Hong Kong's Jealousy

Rowel L., 14, Island School

Jealousy is a powerful emotion, one that fuels political, social and economic battles. It is, however, an unavoidable part of being a human being. Life shall forever be about the survival of the fittest, and it is blatantly obvious the ‘fittest’ are the richest and, by extension, the most powerful.

            It is natural to crave and long for what we don’t have, and for many of us, what we don’t have is an abundance of wealth. And so we covet. We covet the riches of others. Most recently, we have begun to covet the riches of the affluent mainland Chinese.

            However, it is impossible to say jealousy is the only cause of our hatred for the rich mainlanders. Another factor may be the increasing limitation of our resources and goods. These mainlanders sweep into Hong Kong with their bulging bank accounts and take away millions of dollars worth of jewelry and luxurious fashion garments in a single purchase, all without making a dent in their leather wallets. As many overseas luxury brands choose to open stores in Hong Kong, the high number of mainland Chinese buying the products seems to limit the exclusivity.

            Secondly, there is the assumption the rich mainland Chinese are ill-mannered and rude. It should be noted that different cultures have different customs and behaviors. The first generation of rich mainland Chinese have suffered from extreme poverty during childhood and may have lacked early education. The second generation is overindulged by their parents and grandparents, and many believe their family’s wealth is enough to gain respect.

            Another notion is that the rich mainland Chinese are over-flamboyant and ostentatious. High-end luxury items are seen as a status symbol by the Chinese but many Hong Kong natives agree that mainlanders are too extravagant with their show of wealth.

            Of course, nothing is black and white. Whilst jealousy plays a certain part of the Hong Kong people’s loathing of the rich mainland Chinese, I do not believe it is the sole reason of their hatred.