Meet the mainland Chinese who are living in fear in Hong Kong
- Recent immigrants to the city say they are becoming increasingly anxious after seeing a protest against an extradition bill mutate into a violent campaign against all things Chinese
- In a city where Cantonese is the local language, Mandarin speakers say they are keeping quiet in public and even telling their children to speak English to avoid being targeted
“I can’t understand why speaking Mandarin is now a sin in Hong Kong,” said “Mary”, a 35-year-old who works in the financial industry.
A few weeks ago, the native of southern Guangdong province said she was chatting in Mandarin with a friend in West Kowloon when a young man walked past and began shouting obscenities at them and saying they should “go back to mainland China”.
Mary (not her real name – she fears being bullied if her true identity is revealed) said the incident left her shaken and upset.
“I was so shocked at that moment. I couldn’t understand what prompted the man to do such a thing to us, as we didn’t know each other, and my friend and I were just talking about my newborn baby,” she said.
“I remember it was a sunny day, but my sky was filled with clouds. I cried as I walked home. It was the first time in 10 years of living in the city that I had been targeted and intimidated just for speaking Mandarin.”
Mary, who also speaks fluent Cantonese, moved to Hong Kong in 2009 after graduating with a degree in management studies from the London School of Economics and working in the British capital for three years.