Wikipedia

Hongkongers

For the local Cantonese dialect, seeHong Kong Cantonese.

Hongkongers(Chinese:Hương cảng nhân;Jyutping:Hoeng1gong2 jan4),Hong Kongers,Hong Kongese,[15]Hongkongese,[16]Hong Kong citizens[b]andHong Kong peoplearedemonymsthat refer to aresident of Hong Kong,although they may also refer to others who were born and/or raised in the territory.

Hongkongers
Hương cảng nhân
Total population
c.8.95 million[1]
Regions with significant populations
Hong Kong7,413,070[2]
ChinaMainland China472,900[3]
United States330,000[needs update][4]
United Kingdom280,000[needs update][5]
Canada213,855[needs update][a][7]
Taiwan87,719[needs update][8]
Australia100,148[9]
Singapore66,000[10]
Macau19,355[11]
Netherlands18,300[12]
Japan18,210[needs update][13]
New Zealand12,000[10]
South Korea9,929[14]
Costa Rica4,000[10]
Ireland2,000[10]
South Africa2,000[10]
France1,000[10]
Brunei1,000[10]
Venezuela1,000[10]
Languages
Hong Kong Cantonese(94.6%),
Hong Kong English(53.2%),
Mandarin(48.6%)
Religion
Non-religiouswithancestral worship,Christianity,Chinese folk religion,Confucianism,Taoism,Buddhism,minorityIslamand other faiths
Related ethnic groups
Cantonese people,Macau people,Hoklos,Hakkas,Teochew people,Shanghainese people,Tankas
Hongkongers
ChineseHương cảng nhân
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXiānggǎng rén
IPA[ɕjáŋ.kàŋ.ɻə̌n]
Hakka
Romanizationhiong1gong3ngin2
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationHèunggóng Yàhn
JyutpingHoeng1gong2 jan4
IPA[hœŋ˥.kɔŋ˧˥.jɐn˩]

The earliest inhabitants of Hong Kong wereindigenous villagerssuch as thePuntiandTanka,who inhabited the area prior toBritish colonization.

Though Hong Kong is home to anumber of people of different racial and ethnic origins,the overwhelming majority of Hongkongers are ofHan Chinesedescent. Many areYue–speakingCantonesepeople and trace theirancestral hometo the adjacent province ofGuangdong.

The territory is also home to otherHan subgroupsincluding theTaishan Yue,Hakka,Hoklo,Teochew,Shanghainese,Sichuaneseand Shandong people. Meanwhile, non-Han Chinese Hongkongers such as theBritish,Filipinos,Indonesians,Thais,South AsiansandVietnamesemake up six percent of Hong Kong's population.[18]

Terminology

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The termsHongkongerandHong Kongeseare used to denote aresident of Hong Kong,including permanent and non-permanent residents. According to theOxford English Dictionary,the wordHongkongerfirst appeared in the English language in an 1870 edition ofThe Daily Independent,an American-based newspaper.[19]In March 2014, both the termsHongkongerandHong Kongesewere added to theOxford English Dictionary.[20][21][22]

In contrast, theMerriam-Webster DictionaryofAmerican Englishadopts the formHong Kongerinstead.[23][24]The formHong Kongeralso seems to be preferred by governments around the world. In 2008, theU.S. Government Publishing Officedecided to includeHong Kongeras a demonym for Hong Kong in its officialStyle Manual.[25][26]TheCompanies Houseof theUK governmentsimilarly addedHong Kongerto its standard list of nationalities in September 2020.[26]

The aforementioned terms all translate to the same term inCantonese,Hương cảng nhân (Cantonese Yale:Hèung Góng Yàhn). The direct translation of this isHong Kong person.

During theBritish colonial era,terms likeHong Kong ChineseandHong Kong Britonswere used to distinguish the British and Chinese populations that lived in the city.

Residency status

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Main article:Hong Kong residents

The termHongkongersmost often refers to legal residents of Hong Kong, as recognised underHong Kong Basic Law.Hong Kong Basic Law gives a precise legal definition of a Hong Kong resident. Under Article 24 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong residents can be further classified as permanent or non-permanent residents. Non-permanent residents are those who have the right to hold aHong Kong Identity Card,but do not have theright to abode in Hong Kong.Permanent residents are those who have the right to hold a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card as well as the right of abode.

