Public Eye | Wake up and see your skin colour: self-denial for Hongkongers to say they’re not Chinese
Michael Chugani says as much as some in city may want to disown their identity, it’s human nature for others to view one not by nationality but by facial features
Many young people distance themselves from being Chinese. They identify themselves solely as Hongkongers. You can say you’re from outer space but unless you have bulging eyes, pointy ears, and scaly green skin, only kooks will believe you.
You can neither run nor hide from your ethnicity. Cosmetic surgery can only go so far, as the late and great Michael Jackson discovered.
Whenever mainland tourists behave obnoxiously abroad, Hongkongers often get caught up in the scornful local backlash.
Hongkongers who loathe being Chinese can wear foreign or SAR passports on their foreheads, but it’s human nature to view others not by nationality but by facial features. I speak with authority on this.
I always say I’m American when people ask what I am. But then they always ask again what I really am.
