Frances Hui

‘I’m from Hong Kong, Not China.’ Student Explains Her Identity amid Anger from the Chinese

Frances Hui, a student of Boston’s Emerson College from Hong Kong wrote this article for a college newspaper that would spark rage among Chinese and Hongkonger. Hui, which is a journalism student, wrote her opinion column about her true identity that is often denied by most people. She admitted that one time, while sitting on a bus in Boston, one passenger asked her where she is from. She eventually replied “Hong Kong” which was replied aggressively. That passenger insisted her that she should fix her identity and define herself as “from China”, which is insulted her.

The opinion column that is opened with the line “I am from a city owned by a country I don’t belong to” explains the brief history of Hong Kong and its recent politics. It explains how after British government decided to give all of Hong Kong’s territory back to China as a “special administrative region” subordinated by China’s government in 1997, China has promised to practice “one country, two systems” that guarantees Hong Kong would stay the same and operate a separate political system from other cities in China until the year 2047, according to the agreement between British and China.

Then, in 2014, a massive street protests in Hong Kong for Beijing’s controls happened, which then eventually dismissed by China and even strengthen its grip towards Hong Kong after the demonstration. The fact that China strengthens its influence towards Hong Kong is the complete opposite of the agreement between British and China where it guarantees Hong Kong’s high degree autonomy towards its own territory.

Frances Hui gives her complaint about her independence for being a Hongkonger. She also commented about how her culture is barely represented in her campus alongside the absence of Taiwanese and other Chinese minority groups’ culture. This thing causes huge condemnation by the Chinese communities of the college. The Chinese felt insulted from seeing someone who is not loyal to their country and even not admitted herself as a Chinese. Some comments stated “shame on you” and “your parents should be ashamed of you”. Some comments even stated about her figure as a short girl that do not have any real power to bring damage. Some of them even make Hui feels unsafe on and off campus, but she chooses to not yield and keep standing with her opinion. 

Source : https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/a-student-in-boston-wrote-i-am-from-hong-kong-an-onslaught-of-chinese-anger-followed/2019/05/24/298ea3ee-719a-11e9-9331-30bc5836f48e_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1550480d2c0f