1.11 Cultural diversity

A summary note of 1.11 and 1.12 can be found here

1.11 Factors shaping the characteristics of cultural diversity with Chinese culture as the mainstay in the Hong Kong society

1. Chinese culture

●         China is one of the most ancient civilisation in the world. The Chinese culture has never been interrupted and has continued to this day.

●         The Chinese culture has never been interrupted and has continued to this day.

●         The Chinese culture can be traced back to the various Neolithic cultures in China from 7000 BC to 1700 BC. 

●        The Xia dynasty, traditionally dated from around 2070 BC, was previously considered to mark the beginning of China's civilization. However, recent archaeological discoveries at the ancient city of Liangzhu in Zhejiang Province, China, have pushed back the origins of Chinese civilization by over 1,000 years, to around 3,300 BC. (more than 5000 years ago and just as old as other ancient civilizations)

●         Chinese culture can be manifested in different fields, including history, education, ideology, morality, literature and art, and science and technology.

●         Some examples of Chinese culture are: Living in Clan (宗族), Confucianism (e.g. filial piety, patriotism, self-cultivation), the unity of man and  nature, difference within harmony

Discussion: Are the practices shown above Chinese culture?  How can they be so different?

2. Historic background to the shaping of Chinese culture in Hong Kong

i. An influx of Chinese Immigrants

Distant past

●         From the Northern Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, the Jin people and the Mongols invaded southward one after another, so many big clans from the Central Plains migrated to Hong Kong.

●         Many clans from Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong migrated to Hong Kong and became the first residents to establish a foundation in the region.

●         These migrants brought the beliefs, customs and lifestyles from their places of origin to Hong Kong, and formed four major ethnic groups.

●         The Five Great Clans, the Tang, Pang, Hau, Man and Liu clans, have a long history in Hong Kong and they have settled in the New Territories. They are called Punti. There are also the Hakkas who are migrants from the Central Plain distributed across Hong Kong, the Tanka people who are also known as the ‘Boat Dwellers’ and the Hoklo.

Modern past

●         Since the mid-19th century, the political situation in China has been turbulent (e.g., Taiping Rebellion in 1850) and a large number of people from the Mainland have moved to Hong Kong. After immigrating to Hong Kong, they still retained the customs and habits of their places of origin. For example, the Hakka people follow Hakka customs and many of the customs of the boat dwellers are still preserved. For example, the Hakka Unicorn Dance has been practised for more than 200 years.

Recent past

●      The outbreak of the war against Japanese aggression in 1937 and the subsequent civil wars between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party prompted a large number of people to migrate to Hong Kong, among which farmers and labourers from Guangdong accounted for the majority. In addition, many entrepreneurs migrated to Hong Kong, bringing in capital and technology to Hong Kong. The Mainland immigrants became cheap labour. Together with other external factors, the industries of Hong Kong developed rapidly.

ii. Chinese and Chinese culture education and inheritance

●      The teaching of Chinese at the University of Hong Kong began with the establishment of the Faculty of Arts in 1913.

●      Universal Circulating Herald (循環日報) was founded in 1874 and was the first Chinese-owned and Chinese-run newspaper in Hong Kong.

3. The integration of Chinese culture and different cultures under British rule

The introduction of Western culture

●      As the British Hong Kong Government imported Western lifestyles and values, the British-based governance system, legal system, business culture and media culture took root in Hong Kong, forming a blend of the Chinese and Western cultures in Hong Kong society.

Spread of Chinese studies and introduction of Western studies

●      Some intellectuals who were well-educated in Chinese studies, such as Qian Mu (錢穆) and Jao Tsung-I (饒宗頤), went south to Hong Kong, set up schools, and promoted Chinese studies in Hong Kong. At the same time, Chinese leaders, such as Sir Kai Ho (何啟) and Samuel Robbins Brown, encouraged local Chinese to learn advanced knowledge from the West and cultivated local talents for China’s modernization. They played an active role in promoting the integration of Chinese culture and different cultures in Hong Kong.

Changes in educational models

●      Before the founding of Hong Kong, education in Hong Kong was still traditional in style, aiming to teach the Eight-Legged Essay (八股文) for the imperial examinations. After that, Western missionaries started Church schools in Hong Kong (e.g., Ying Wa College was found by Rev. Robert Morrison in 1818). In terms of school administration, these schools adopted Western academic systems. In terms of the teaching content, Western natural sciences and social sciences were introduced. Most of the Chinese elite and their sons and daughters at that time were educated in the new style to learn about the West.

