Hong Kong

Here, finally, are the field notes of my study of Chinese-people not from a Chinese city in a Chinese city. The study was divided into two areas: response of Chinese-people not from a Chinese city in a Chinese city to the Chinese-people from a Chinese city and the Chinese city itself.

When placed among Chinese-people from a Chinese city (here on referred to as The Fobs) in a Chinese city, the Chinese-people not from a Chinese city (from now on referred to as Chinese-Westerners) were flummoxed at how differently people of the same race can be. The Chinese city was filled with millions of people who looked oddly familiar because of the black hair, brown eyes and petite stature so much like the Chinese-Westerners. However, similarities end there.

The Fobs had unflattering hairstyles and fashionably-inept attire, which triggered snickering among the Chinese-Westerners. The female Fobs liked layers: jackets over baggy t-shirts over at tank tops over or jeans over leggings. The Chinese-Westerners, as a result of the intense humidity, wore swimsuits around and had the constant need to strip naked. One of the male Chinese-Westerners, whom we shall call KK, often wore sleeveless shirts which would elicit stares from the male Fobs. KK’s bulging biceps were bigger than the Fobs' heads. The male Fobs had waists the female Canadian-Westerners envied. As for men's fashion, the male Fobs gravitated towards big chunky glasses which, again, obstruct vision. A little experiment was conducted on KK when he purchased a pair glasses recommended by a male Fob; the range of his peripheral was limiting and he did not see his girlfriend’s arm as it approached to slap him.

The general Fob population was observed to be rude. Doors were never opened for people other than themselves and “please” and “thank-you” rarely appeared in their vocabulary. The concept of waiting in line is also unknown to The Fobs. During a trip at Ocean Park, the Chinese-Westerners were in a long dreary line to see the panda bears when groups of The Fobs would cut in front of the Chinese-Westerners. This occurred multiple times and, fed up, the Chinese-Westerners began boo-ing and shoo-ing. One of the male Chinese-Westerners, whom we shall call HT, began cursing in English. The Fobs did not understand the ramblings of HT, but they were intimidated by HT’s sheer size and left the line. They ended up cutting in front of other people.

In stores and boutiques, the sales people were often more courteous but were also unbearably annoying. Sales girls were hybrids of stepford-wives and broken records. They all looked the same with their chipper smiles and way-too cutesy outfits. They would followed the Chinese-Westerners around, endlessly repeating “Everything is 70% off. Would you like to buy this? Everything is 70% off.” in their nasally voices. The Canadian-Westerners were on the verge of strangling sale girls as a desire to silence the nasal ringing.

It was also observed that the Fobs are all geeky. Every sweaty hand held a cell phone nonexistent in the North American market; fancy gadgets were sold at every street corner; on dates, couples share romantic moments over their DS lites; children converse by text messaging one another. The Chinese-Westerners were in awe when they discovered the Octopus card allowed you to ride public transportation or even buy groceries with a quick swipe. The Fobs have been using these Octopus cards since the mid-90s.

The findings of the response of the Chinese-Westerners to a Chinese city (from here on referred to as Hong Kong) are much less detailed. The Chinese-Westerners were simply enamored by the efficiency and accessibility of the city; by the incredibly cheap yet also incredibly delicious eats and the selection of shoes for only $10; by the amazing skytall buildings and the million of flashy lights; and by the confluence of Chinese and Western elements.

In conclusion, the Chinese-Westerners enjoy being in a Chinese city, but only for short durations. the Chinese-Westerners do not like the people but they sure do love the shopping.