Hong Kong drifting, Hong Kong settling, and new Hong Kong people: How do immigrants alienate Hong Kong people?

On the eve of the promulgation of the National Security Law, I sent Brother Yan Wu a WeChat message asking him if he would immigrate. He replied boldly:

Stay and live.

I think Brother Yan Wu, who immigrated to Hong Kong from the Mainland, does not have to stay in Hong Kong to accompany Hong Kong people in speculation. His answer was beyond my expectation. At a time when native Hong Kong people are clamoring for immigration, his determination made me feel a little ashamed.

Brother Yan Wu has settled in Hong Kong from the Mainland for 17 years. It seems inappropriate to call him a new immigrant. But it cannot erase the identity of immigrants.

Hong Kong is very strange. Immigrants obviously come from all over the world, including India, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, the United States, Japan, and Taiwan, but they label people who come to Hong Kong from the mainland as new immigrants. The original intention may have been to distinguish the time sequence from the immigrants who fled Hong Kong in the last century. Over time, specifically referring to new arrivals from the mainland has contained discriminatory, disadvantaged, and negative ethnic labels.

Sheng Pipi, a mainlander who graduated from the University of Hong Kong, said that all the news she saw about mainlanders, especially new immigrants, were negative. I tried to explain to her that this was not the case in the past, but I couldn't clearly draw the time points and boundaries. I can only vaguely talk about my personal views based on my memory.

Li Qiao: a diligent immigration representative

Growing up in Biantu, there were always one or two new immigrants in the class. They are taller, older, and study very hard. At that time, the common impression of new immigrant schoolchildren was that they were very good at math but poor in English. The academic systems in the two places are different. After they come to Hong Kong, they are often assigned to study at a level one or two years below their original school age.

Children make no special distinction between new immigrants or mainlanders. I didn't know this when I was studying. I usually work and rest together, so I wouldn't pay special attention to who is a Hong Kong student and who is a mainland student. In my memory, during the midterm exam before Christmas in Primary 5, a male classmate cried a lot after the exam because he couldn't finish the exam paper. I am one of the top students in the class, so the questions are not difficult! Why can't I finish writing?

"I used to write in simplified Chinese, but this is the first time I wrote in traditional Chinese in the exam, and I couldn't finish it," he said. That's when I found out he was a new immigrant.

Another new immigrant classmate in middle school is extremely smart. We call him Quancaibin. In a school where everyone prays for a perfect score, Quan Caibin scored 17 points without any tutoring! He studied literature in the college entrance examination, but failed in the general examination. In order to make up for the score, he retaken the Chinese literature exam in the National College Entrance Examination, but he didn't study well. After class, he played basketball, football and McDonald's, and he actually got a C in the exam. I spent two years reading it hundreds of times and still couldn't get this grade.

When I was studying, I never felt that there was any difference between new immigrants and ordinary students. I even admired them because they worked very hard. Although I have heard of frictions between children and parents complaining to schools that Hong Kong people discriminate against new immigrants. Uh... That has nothing to do with old or new, right? You stole my Yu-Gi-Oh card, how could I let you go?

Generally speaking, in the late 1990s, everyone's impression of new immigrants was almost the same as Maggie Cheung's character Li Qiao in "Sweet Honey".

The movie is set in the 1980s and was shot in the mid-1990s. A new immigrant girl came to the South alone, with no power, no relatives, and no friends. I just arrived and my education is not high. It’s useless to have a high degree, Hong Kong does not recognize mainland academic qualifications. Li Qiao couldn't find a good job, but she was flexible and flexible. She worked in a fast food restaurant and studied English in her spare time. Relying on your own efforts to get a promotion and salary increase, and to improve your life, others will look at you with new eyes. In the end, I successfully used Hong Kong as a springboard to go to New York.

When you first arrive in Po, it is inevitable that you will be looked down upon by others. Hong Kong people value excellence. If your personal ability and social status are not high, others will definitely "look down" on you. By working hard to gain recognition from others, the label of "new immigrant" will be removed, and no one will look down on you anymore. This is the same whether you are a new immigrant or a local.