Development of the modern newspaper industry

●      Hong Kong is not only a window for the West to understand China, but also a base for China to learn about the West. In the 19th century, Chinese Serial (遐邇貫珍), Chinese and Foreign Gazette (香港中外新報), Chinese Mail (華字日報) and Universal Circulating Herald  (循環日報) were the major Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong. These newspapers introduced Western knowledge and promoted ideological emancipation, technological progress and social change in Chinese society. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, newspapers such as Shen Pao (申報), The Star (星報), Li Bao (立報), China Evening News (中國晚報) and Ta Kung Pao (大公報), moved from Shanghai and other Mainland cities to Hong Kong to continue publication, making Hong Kong an important centre for ideological and cultural exchanges between China and the West.

4. Hong Kong society with close ties to Mainland China

●    With a predominantly Chinese population, Hong Kong is linked to Mainland China and interacts frequently in terms of business and population movement.

●      Whenever there is a major natural disaster in the Mainland, Hong Kong people are always eager to make donations.

Sun Yat-Sen

●      Sun Yat-sen is a well-known revolutionary who devoted his life to overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and establishing a republic. During his youth, Sun received his secondary and university education in Hong Kong. During his studies in Hong Kong, he studied the Chinese and Western languages and explored ways to save his country and his people. Hong Kong was his base for nurturing revolutionary ideas and planning revolutionary uprising activities.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

●      During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (抗日救亡運動), Hong Kong became one of the activity centres of the anti-Japanese national salvation movement.

●      The Pacific War broke out on 7 December 1941. On the next day the Japanese Army crossed the Shenzhen River to attack the New Territories. The British surrendered after 18 days of resistance.

●      During the Japanese invasion of China, the people of Hong Kong contributed money and efforts to help fight against the Japanese in the Mainland. After the fall of Hong Kong, the guerrilla forces formed by Hong Kong residents persevered against the Japanese and contributed to the victory of the war in Hong Kong.

A window to the outside world

●         Hong Kong has always played the role of China’s window to the outside world, serving as a bridge for exchanges and contacts between China and the West. Mainland China supplies Hong Kong with water, food and raw materials to support the stable development of Hong Kong society.

5. The impact of Chinese traditional culture integrating with different cultures on Hong Kong society

●      Hong Kong’s cultural diversity is the product of a particular historical and geographic context. Most Hong Kong people who trace their origins back to their ancestors will find themselves descended from immigrants. During the turbulent times of the last century in the Mainland, Hong Kong was once a place where Chinese literati and entrepreneurs gathered, and where the arts, culture and customs of the Mainland combined with the soil of Hong Kong.

●      Hong Kong is predominantly Chinese, but there are many other nationalities and ethnicities, representing a network of people, economic interests and relationships that continue to bring new information and ideas to Hong Kong and keep it close to the pulse of the world. Cultural diversity has enriched our lives and formed the basis of our identity - based on Chinese cultural traditions, a mix of local cultures, the best of Western culture and a global perspective.

6. Hong Kong’s cultural characteristics and its economic development

●      Hong Kong is a modern city while preserving its Chinese cultural traditions.

●      The development of Hong Kong’s free trade economy reflects Hong Kong people’s emphasis on trustworthiness (重視信用), spirit of contract (契約精神), flexibility and innovation (靈活創新), and inheritance of the Chinese culture’s character of self-improvement(自強不息) and hard work(刻苦耐勞). This has promoted Hong Kong’s overall economic development, and made Hong Kong develop from an entrepot to an international financial, trade and transport centre.

●      By the end of the 1950s, manufacturing exports accounted for 70% of Hong Kong’s total exports, marking the transformation of Hong Kong into an industrial city. With the rapid industrialization and economic growth, the development of an international market-based economy and the corresponding political and legal systems, Hong Kong’s cultural diversity was fostered.

●      In the 1960s and 1970s, Hong Kong’s economy took off and all industries flourished. Despite the hardships of life, everyone supported each other, leading to the birth of the “Lion Rock Spirit”, a spirit of resilience and solidarity.

●      In the 1970s, Hong Kong’s economic diversification policy, especially after reform and opening-up of the Mainland, led to the gradual formation of several pillar industries, including finance, external trade, manufacturing, shipping, tourism and information, and the development of Hong Kong as an international financial, trade and transportation centre.

DBQ Questions 

(2122 Y10 CSD Final Q1ab)
a.For a city which was occupied and westernised by the British 180 years ago, briefly describe two characteristics of Chinese culture in Hong Kong revealed by Source A. (4 marks)

b. According to Source B, describe two factors that have made Hong Kong a society with Chinese culture as its mainstay. (4 marks)

(2122 Y10 CSD Final Q1c)
c. ‘Hong Kong is an ethnically integrated society.’ How does Source C support this view? Explain your answer. (6 marks)..

Keywords to learn: sense of belonging, multi-cultural, acceptance, embracing diversity,