Why are Mainlanders hated so much?

[Seo hon]

Hi there, Im new to the forum

This is by no means a racist thread so bear with me.

In school, a bunch of Hong Kongean students hate theese Mainland Chinese students and sometimes smash them pretty badly. One time this mainland chinese kid got his semi long hair cut off by these Hong Kong kids and spoke some cantonese violently. (Im used to hear this word often "SayDielook chi' My qustion is why do Hong Kongeans hate Mainlanders so much?

One of the kids said to me that the Mainlanders are dirty and rude and they make their country look uncivilized and I should not talk to them.

I was wondering, was there ever a historical record of hate between these two cultures?

[dalaowai]

Hey Seo Hon,

I've been living in China for the past 3 years and I've lived in rural areas as well as urban areas such as Shanghai.

I feel pretty confident about my Chinese culture knowledge and to answer your question in a direct and honest way, a large percentage of Chinese cannot tolerate different minority groups, etc.

The Hong Kong situation is not unique, however the following reasons are why Hong Kongnese dislike mainlanders. First of all, they view Hong Kong as being a non-Chinese territory, so they resent mainlanders. Second of all, in the recent past and present, many mainlanders illegally entered Hong Kong to work. Many of these mainlanders come from poor areas and their manners and habits are quite barbaric compared to those of Hong Kongnese. (i.e. spitting, public urination, nose picking, etc). Most mainlanders don't speak Cantonese, or the little they speak has a thick accent.

The Shanghainese also hate any outsiders for the exact same reasons as stated above. In Shanghai, they speak a dialect, if any outsiders come to work in Shanghai, they're usually not well-mannered and speak Mandarin, etc, etc.

I lived on an island for a year, they also hated outsiders for the same reasons, spoke different dialects, etc.

In any case, any large city in China, they blame crime, dirty streets and theft on outsiders. Any minority group is scrutinized and often are forced to do the dirty/low-paying jobs that nobody else wants to do.

Now as a society, China is currently facing wide-spread racism-related problems that we saw in Western countries decades ago. (note: i still feel there are still racism-related problems in Western countries, but not to this extent.) I have friends from all walks of life in Shanghai, black, yellow, etc.) Many of them are well-educated people, but don't fit the white skin profile that companies are looking for. I have a Canadian born Korean friend who hasn't been able to find a job teaching English, even though she's fluent and majored in English at University. They keep telling her that her skin is yellow, and they're looking for caucasians. I have a Russian-born friend teaching English in a bilingual school. She has a huge accent, however she was hired due to being white.

I know that I'm going a bit off topic, however I think that you need to understand the bigger picture of Chinese society to understand why a specific group of Chinese hate on the others. Race and language is a very important factor in daily life here in China. Stereotyping is huge.

I hope that clears it up for you.

Rob

[liuzhou]

Unfortunately, that is a pretty good analysis.

[xiaocai]

My personal experince is that: you can see xenophobia everywhere: in every country; every city even every community, the only difference is the severety.

[Seo hon]

Thanks Rob, that really clears it out for me.

[Celso Pin]

genetically, there is no such difference between human beings...

[Ian_Lee]

I really feel inappropriate that the word "hate" is being used in this post. In US, "Hate Crime" that is committed on hate derived from discrimination on gender, race or sexual preference carries a mandated longer prison term.

And absolutely there is nothing like hate as the poster described in his original post that HKers hate Mainlanders. There are 13-14 million tourists visiting HK every year. And so far hardly a single case of "hate crime" has ever been reported.

Owing to cultural difference between the two societies, inevitably there is mutual misunderstanding between two groups of people. But with more interaction between them, the behaviors will be modified gradually and there will be less misunderstanding.

[bhchao]

HKers may look down on mainlanders, but this does not mean they "hate" mainlanders.

Based on my own experience, I agree that the manners of some Mainlanders might be crude. Recently I visited a restaurant operated by a Mainlander, sat down, and ordered some sheng jian bao. When the order arrived, the waiter (who I can tell was a recent mainland immigrant) handed me the plate of sheng jian bao from up high (with one hand) instead of placing the plate directly on the table. I gave him a dirty look, and was certainly not pleased. When I left, I gave no tip.

