Is Hong Kong chinese enough

[skylee]

Last night I chatted with a friend about our travels and she told me that when she was in Turkey a couple of months ago, she had this talk with a Turk. She told him she was a Chinese from HK and the Turk said - no, no, no, you people from HK try to be Chinese but you are not really; unlike Taiwan which is chinese and denies it.

We found this remark very amusing/interesting. What do you think?

[Xiao Kui]

I think HK is Chinese enough - it's a very cosmopolitan place, but it's retained Chinese language, and culture. Though his statement is amusing, it's more amusing because it demonstrates ignorance. Unless he's been to mainland China, Taiwan, and HK, his statement can't be taken very seriously. Also I think that comparing HK and much of mainland China is like apples and oranges, but having lived in GZ and HK (both for short 6 month stints) - I felt like the culture was similar, at least from an outsider's POV. I've never been to TW so I'm not going to comment on its Chineseness or lack thereof.

[gato]

You're Chinese enough to make some darn good jook.

[roddy]

Ah, if 'Chinese' can include everyone from Beijing politicians to Shanghai executives to Anhui peasants to Liverpudlian car thieves, there's room enough for you Hong Kong folks . . .

Roddy

PS Watch Xinhua closely next week for the announcement about Liverpool's joyful return to the motherland (sh)

[gamerfu]

"Hong Kongese" in Seattle say they are not Chinese.

[Language Guy]

Should she pay attention to such a comment by a Turk?

[zixingche]

""Hong Kongese" in Seattle say they are not Chinese"

That's interesting...do they mean they are not citizens of China/PRC or do they mean they are not Han/ethnic Chinese? (assuming they're not ethnic Indians, whites etc).

[wushijiao]

HK is certainly Chinese. It is a bit funny that someone would say that, but in another way, what is "Chinese" isn't 100% clear, and can be very political.

For example:

-a farmer from Henan

-a Hanified Tibetan in Llahsa

-a non-Hanified Tibetan in Sichuan

-a Beijinger

-a Manchurian, born in outside of China

-a (Turkish) Uigur

-a recent Chinese immigrant

-a Dai

-a Chinese-American

-a person of Chinese ethnicity in Taiwan

-a person of Chinese ethnicity in Indonesia

-a Mongolian born in Mongolia

-an elderly person of Chinese ethnicity in Mongolia

-a Monglogian person born in Inner-Mongolia

- a Kazakh born on the border of where the USSR and China fought some border wars in the Mao era

....etc

It seems to me that because China traditionally was, and is, a huge imperial power with borders that fluctuated over time, questions of race, nationality, identity and ethnicity aren't always easy to sort out.

My point isn't to inflame a huge angry debate about "who is a real Chinese, and who isn't". My point is simply to say that lines aren't always clear. I don't really have answers for some of those.

But, as far as HK, I think there is no doubt that it is Chinese, especially since it has been the heart of Chinese pop culture and free media for so many years.

[Ian_Lee]

Hong Kong can be very Chinese and un-Chinese in the eyes of foreigners. Its Chineseness:

(1) Only in Hong Kong that all traditional Chinese festivals are listed as public holidays and celebrated. In fact, the Dragon Boat race that is promoted by HK Tourism Authority has been event in many foreign cities. (But apparently South Korea is smarter by asking UNESCO to list Dragon Boat Festival as Korea's cultural heritage.)

(2) Some Fortress villages in New Territories, whiich were built in Song and Ming Dynasties, were found in Hong Kong and not on Mainland.

(3) Cantonese opera has been better preserved in Hong Kong than in Guangzhou. In fact, Cantonese opera is better preserved than any dialectical operas in Mainland.

Its un-Chineseness:

(1) Both Mainland and Taiwan drive on the right while HK drives on the left. Both Mainland and Taiwan use the metric system while though HK officially uses that too, every big real estate developer is still usually quoting in "square feet" while you buy a house, or you shop in the market by asking how much is a "pound" (or catty).

(2) In Taiwan or Mainland, you frequently find names of buildings or blvds with the name of "Zhongshan". But in HK you only find "Victoria", "King's", "Queen's" and "Prince Edward" (even though Sun Yat Sen dwelt in HK for a long time).

(3) The judges, airline,.....even money (the coins with QEII head are still in circulation) bear nothing resembling Chinese.