Someone catch me up on the lingo please

[skittles5510]

I have never had much faith in the average Americans geography knowledge, but I lost my mind while watching "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader" the other week:

Question: What country is to the north of the border from the United States?

Well, after she proceeded to say that she new the answer because they learnt a song about it at school, she then stopped and said "Oh, I can't remember."

She had to get one of the kids to answer it for her.

/fail

I watched that episode. I am from Hawaii, which is supposedly the most isolated place in the world, but a part of the U.S. I was screaming at the television when she did not know the answer. I thought she was such a disgrace. Actually, that happens a lot when I watch that show. My geography is quite good.

Back to the main topic-- If you are in New Territories or Kowloon, you are still in Hong Kong right? So I think Hong Kong should cover New Territories, Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, and the outlying islands. Maybe "Hong Kong" is sometimes used to refer to Hong Kong island for short. But I think many people not familiar with Hong Kong think it is just a city, like Tokyo or Seoul.

I know Hong Kong is in China and a part of China now, but i really dislike it when people say I went to China. I would always correct them and say "Hong Kong". Is it just me or anyone else feel this way?

[Skyhook]

I know Hong Kong is in China and a part of China now, but i really dislike it when people say I went to China. I would always correct them and say "Hong Kong". Is it just me or anyone else feel this way?

Why would you dislike what is absolute reality ? We live in China, no question of that, China being the "country", Hong Kong is a city of that country. It also happens to be China's 5th highest GDP contributor, and can feel quiet proud of itself, having achieved that with the help of its middle kingdoms assistance.
I think it a bit of an identity crisis issue, that there is even a percentage of people out there willing enough to refute/ignore the fact that they actually live in China.

Just remember, that if it were not for Shanghai and Peking/ Beijing finance, this little territory wouldnt be anything more than a Cantonese fishing village. just like it was, 300 years ago, and centuries before that.

I am also wondering how many expats actually realise that more than 50% of HK Chinese are not ancestrally provincial to Hong Kong, but from many other provinces of China.

Lets not forget the huge influx of non indigenous Hong Kong Chinese that crossed the border for a better life during the 1950's. My lopors family ( grand parents ) among them, ancestrally migrated from Shanghai.

Hopefully that delineation opens a bit of a window of reality for some, like the above Skittles.


Also my take on the Hong Kong locational naming issue, isnt really any different to Vancouver Island and Vancouver, is it ? We all live in the HKSAR, when talking to folks from overseas who ask us where we live. Otherwise, how do you address you mail from OS ?

Hong Kong yeah ? No matter what section we live. And i will agree that most people say HK island if they live there, as opposed to the mainland area's.

[Crocodile]

.... Peking/ Beijing ....

I don't like when people say Peking. It really annoys me, especially people under 30 that say it - it has been called Beijing for a long time.

.... glad I have got that off my chest. :-)

[Skyhook]

I am well past 30 croc. KIA is closest to my age.

just for a little light hearted trivia, pertaining to this subject.

In the past, Beijing was known as " Peking to the west " prior to 1949, and still uses the PEK airport abbreviation even to this day. Both the old and new spelling are approximations of the Chinese phonetic sound, pronounced something like "pay-cheeng." the PLA changed the spelling to Beijing after 1949, and didnt really strictly enforce the use of the new western spelling until the 1980's. Tianjin/Tientsin, Nanking/Nanjing, Chunking/Chongqing, were also changed around the same period. In theory they are all pseudo name changes, as a result of the pinyin transliteration method, using the latin alphabet to display them in English. The names of the locations technically have not changed, only the spelling based on English phonics etc.

Does that clear up things a little for you croc ? I used a foward slash in between Beijing/Peking during my previous post, because Hong Kong was established before and after the spelling change.

[PDLM]

I don't like when people say Peking. It really annoys me, especially people under 30 that say it - it has been called Beijing for a long time.

Only in English. Other European languages still call it by something very close to Peking. See Beijing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[via]

Why would you dislike what is absolute reality ? We live in China, no question of that, China being the "country", Hong Kong is a city of that country. It also happens to be China's 5th highest GDP contributor, and can feel quiet proud of itself, having achieved that with the help of its middle kingdoms assistance.
I think it a bit of an identity crisis issue, that there is even a percentage of people out there willing enough to refute/ignore the fact that they actually live in China...

Lets not forget the huge influx of non indigenous Hong Kong Chinese that crossed the border for a better life during the 1950's. My lopors family ( grand parents ) among them, ancestrally migrated from Shanghai.

Hopefully that delineation opens a bit of a window of reality for some, like the above Skittles...

My grandparents were entrepreneur, merchant people with properties in Shanghai during the 1930s and 40s.

They told us stories of later forced to move/run to Hong Kong when "ruling party" politics started. They lost almost everything. They were back to living basic in Hong Kong and to "start again".