I rather spend $6.77 at Din Tai Fung where the waitresses are pretty and everyone has good manners, rather than spend $4.50 at a place where the service is shabby and uncultivated.

[roddy]

It's worth remembering that the OP is talking about students in school or maybe university. Put kids from Place A together with people from Place B and some idiot is going to point and laugh at the other group. Hopefully anyone with an actual life is going to have better things to worry about.

I did hear once of conflict between mainland and Taiwan students at a UK school that started when one mainland student explained to the students from Taiwan that he couldn't understand why they didn't rise up, liberate themselves and rejoin the mainland. That resulted in fighting.

Roddy

[Ian_Lee]

Regarding dislike, actually it is a two-way street.

After Li Ao finished his tour in Mainland, he gave a speech in Hong Kong. During the speech, Li teased HKers in a joke.

Li said: "People in China used to dislike the mean Shanghaiese, but lately the mean Taiwanese have replaced Shanghaiese to be the target of dislike. But Taiwanese in Mainland who are being disliked than refuted by asking "What about the mean HKers?""

At that moment, hundreds of audience were silent. Li detected the embarassment and joked that "But HKers are not human beings but Gods"! Then the audience burst into laughters.

But in Cantonese idiom, claiming the others as Gods is not compliment at all. When HKers suspect the others, they would say "Can't tell if he is a God or a Ghost?"

Anyway, I would say that even after 20 years of interaction, there is still huge gap in cultural and social values. Lately authorities on both sides warn all cross-border potential brides and bridegrooms of the adjustment problem in their marriages.

[wushijiao]

I think the phenomenon described in dalaowai’s post is accurate, but it’s worth keeping in mind some of the unique historical circumstances. Since 1979, China has experienced an economic miracle arguably unmatched in human history. Because there has been a huge economic progress, whole ranges of social problems have resulted in an amazingly short amount of time. Certainly, the dichotomy between the relatively well-off, educated, costal cities and the underdeveloped, rural interior is one of them.

Under the hukou system of forced “deportations” for migrant laborers (from 1949-2004) in cities like Shanghai, huge social 矛盾’s increased: Certainly, cities like Shanghai and Beijing were able to avoid the shantytowns that surround major metropolises in other developing countries like Rio or Mexico City. Sending illegal workers back to the countryside was one way to ensure that an already overstretched infrastructure was not going to collapse under the weight of 100 million peasants. But this same system also artificially skewed supply and demand of labor. Millions of farmers wouldn’t have stayed in the countryside in say, 1980, if they had been given a choice to move. Since the education system is under-funded and basic in the countryside, is it any wonder that these people lack “manners”? Not to mention, urinating and spitting in a field doesn’t seem all that outrageous if your working a farm that is supplied by “night soil” anyway.

In any case, I agree with roddy that high school students, in whatever country, will take whatever pretext to kick the crap out of other kids. That’s fairly universal.

[Seo hon]

So you wouldn't call it hate, rather... immature fury? I mean cutting someone's hair off and spitting on them (besides the beat ups) sounds pretty hateful to me. But I guess this word has been used so often that the true meaning has been lost.

[HashiriKata]

I mean cutting someone's hair off and spitting on them (besides the beat ups) sounds pretty hateful to me.

Cruelty is not necessarily motivated by hatred, especially in our present society. The situation you descrbed looks like bullying to me.

[dalaowai]

If they're University students, then they're not bullying; they're hating. They're old enough to know that what they're doing is wrong. If they're doing this to random students from different ethnic backgrounds; I guess it could still be called bullying, however if it's specifically towards one group, that's ethnic hatred. So it would be ok to say that they "hate".

[Jose]

I agree with HashiriKata. That particular incident looks more like bullying. Generalising from that to say that Hongkongers hate mainlanders is a misrepresentation, in my opinion. Many Hongkongers may look down on their less affluent neighbours just like West germans tend to look down on East Germans, for example, but I don't think words like "hate" are appropriate in this context.

If Hongkongers really hated mainlanders, then many of them would hate their parents, and the vast majority would hate their grandparents.

[Seo hon]

"If Hongkongers really hated mainlanders, then many of them would hate their parents, and the vast majority would hate their grandparents."