Since everyone can get rid of the label and integrate into Hong Kong society through hard work. Why do new immigrants often feel that they are discriminated against? They even think that the term "new immigrants" itself has racial discrimination, and have invented different terms to replace it.

New immigrants are not called new immigrants! Have you heard of New Hong Kongers?

Netizen Wei Jian runs the "New Hong Kong People" group on WeChat. The new Hong Kong people he refers to are new immigrants.

Most new immigrants enter Hong Kong on one-way permits. One-way permits are used to reunite family members. As long as the issue of family reunion is not involved, new immigrants will be very stable. I define New Hong Kong people as people because I want Hong Kong people to change their views on new immigrants and call them New Hong Kong people. To create a hotel with higher quality and closer to Hong Kong standards, and to integrate more quickly and have a sense of Hong Kong people.

Brother Wei Chien believes that it is not easy for new immigrants to adapt to Hong Kong. He believes that the cultural level makes it difficult for new immigrants to integrate into Hong Kong society, and language is the biggest obstacle:

Hong Kong speaks Cantonese + English. Even if the new immigrants are fluent in Cantonese, English will directly exclude most of them in job selection; that is, they can only work in basic construction or service industries; they are destined to live at the lowest level.
They rely on labor force to survive, and these jobs must be integrated into Hong Kong because they require communication. The unspoken rules of each industry make the new immigrants suffer a lot, and they are deducted too much.

Even if they can speak Cantonese, they cannot integrate into society because of the different vocabulary and difficult to understand slang, and they are labeled as new immigrants in the group.

In the past year, I have joined four or five WeChat groups of new Hong Kong people, and I found that most of them are new immigrant hometown associations, a stratosphere where most people sit around the stove, and their way of thinking is very different from that of mainstream Hong Kong people.

Of course, the most obvious difference is their attitude towards current affairs and politics. Their positions tend to support the government. This is not a big problem. The problem is that the channels they use to collect information are often WeChat and mainland official media. Hong Kong media will never read it, and they read Apple Daily with a preset stance.

Furthermore, they have little interest in "Hong Kong today" and always feel that there are many problems in Hong Kong today. In the past, the golden age was relatively fair, but new immigrants are now suffering from discrimination. It is the unscrupulous Hong Kong people who have caused these social phenomena.

Nostalgic and discriminated against, young people in Hong Kong are also in the same situation. As for the young people in Hong Kong who suffer more discrimination every minute than the new immigrants, the latter still have various agencies and units to provide assistance. What about young people in Hong Kong? You can only help yourself.

I often cite evidence to guide them to discuss issues from the perspective of Hong Kong people. For example, when they talk about a certain policy being unfair, I will quote regulations and Legislative Council documents to let people in the group see the "real facts." Often in vain.

Wai Chien created the New Hong Kong People Platform with positive intentions. He hopes that new immigrants will: "Know more about Hong Kong before coming to Hong Kong, lay the foundation for integrating into Hong Kong, and be fully prepared."

However, what I have observed is that the new Hong Kong people care about the Hong Kong in their imagination rather than the Hong Kong in real life. They also have no intention of promoting social change to make the whole society more suitable for their own lives. The approach taken is to put pressure on the government and welfare groups to demand equal treatment and benefits when resources are scarce.

"Unfair" is their mantra. They accuse themselves of being treated differently and the system is unfair. It is very effective. I'm afraid I learned this from the people of Hong Kong. As long as something is "unfair", any unit will attach great importance to it.

At the beginning of 2020, the government decided to distribute NT$10,000 to Hong Kong permanent residents. As a result, there were voices criticizing the policy for failing to benefit new immigrants. After discussions, the Community Care Fund "make up for it" and target "new arrivals from low-income families." "Distribute a subsidy of 10,000 yuan.

 [Distribute $10,000] Government: Distribute $10,000 to non-permanent residents through the Community Care Fund <Topick>

The government can stick to its policies. After all, it is quite reasonable that non-permanent residents cannot enjoy the same benefits as permanent residents for less than seven years. Mainland China has both rural household registration and urban household registration. I have never heard them publicly criticize the system as unfair. Instead, they praise the household registration system as reasonable. Otherwise, what will happen if Chinese farmers flood into the cities? But when they came to Hong Kong, they criticized that "even though they are also Hong Kong people," their treatment is so different.

