Now that I’ve been here for more than a month, it’s time to give some cultural observations. Urban East Asia is a bit hard to describe because it feels very similar to urban areas anywhere in the world, but here are some key differences.
Nightlife. Instead of going wild all nights of the week like the exchange students and expats, locals keep things a bit more low key. Common night activities include cooking Chinese food with groups of friends, basketball, badminton, table tennis, Uno, Mahjong (illegal in the residence halls), and Monopoly. The best hangout spot is Chun Kee, a fantastic dessert place, or any of the other numerous dessert parlors around town. The Summer is the most popular dessert at Chun Kee, with fruits and ice cream. Other desserts include various types of mango soup, shaved ice, mango cake, and rice cakes for the New Year.
Physical Awareness. It seems that people in Hong Kong are less aware of their surroundings than we are on the east coast of America. People often stop in the middle of a walkway without paying attention to who might crash into them. Walking traffic flows in whichever direction the crowds go, meaning people often meander sideways into a crowd of passing people. East Asian tourists stop to take pictures without worrying about whether or not they are blocking the way. And the walking pace is slow.
Working Ethic. From all the stereotypes, one would believe that students in Hong Kong would work much harder than the foreign students. Actually, the local students are often criticized by professors for not being hardworking students. I have rarely seen locals doing actual work for classes, even though they jam pack the libraries every day. There are nearly no reading assignments, though students work together often on group presentations. Locals commonly spend their nights watching online movies and TV programs or playing poker instead of finishing their assignments. In classes, locals tend to chatter through the lessons rather than listening to the professors.
Path to University. In order to attend university, students must pass exams after high school at the absolute top of their game, because there are not enough university spaces for everyone to attend. If students do not pass with the highest marks, they can go to college for a few years before applying to university, or they can go abroad for university. Many students therefore start university at age 20 or 21. University is only a three year program currently, though Hong Kong will be changing to a four year system in a matter of years. Also, all universities are publicly owned, which may contribute to the lack of space for students.
Shyness. Even among other locals, Hong Kong students tend to be much more shy in new situations than foreigners. When we went knocking on other peoples’ doors along our hallway, I walked inside to introduce myself, but my roommates (who actually know Cantonese) stayed outside the rooms. In classes, students rarely speak up when the professor asks a question. Locals say this is because they don’t want other students to think they are the teacher’s pet. This does not apply in my Management class, in which students are trained for a more cut-throat business world. Nor does it apply in my Cambodia class, in which students care passionately about finding solutions for Cambodia because they have seen the living conditions themselves.
Relations to Mainland China. While we foreigners are just confused about whether to label Hong Kong as a part of China or to name it a separate country (oh, political correctness), things are a bit more clear here. One country, two systems is the official way to understand relations. Everything is governed differently here. Visas, police enforcement, economics, currencies, infrastructure…everything is run very separately from the way the Chinese government runs things. Yet Hong Kong is still officially part of China, and the people are Chinese. Similar to the situation in Puerto Rico, I imagine.
