Wing Wing: Limited Edition: Reclamation

Limited Edition: Reclamation

Translated by Karen L., Written by 翼雙飛 (Wing Wing)
Original: http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/08-11-2014/18298 

Last year, this young Mrs. Hyatt Lam, worked in the audit industry, has quitted the typical insider lifestyle. Abandoning bulky workload round the clock, Lam and her shadow set forth on a journey and published a book this year titled Quit for South Pole afterwards. Plus, she manages a Facebook page, named after the book and posted Are "We" Civilised? few days back. Such article is her personal experience pointing to the brutal behaviours of two Hongkongers.

Truth be told, it doesn't sound strange at all for the fact that petulancy does exist among a share of Hongkongers, whereas in the case of this civilised-or-not article, my instinct feels exceptionally. To trace where the sense comes from, I read it all over again, and again. Confession of mainlanders' disturbance in Hong Kong as this opinion piece is, unreasonable blame denoting Hongkongers can be read between the lines.


"For nearly half a year working in Kuala Lumpur, mainly had I been feeding updates of Hong Kong through Facebook and news websites. Judging from these information, not a single livelihood tough patch excludes the origin related to mainlanders and the government of Hong Kong. Only for us, Hongkongers, have been labelled as 'civilised', 'hygienic', 'ordered' and even 'noble'."


I’m not sure what Mrs. Lam's sources are, given no exception besides Hongkongers' rebukes upon certain kind of mainlanders. Based on my daily observations, a considerable deal of Hongkongers are there recording exhibitions of disorder, no seat offering to those in need, throwing strong languages to others, of their kind. In other words, Hongkongers, if not all, have not been targeting mainlanders.

But her expression says an opposition transforming Hongkongers into persons who know only nitpicking others rather than themselves. it couldn't convince me for Lam’s "luckiness" to escape herself from the exposure of those infamous reality videos starring by Hongkongers. The Bus Uncle and Hong Kong Girl Slaps Boyfriend 14 Times or so are the representatives of certain Hongkongers' acts of barbarism. Those cannot be too popular. Isn't it impossible for Lam not knowing any one of them?


"If you are so cultivated, you should demonstrate righteous reclamation - to act instead of to film."


Have Hongkongers really never adapted persuasion? For countless times, they remind mainlander tourists to not eat or drink in trains. In return flung are streams of invectives coming from nowhere. That’s when the cameras on.

Lam’s direct repetitive "reclamation" is an infinity concept eliminating the possibility of the filming factor. In justifying her notion, she mentioned there was one time she ate on Singapore's MRT, "If I listen not to the reminder, there must be another voice joined in the canvassing team, instead of some filming-hawk-acting-chicken recording the whole process." In her formulation, if any Singaporean takes out his/her cell and start filming, it will turn themselves immediately into some uncultivated "filming-hawk-acting-chicken".

If mainlander tourists are as Mrs. Lam who listens and learns from a reminder, wouldn't it be too awkward for such umpteen revealings of mainlanders' vices posted online? Reality speaking, mainlander baddies tend to turn the tables around. Then how can this "reclamation" go? Shall we, like Lam says, stand for the "reclamation" even to the edge of doom?


"For readers who had travelled to Japan or Singapore, you may have a sense of feeling that tourists don't stand a chance ruining the order in a truly cultivated city, regardless of the number of them."


Let's have a look of the content of a clip early this year, "Japanese bristles with rage as Chinese reselling outfit hired Chinese students there to snap up goods and then packed them with bogus number tags. To cap it all, these Chinese students leave rubbish along the way looking at meatness as nothing." Chinese students studying there supposedly stay longer than tourists providing Japanese a relatively adequate time to reclaim. How come it doesn't work given Japanese the status of a genuine refined nation?

Living high on the hog, immortal dictums as "wait for another train!" and "why don’t you embrace others' faults?" therefore presents by high-level officials and celebrities. Reversely, things changed when Gregory So facing those "shit-in-the-box" parcels, he said something rather human, "tolerance does not equal to connivance." It makes me wonder when will epiphany reveals itself to Lam to think humanly as "reclamation is a limited edition".

Mr. P: Leung Man-tao, The Most "Aloof" Scoundrel in The Academia

Leung Man-tao, The Most "Aloof" Scoundrel in The Academia

Translated by Chen-t'ang 鎮棠, Edited by Karen L., Written by P某 (Mr. P)
Original: http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/08-14-2014/18338/ 

Translator's note: Ex-situ 離地: a concept introduced by Wan Chin (opposed to in-situ 在地), referring to certain members in the middle class who are "aloof and detached as being completely unaware of the plight of mortals and ignorant of the grassroots' keen concern" [Quote from Hansard, 7 Apr 2011 p8927] (usually holding foreign countries' passports too [well, I believe BN(O) doesn't count]), like John Tsang.