This is the essence of "new Hong Kong people" . "New immigrants" are a group of outsiders, just like Li Qiao. They have no choice but to integrate into Hong Kong's lifestyle, identify with values, and learn Cantonese. Each of these is difficult and requires time to hone. The "new Hong Kong people" are different. They are already Hong Kong people. They should enjoy the same opportunities and benefits as Hong Kong people. At the same time, they are here to replace the old Hong Kong people. There is no need to blend in or get along, the new Hong Kong people are enough to represent Hong Kong.

This kind of concept, thought and behavior makes many Hong Kong people feel that you are here to grab resources and territory! Resources are limited, and when it comes to public housing alone, the priorities of new immigrants and Hong Kong people are very different.

Hong Kong Drifting: Plundering Passengers from the Future

Those who really come to seize the land may not be the new immigrants at the grassroots level, but may be "Hong Kong drifters".

The term "Hong Kong drift", which corresponds to "Beijing drift", is a popular term in mainland China that generally refers to groups of immigrants who have moved to designated cities. They drifted from other parts of China to big cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai. The drifters are always in a precarious situation. They cannot become locals no matter how long they live there, nor do they necessarily want to become locals.

"Do you think I really want to be a Hong Konger? The value of permanent residence in Hong Kong has long been inferior to that of registered permanent residence in Beijing and Shanghai. Mainlanders come to Hong Kong because they have no money to go to Western countries." Peach, who came to Hong Kong to study and work, once promoted me She immediately refuted the idea of ​​staying in Hong Kong to work, find a Hong Kong boyfriend, and get permanent residence at the same time.

"Then you go to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou!" I said.

"I can still enjoy freedom in Hong Kong. This is the city closest to Western countries." Mi Tao later joined a red matchmaker, but she considered herself a porn matchmaker. Because in the eyes of mainlanders, that media is pornographic. I also chased a Hong Kong boyfriend.

As far as I know, there are several industries in Hong Kong that prefer to hire mainlanders, even more so than local graduates. Media, finance, religion. The reason for the financial industry is that Hong Kong graduates have mainland connections and can bring business to financial institutions; there is no choice in religion, especially religions other than monotheism, and almost no one in Hong Kong joins; the media is because mainland graduates are cost-effective and usually hold a With two or more master's degrees, and the editor-in-chief is usually a previous-generation immigrant who speaks Mandarin, or is transferred to Hong Kong from an institution in the north, communication is relatively easy. I think this is also the reason why mainlanders are so obedient and obedient.

When I came into contact with Hong Kong drifters for the first time, I was very surprised by how unfamiliar they were to Hong Kong. Apart from the classroom, they have almost no in-depth contact and communication with Hong Kong society and Hong Kong people.

Half of the reason is caused by Hong Kong's special social structure. A few years ago, I came into contact with a professor from Taiwan who came to Hong Kong. He ate, drank, had sex, and slept all within the confines of the university campus, and the furthest he had ever been was the airport. He claimed that he had not left school in eight years, could not speak Cantonese and could not understand a word of it. And he already got three stars. Hong Kong is so convenient. My short life experience in other places tells me that it is impossible to isolate yourself from local people in other places. I don’t even know how to get to the supermarket, and even if I know, I may not be able to go there. I don’t have a car.

The other half is Peach's judgment: the group size is enough. The teachers and classmates in their class are all mainlanders. On WeChat, there are rental apps, insurance apps, exchange apps, and social groups that specifically serve Hong Kong drifters. This situation does not only happen to students, but also to Hong Kong drifters who have left society.

Hong Kong drifters often get together to socialize during holidays. I have participated in several Hong Kong floating parties undercover and found that they like outdoor activities, go to outlying islands to take photos, and ride bicycles in Tolo Harbor. There are also serious ones. One issue was about the experience of Hong Kong drifters working in Hong Kong, and everyone complained about their bitterness. Here comes the exciting part!

