Gang piao: the 'Hong Kong drifters' caught in the middle
For many young, educated mainlanders living in Hong Kong, finding their place in society can be an uphill, hostile struggle. Hedy Bok and Ernest Kao meet some of these 'drifters' to get the lowdown on their lives in the SAR
A mainlander in Hong Kong is one of millions who come to pillage the city's luxury goods, baby-milk powder, gold and scarce property at the expense of the downtrodden local, who must deal with higher prices, more crowded streets and fewer university places. That mainlander is a "locust" come to take from us "running dogs".
Such characterisation plays well with the media, at any rate, and gives cavilling politicians on both sides of the border something to rant about.
Caught in the middle are the , or "Hong Kong drifters", a term coined in mainland internet chat rooms to refer to young, educated individuals from north of the border who now live and work in Hong Kong. Under the "one country, two systems" principle, these expatriates from the same country must grapple with a culture and language that are different yet similar. Their "drifting" might be temporary, but most are keen to fit in. Many think twice about using broken Cantonese when ordering food at restaurants, but also hesitate to use Putonghua, to avoid being seen as yet another uncultured tourist. English is often a safe compromise.
Unusually for a drifter, Vivian Xiang claims to be a product of Hong Kong cosmopolitanism, something she loves the city for. The 30-year-old from Hunan province works as a manager at a British recruitment consultancy and her social circle consists of Western expatriates and locals. She enjoys wine, salsa dancing and travelling in Southeast Asia. She has a passion for motorcycles - that's sport bikes, not scooters - and favours Alexander McQueen over Louis Vuitton. Among her recent achievements is a scuba-diving certificate.
Her way of dealing with Hong Kong-mainland animosity?
"Just don't be too sensitive about it."
Xiang came to the city as a student seven years ago and earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She will become eligible for permanent residency this August. Hong Kong, she says, is one big cultural melting pot, and one has to adapt to survive.