The Basic Law allows residents to acquire right of abode by birth in Hong Kong, or in someother ways.For example, residents of China may settle in Hong Kong for family reunification purposes if they obtain aone-way permit(for which there may be a waiting time of several years).

Formally speaking, the government of Hong Kong does not confer its own citizenship, although the termHong Kong citizenis used colloquially to refer to permanent residents of the city.[b]Hong Kong does not require applicants for naturalisation to take a language test to become a permanent resident.[27]However, Hong Kong migrants and residents are assumed to understand their obligation under Article 24 of theHong Kong Basic Lawto abide by the laws of Hong Kong.

Ethnicity and background

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"Hongkonger ethnic group" ismanually written inthe questionnaire of the2018 New Zealand census.
Main articles:Demographics of Hong Kong,Languages of Hong Kong,andReligion in Hong Kong
See also:Indigenous inhabitants of the New Territories,Punti,andSze Yap people in Hong Kong

According to Hong Kong's 2021 census, 91.6 per cent of its population is Chinese,[28]with 29.9 per cent having been born inmainland China,TaiwanorMacau.[28]Historically, much of the Han Chinese trace their ancestral origins from Southern China asChaoshan,Canton,Taishan,Fujian,Jiangxi,andZhejiang.For example, in the 1850s–60s as a result of theTaiping Rebellion[29][30]and in the 1940s prior to the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Thus, immigrants from Guangdong and their descendants have long constituted the majority of the ethnic Chinese residents of Hong Kong, which accounts for the city's broadCantonese culture.TheCantonese language,a form ofYue Chinese,is the primary language of Hong Kong and that used in the media and education.[31]For that reason, while there are groups with ancestral roots in more distant parts of China, such asShanghaiandShandong,as well as members of other Han Chinese subgroups, such as theHakka,Hokkien,andTeochew,[32][33][34][35]residents who are Hong Kong-born and/or raised often assimilate into the mainstream Cantonese identity of Hong Kong and typically adopt Cantonese as their first language.[36]

Ethnic minorities

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In addition to theHan Chinesesupermajority,[28]Hong Kong's minority population also comprises many other different ethnic and national groups, with the largest non-Han Chinese groups being the Southeast Asian community which include theFilipinos(2.7 per cent),Indonesians(1.9 per cent), as well as theThaisandVietnamese.[32][37][28]In 2021, 0.8 per cent of Hong Kong's population were ofEuropean ancestry,many (48.9 per cent) of whom resided onHong Kong Island,where they constitute 2.5 per cent of the population.[28]There are long-establishedSouth Asian communities,which comprise both descendants of 19th and early 20th-century migrants as well as more recent short-term expatriates. There are small pockets of South Asian communities who live in Hong Kong includingIndians,Nepalese,andPakistanis,who respectively made up 0.6 per cent, 0.4 per cent, and 0.3 per cent of Hong Kong's population in 2021.[28]Smaller diaspora groups from theAnglosphereincludeAmericans,Britons,Canadians,Australians, New Zealanders. There are also small pockets of East Asian communities, such as theJapaneseandKoreans,living in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong population by ancestral origin (1961–1981)
Ancestry 1961 1971 1981
Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage
Hong Kong 260,505 8.3 185,699 4.7 124,279 2.5
Guangzhou and Macau 1,521,715 48.6 2,072,083 52.6 2,455,749 49.2
Sze Yap 573,855 18.3 684,774 17.4 814,309 16.3
Chaozhou 257,319 8.2 391,454 9.9 566,044 11.4
Other parts of Guangdong 244,237 7.8 250,215 6.4 470,288 9.4
Fujian, Taiwan,Jiangsu, Zhejiang 178,626 5.7 235,872 6.0 351,454 7.0
Other parts of China 43,644 1.4 48,921 1.2 103,531 2.1
Foreigners[clarification needed] 49,747 1.6 67,612 1.7 100,906 2.0
Total 3,129,648 3,936,630 4,986,560

