The feud between Hong Kong and China dates back to the ancient times mostly around the 16th century. Despite the fact that Hong Kong is a part of China, there have been immense contradictions and disagreements socially, culturally and politically among other ways. The foundation of the conflicts between the two is catalyzed by the colonialism and political influence from the British and the England people which also contributed to the Anglo-Chinese and Arrow wars against the Qing dynasty commonly referred to as the opium war. To date, the Hong Kongers despise being associated with the Chinese primarily due to the distinct characteristics in the ways of lives and political wants among others.
According to some social and political analysts, the controversies between the two regions are not necessarily influenced by the politics affecting them but the preference of cultural practices and identity mostly from the Hong Kongers and perception towards mainlanders. On the contrary, there are immense reasons as to why the relationship between Chinese individuals from Hong Kong and those from the mainland of China have profound differences and politics is one of them. In reference to Vanessa Ko (2012), the Hong Kongers refer to the Chinese of the mainland as ‘locusts’ due to their untidy and ‘don’t care’ habits especially towards the environment. While the individuals from Hong Kong pose traits from their British and English colonialists, the Chinese shunned most of the foreign influences and habits. For instance, it is common for Mainlanders who visit Hong Kong to spit and throw waste anyhow on the streets without minding the environment, hence the reference to them as locusts.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The fluid identity of the Hong Kong people is influenced by numerous prehistoric events hence their tendencies to denounce being Chinese. For instance, as highlighted by Roberto Ignacio Diaz, Dominic Cheung and Ana Paulina Lee (2014), the Hong Kong people embraced most of the western social and political perceptions and ideologies which played a significant role in the Chinese Revolution. Hong Kong is considered a region made up of Chinese individuals who are characterized with a combination of the west and east cultures. Moreover, it is common for most Hong Kongers to poses foreign passports that include countries like Canada, Britain, America and the UK. Most of them end up seeking further education and job opportunities from these nations impacting their habits and cultural practices. Moreover, archeologists argue that most of the Hong Kong people have more similarities to the Malaysians and Vietnamese than the Chinese contributing to their confidence in a unique and independent identity over the mainlanders. Furthermore, the movement to the western countries was catalyzed by the worries, fears and negative assumptions of the mainlanders during the handover period. Considering that the political aspects in Hong Kong were mostly similar to the British which impacted democracy in the local government, English cultural practices and freedom of the press, the formation period of the People Republic of China was a menace to the independence of the Hong Kongers (Fung & Chan, 2017) .
As observed earlier, some habits amongst the mainlanders are considered unacceptable socially by people of Hong Kong increasing the existence of disconnect in their relationships and practices. Hong Kong is considered one of the most economically sustainable regions around Asia and has influenced the infrastructure and development of social amenities. It is common for Chinese pregnant women from the mainland to seek maternal healthcare from Hong Kong primarily to enhance the abilities of their children to have access to good schools and a standard social freedom. Such practices are annoying towards the Hong Kongers increasing their resentment towards the mainlanders. The disparities amongst Hong Kong and China has also been enhanced by the hate speeches observed in the recent years especially from the Chinese mainlanders who consider Hong Kongers as ‘dogs’ in reference to their submission to the British government during colonialism. It is due to these same reasons among others that impacted protests among Hong Kongers impacting their feud towards the Chinese mainlanders.
Despite the independence in self-governance possessed by the people of Hong Kong from the time of handing over, China has shown interest in influencing policies implemented in the former region which consequently enhances the superiority of the later. As one of the administrative locations in China, Hong Kong as a former territory of the British is free to follow their own composed legislation that is different from the other provinces in China. It is evident that the ‘one country, two systems,’ between Hong Kong and China has proved successful but with profound challenges especially on the relationships of its people.
Conclusion
The controversies between Hong Kong and China have been in existence for a long time and have impacted ways in which these regions associate. While they are located in one geographic region, Hong Kong remains an integral part of China despite their freedom in Judicial, economic and political practices. Moreover, the differences are distinct mostly due to the influence of their colonialists which shaped cultural practices and social ideologies amongst its people. The Chinese in the mainland are primarily considered as tourists in Hong Kong who have habits that are socially unacceptable in the region. On the other hand, the economic growth in Hong Kong is irresistible to the mainlanders making it a tendency to acquire resources that are scarce in other China provinces which include education, healthcare especially maternal and other vital products.
References
Diaz, R. I., Cheung, D., & Lee, A. P. (2014, March 14). How to Know Hong Kong and Macau: A Fluid Identity . Retrieved May 7, 2018, from Scalar: http://scalar.usc.edu/anvc/travel-and-culture-in-hong-kong-and-macau/a-fluid-identity
Fung, A., & Chan, C. (2017). Post-handover identity: contested cultural bonding between China and Hong Kong. Chinese Journal Of Communication , 10 (4), 395-412. doi: 10.1080/17544750.2017.1371782
Ko, V. (2014, January 24). Trouble Down South: Why Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese Aren’t Getting Along . Retrieved May 7, 2018, from TIME: http://world.time.com/2012/01/24/trouble-down-south-why-hong-kong-and-mainland-chinese-arent-getting-along/
