The Identity Crisis of post-1997 Hong Kong: An Examination of the Composition and Fluidity of Hong Kong Identity

Abstract

Hong Kong's history as a former British colony and current Special Administrative Region of China presents a unique case study in the formation of identity. To this day, many residents of Hong Kong do not view themselves as Chinese, that is, part of the People's Republic of China. Rather, surveys conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong reveal locals adopt the labels of "Hong Konger in China", "Chinese in Hong Kong" and "Hongkonger". In light of these findings, this study will examine the composition and fluidity of Hong Kong identity.
 This study will first show how Hong Kong fails to meet the criteria for a unified identity with China as outlined by Anthony Smith in National Identity. The study then draws from Agnieszka Joniak-Lüthi's assertion in The Han Minzu, Fragmented Identities and Ethnicity that identities serve a dual purpose: as explanations of events and processes, and also as tokens of social positioning in instances of power distribution. The study proceeds to analyze four situations in which locals in Hong Kong chose to adopt either a Hong Kong identity or a Chinese identity, depending on the benefits and status procured from each identity: a mainland Chinese girl eating noodles on the subway, mainland Chinese mothers giving birth in Hong Kong, the Diaoyu islands dispute, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The study confirms that Hong Kong and Chinese identities co-exist among Hong Kong residents. Moreover, the study concludes that Hong Kong identity, despite its ambiguity, is undoubtedly calculated and reasoned.