Etiquette of Hong Kong People

[dragons4ever]

I found HK people to be rude too, but atleast it is safe...well I felt very safe.

[Kardi]

I could not agree more with everyone who has written that people in HK are rude. Maybe a better way of putting it is that they are just selfish. I have lived here for 5 years now and i have seen people rush into elevators before others can get out, close the elevator door on your face or worst see u trying to rush to the elevator and still not release the close button. within the first month of my arrival here i had to get off a bus because i did not have change and no one was ready to change a 20$ bill for me (i was umemployed and parting with 20 $ for a 6 $ ticket meant a lot then)
Even in a unruly place like Bombay with it century old local trains there is some order, some code of conduct, which i see completely lacking in HK. On a crowded bus people refuse to move ahead in the aisle even though u can barely stand on ur toes in the front. The most infuriating 2 things that i find here (and i dont know if i can clasify it as rude) are
1. People clipping their nails on a bus..... How disgusting can one get???
2. People chomping off on their chewing gums on the bus, if only they could keep their mouths closed.

I dont expect people opening/holding doors for me but atleast do not press the close button on an elevator when u see me making a desperate effort to make it.

[tiny]

Yeah, stick to india where people deliberating burn young children so you feel sorry for them when they beg for money!

If you hate it that much, why are you still here afte 5 years - you can't really hate it that much then??!!

it is easy to get on your moral high horse but don't throw stones if you live in a glasshouse.

[tiny]

Also, forgot to mention that in india, they are so 'decent' that when i was there, i saw loads of young children, toddlers and even babies sleeping rough in the middle of busy roundabouts and on pavements with all the 'decent' indians stepping over them.

[Anne]

tiny, I think you might be confusing a lack of social etiquette with poverty and deprivation.
To me it's a personal space thing. I'm a Londoner living in HK and in both cities people are often rude, pushy and impersonal when out in public, and I don't think it's a reflection of their personality as much as the stress of not having enough space in a big city.
But research has shown Westerners have a need for a greater amount of 'personal space'-the area directly around them that they feel uncomfortable having strangers in. This is smaller in HK, because people are often more used to be pushed together in a smaller space.
I find I get barged a lot more here, and get sick of having a supermarket trolley pushed against my behind in the queue. Londoners don't leave this out from politeness, there's just a different attitude to space.

[petrm]

Yes, I also concluded that HK people are rude, however, there are exceptions.

Overall, I find HK people whom I talk to and meet very nice, friendly, laid back, tollerant, humble, hard-working, honest.

Compared to Europeans, Americans, I prefer HK people any minute.

P.S.
While I would consider mainland Chinese people very nice and lovely, they often strike me as inconsiderate, selfish, arrogant and bold.

I am sure that some of the reasons are cultural differences and their lack of education.

[KnowItAll]

>> their lack of education

And perhaps the lack of empathy on your part?

Anyways, lets shut this thread down. We're just going around in circles.