The issues
Even though Hong Kong has been a part of China since the 1997 handover, many of its residents see a separate identity. They think they are different from mainlanders. Some even view their fellow Chinese citizens in a bad light, as impolite, inconsiderate, loud or greedy.
In a study of mainland stereotypes by Hongkongers, many locals do not refer to themselves as 'Chinese'. Hans Ladegaard, English professor at Baptist University, also found other interesting discoveries. He also looked at what mainlanders think of the stereotypes. His study was published in this month's issue of Journal of Multicultural Discourses.
Rejecting the Chinese identity
People in Hong Kong tend to refer to themselves as Hongkongers or Hong Kong Chinese, but not Chinese.
This may suggest that Hong Kong is still not comfortable that it is a part of China, even 15 years after the city was handed over to Beijing.
Hong Kong was under British rule for 155 years, and some argue that the city has few social, cultural, political and linguistic similarities with the mainland.