Mixed people, how's ur life in HK?

i'm a Chinese-French, live in HK for only 1 year.

i noticed that HK ppl always treat me as foreigner, but i want to be more local, i love this place.

I tend to agree with Cara, and just like her, I am married to a HK local, Hong Kong is our permanent residence, its home. However, one thing I have noticed, by not living in the typical expat area's, having lived in a very local area of the New Territories, people do treat me as a local. Maybe because most tourists don't venture that far away from city limits, and that, by me even being here, they assume I do live here.


Never noticed being treated differently, and I can promise you, by learning local accented Cantonese, you will gain mega respect, as it demonstrates to them that you are more local than most non Chinese folks.. Basically, you are only as local as " you" feel, I wouldn't worry about what people say, just find your place in society, and be content.

Agreed with Demby that outside expat areas the experience is very different.


My Cantonese is very poor, and I have no doubt that I have "foreigner" stamped on my forehead, but just by making a bit of an effort I notice people are at least a bit more "open" when I go into "local" shops. Our local groceries are very "expat" so there it's all the same. But if I go to, say, the hardware store, a few words of Cantonese and some self-deprecating humility goes a long way. The first step to breaking down barriers is to not create any yourself.


"Loud gwailo" gets a completely different reaction. It amazes me how many Western visitors in ANY country think that if they somehow speak louder and more slowly the other person will magically understand English.

as long as you treat the locals with respect and itneract with the locally they will enjoy your company.. I'm mixed but more Asian than European, I don't speak Cantonse - but I have lots of local friends.. I think the more you immerse yourself the better.

Life could be worse than being a Caucasian in HK, at least in expat areas. Most people assume that you are well to do and you are treated well (well, at least I am). Service is way superior compared to Scandinavia, where I come from. Compared to North America I find that people here aren't just sucking up to get a good tip. Here I feel as if staff at least care about doing a good job. Whether this is really true I don't know, but the effect is the same to me so I don't care.


For some unfathomable reason many people think my wife is mixed (she is 100% Swedish but apparently the eyes and dark straight hair put people on the wrong track), until she opens her mouth. Then she becomes just another gwailo and gets treated like one. Maybe if she learned perfect Cantonese she would be treated like a local. Then again, what's the point? Your friends will (should) treat you like a friend no matter what you are. Colleagues and business associates should treat you with respect no matter what you are. As for the rest, as long as a courteous relationship exists, who cares what they think?


It is very different being, say, a Filipina. No end of discrimination there. People assume they are helpers and poor. What's worse, many (local and gwailo both) treat them as at best non-existent and at worst annoying presences. Our helper asked the price of some amusement booth and wasn't even told the price by the guard. He just looked at her as if she was dirt and said "it is very expensive".