I'm starting to study some HK history and my friends have aided me and taught me a few. I think Hong Kongeans have always been in their own territory haven't they? Even though the Brits took control of it for a while. But independent..Just like the Japanese, although Korea used to be a tribe in China a long time ago. (didn't learn much korean history back in college)

I mean, you don't see a city in america having their own flag, currency, language, and customs right? Sums up the points of independence even though 1997 (I think its the correct date) did happen.

But my point is, these students are now University students now and they didn't regret their actions from last year, I don't know why but the HK people honestly has a grudge against the mainlanders. (Includes cutting the hair, breaking his pencil infront of him, beating him up, labelling him).

[frozenmyth]

Yeah, school kids may be highly scary sometimes in their behaviors!

It's kind of funny but true that I personally know two poeple (only 2 so far I've met in person in this situation) in the U.S. who went to graduate school because they did not want to teach in high schools anymore. They were teachers for years but had had enough from those high kids. Some people in those young years can be very stupid humans.

I had also met many HK people in the U.K. more than 10 years ago before mainland China took HK back. I remember that just about all the HK people kind of saw themselves as different from the other ethnic Chinese. By that I mean I thought they kind of saw themselves as people of HK, at the time it was still under the British rule, not British and not necessarily Chinese Chinese either. Since China took HK back, of course, much changes in the society occurred there and mentality would likely be changed slowly and gradually too.

I do not know if the majority of the HK population truly resent, or hate, the Chinese mainlander (insiders). You can pretty much see reports ranging from sports to scientific breakthrough that whenever Chinese mainlanders excel plenty of HK people would cheer for them or be exaulted. Of course, on the other hand there were political demonstrations organized against some meddlings of the central governments.

Anyway, the school kids case in the original post is sad in my opinion and those kids should be given some lessons to live more harmoniously, together.

[Ian_Lee]

I hate to say this.....But I suspect that these HK kids are inclined to be troublemakers.

Why? The reason is very simple.

Who in Hong Kong will go to attend school in New Zealand in the first place?

For those students in HK who opt for overseas study, the top choices are UK/US/Canada/Australia and even Japan or Mainland China.

So who is attending school in New Zealand? Usually they are the kids of the new immigrants from HK. But unlike other destinations, New Zealand offers almost no job opportunities to these new HK immigrants.

So many parents usually returned to HK right after landing and left their kids behind.

You can imagine the behavior of these early teenage kids without the guidance of parents!

[Seo hon]

Who in Hong Kong will go to attend school in New Zealand in the first place?

These guys came to our school because of the Golf Academy, I don't think they offer good golf academies in HK.

Who said they are all looking for a job? Most of these guys are part-time golf athletes already now.

But I do agree with the troublemakers part. Its kind of scary to see that they bow to their own friends here and there but treats the mainlanders like crap.

[yorkie_bear]

"If Hongkongers really hated mainlanders, then many of them would hate their parents, and the vast majority would hate their grandparents."

I hate to say it but there is a pretty large difference between a mainlander who left China when the communists came over and a mainlander now. Communism really did no favours to Chinese culture, manners or general politeness. While both my parents would regard themselves as Chinese they would not really be able to relate to 'current' mainlanders.

I think HKers now have a love/hate relationship with mainlanders.

They love them because the HK economy is now heavily reliant on doing business with the mainland. This ranges from banking to tourism. They welcome Chinese tourists to come and spend in HK with open arms. There was one story where the new IFC building had a viewing floor ONLY open to mainland tourist i.e. not HKers! HKers are manically trying to perfect/learn Mandarin as it is needed in shops, restaurants and not having mandarin on your CV narrows your work options considerably. HKers will even show their patriotism to China e.g. queues and queues of people lining up to see that guy who went up into space.

But they hate them too. Perhaps hate is too strong a word. Despise? Definitely look down on them. When I had my bag stolen, first reaction from the boss: must have been mainlanders. Crime rates soaring? Mainlanders. Prostitutes outside the Peninsula? Mainlanders. They think mainlanders have crude manners and lack any ounce of sophistication. They blame the mainlanders for all the troubles yet know they have to suck up to them big time to survive. What a quandry.