Is This a Racial Discrimination?

It is an unfortunate fact that helpers (and by association anyone who looks Filipino or Indonesian) are routinely discriminated against in Hong Kong.


Many people treat them like dirt, and many just ignore them. We sometimes have guests who don't even say hello to our helper when they see her. Very rude.


Example 1: Our helper asked a guard how much it would be for some ride they had set up at IFC during Christmas a few years ago. He just looked down his nose at her and said "It is very expensive" instead of stating the price.


Example 2: Our helper told our daughter to stop doing something. Her friend who was visiting said "Why do you listen to her? She's just a helper." The boy is all of six.


Add to that the fact that many people here feel they are somehow entitled and superior... I can't count the number of people in our building who don't even look at me when I say good morning. What's up with that?

As a generalisation, HK is quite racist towards people with darker skin - Filipinos, Indians, Nepalese etc etc.


I had a friend who was born in UK with a distinct Oxford, very English accent. She always got interviews here over the phone to apply for teaching jobs asking for a native-English speaker, which she is. When she turned up, people questioned if she was really English because she looks Indian. And she never got the job. They were put off by her Indian appearance!


And one time, I went away on holiday and came back tanned. I'm half-Chinese, my mum from HK. I got in a cab and didn't know the address in Chinese but the taxi sped off anyway. When he got lost and I complained in Cantonese that if he didn't know the way, he shouldn't have taken me and I said I'm only paying half the fare... he said to me angrily in Chinese "What are you? Are you Filipino? How come you can't speak Chinese properly???"


Actually, I do have to make another point though. HK people generally are very rude, even to each other.


I caught the bus with my mum one time, and she asked the bus driver, is this the correct bus to Aberdeen. He just looked at her, and then looked away and totally ignored her!!! I couldn't believe it. I've seen her get the same rude answers from locals too, even though she's local Chinese herself. Whereas for me, being more foreign, tend to get much more polite treatment from people.


So yes, it's racist here, especially to Filipinos who form the bulk of the helper population - but HK people are also downright rude to other HK people.

"Only those people that are uneducated is the one acts too much about race."


I disagree. I have seen very well-educated people treat darker skinned people like dirt. It transcends social classes.

Ah yes I see. And I agree.

I have heard a lot of Filapinas say they prefer Western employers because they think we are a softer touch, when they haven't even worked for a chinese employer.

Then there are other Filapinas who have worked for Chinese employers for a long time, who are advertised on this forum, so the conditions cannot be so bad if they have been working for them for years,

I think the incident in the changing room, may have been six of one and half a dozen of the other.

HI Madtown, I disagree with your comment, a Filapina not wanting to work for a Chinese employer is not racism. You only have to look into the domestic helpers agency on this forum, to see that there are lots of Filapinas who have worked for Chinese employers for more than one contract. Now if Chinese employers were as bad as all that, these helpers would not stay for sometimes up to 10yrs with them.

Remember that employee or employer can always terminate a contract if they are not satisfied with the conditions, helpers do not have to work 7 days, it is against the law, and they can walk away from a job whenever they want to.

Plus there are Darker skinned Chinese people, I haven't noticed any racism between them and the lighter coloured Chinese. I think it is more of a cultural/not colour or race, difference which might cause problems, because the way we are brought up in our home countries. Some people are eg. very shy and private, others more 'outgoing', it depends on the upbringing, and normal things and expectations each culture is used to, and where the expectations clash, that is where the problem is.

Madtown, this 'word of mouth' by helpers, amounts to mindless gossip most of the time.

My own helper tried to 'gossip', one next door neighbour did not renew the contract of his maid, his helper while she was working to the end of contract started to spread, malicious stories about him and his wife, to other helpers including mine who had already told the many people she knows, I put a stop to that immediately and told her I would not tolerate this nonesence, If I heard anymore I would let the next door neighbour what is being said about him, and she could deal with the libel suite he would bring, and be sacked by me as well. This ex helper of my next door neighbour (not Chinese), has since worked for 2 more people for less than 2 months and been fired, and is back in Fils.

Then my helper started to spread word about, how much money another neighbour earned, who was about to employ her daughter, she got a look at the papers, no business of hers! I got really fed up about it and told her off and to be more discrete and respectfull, but it is in her nature to gossip, so god knows what she will say when she is finally finished by us, very soon, for other more serious incidents which have occured over a period, and we being silly, soft, Western employers have warned her and put up with the stress for too long now, yes she would have been fired a long time ago by other employers, Indeed she has had only one contract till the end of 2yrs, in all her 26yrs here, every other contract has been terminated early for one reason or another by Western employers,

Both these employers/neighbours who I have mentioned are Western, so as far as I am concerned SOME FDH's will spread 'mindless gossip' about anyone not just Chinese people, without thinking of the consequences, and for those who have never worked for a Chinese employer themselves, they should not listen to rumours and spread gossip or judge them.

