Eating from the hand of the emigrant
Hong Kong's acceptance of emigration and repatriation also stems from historical factors. One could even say that Hong Kong, once nothing more than a little fishing harbor, has become great because of emigration.
"The process of Chinese migration overseas has brought about the prosperity of many an industry," points out University of Hong Kong professor of history Dr. Elizabeth Sinn. Chinese people have been moving overseas for one or two centuries now, and they have all exited China through Hong Kong. Without travel money, many people chose to take out high-interest loans and to pay them back after they had made some savings overseas. A large portion of remittances from overseas accumulated in Hong Kong, which sparked its financial industry.
Furthermore, steamships taking emigrants away from Hong Kong had to take on board a sufficient supply of food. For example, a trip from Hong Kong to Panama took 300 days. This drove the growth of the food industry. After Chinese people went overseas, all kinds of products used in daily life began to be exported through Hong Kong too. These included opium that had been processed in Hong Kong. With the constant arrival and departure of boats, Hong Kong's ship repair industry also took a great leap forward. With so much business in the works, Hong Kong was propelled forward, until in the 1870s they started to design telegraph networks. Today Hong Kong is one of the world's most advanced cities in terms of communications.
Because of emigration, Hong Kong's business network is vast, so Hong Kongers harbor few feelings of resentment toward emigrants. And because of this, when these overseas cousins grow old and think of going home to retire, they often do not return to their ancestral home town; instead, they stay in Hong Kong.
Elizabeth Sinn believes that this may be because when they return to their native village, they can not adjust to the lifestyle of the countryside. But Hong Kong is very free and relatively similar to the West. In addition, Hong Kong offers many opportunities to start new businesses. The city's department stores, such as Wing On and Sincere, were all established by returning Chinese from Australia.
Life support for the Pearl of the Orient
Today's wave of emigrant returnees has breathed even greater vitality into post-Tiananmen Hong Kong, which has been losing people at a rate of 60,000 a year. According to an estimate by the Hong Kong Institute of Personnel Management, nearly half of emigrant returnees are between the ages of 30 and 39. More than three quarters have an educational level of bachelor's degree or higher. This is precisely the most productive strata of Hong Kong society. Originally, most of the world predicted that the global financial center of Hong Kong would collapse before 1997, due to the massive exodus of highly educated professionals. Now it is evident that this prognostication will not come true.
The question is whether those people who in the past gave in to fears of the Communists, sold their homes, quit their jobs and frantically fled, will feel confident enough to remain long term after 1997.
Opinion polls indicate that being granted the right to live abroad can remedy the misgivings some Hong Kong people feel, and some residents say that because of this they are even more willing to remain there. At least in the short term they do not have to concern themselves with the question of emigration and can for the next several years continue to work in Hong Kong with assurance.
This kind of attitude is quite common, but not everyone thinks along these lines. A short while ago, when Sino-British relations were going through a period of tension, the Chinese Communists frequently employed the phrase, "Hong Kong is sure to be thrown into chaos" and expressed the view that if Hong Kong were not "pacified" it would have no way of escaping from under the shadow of British colonialism. Some people mockingly queried, when the Communist tanks come rolling in, will they have time to stop along the way and let you pull out your foreign passport?
Straddling the '97 fence
"After 1997, I will surely go. Right now I lambaste them every day. I've already prepared for the worst," says Rebecca Leung, who frequently criticizes the Chinese Communist Party in her column. The people of Hong Kong are not without love for their city, but there is really nothing they can do. "This place does not belong to us in the long term. It's borrowed time. It's borrowed land."
People whose livelihoods are not directly affected by questions of freedom of speech have a more light-hearted attitude. Wang Ying-wen plans to stay in Hong Kong. "Right now 1997 is only two years away, but I still have ten years of work left in me. Construction is in demand right now in the mainland, and I'll forge on."
But he foresees that most people "will emigrate because they fear '97. When the economy gets better in Australia, I am sure many people will go." Wang says that some people will leave in 1996. When they are safely outside, they will wait and watch; if everything is okay, they will return.
"The returnees have quite a wary attitude," says writer Lucy Tuann. She believes that returnees naturally wish to be able to live there indefinitely. They feel that this is the place they were born and grew up, the place with whose cultural milieu they are most familiar. "But if safety and freedom come under a big threat, they won't be able stand it; they'll have no choice but to leave."
Short-term mentality
She observes that because of this the whole of Hong Kong society has been permeated with a "short-term mentality." Even academia has fallen under its sway. For example, the recently opened Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has hired high quality personnel, yet they all have only two-year contracts. Whether their positions will exist after that is uncertain.
"The positive aspect is that we can attract outstanding people from all over the world, but it has created a feeling of uncertainty. Many of our educational plans and academic research lack continuity." A friend of Lucy Tuann teaching at HKUST, in consideration of the two-year limit, gave up his original plans to undertake major research on the aquatic life around Hong Kong, changing to a number of smaller research projects that could more easily be turned into monographs.
