(These are some of the most common misconceptions about HK which I have encountered. Will
update the list if I come across new and interesting ones)
Myth 1: The
one-child policy is practised in Hong Kong.
The truth:
The one-child policy is practised in mainland China but not in Hong Kong. There
is no restriction on the number of children parents can have. In contrast, the
city has one of the lowest birth rates in the world and the government is looking
for ways to encourage couples to have more children. The one-child policy in
China has been one of the key factors prompting the influx of mainland women in
Hong Kong to give birth to their second babies.
Myth 2: Hong
Kong uses Renminbi (Chinese Yuan)/ The Hong Kong Dollar is pegged with Renminbi.
The truth: We
use the Hong Kong Dollar, which is pegged with the US Dollar at the rate of
HK$7.8=US$1 under the linked exchange rate system.
Myth 3: A
typical Hongkonger can teach you Mandarin (a.k.a. Putonghua, the official
spoken form of Chinese in mainland China).
The truth: Cantonese is the mother tongue of most Hong Kong people. The use of Mandarin is on the rise because of increasing cross-border exchanges. Since 1998 Mandarin has been a mandatory subject at all local primary and secondary schools. Fluency in Mandarin among Hongkongers varies. If you ask for directions in Mandarin on a Hong Kong street, you may encounter someone who speaks it very well or does not speak it at all. Chances are he/she understands at least some. Just don’t expect an average Hongkonger speaks Mandarin as if it were his/her mother tongue and can be your teacher!
The truth: Cantonese is the mother tongue of most Hong Kong people. The use of Mandarin is on the rise because of increasing cross-border exchanges. Since 1998 Mandarin has been a mandatory subject at all local primary and secondary schools. Fluency in Mandarin among Hongkongers varies. If you ask for directions in Mandarin on a Hong Kong street, you may encounter someone who speaks it very well or does not speak it at all. Chances are he/she understands at least some. Just don’t expect an average Hongkonger speaks Mandarin as if it were his/her mother tongue and can be your teacher!
Myth 4: Hongkongers don’t speak/ understand Mandarin at all
The truth:
This myth, exactly opposite to the previous one, is held by some mainland
Chinese and Taiwanese people. I have been responded with astonishment, if not
disbelief, when I spoke Mandarin to some new friends from the mainland and
Taiwan. As explained above, it is common for Hong Kong people to understand at
least some Mandarin. Students nowadays learn it at school. Many adults also learn
it or speak it on their jobs as it has become an important business language.
Myth 5: A
typical Hongkonger speaks English at home
The truth:
Well, there are some eager parents who speak to their young children in English or... er... 'English' hoping to immerse them in the language. But as said above, Cantonese is the
mother tongue of the most of us.
Myth 6: Hong
Kong people don’t know anything about China. They don’t even know where
Shanghai is.
The truth:
We are not THAT ignorant!
Myth 7: Like
Chinese passport holders, HKSAR passport holders need visas to travel to most countries.
The truth: This
misconception is understandable because normally a passport is issued by a
sovereign state and means the nationality of the holder. However, the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region passport is different from the Chinese passport. As
in March 2013, there were 146 countries/territories which granted visa-free
access to travellers with HKSAR passports.
Myth 8: Hong
Kong is in Japan.
The truth: No, it's not. I
guess this misconception is declining, although I have still been mistaken as
Japanese a few times.
Myth 9: All
Hong Kong people are rich
The truth: Hong
Kong is a rich place compared to many parts of the world but its wealth
disparity is also one of the widest.
Myth 10:
What?! Hong Kong has 7 million people?! Are you kidding me?!
The truth:
Yes, it has.
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