Languages

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Proportion of Population (5+) Able to Speak Selected Languages[38]
2006[38] 2011[38] 2016[38] 2021[28]
% % % %
Cantonese 96.5 95.8 94.6 93.7
English 44.7 46.1 53.2 58.7
Mandarin 40.2 47.8 48.6 54.2
Hakka 4.7 4.7 4.2 3.6
Hokkien 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.1
Tagalog 1.4 1.7 2.7 2.8
Chiu Chow 3.9 3.8 3.4 2.8
Bahasa Indonesia 1.7 2.4 2.7 2.5
Japanese 1.2 1.5 1.8 2.1
Shanghainese 1.2 1.1 1.1 0.8

Religion

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Estimated number of adherents in Hong Kong by religion[39][40]
Region 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2016 2021
Buddhists > 1 million > 1 million > 1 million > 1 million > 1 million > 1 million > 1 million > 1 million
Taoists ≈ 1 million ≈ 1 million ≈ 1 million ≈ 1 million > 1 million > 1 million > 1 million > 1 million
Protestant 320,000 320,000 480,000 480,000 480,000 ≈ 500,000 500,000 500,000
Catholics 350,000 350,000 353,000 363,000 363,000 368,000 384,000 401,000
Muslims 220,000 220,000 220,000 220,000 270,000 300,000 300,000 300,000
Hindu 40,000 40,000 40,000 40,000 40,000 40,000 100,000 100,000
Sikhs 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 12,000 12,000

Cultural identity

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Further information:Culture of Hong KongandOpinion polling on Hong Kong identity

Hong Kong culture is primarily a mix ofChineseandWesterninfluences, stemming fromLingnanCantoneseroots and later fusing withBritish culturedue to Britishcolonialism(Chinese:Việt anh oái tụy;Jyutping:jyut6 jing1 wui6 seoi6).

From 26 January 1841 to 30 June 1997, Hong Kong was formally aBritish crown colonyand later aBritish dependent territory[c]except for abrief periodof Japanese occupation duringWorld War IIbetween 1941 and 1945. English was introduced as an official language of Hong Kong duringBritish colonial rule,alongside the indigenousChinese language,notablyCantonese.While it was an overseas territory, Hong Kong participated in a variety of organisations from theCommonwealth Familynetwork. Hong Kong ended its participation with most Commonwealth Family organisations after the handover of Hong Kong in 1997; although it still participates in theAssociation of Commonwealth Universitiesand theCommonwealth Lawyers Association.[citation needed]Moreover, Hong Kong also hasindigenous peopleandethnic minoritiesfromSouthandSoutheast Asia,whose cultures all play integral parts in modern day Hong Kong culture. As a result, after the 1997transfer of sovereigntyto thePeople's Republic of China,Hong Kong has continued to develop a unique identity under the rubric ofOne Country Two Systems.[41]

After the handover of Hong Kong, theUniversity of Hong Kongsurveyed Hong Kong residents about how they defined themselves. The number of Hong Kong residents identifying as "Hong Kongers" slowly increased over the decade of the 2010s, reaching a high watermark during and immediately following the2019–2020 Hong Kong protests,with over 55 percent of all respondents identifying as "Hong Konger" in a poll conducted in December 2019, with the most notable spike occurring amongst younger residents.[42]Following the passage of the2020 Hong Kong National Security Lawand a subsequent wave of emigrants from Hong Kong, that percentage has declined; in its latest poll published in June 2022, 39.1% of respondents identified as Hong Konger, 31.4% as Hong Konger in China, 17.6% as Chinese, 10.9% as Chinese in Hong Kong, and 42.4% as mixed identity.[43]

Diaspora

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Further information:Hong Kong Australians,Hong Kong Canadians,Hongkongers in the Netherlands,Hong Kong people in Shanghai,Hong Kongers in the United Kingdom,Hong Kong Americans,andEmigration from Hong Kong

Mainland Chinaholds the largest number of Hong Kong expatriates, though the Hong Kong diaspora can also be found inTaiwanand severalEnglish-speaking countriessuch as Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Most Hongkongers living outside ofGreater Chinaform a part of the largeroverseas Chinesecommunity. The migration of Hongkongers to other parts of the world accelerated in the years prior to theterritory's transfer to Chinain 1997, though a significant percentagereturnedin the years following. A new emigration wave occurred following the2019–2020 Hong Kong protestsand the United Kingdom's enactment of theBN(O) visa scheme.

