The Ethnic and National Identities of the Hong Kong People: A Liberal Explanation

Abstract

This study examines the existing ethnic identity, national identity, and liberal consciousness of the Hong Kong people and analyzes their relationships to each other. Based on the results of a telephone survey, the study finds that Hong Kong people have a very strong indigenous identity and high ethnic pride. At the same time, they also strongly identify themselves with the Chinese nation, though they feel somewhat alienated from the existing Chinese nation-state and skeptical of future Chinese national development. As for liberal consciousness, the study discovers that over 60 percent of the Hong Kong people believe that freedom and human rights are more important than the state and nation; more than 40 percent agree that Tibetans, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong people themselves have the right to self-determination; and about 37 percent indicate that if conditions permitted, they would consider leaving Hong Kong. More importantly, the liberal consciousness of Hong Kong’s people is found to be closely related to their ethnic and national identities. Such findings basically substantiate the previous liberal explanations of ethnic/national development, i.e., liberalism can be the foundation of ethnic awareness, secessionism, and nationalism.