Meeting in the middle

Tensions between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland might have sparked a war of words online, but many residents from the Special Administrative Region living in Beijing have condemned the saga as "stupid" and "ridiculous."

The tit-for-tat exchange escalated in January when a Hong Kong local stopped a visiting mainlander's child from eating on the subway, prompting a heated argument filmed on a cell phone and uploaded online. Days later, Peking University professor Kong Qingdong slammed Hong Kong for lacking humanity, adding its people were "running dogs." This triggered a group of Hongkongers to publish an advertisement in a newspaper branding mainlanders as "locusts."

Though primarily sharing the same ethnic and cultural roots, differences in identity have lingered between the two sides since Hong Kong's days as a British colony. The Global Times contacted three mainland scholars in Beijing, all who declined to comment on the grudge. However, some Hongkongers living in the capital were eager to talk of the importance of tolerance going hand-in-hand with economic, social and cultural ties between the two sides.

"It feels odd to be cursed by Hongkongers because mainland tourists contribute greatly to Hong Kong's economic growth. In return, we are called 'locusts,'" a mainland Web user named Hong Bizi Laodie posted on microblogging website Weibo.

More recently, a group was created on social networking website Facebook by Hongkongers protesting the surge of pregnant mainland women going to Hong Kong to give birth. "The perception of mainlanders is that money is omnipotent, so it doesn't matter how strict the rule is, it will always be relaxed," a Web user named Joyce Chan posted to the group. The group swelled to 80,000 members, with some even warning that "the end of Hong Kong is coming" in the face of growing number of mainland visitors.

One country, two mentalities

Many Hongkongers in Beijing have distanced themselves from the online conflict, dismissing it as a futile argument fueled by ignorance.

"There are always 'mad dogs' on both ends taking sides and stressing differentiation. It's stupid to label anyone in any terms," said Hong Kong-born design director Simon Wong, 52, who relocated to Beijing shortly after marrying a mainland woman 14 years ago. "We can't forget that many of our parents and grandparents are actually Chinese mainlanders. Most of them emigrated from Guangdong Province during the 1930s."

Wong stressed that a cultural and mentality clash lay at the heart of the debate. "As prosperity grows among mainlanders, more of them are visiting Hong Kong and helping boost its economy. On the other hand, mainlanders should be aware of how [Hong Kong] society functions, and the advantages that arise from abiding by rules," he suggested, referring to January's subway scandal.

Fellow Hong Kong native C.C. Lau moved to Beijing two years ago and agrees differences lie between the two sides regarding mentality and habits. Such quarrels aren't exclusive to China, she argued.

"Discrimination is everywhere, even in Hong Kong. All countries and regions face this problem one way or another," stressed the 30-year-old marketing consultant. "It's not an issue of nationality, rather it's of social-economic class. Hongkongers traditionally complain, possibly because people there have tremendous stress in their lives. Any small event can trigger their discontent."

Adjusting to customs

Willy Tsao, artistic director of Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company, recalled he was "horrified" with audiences' "loud expression" during performances in mainland theaters 20 years ago.

"As someone born and raised in Hong Kong, I had adopted a Western point of view [in judging etiquette]. I've found though that this is irrelevant in the mainland," said the 67-year-old. "In many regards, China has always been a country with two systems. When I first arrived, I had to learn everything from scratch and find a way to adjust without compromising my values and integrity."

Hong Kong's return to China in 1997 paved the way for people from both sides to embrace their united Chinese identity. "I first came here [to the mainland] 20 years ago to train people for work. In the past five or six years, there's been an influx of many well-educated overseas returnees and well-trained locals," said Wong, who describes himself as "100 percent Chinese" and has never been discriminated against by his mainland compatriots. "Mainlanders are rather talented as fighters in life. They are better survivors overall."

Tsao echoed Wong's calls, saying more needs to be done to bridge the gaps between Hong Kong and the mainland to prevent frustrations boiling over. "We have looked down on our 'poor' mainland cousins in the past, but Hongkongers must change," said Tsao, who divides his time living between Beijing and Guangzhou.

Need for 'psychological' change

Rising economic prosperity on the Chinese mainland has prompted a shift in the views and attitudes adopted by people from Hong Kong, noted Professor Joseph Cheng, political analyst at City University of Hong Kong.

"The quarrel between the two sides is natural and inevitable. The Chinese mainland's economic boom has resulted in Hong Kong people feeling as if they have less economic power," Professor Cheng said. "It has been a period of confusion that demands sociological and psychological change, economic cooperation and mutual adjustment."

Professor Cheng played down mainland-Hong Kong tensions as unique, saying similar conflicts are common within European countries and even among people in mainland cities who look down on migrant workers. He suggested that Hong Kong authorities should have anticipated problems such as the influx of pregnant women, while mainland visitors should be mindful of local customs when visiting. "All parties concerned must be tolerant," he stressed.