See also

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Diasporic communities in Hong Kong

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Culture

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Notes

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  1. ^The following figure is the number of Hong Kong-born Canadians living in Canada, as reported in the2021 Canadian Census.However in 2001, it was estimated that there were 616,000 Hong Kong Canadians residing in Canada, Hong Kong, or elsewhere.[6]
  2. ^abFormally, the government of Hong Kong does not confer "citizenship".The termHong Kong citizenis acolloquialismused to denote a permanent resident of Hong Kong. Permanent residents of Hong Kong typically hold citizenship from China or another sovereign state.[17]
  3. ^From the 19th century to 1983, British Dependent Territories were referred to asCrown Colonies.Several years after the handover of Hong Kong, British Dependent Territories were renamed British Overseas Territories.

References

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  1. ^"2016 Hong Kong Mid-term Demographics".Archivedfrom the original on 6 November 2019.Retrieved18 November2019.
  2. ^"2021 Population Census – Hong Kong Resident Population, Persons Present in Hong Kong at the Reference Moment by Category of Residents and Year".Archivedfrom the original on 14 November 2022.Retrieved31 January2023.
  3. ^"Enhanced Method for Compiling Statistics on Hong Kong Residents Having Resided / Having Stayed Substantially in the Mainland"(PDF).Census and Statistics Department, Government of Hong Kong.March 2007.Archived(PDF)from the original on 12 October 2018.Retrieved11 June2018.
  4. ^"Archived copy".www.ocac.gov.tw.Archived fromthe originalon 2 October 2013.Retrieved15 January2022.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^Loughton, Tim (23 January 2024)."Human Rights in Hong Kong - Volume 744: debated on Tuesday 23 January 2024".UK Parliament Hansard.Retrieved29 March2024.
  6. ^"Kiều ủy hội toàn cầu tư tấn võng"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 17 October 2012.
  7. ^"Immigrant population by selected places of birth, admission category and period of immigration, 2021 Census".Statistics Canada.26 October 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 26 March 2023.Retrieved10 March2023.
  8. ^"Đài loan địa khu cư lưu ngoại kiều thống kế".Thống kế tư liêu.Nội chính bộ nhập xuất quốc cập di dân thự. 31 December 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 7 March 2014.Retrieved12 July2010.
  9. ^"Cultural diversity: Census".Archivedfrom the original on 8 February 2024.Retrieved22 June2024.
  10. ^abcdefgh"Immigrant and Emigrant Populations by Country of Origin and Destination".10 February 2014.
  11. ^"Population Census – Official statistics".Statistics and Census Service, Government of Macao Special Administrative Region.Archivedfrom the original on 3 March 2016.Retrieved22 July2016.
  12. ^"CBS Statline".Archivedfrom the original on 4 March 2016.Retrieved29 September2019.
  13. ^"Archived copy".Archivedfrom the original on 14 December 2013.Retrieved29 September2019.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^[1]
  15. ^"Hong Kongese".English Oxford Living Dictionary.Oxford University Press. Archived fromthe originalon 8 August 2018.Retrieved8 August2018.
  16. ^"Hongkongese".MSN News.Archivedfrom the original on 4 September 2024.Retrieved4 May2020.
  17. ^Fong, Vanessa L.; Murphy, Rachel (2006).Chinese Citizenship: Views from the Margins.Routledge. p. 149.ISBN1-1341-9597-4.
  18. ^"2011 Hong Kong Consesus, Volume 1, Table 3.9"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 4 August 2017.Retrieved6 June2020.
  19. ^Lam, Jeffie (19 March 2014)."'Hongkonger' makes it to world stage with place in the Oxford English Dictionary – Amid anti-mainland sentiment, Oxford dictionary recognises city's local identity ".South China Morning Post.Archivedfrom the original on 30 July 2019.Retrieved2 September2019.
  20. ^"New words list March 2014 | Oxford English Dictionary".Archived fromthe originalon 28 June 2014.Retrieved9 July2014.