They criticized Hong Kong's lack of new technology and young people's lack of interest in the Internet and new media. Mainland China's scientific research development is better than that of Hong Kong, and it pays more attention to the development of the Internet and the Internet of Things. There is a Hong Kong drifter who claims to be a senior executive of a financial institution, a Cantonese, and speaks Cantonese. He criticized young people in Hong Kong for being irresponsible: "Maybe I'm old, maybe in my late 30s, but I don't think anyone would do this."

This group of people have different backgrounds, including returnees who graduated from Canadian universities and came to work in Hong Kong; those who work cross-border, the company has a branch in Shenzhen to "transport" samples to Hong Kong for the boss every week; university graduates who have passed the Hong Kong College Entrance Examination , engaged in the financial and insurance business, he has "dated" all the pretty girls on the boat.

After they complained for a while, I raised my hand and talked about the current difficulties faced by young people in Hong Kong: "A native-born college student took out academic loans. After graduation, he found that in low-level jobs, the boss preferred to hire cheaper mainlanders. For high-level jobs, , they like to hire college students who have returned from overseas, no matter which country they are from, or even because they have connections in the mainland. However, there is actually no evidence that outsiders are better than local students! As a result, all opportunities are occupied by outsiders. If it were you, what would you think?"

After a few seconds of silence, the feeling they gave me was - no feeling. Natural selection and survival of the fittest are the systems pursued by Hong Kong society. Who said the qualifications for hiring foreign workers in Hong Kong were so simple? Why don't you go abroad to study for a master's degree and then come back to start a business? If local students do not work hard and survive in the system, do they have the right to complain? We drifted here and worked hard, but what about you?

Hong Kong Ding: Declaration deleted by the official

"It took me eleven years to cast my first vote."

At the end of the 2019 district election, Mr. Yan Wu said on WeChat that he voted and analyzed the election situation. I was very excited and told him that we must talk about it. You are the only new immigrant I know who voted.

On a winter afternoon that was as warm as late summer, we met at the most ordinary tea restaurant in an old housing estate, which was sparsely crowded. He has a neat suit, a pair of glasses on his bare head, and the smile of an insurance salesman. The content of his conversation is undoubtedly that of a senior political commentator.

My circle is narrow, and half of the Hong Kong drifters I know are media workers and the other half are insurance practitioners. The latter only cares about the wallet. The former is more special. When he was in school, he was like a passionate reporter, talking about freedom of the press and the fourth right. After graduation, I worked in a Chinese-funded media and immediately became a member of the system.

"Sooner or later, Hong Kong will turn into mainland China, so it's better to adapt early." Mi Tao said, after being able to enjoy press freedom for two or three years, she finally experienced it. Even if you change back to the mainland later, it will not be difficult to adapt.

I was indignant, this was no different than visiting a prostitute! It does not ask about the origin of the system, nor does it maintain the health of the system. As a member of the media, you just want to take advantage and enjoy yourself for a few years, then forget about it?

She has her own difficulties, her family is being held hostage in the mainland. I once witnessed her father in the countryside making a long-distance call to her, telling her that the police had come to talk to her father and asked her if she had done anything against the country in Hong Kong: "Follow the party and the country!" She vowed and promised duplicitously. . Hong Kong drifters grew up in the system. They feel that returning to the system is natural and they quickly adapt to it.

"It's hard to get used to it!"

Mr. Yan Wu was categorical: "Many new immigrants and Hong Kong drifters want to bring the mainland style to Hong Kong. They think they can take advantage of it. I wrote an article before and was dismissed. They must be friends. My Facebook is just Friends only."

"It's so dangerous. I'm curious why everyone hasn't taken the initiative to understand the cultural background and social system of this city since they came to another city."

"Hong Kong people are the same! My colleagues are all talking about buying famous brands and spending tens of thousands of dollars on travel. Moreover, Hong Kong's political threshold is very high and there are too many factions. Pan-democrats are divided into professional pan-democrats and middle-class pan-democrats; The establishment system is divided into traditional establishment system and enlightened establishment system. Compared with Taiwan, you can probably understand the political situation by looking at blue and green. Hong Kong is too complicated and most people don’t want to understand it.”

