Demographics of Hong Kong - Terminology

Terminology

People from Hong Kong generally refer to themselves, in Cantonese, as Hèung Góng Yàhn (Chinese: 香港人; Cantonese Yale: Hèung Góng Yàhn; literally "Hong Kong people"); however the term is not restricted to those of Chinese descent. Due to Hong Kong's nearly 150-year colonial history that saw the stationing of English, Indians and Russians among other ethnic groups as civil servants or traders. Thus a distinct and legitimate non-Cantonese culture with specifics to Hong Kong grew. Mixing of cultural groups did not occur much beyond governance and business due to two main reasons:

1. Between Chinese and other ethnicities: the Cantonese language posed a significant barrier for newcomers. Far too often non-Chinese were stationed in Hong Kong for fixed periods of time (2-, 4-, 8-year terms) and thus motivation to learn the language was reduced. Furthermore pre-1970s Hong Kong saw official governance favouring English or British culture for the most part. For example, English was the only official language and educational institutes of quality were also English speaking. Therefore a continuation of English culture by recent English immigrants was simple and official policy; the need to integrate with the Chinese populations was thus limited. Furthermore Chinese population were largely unable to learn English due to the lack of proper educational facilities in pre-1970 Hong Kong. Racial tensions arose as a result of perceived imbalances, leading to the 1966 and 1967 riots.
2. Between non-Chinese ethnicities: most non-Chinese ethnic groups came to Hong Kong as traders, civil servants or soldiers in which one's race played a significant role in the determination of class. For example, the 1928 HK Police handbook clearly assigns power, responsibility and rank based on ethnicity (White, Indian and Chinese).

In English, the term "Hong Kongers" (or sometimes Hongkongers) and "Hongkongese" are becoming more popular to describe the people of and culture of Hong Kong. The term 'Hong Konger' or 'Hongkonger' is used to refer to the Hong Kong people, while 'Hong Kong' (or 'Hongkongese') is an adjective for people or things related to Hong Kong.