Last week the Washington Post reported on a survey conducted last month by the University of Hong Kong which found that many more people living in the Chinese territory identify themselves as “Hong Kongers” rather than Chinese. The number of people who identifiy with their city was actually more than double the number of those who see themselves as Chinese.

Chinese officials were not pleased by the results of the survey and other indicators showing that Hong Kong’s population is not moving toward greater identification with the People’s Republic of China despite the 15 years Hong Kong has spent as a special administrative region of China, after its handover from British control in 1997. Authorities in China fired back in the media, accusing some in Hong Kong of “disloyalty.”

The Washington Post also reported that earlier this month several hundred Hong Kong residents protested in a shopping district claiming that their city is being “swamped” by the millions of Chinese tourists who visit the city, mostly for shopping. Some in Hong Kong no doubt welcome the cash influx that comes with the mainlanders, but others say they do not appreciate the sometimes less-than-exemplary behavior of some Chinese visitors. The bigger issue is of course identity and some in Hong Kong seem to feel their identity is in danger of being lost.

But China’s denunciations of the sentiments of many in Hong Kong are not likely to help make many Hong Kongers feel more love for the motherland. In fact, China’s actions will likely backfire and push even more people in Hong Kong toward a stronger Hong Konger identity. What China should do is exactly the opposite and embrace the concept of diversity.

Perhaps because China was only united quite recently in modern history and was also not long ago humiliatingly occupied by foreign powers, it is still sensitive to notions of “division,” but as a country with some 1.3 billion people, the simple reality is that China contains a great many identities. Instead of trying to cram “unity” down the throats of Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers and any others who have a special history and culture, Beijing should learn to celebrate and promote diversity.

Of course, granting Hong Kong more democratic rights would also go far to alleviating the fears of many living there. Hong Kongers had hoped for full democracy in their territory by this year ― including the direct election of the chief executive. However, that will certainly not happen in 2012 and as it stands now, the earliest such direct suffrage will come is in 2017.

Shanghai is a very different place from Harbin. The residents of each of these cities may be for the most part ethnically Chinese, but they have a different local culture, history and often even a different spoken language. Allowing the residents of cities and regions to take pride in their local identity will not lead to the dissolution of China but will actually strengthen the nation as local residents feel secure knowing they are respected and appreciated by Beijing. In any case, China’s authorities may be going against a trend as the future looks set to be one of identification with city and region as massive megacities continue developing all over the world. A century from now it’s easy to imagine a massive “Greater Taipei” that stretches from Keelung to Hsinchu, and a “Kao-Nan Metro” area that includes a non-stop cityscape combining Pingtung, Kaohsiung and Tainan. When people of the future ask, “Where are you from?” the answer will probably have more to do with the megacity one lives in than the nationality written on a person’s passport.

Some Chinese leaders have touted the “one country, two systems” formula used in Hong Kong as a model for eventual unification with Taiwan. Many in Taiwan however have looked over the Strait at Hong Kong and see little attraction in that formula. If China ever hopes to come to some sort of a unity agreement with Taiwan, it is going to have to get a lot more flexible and a lot less sensitive about how different ethnically Chinese people in different areas self-identify.

(The China Post (Taiwan))

(Asia News Network)