There is no surprise in the results of a survey showing that more Hong Kong students consider themselves part of China now than before the handover. Regular raisings of the national flag and hearing the anthem, Putonghua lessons and classes about Chinese history and culture are bound to imbue such a sense of belonging.
With more than 90 per cent in some way identifying with Hong Kong, but seven out of 10 also considering themselves to a degree a Chinese national, the 'one country, two systems' model is clearly working well from the citizenship viewpoint. Those accusing our young of lacking patriotism are proved wrong by the results. The findings of the University of Hong Kong poll are in line with studies by the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education, which questions a broader range of citizens.
Still, such figures are too low for some pro-Beijing critics of the government who claim it is not doing enough to promote national identity. But expectations that each and every Hong Kong resident should have an over-riding love for the motherland just a decade after the city's reunification with the mainland are misplaced, given Hong Kong's history. More than 150 years of British colonial rule and the links to western culture and development that this entailed makes for a vastly different psyche.
Our freedoms, economic success, good governance, strong rule of law, low levels of corruption and value of life mark us starkly from our mainland cousins. These are reasons for pride in being a citizen of Hong Kong and creating an air of superiority. Over time, as the mainland's development catches up, we will have increasingly less reason to crow about what we have achieved. With our future development so closely linked to the mainland, working together will prove that as a people, we are no more special.
This is as the architects of 'one country, two systems' intended. The nearer that 2047 - the year of full integration - approaches, the more we will think in national terms. National identity is a matter of pride and patriotism. It cannot be forced, only developed. As the latest survey shows, this is exactly what is happening.
