An international city does not usually mean people of different races and backgrounds mixing and merging together, and coming up with the best that east and west, or north and south, have to offer.
More often, simmering tensions, resentment, jealousy and misperception lurk just beneath the surface, waiting to burst out when a triggering event takes place. Two nasty cultural triggers have caused an avalanche of emotions among many expats and locals in our community this month.
On the surface, there are few things in common between Disneyland's opening and a proposed teachers' wage cut of up to 10 per cent at the English Schools Foundation (ESF). But both Disney executives and ESF teachers have provoked a good deal of resentment among locals and expatriates, judging by media reports and letters to editors.
What was supposed to be a joyous event with the mega-billion dollar theme park's opening was marred by accusations of an arrogant Mickey trampling on the jurisdictions of various law-enforcement departments. Long before Disney asked hygiene inspectors to remove their insignia before admitting them to investigate food complaints, it was reported that some electrical and mechanical standards in Hong Kong would not be enforced because the US entertainment giant claimed its amusement rides had unique designs and unrivaled safety records.
As for the hygiene inspectors, their action may have been undignified, but it was terribly prudent. They got their job done quickly in collecting suspect food samples, and avoided a dispute that could have had repercussions on their careers. Police officers at Disney have been specially trained to act like friendly characters in a Disney movie.
All this, of course, brings back bad memories of extraterritoriality, the 19th-century imperialist practice that made areas in China - occupied by the western powers and Japan - exempt from Chinese laws.