Are Hong Kongers antagonistic towards Mainlanders? The relationship between Hong Kongers and Mainlanders

• Main Author: Chia, Jun Kai
• Other Authors: Hoo Tiang Boon
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/65123
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Not long after its reunification with People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong's economy was hit by the 1997 Asia Financial Crisis. Before Hong Kong could fully recover, its economy was badly affected by the 2003 SARS incident. To boast Hong Kong's economy, PRC signed the Mainland and Hong Kong Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) with Hong Kong and relaxed the travel restrictions on Mainlander. Mainland's investment in Hong Kong increases but the closer economic tie between Hong Kong and mainland China does not translate into a closer relationship between the Hong Kongers and mainland Chinese. The influx of Mainlanders leads to a series of clashes between the Hong Kongers and Mainlanders. Through these clashes, it reflects the tense relationship between Hong Kongers and Mainlanders and to some extent depicts Hong Kongers are antagonistic towards Mainlanders. This paper offers a more nuanced analysis of the complex relationship between Hong Kongers and Mainlanders, and instead argues that not all Hong Kongers are antagonistic towards Mainlanders. Although there is the presence of anti-mainlander sentiments in the society, most of the Hong Kongers possess a rational and neutral attitude towards Mainlanders. Conflicts with Mainlanders only occur when Hong Kongers feel that their interests have been violated by Mainlanders.