Mr. Jing Yanwu reminded that not everyone is willing to be interested in society and current affairs. I only criticize them because they don't care about society, which is indeed biased. There are also many Hong Kong pigs and cynics among Hong Kong people.

The New Hong Kong people group managed by Wei Jian provides a large amount of information on renting a house, finding a job, and exchanging Hong Kong dollars. It is understandable that these are all the daily needs of new immigrants. Most of what everyone is concerned about is whether Taobao's goods will arrive as scheduled, and whether funds will need to be transferred due to rising stock prices.

"It's not easy. It took me eleven years from the time I came to Hong Kong in 2003 to the time I cast my first vote. It has to do with my personal background." I went to university in Hong Kong, majored in communication, and later worked in the media. Mr. Yan Wu admitted that these backgrounds stimulated him to have a deeper understanding of the situation in Hong Kong. Seven years after arriving in Hong Kong, even after obtaining permanent resident status, he still has not entered a polling station. Until you have accumulated enough knowledge, interest and emotion, you finally enter the voting booth.

I think he is a Hong Konger! Regardless of his official identity, price outlook, acting style, and personal experience, he is simply a replica of Li Qiao. "New immigrants", "new Hong Kong people" and "Hong Kong drifters" do not apply to him. However, Mr. Yan Wu did not agree with the above labels and created a word: "Hong Kong Ding".

"Hong Kong Ding" is not an immigrant or a potential immigrant. Hong Kong is encountering many problems now and will still face huge challenges in the future. Being born in Hong Kong does not mean that you naturally love Hong Kong. Only those who do not run away from trouble are the true "Hong Kong lovers".
"Hong Kong Ding" does not mean "those holding different documents". There are many foreign internationals in Hong Kong. According to the Basic Law, they enjoy various rights in Hong Kong, but they are "foreigners" after all and will not become the main body of Hong Kong's builders.

As soon as the article came out, it was quickly deleted on WeChat because of the violation. I roughly excerpt two points that I personally find interesting.

1. Mr. Yan Wu believes that Hong Kong has always been an "outsider". This is the voice of immigrants. Looking back, my identity as a Hong Kong person was strongest when I was in a different place, encountered difficulties, and had no one to live with.

2. "Never run away from trouble" touched me deeply. Countless people born and raised in the 1980s around me have been discussing immigration issues enthusiastically even before the National Security Law was passed. Professionals even went to Canada for job interviews, and at the same time shouted: "I really love Hong Kong." They laughed at other people, because if they didn't leave, it would be too late.

The depression of immigrant city

New arrivals to Hong Kong, regardless of their geographical location, are all actively trying to clear their names. The reason behind this, I think, is that everyone more or less wants to be recognized by Hong Kong society and become a member of society from outsiders. Whether it is actively integrating into the existing cultural circle, creating or transplanting values, replacing existing values.

However, I always feel it is inappropriate for the Chinese in Hong Kong to claim that they are new immigrants, new Hong Kongers and even Hong Kong residents. For a long time, as long as you stayed in Hong Kong long enough, you would naturally become a Hong Konger! No one would think that Li Ka-shing, Huang Zhan, and Jin Yong are still immigrants, right?

To this day, let alone newcomers to Hong Kong, even if we are natives, we still feel that we are in an awkward and dissociated state. You have to gnash your teeth and keep it on your lips all the time, as if you are reminded from time to time, then it will be diluted, forgotten, and disappeared.

New entrants are eager to take over this land. The old residents desperately dig into the history and culture, consolidate their own values, and resist the non-integration movement of outsiders. Promote core values, defend the local spirit, and attempt to prevent assimilation and distortion of the cultural spirit by outsiders. Outsiders are lazy. If the two do not give in to each other, do not cooperate, and do not understand each other, conflicts will naturally arise.

The negative news that impressed Pippi was not just for mainlanders. Don’t Hong Kong people feel the same way? We love distinguishing similarities and differences, creating labels, and tit-for-tat. It seems that as long as he outperforms the other party, he can control the fate of the city.

An international city that both excludes locals and discriminates against immigrants may never be kind to anyone.

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