Leung Man-tao. (From ThePaper.cn)

I mentioned the difference between "discrimination" and "despisement" before, but I'd like to repeat:

Discrimination means a kind of differential treatment based on one's physical features, race, language, gender or disability. For example, an employer tends to hire a male worker instead of a female worker with the same working ability required in the job description - that is discrimination.

Despisement is the abhorrence and scorn towards certain people who cross the line of social norms or do not obey public order (often unspoken). For example, a mainland Chinese shows his private parts in the public is an abhorrence out of despisement.

Again, Leung Man-tao neglects local problems when being interviewed by mainland Chinese media, "Three years ago, there exists no problem for Chinese tourists speaking Mandarin in Hong Kong. You could see Hongkongers have difficulties speaking Mandarin, but they had good attitudes back then. But things have changed. I can't say all Hongkongers are having bad attitudes towards mainland Chinese, but there surely is a increasing number of people doing so. You will have this sense even you just be in Hong Kong once."

He added, "I think the real problem lies in the middle class. Hong Kong middle class's discrimination against mainland Chinese is different from racial discrimination in other countries."

To disprove his notion, first of all, will there be differential treatment when Chinese merchants are doing business in Hong Kong? Like any other HKers, they just simply need approval from Companies Registry. Will there be worse treatment when Chinese tourists come to Hong Kong? Surely not. They are treated as common tourists. Will there be differential treatment when Chinese students study in Hong Kong? They are just as any other overseas students. Passing examination can guarantee their seats. Will Chinese immigrants be barred from getting welfare permanently? Once they pass the means test, they are qualified to apply for public housing, medical welfares and free education. Our Court of Final Appeal even order the Social Welfare Department to provide CSSA to those Chinese new immigrants who have just come for a year. The treatment to Chinese is the same with tourists coming from other countries, not to mention their treatment could nearly be the same with that to Hongkongers. What makes it count as a kind of discrimination?

Does our dissatisfaction to Chinese come from "discrimination"? Of course not! The general public has a bad feeling towards Chinese tourists, Chinese students ("Hong Kong drifters") or Chinese merchants - not because they are from China, but rather, on their behaviour.

Jumping queues, urinating and defecating in public, speaking aloud, berating HKers follows by reminders of public orders, littering ... All they're doing is to challenge the city's capacity and HKers' bottom line. We, HKers, aim to maintain the public order, on one hand, because Hong Kong is our home; and on the other hand we do it out of our instinct. People are interconnected with invisible links, and the society is operated according to these links - basic rules and consensus.

Putting public order aside then, peeing in the loo must stand for no exception belonging as a kind of human instinct, right? Chinese traditional culture emphasises righteousness, courtesy, integrity and honour. Normally, excluding people who regard themselves as animals or orient themselves without self-awareness, everyone will follow the public order. To those who violate it, the abhorrence against is by no means discrimination! First, the hatred does not result from any kind of "cultural difference"; second, it follows not any genetic or acquired factor; third, these misbehaviours are avoidable.

Leung Man-tao claimed that the situation for the mainland tourists' disruption of public orders is rather mild and there will always be two or three problematic tourists in hundreds of thousands of tourists. In his mind, such seriousness is a product of media exaggerating reports aiming to incite the public sentiment. But I have a question: if there were two or three Lam-Kowk-wai-like rapists, two or three Lam-Kor-wan-like serial killers and two or three Yip-Kai-foon-like gangsters per day, would you say the public order remains fine in Hong Kong? if we deduce according to Leung's logic, police force would be wasted just to arrest one Teeth Dog (Yip Kai-foon) back then!

There is a seriousness existed in such problems as they are not just one time. Chinese repetitively disregard our public order, that's more than a problem already! No commentary on social issues should adapt sampling as the centre of the judgment. 

What happens in Hong Kong surely doesn't serve as an exclusive case. Or else, why are foreign countries too, condemning mainland Chinese of ruining public orders? And why are mainland Chinese always the target being charged? After all, is it the world "discriminating" against mainland Chinese collectively on purpose, or there are some people truly disregarding rules and orders, thus getting themselves retribution?

Leung Man-tao aims his spear at the middle class HKers of "discriminating" Chinese people the most; but my over-60 mother, who did not graduate in primary school, feels as well, furious about the mainland Chinese's misconducts! What do you know about the local grassroots' livelihood, Leung? Job opportunities, if not all, are taken by cheap labours from mainland China. Do you know there is a considerate amount of people who couldn't safeguard their living just because of that? How exactly you form such a conclusion towards the grassroot, huh? The major woe stuck the life of the grassroot is IVS - small groceries and "Cha chaan tengs" are closed, price level are soaring, public resources are occupied - do you actually know the cruel reality in front of them, Leung?