Hi grytch,

I am so glad you shared your experience, with your good Chinese employers, with the first ones maybe a break down of communication but this could also have happened with aWestern employer, but I don't think you left on bad terms in the end, 2nd one great, and i would say that is probably so for the majority of helpers employed by Chinese, I have seen lots of happy helpers with their Chinese boss's and their children, by sharing your thoughts it will prove to other helpers that Chinese bosses are good too, they must get over their stigma about this, then there will be no reverse discrimmination which there is at present.

What was said in your origainal post was maybe started by one biggot, and then possibly something may have been said back, so the team mates then stuck up for her. I wasn't there so really don't know.

Like many have said there are racists everywhere, all over the world, peoples culture, religion and way of life, sometimes trying to mix them is difficult, and over the centuries ther have been many nasty wars fought over silly issues which boil down to culture and religion, and politics.

Daft situation in UK, they have a lot of Eastern religions( islam), being the main one so as not to offend them school religious worship ie morning prayers, sometimes the Nativity at christmas has been stopped and putting up christmas decorations, a few years ago a BA cabin crew attendant was suspended by BA for wearing a cross, Uk was a predominantly Catholic or Cof E country, so who is being racist there? it is crazy, glad I don't live there anymore Wonder whether there will ever be a great melting pot and people will understand and respect each other for who and what we are ! it would be lovely.

well, the Chinee woman said:

"YOU ARE A LOSERS, ALL OF YOU ARE LOSERS, YOUR COUNTRY IS A LOSER, YOU JUST WORK HERE, WITHOUT US YOU CANNOT WORK HERE"

sounds like linkage of nationaliy/country to being a loser.


The others just called her a loser, and she is, regardless of where she comes from.


I think HK people are quite racist - most decent 1st world countiers dont have rules which prevent some people from becoming permanent residents no matter how long they live in the country, based on race/nationality.


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Hi Beancurd,

I am a Westerner, I totally agree with you, we are also in a foreign land here in HK with a different culture to back home, and also have to adapt and respect the environment in which we live albeit temporarily. I enjoy meeting the many people here from different countries, cultures etc, I feel safe even venturing on my own around the more remote, less expat oreintated parts of HK, I usually take a map, because if I ask someone who doesn't speak English direction, some times I will be totally ignored, and sometimes they will try and look at my map and help, but that is just the way of things here, and I don't mind, I respect it and enjoy my time here and the people and culture.

grytch, I understand where you're coming from and would concur with a lot of what you said way back at the beginning but, at the same time, I think you need to let this one go. I feel the thread has reached its end - don't you now?

I would suggest that racial discrimination occurs in Hong Kong. I am HK born Indian.

racial discrimination is having roots since the British occupancy.

Here are a few occassions of racial discrimination I have faced.

:- I was refused for an admission in Chinese Kindergarten School.

:- I know how to wear my clothes, shoes socks tie shirt, i know how to comb my hair, and i find it very odd standing in the MTR as i notice that chinese people would prefer to stand away(Away in the sense there is a certain understandable distance)

:-I used to play with chinese neighbours on saturdays and sundays, We would enjoy the play alot but what about the incidents when they spat on my face.

:- I have had been through times when on my way home from school chinese kids would snatch away my bag and throw it in some bushes. I could only cry and go searching for it myself.

:- The latest incident is just a couple weeks old when I saw chinese people allowing other man to break the queue and when i questioned what is this for?? " the lady told that she knew him" it was very odd because right after that inspite there were seats the driver of the minibus told me no more seats were inside.

:- While we were having a hockey match just a couple of weeks ago some of the Chinese taunted us to go back to our own countries. This is a question because all of those chinese were educated school students.

These is just a glimpspe of incidents I have faced enough that could fill in pages.

I know that it can be avoidable but ignoring but ignorance is not always the right move. Sometimes some events can affect a lot mentally.

You are right madtown racism in Hong Kong has to be brought into light internationally only this way we will be able to advertise what exactly Hong Kong is. Hong Kong may pretend to be the Asia's best city but it seems it doesnt meet many criterias to be called 1.

I am already finding some channels of advertising all this discrimination in Hong Kong to people all over the world just to give them a real picture of what Hong Kong is.