they do that very often nowadays because they simply can’t justify the reason behind centralising the powers.
China was always not a country, just like Europe. The southerners was the savages in anicent time who was excluded in “chinese culture”
E Tang / Apr 26, 2019 at 4:21 am
If you had moved to HK a little bit earlier (in the 70s) you would have seen a clearer and bigger picture. During the cultural revolution (1966-1976) led by the Communist Party, millions of innocent people were arbitrarily imprisoned, tortured and even executed just because they were the relatively better educated/ wealthier family in the village. Therefore, a lot of the persecuted people fled to Hong Kong and became a very large part of the Hong Kong population. Yet many of their friends and family had been killed in Mainland China, with their property seized of course.
This, alongside other events such as the massacre in June 4, 1989, has added to the fear and loathing towards the Communist Party. (With that being said, many people still had deep affection towards the people living in China and tried to help them by providing financial aid, donating resources and even organising rescue operations. Please refer to “Operation Yellowbird” in 1989 for more information .)
Decades have passed and the CPC government is not doing any better (if not worse… you may have heard about the imprisonment of dissidents, and detention camps recently), not to mention that the intrusion and active interference of Chinese Government in the past decade had been damaging our freedom in every aspect. And now you are asking us, the descendants of the persecuted people, the ones who grew up breathing the air of freedom, to embrace this dictatorship?
I just want to say… i) ethnicity means nothing if the people themselves don’t think that they belong; ii) We may not be politically or financially more powerful than China. But that dose. Ot mean that our rights and voices should be/ can be ignored.
Mandy / Apr 26, 2019 at 5:18 am
Having worked with people from different cultures, Western and Asians not limited to Mainland China and Taiwan, I have built a friendship with many of them from different parts of the world over the years. One thing I’ve observed among expats in HK and China which they could hardly recognize was how they were treated differently by local Mainlanders who, on the other hand, treated us from Hong Kong and Taiwan with a very different mindset. Expats are considered as “guests” so Mainlanders would treat them like guests: polite, humble and with manner. For us from HK, where I was born, and those from Taiwan, the Mainlanders come with a mindset saying, “well, if not for us who travel here and buy from you and support your economy, you are in deep trouble.” That explains why you always find yourselves very welcoming in Mainland China and we never feel it on our end. The world you see things is very different from what we see. And because of this mindset, we Hongkongers and many of my Taiwan friends found very disturbing when hundreds of Mainland Chinese jamming the shopping malls and blocking the road where they sit around whenever they feel like after getting tired of shopping. In return, we got their look of “you should be thankful because we give you business. Messing up your area is nothing if compared with the business we create for you” has caused a lot of tension between Mainlanders and Hongkongers which the HK government choose to ignore. That also explains why the younger generation tends to differentiate themselves so desperately. My friends in the Mainland all knew about it and felt sorry for what we have experienced here. Unfortunately, none of them would speak up for us publicly because of the pressure around, the overall social sentiment that they shouldn’t bad-mouth their country. You as expats would never understand this feeling because your world is different from ours. Even if your daughter is learning Chinese, her Chinese is Putonghua and simplified Chinese whereas for us in HK, we speak Cantonese, a language that inherits many of the ancient Chinese attributes, and we write in traditional Chinese characters. Simplified Chinese is just a product of Mao’s time because of low literacy at a time when the so-called New China was formed. For me, Putonghua and simplified Chinese characters are my third language, next to English. I have to learn it like I learn the other language. The pronunciation is different, the language structure is different, the same as the written characters. Your daughter wouldn’t feel it either unless she learns Cantonese. Even if she learned, she wouldn’t feel our stress because again, expats are “guests” and hence treated differently.
For many years when I came across situations that I have to introduce myself, I always said, “I’m from Hong Kong” which I said it with pride! I never emphasize the China part. For those who know the sensitivity, they would understand. For those who don’t, why bother because after all, the world they see is different from ours.
Oxford Franklin / Apr 26, 2019 at 5:20 am
I am happy you are not a Hong Konger. To get to know why many of the Hong Kongers hate being treated as mainland Chinese, I suggest you go visit the re-educated camps in XinJiang.
Oxford Franklin / Apr 26, 2019 at 5:48 am
To put it short, why should I love your PRC just because I am a Hong Kong Chinese? In fact, I hate PRC very much. Is it wrong not to love a country which killed millions of its people?
Dennis Ng / Apr 26, 2019 at 6:02 am
Why you like all others assume hkers are all chinese. Many are not. They may be American, British, Indian, … really and many are holding foreign passports. And even if ethnic is chinese can we against those and hence not want to be part of that. Liberty. Freedom to choose. You are in USA.
JC_HK / Apr 26, 2019 at 7:07 am
Since you are so proud to be a “Chinese”, would you trade your current passport to a PRC passport.
HK Expat / Apr 26, 2019 at 3:08 pm
As an expat working in Hong Kong, I absolutely admire your courage to openly discuss on this sensitive with the Hong Kongers. This is a never-ending discussion, much like a debate between a Obama supporter and a Trump supporter in most cases. It all depends on which side you take. What I have witnessed from my 7 years of living in Hong Kong, most Hong Kongers want nothing but a decent quality of life for themselves and their families. However, the current SAR government just isn’t doing the right things. Pay raise does not seem to be catching up with the surge of property prices and inflation.
Jessica / Apr 26, 2019 at 4:38 pm
As a foreigner stayed in Hong Kong for 16 years, it seems that you have not observed the ethnic identification changes happened in Hong Kong.
We are not any close to overt elitism or xenophobia, misplaced Nationalism and pride. There were a few factors boosted our national identity of Hong Kongers.
1. China colonising Hong Kong by injecting 150 ppl per day which Hong Kong immigration has zero control. In the last 20 years, at least a million of Mainland Chinese migrated to Hong Kong. We affected the public healthcare system and housing.
2. The current pro-china Government interfering higher education board by injecting pro-china people. Affecting the promotion and appointment of University.
3. Chinese hot money boosted into Hong Kong, our previously well-executed anti-corruption system collapsed. As many corruption prosecutions were dismissed by Attorney General appointed by China.
4. To further suppress the freedom of speech, many of the pro-democratic activists have been political persecution and banned from legislative council election with unheard reasons. Last years, even people elected legislative council were being disqualified with absurd excuses, like checking their facebook post and believed that they were not truly faithful to China.
We are heartbroken Hong Kongers seeing our lovely city became corrupted and filled with people that do not appreciate freedom of speech and not obeying the law. To preserve our core value, we are standing up to tell people Hong Kong is not just part of China. I believe you love Hong Kong very much also to give such a long comment. So I would really hope that you would openly hear different opinions and stay up to date with Hong Kong affairs.