An orphan, an angst-ridden teenager or a cross-cultural traveller? Hong Kong must find its unique identity
Stephanie Cheung says as Hong Kong searches for its identity, it is bound to recognise its role as a go-between
Mearcstapa is an old English word often translated as "border walkers". Like Strider the Ranger in The Lord of the Rings, Sir Francis Drake in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, or Zheng He, who founded the maritime Silk Road, border stalkers were individuals who travelled outside their group to bring back news of the outside world. Their ability to move in and out of tribes, traverse boundaries and understand different cultures equipped them to act as a guide to the outside world, and a protector of their own tribes.
Hong Kong is presently like an 18-year-old with an identity crisis. As any teenager would know, this process of growing up and searching for one's identity is exciting, though it can be confusing, sometimes frustrating and even downright painful. Conflicting desires and instincts rage through him, flushed by hormones. He needs to develop a healthy self-image and know who he is, to go forward into the future.
In this quest for an identity, it may be helpful for us to learn from the ancient mearcstapas.
Hong Kong has always been an orphan, fostered by Britain in the colonial days. After 1997, this orphan's insecurity has been magnified into an overwhelming craving for approval
The young go through conflicting emotions. Among these is a longing for recognition and approval by one's parents and those in authority. This is natural. However, when one is emotionally insecure, as in an orphan, this need for approval can get blown up to major proportions.