- Survey by Chinese University reveals one-third Hongkongers express no interest to know about their ancestral place in mainland China
- Researcher says more exchange tours could shorten distance between mainland China and the city and hold the key to solving sense of alienation
More than 40 per cent of Hongkongers have a low or very low sense of belonging to China and nearly 60 per cent of those who know where their ancestral hometown is have not travelled there at least in the past three years, a Chinese University survey has found.
The scholar, who conducted the study, said the findings painted quite a worrying picture, especially against the backdrop of the months of street protests over the now-shelved extradition bill that has rocked the city.
Victor Zheng Wan-tai, assistant director of the university's Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies which conducted the survey, said: "The results reflect an alarming rise in anti-mainland sentiments and show a cause for concern."
"But the feelings may also stem from lack of understanding of and social interactions with mainland China from where their parents and grandparents had come."
The survey, involving phone interviews with 752 people conducted between July 19 and 30, found 42 per cent of respondents had a low or very low sense of belonging to China, compared with 22 per cent who said they had a high or very high sense of belonging. The remaining respondents answered "average".
In contrast, 77 per cent of those polled felt a high or very high sense of belonging to Hong Kong.
About 94 per cent of the respondents said they knew where their ancestral home was " 85 per cent of them coming from Guangdong province, followed by just 5 per cent from Fujian province.
But 58 per cent of the interviewees said they had never visited their ancestral place, or had not done so in the last three years, while 35 per cent said they had no interest in knowing about their ancestral place.
He said more "root-finding" or "homecoming" exchange tours, led by government and non-governmental organisations, could shorten the distance between mainland China and the city, and hold the key to solving the current political crisis in Hong Kong as well.
"Social interactions between the peoples of the two places and seeing the Chinese society on the ground may remove some misunderstandings and mistrust of mainland China by Hong Kong people," he said.
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