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Bridging the Locals vs Expat Divide

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  1. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by kungpaochicken:
    English is not common in China, and most Chinese people don't speak English. So the people you connected with are probably not the “common” Chinese people. I assume they are well-educated and very interested in foreigners and foreign culture. Things are different in HK. In HK most people know a little bit of English and are used to foreigners. Foreigners will not get the same attention as they do in China.
    Or, Hong Kong Chinese is extremely hoooked into their own TVB they simply couldn't associate with expats. Even here, locals who goes to geoexpat gets shot down quick.

    Gorilla getting along with mainland better than Hong Kong seem not as intuitive. Perhaps his/her background is unique. I certainly wouldn't attempt to explain the reason behind it using logic.
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  2. #32

    Maybe they just hate gweilow and other non natives?

    In my previous job I had a manager working for me in the Shanghai office in our legal department. She met her current husband a Hongker while in law school in Scotland. She tells me her husband's family in HK hates her because she is a mainlander and refers to her as Dai Lok Mui. I think she had done all she could to "bridge that divide" with another kid on the way. Good luck you f**king white Devils.

    Last edited by jonastainine; 18-01-2016 at 03:24 PM.
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  3. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by drumbrake:
    Those who want to mix more with locals need to start learning the local language - Cantonese.
    Not true at all. I've mixed very well with lots of locals. Frankly, I probably wouldn't get on too well with the locals who don't speak English...

  4. #34

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    <<Local HK people are very difficult to connect with as an expat unless they have spent time outside HK.>>

    Agreed. The language barrier is really a red herring. In one of my last posts I mentioned that old Chinese saying about how difficult a conversation between a Cantonese speaker and a Mandarin speaker. That to me is not really a language barrier at all. Think about the 'divide' between HK and people from the north (referred to as 'locusts' by some in a derogatory way) and you would have some idea as what that divide is made up of - language, cultural, political et. That was why I said the locals seem to have an attitude problem, and it manifests in many ways. Language is just one.

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  5. #35
    Quote Originally Posted by keieich:
    <<Local HK people are very difficult to connect with as an expat unless they have spent time outside HK.>>

    Agreed. The language barrier is really a red herring. In one of my last posts I mentioned that old Chinese saying about how difficult a conversation between a Cantonese speaker and a Mandarin speaker. That to me is not really a language barrier at all. Think about the 'divide' between HK and people from the north (referred to as 'locusts' by some in a derogatory way) and you would have some idea as what that divide is made up of - language, cultural, political et. That was why I said the locals seem to have an attitude problem, and it manifests in many ways. Language is just one.
    In my honest opinion, it is the responsibility of the person moving to another country to adapt to the local culture in order to feel welcomed, instead of blaming the locals. Think about it. You are lucky enough to have the freedom and opportunity to travel and settle in another country, that's not the case for most locals. You should feel grateful that the locals are accommodating you by spending so much time to learn and speak your language.

    Some locals are racist, yes, especially towards the poorer ethnic minorities. But that's not a problem that expats would face.
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  6. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by kungpaochicken:
    In my honest opinion, it is the responsibility of the person moving to another country to adapt to the local culture in order to feel welcomed, instead of blaming the locals. Think about it. You are lucky enough to have the freedom and opportunity to travel and settle in another country, that's not the case for most locals. You should feel grateful that the locals are accommodating you by spending so much time to learn and speak your language.

    Some locals are racist, yes, especially towards the poorer ethnic minorities. But that's not a problem that expats would face.
    Agreed, very much. I spent some years in a gweilo country and I know how it feels to be an "expat". Of the many lessons I learned first and foremost is how to be grateful, for having been treated just like a "local".

  7. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by adrianmcli:
    Are you saying that there was more inter-mingling between expats and locals 40+ years ago?
    Yeah...a master (British/whites) and servant (locals) relationship.

  8. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by Creative83:
    Hong Kong is not unique in this sense. Any countries with International schools will cause this to happen. It's the same with Pakistani kids in the NT who couldn't speak a word in Cantonese but managed to live in a Cantonese speaking environment. They go to schools that speaks their own language.

    That being said, Hong Kong is one of the many cities in Asia where you'll be less prone to meet with hostility when you don't speak the language.
    True. Imagine having such a Pakistani school in the US? Not saying there would be definite hostility, but chances are pretty high.
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  9. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by bunko8:
    True. Imagine having such a Pakistani school in the US? Not saying there would be definite hostility, but chances are pretty high.
    That's why I think HK is probably more tolerant towards foreigners than the US.
    You can survive and flourish in HK without knowing anything local (language, culture). No racial violence here. Cantonese speaking non-Chinese people are welcomed and appear frequently on the mass media like Corinna Chamberlain and Nabela Qoser (think about how many non-Chinese people in HK can speak fluent Cantonese).

  10. #40

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    If Caucasian looking people (e.g. Pakistanis) may not really be that welcome in a basically Caucasian country (e.g. US) and if Caucasian looking people (e.g. Pakistanis) are accepted (if not entirely welcome) in a basically Mongoloid 'country' (e.g. Hong Kong), what do these say? What matters most is not one's look (skin colour or "packaging" if you will) or language. How one behaves comes first. Ever heard about the 'divide' between Hongkongers and people from up north across the border? Don't they belong to the same race or culture? It's a funny world.


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