Nowhere is the "just passing through" mentality more prevalent than in the economic sphere. Speculative investment has become the hottest area of business in Hong Kong. Smuggling, stock trading and real estate speculation are all booming. So obviously there is no short-term crisis in confidence. But interest is completely lacking in long-term investment. Public opinion has also been critical of the perceived thieving proclivities of returning emigrant "frogmen," named for the motions they make--clutching (money) and paddling (away).
Hong Kong legislator Emily Lau admits that Hong Kong people respect individuals' right to enter and exit the territory, and everyone wishes the best of luck to those who decide to leave, but having so many people emigrating does have its social side effects. "Some Hong Kong citizens feel they don't have to strive for anything. No matter what happens, they have their foreign residence permit; if the situation turns bad they can go anytime. On the other hand, when you're fighting a desperate
"The return of emigrants has a brought some good customs to Hong Kong society," says Wang Yingwen, who believes that there are more polite people in Hong Kong, that everyone cares more about political and social issues, and that the environment is healthier. These trends are completely different from the past.
In addition, the most important issue to the people of Hong Kong is whether after 1997 they will be able to retain their freedom and human rights. Lee Yee, editor-in-chief of The Nineties, once proposed this solution to the problem: the people of Hong Kong should internationalize as much as possible. As many people as possible should acquire foreign passports. When the Chinese Communists take charge of Hong Kong, they will be afraid to take any rash actions for fear of the consequences. From this perspective, returning emigrants make a direct contribution in Hong Kong's political scene.
A tide that is bound to ebb
But whether the impact that returning emigrants have on Hong Kong is for the better or for the worse, this backward flow of a people which has attracted the whole world's attention may very well gradually taper off. The most important reason is that 1997 is just around the corner.
"I still have friends in Australia who want me to keep my ears open for news on whether they ought to come back, because there are only two years left until '97," Wang Yingwen states. In Australia job applicants above the age of 40, especially foreign immigrants, rarely meet with success. Thus going back to Hong Kong is tantamount to never being able to return to Australia, so they are very hesitant.
The attitude of the Communist Party toward emigrants is even more crucial. In the past, several countries expressed the willingness to grant citizenship or resident status to Hong Kong people employed in Hong Kong by their countries' companies. Beijing is adamant in its opposition. According to mainland China's laws on citizenship, if Chinese citizens (who in the future will include people from Hong Kong) want to acquire foreign citizenship, they must first request and receive official approval to annul their Chinese citizenship. Furthermore, there will be tighter restrictions on returning emigrants' rights to participate in politics. For instance, the ratio of foreign passport holders in legislative institutions can not exceed 20%. And those with foreign citizenship will not be allowed to assume positions as high-ranking officials in the future. Furthermore, there will be basic regulations that legislative councilmen have to be loyal to the Chinese government.
The Preliminary Working Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region once announced that foreign passport holders should not have the right to reside in Hong Kong after 1997. "This issue is still under discussion," notes Rebecca Leung. "This is really ridiculous. If a country is well governed, everyone will want to go there. We often say that after 1997, a low-class bunch of spitters will govern us non-spitters, and a bunch of corrupt people will govern those of us who are not corrupt."
I am a passer-by
Hong Kong people have never controlled their own fate. The Sino-British negotiations decided that Hong Kong will be returned to China, and they were forced to emigrate overseas. Now they have created this "emigrant returnee" mode of existence, but whether they can continue is not in their own hands.
"Clack, clack, the horse's hooves. I am a passer-by. This is not my home." Cheng Chou-yu wrote these immortal words forty years ago. Who would have known he was foretelling the fate of Hong Kong?
[Picture Caption]
p.9
The 1997 deadline lies in the offing. Are the returning emigrants making a long-term home here? Or a temporary rest stop?
p.10
The British flag will be permanently lowered in two years. Because large numbers of talented individuals have departed, people throughout the world have predicted that before 1997 arrives, Hong Kong will collapse.
p.11
The Tiananmen Massacre of June 4, 1989 is a principal reason for Hong Kong people's loss of faith in Beijing. (photo by Diago Chiu)
p.12
With Hong Kong's high rate of economic growth, opportunities are every where, and Hong Kong's overseas communities are flocking back in large numbers.
p.14
When they went abroad, they sold their homes. Now the price has risen two or three times, and they can't afford to buy a new one. Many emigrant returnees have no choice but to return alone to work in Hong Kong and rent a room.
p.16
The 1997 deadline is drawing near, and various corrupt and illegal events are on the increase. The immense popularity in Hong Kong of the Taiwanese TV serial drama "Impartial Judge Pao Chingtien" reflects the human aspiration for social order.
p.17
The "just passing through" mentality and an opportunistic atmosphere permeate Hong Kong. Even gambling films are the hottest thing to hit the silver screen.