Hong Kong identity caught between political reality and insecurity

When many Hong Kong people are abroad and are asked where they are from, their answer is usually "Hong Kong". They consciously avoid answering "China". This small thing reflects Hong Kong people's effort to mark themselves apart from their mainland counterparts, and shows that Hong Kong people regard Hong Kong as an entity, sufficiently well known to grant them a unique identity.

But if we press further for answers, we find many complexities. First, Hong Kong is not a sovereign city state, like Singapore. Second, it is no longer a British colony. Third, is Hong Kong part of China? The political answer is "yes". As for what people truly feel, Hong Kong's social conflicts offer clues.

Aware of the politically correct answer to the question of identity, Hong Kong people tend to reject it. One way they do so is through protests, of which we've seen numerous of late.

One issue underlines this rebellion: Hong Kong people's increasing feeling of helplessness about their shrinking superiority over mainlanders. Protests against Dolce & Gabbana were about mainland tourists having more privileges than locals. Protests against pregnant mainlanders were because locals felt entitled to maternity beds and mainland mothers were taking away this privilege. Protesters against mainland drivers claimed they are more prone to causing accidents, implying that their driving is substandard. Protests against the national education curriculum were about rejecting a mainland programme that is seen as biased and aimed at brainwashing Hong Kong children.

All these protests aimed to protect Hong Kong from being overcome by mainland China; that is, at fighting for Hong Kong not to be part of China. They were negative expressions of Hong Kong people's "Chineseness", and also expressions of an undercurrent of insecurity and fear of being devoured by a mightier entity.

But some issues can help Hongkongers forget such insecurities, at least temporarily.