How Typhoon Mangkhut blew away the ‘selfish Hong Kong’ stereotype

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Shek O villagers and volunteers clean up debris and trees after Typhoon Mangkhut wreaked havoc on Hong Kong. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 11:48pm, 26 Sep 2018Updated: 11:48pm, 26 Sep 2018

I refer to the letter from Carly Fung thanking the disciplined services, maintenance workers, street cleaners, company janitors and volunteers for returning normalcy to the typhoon-hit city (“After Typhoon Mangkhut, a big thank you for Hong Kong’s spirited clean-up effort”, September 18).

The stereotype about Hongkongers is that they are selfish and rude. So I was glad to learn that the same people so often maligned as self-absorbed came out in large numbers to help clean up communities after the devastating typhoon hit on September 16.

In Tai Po, students started clean-up activity around the Tai Yuen and Fu Heng estates, and were even thanked by an elderly street sweeper who would have had to spend days on it. At the Tseung Kwan O waterfront, volunteers gathered for a clean-up, some bringing along their children and helpers in response to calls on social media to join the campaign. Teachers, office workers, and even refugees and asylum seekers joined the drive, in places from To Kwa Wan to Sai Wan.

Typhoon Mangkhut response highlights value of community spirit

Volunteers were also out on the Shek O and Clear Water Bay beaches. I felt really touched at the display of community spirit and how everyone came together to clean up their home city.

Katie Hung, Kwai Chung