They and my parents do NOT think life in Hong Kong is the same as life in mainland China. We also have family/relatives in other busy Asian cities, and others study or work in US and Australia. Prefer to live/settle in those places, not in the PRC.

I am the only one still in Hong Kong now. Been to Shanghai, Beijing, GZ, SZ and rural areas, and see HK very different from mainland PRC. Your wife/lopor's history and experience is just "different". My family still remembers earlier earlier decades. And Hong Kong others still do.

[Skyhook]

I am the only one still in Hong Kong now. Been to Shanghai, Beijing, GZ, SZ and rural areas, and see HK very different from mainland PRC. Your wife/lopor's history and experience is just "different". My family still remembers earlier earlier decades. And Hong Kong others still do.

How is it any different ? I agree with you that Chinese cities run differently from one to another.

The fact is, you are all Chinese, China is your nation. You cant ignore that fact, regardless if you choose to live in Hong Kong or elsewhere.

Your family's Shanghai story is no different to my lopors family's, they left for the same reasons, due to regime change during that period of history. We still have family there today.

I don't get this us and them attitude, when its all under the banner of China, and under the militaryand economic responsibility of the PRC.

Thanks for your opinion though VIA, I respect your thoughts.

Thank you PDLM, regarding that very informative wiki explanation too.

[via]

Different Chinese cities JUST "run" differently...

Stories, experiences, points of view are different. No use saying any more on here.

Don't so quickly cancel out "Skittles" previous comment or some HK Chinese people's point of views, pls. (Otherwise, the very very few who say something "different", will not bother next time.)

[Skyhook]

Via I am basing my experience over the last 10 years, having lived in Beijing, Shenzhen and have travelled as far as Wu Tai Shen.

My father also project manages the construction of English schools in XIAN for a New Zealand charity, he is there for the next 5 months, and has been donating 6 months of his time each year since he retired.

You have a problem with China, thats fine, what are you doing about it, besides being bitter?

China is going through major changes, it has a few bad habits still, but nothing that wont iron out in the long run. They will gradually become more progressive as time progresses. China is a very diluted version of what it was prior to 1989. Its made very big strides since then.

Complaining about China and living firmly in the past, to me, is pointless. We are now living in the 21st century, its up to us all to guide China into a pro active member of the global community, but not at the expense of the Chinese culture.

My Aunty also studied Chinese medicine in Beijing from 1982 - 1985, and has written 3 books in Australia about naturapathy, acupuncture, acupressure etc etc. We all have different interests in China, and I am entitled to my opinion, just like you are.

Give China a chance to prove itself...

[skittles5510]

Why would you dislike what is absolute reality ? We live in China, no question of that, China being the "country", Hong Kong is a city of that country. It also happens to be China's 5th highest GDP contributor, and can feel quiet proud of itself, having achieved that with the help of its middle kingdoms assistance.
I think it a bit of an identity crisis issue, that there is even a percentage of people out there willing enough to refute/ignore the fact that they actually live in China.

Just remember, that if it were not for Shanghai and Peking/ Beijing finance, this little territory wouldnt be anything more than a Cantonese fishing village. just like it was, 300 years ago, and centuries before that.

I am also wondering how many expats actually realise that more than 50% of HK Chinese are not ancestrally provincial to Hong Kong, but from many other provinces of China.

Lets not forget the huge influx of non indigenous Hong Kong Chinese that crossed the border for a better life during the 1950's. My lopors family ( grand parents ) among them, ancestrally migrated from Shanghai.

Hopefully that delineation opens a bit of a window of reality for some, like the above Skittles.

As I have said in my post, I KNOW HOng Kong is part of China. I am full Chinese, my parents lived in Guangdong for 30 years before immigrating to the US, my origin is Guangdong (which is the same as the majority of the people in HK), and my uncle was one who crossed the border to HK and still live in HK. So you don't need to give me a history lesson and open up a window of reality for me.

But I guess I should have not used the word 'disliked'. I just want to be more specific and great education moment for the people I talk to!

That's because many of the people that I talk to do not know much about Hong Kong, and therefore are totally oblivious to the whole One Country/Two Systems thing, or don't even know where it is on the map, the history, or anything like that. So It's not like I dislike reality or in denial or anything like that. Maybe I just love Hong Kong too much!!

And Hong Kong is indeed very different from the other cities in china, in more ways than one. When I plan a trip to Hong Kong, I tell people that I am going to Hong Kong (instead of saying China). But If I plan a trip to the other cities in China, then it is more likely that I will say I am going to China. I am not wrong, I am just being more specific. It's not like I'm saying I'm not going to China...I'm just saying I'm going to Hong Kong.

this is just my point of view based on my own family background, knowledge, experience, and surroundings. I am proud to be full Chinese, have origins in China, and speak Cantonese. It has nothing to do with an us/them or a superior/inferior thing. That is the beauty of being Chinese...such a big country with strong history and each person has their own little story to tell. Nice to hear your lopor's story.