  21. ^"Hongkonger – definition of Hongkonger in English from the Oxford dictionary".www.oxforddictionaries.com.Archived fromthe originalon 26 October 2014.Retrieved23 June2016.
  22. ^"Hong Kongese | Definition of Hong Kongese by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Hong Kongese".Lexico Dictionaries | English.Archived fromthe originalon 20 October 2020.Retrieved2 February2021.
  23. ^"Definition of HONG KONG".www.merriam-webster.com.Archivedfrom the original on 12 March 2016.Retrieved2 February2021.
  24. ^"'Hongkonger' makes it to world stage with place in the Oxford English Dictionary ".19 March 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 1 June 2015.Retrieved23 June2016.
  25. ^U.S. Government Printing Office (16 September 2008)."Style Manual 2008"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 12 April 2019.Retrieved2 February2021.
  26. ^ab"List of nationalities".GOV.UK.Archivedfrom the original on 31 January 2021.Retrieved2 February2021.
  27. ^Lai Tung-kwok(22 May 2013)."Application for naturalisation as a Chinese national".Legislative Council of Hong Kong.Archivedfrom the original on 13 December 2013.Retrieved7 December2013.;quote: "However, it has to be pointed out that the knowledge of the Chinese language is only one of the factors to be considered. This does not imply that applicants who do not know Chinese will be refused, nor will those who know Chinese necessarily be eligible for naturalisation as Chinese nationals.... At this stage, we have no plan to institute examinations similar to those used by some foreign countries in handling naturalisation applications."
  28. ^abcdefg"2021 Population Census".Archivedfrom the original on 14 November 2022.Retrieved8 May2023.
  29. ^John Thomson 1837–1921,Chap on Hong KongArchived19 October 2017 at theWayback Machine,Illustrations of China and Its People (London,1873–1874)
  30. ^Info Gov HK. "Hong Kong Gov Info."History of Hong Kong.Retrieved on 16 February 2007.Archived18 April 2007 at theWayback Machine
  31. ^Alex Lo (February 2014)."Why Cantonese is a real language in Hong Kong".Archivedfrom the original on 2 April 2015.Retrieved31 March2015.
  32. ^ab2011 Population Census – Summary Results(PDF)(Report).Census and Statistics Department.February 2012. p. 37.Archived(PDF)from the original on 22 May 2013.Retrieved23 October2013.
  33. ^Melvin Ember; Carol R. Ember; Ian Skoggard, eds. (2005).Encyclopedia of diasporas: immigrant and refugee cultures around the world. Diaspora communities.Vol. 2. Springer. pp.94–95.ISBN978-0-306-48321-9.
  34. ^"Immigration Autonomy".Immigration Department Annual Report 2009-2010.Archived fromthe originalon 23 June 2012.
  35. ^Ng Sek Hong (2010).Labour Law in Hong Kong.Kluwer Law International. p. 19.ISBN978-90-411-3307-6.
  36. ^"Han Chinese, Cantonese in China, Hong Kong".2015.Archivedfrom the original on 2 April 2015.Retrieved31 March2015.
  37. ^Odine de Guzman (October 2003)."Overseas Filipino Workers, Labor Circulation in Southeast Asia, and the (Mis)management of Overseas Migration Programs".Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia(4). Archived fromthe originalon 4 May 2007.Retrieved18 March2007.
  38. ^abcd"Main Tables | 2016 Population By-census".www.bycensus2016.gov.hk.Archivedfrom the original on 8 October 2018.Retrieved23 November2018.
  39. ^"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 12 August 2017.Retrieved9 January2018.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  40. ^"Religion and Custom"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 8 March 2023.Retrieved8 May2023.
  41. ^Lilley, Rozanna. [1998] (1998) Staging Hong Kong: Gender and Performance in Transition. University of Hawaii.ISBN0-8248-2164-5
  42. ^"Almost nobody in Hong Kong under 30 identifies as" Chinese "".The Economist.ISSN0013-0613.Archivedfrom the original on 22 November 2019.Retrieved25 August2024.
  43. ^"Categorical Ethnic Identity".Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute.Archivedfrom the original on 21 June 2022.Retrieved5 June2022.
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