Isn't it meaningless for you to choose a small bunch of "i-bank elites" who had studied in English-speaking countries, live in Mid-levels and seldom go to Mong Kok, to represent Hong Kong? Why not you look into those cases like the loud and noisy mainland Chinese aunties shouting on the train or "two or three" IVS mainland tourists who pee in the public? Ex-situ as you are, you live inside the box. Instead, you consider yourself as a blue blood "intellectual" who embraces universal values. Working along with leftist-morons, you somehow think you're superior in promoting peace! But let me remind that you're still living in a Hong Kong governed by the Communist Party.

Or maybe you're so lucky to be able to find two or three elites in the country where people disregard public orders, and respect them a lot. Then why don't you simply stay there? For you, Hong Kong is too dangerous to live in.

Wing Wing: "Improve? Refused" - Chinese Swimmers' Subterfuge

"Improve? Refused" - Chinese Swimmers' Subterfuge

Translated by Chen-t'ang 鎮棠, Edited by Vivian L.,  Written by 翼雙飛 (Wing Wing)
Original: http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/08-05-2014/18211  

Since Canton (Guangzhou)'s newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily published an article last month encouraging Chinese citizens to enjoy the more affordable and higher quality public pools in Hong Kong, mainlanders have flocked to the city's swimming facilities, bringing along a myriad of hygienic problems. Gregory So Kam-leung, one of Hong Kong's top officials, downplayed the Chinese tourists' misbehaviour as "cultural differences".  But to me, what the mainlanders have done in Hong Kong are but subterfuge.  Their behaviour cannot be explained by mere oversight of culture and customs, but rather, it is meant to trample on the rules in Hong Kong, and to take advantage of the benevolence of Hongkongers.

There are signs as clear as day that say "No eating or drinking", "Please do not swim if you have gastrointestinal symptoms", "Wear proper swimwear when you swim" all around the pool, but Chinese people take no notice. They even bring potato chips and picnic food to feast in the pool. They do it on purpose, what is this but provocation?

What is most unbearable to Hongkongers is that they allow themselves or their children to defecate in the pool.  "Children cannot hold the call of nature!" is their favourite defence. But Hongkongers bring their kids to the pool too. And often there are dozen or so young children in a swimming lesson in a pool. Yet seldom do we find a local kid pooing in the open. Why, do mainland kids have looser buttholes? They argue that they cannot find a bathroom on the streets of Mong Kok, but what about pools? Anyone who has been to a public pool knows there is a bathroom between the changing room and the swimming area. You would have to be blind to not see one.

I personally cannot think of anything more despicable than Chinese tourists defecating in the pool. When they mistake the streets as their private toilet, they would quibble and chastise onlookers who pick on them as sticking their fingers in other people's pie (or poo, in this case), "So what if I answer nature's call? You better watch your step!" But in the swimming pool? Hundreds of people share the same pool of water. Even if the pooing is done on the pool's edge, the sewage will still float through the water and pollute the whole water. When swimmers—pooers included—are enjoying the cool in the pool, how disgusting would it be when they find human waste brushing off their arms and legs? Screw "cultural differences"!  Will any sane person poo while taking a bath in their own bathtub?

[Translator's note: I would like to quote from Leung Man-tao. He spoke this in his programme:

//Chinese people do not care about their privacy, but Chinese people to some extent is very selfish. For example, in public spaces, Chinese people are not civic-minded since long ago. They simply throw things on the streets. I had too many experiences when I took coach buses in China, a driver said, "You're from Hong Kong right? You see Chinese people are not civic-minded at all, why don't they throw rubbish outside the window?" I read a book by a socialist, he said, Chinese people treat the public aspect as the surplus of private aspect. For example, when they clean their siheyuan [Quadrangle houses in Beijing], at the end, they must throw all dirty things or sewage outside their door, because they treat the street out there as a rubbish dump. On this aspect, Chinese people attach much importance to the private aspect.//]

These incredibly selfish and inconsiderate Chinese tourists bash Hongkongers with their snotty attitude and say, "So what if I eat and excrete in the pool? Bite me!" They deliberate make a mess out of our public pools, robbing local swimmers of the fun of getting cool in the dog days of summer. To such arrogant high horses, we have to use harsh measures:  when did they ever listen to us when we tell them gently?

The Hong Kong & Kowloon Lifeguards' Union went on strike on Monday (Aug 5) to protest heavy workloads driven by the influx of Chinese tourists and the mess they bring.  Although the strike would prevent local swimmers from using the pools facilities as well, the lifeguards are compelled to do so as our government are not taking any remedial action to ease their burden. I do hope the strike can force the government to crop up measures to bring back the public pool to be enjoyed by Hongkongers—its rightful owners.