Ethnic minorities and ethnicity in Hong Kong

This chapter provides an overview of ethnic minorities and ethnicity in Hong Kong. It argues that discussions regarding Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities tend to overlook the ethnic diversity of the territory both past and present. A broad historical analysis of the multicultural mix of colonial Hong Kong highlights a longstanding presence of South Asian migrants, European elites, and a mix of Chinese ethnicities. A set of themes form the narrative of the post-colonial analysis of Hong Kong that interrogates the Racial Discrimination Ordinance (RDO), Foreign Domestic Helpers (FDH), and the education of ethnic minorities. The concluding discussion connects changing attitudes to ethnic minorities with a growing concern about the Hong Kong identity and self-determination. It is argued that Hong Kong has tended to use ethnic minorities for its own interests both commercial and political, and fails to recognise that the concerns of these important populations are tied to the broader fate of the Hong Kong populace.