Culture Shock in Hong Kong
Expat culture shock in Hong Kong may not be as traumatic as you would expect, especially if you’re from an English speaking nation. Hong Kong is a former colony of Britain, and as a result, the locals’ English proficiency is rather high. Moreover, the 
religious and cultural tolerance of those living here is quite broad; it’s even normal to see Indonesian domestic helpers praying towards Mecca in front of a post office on a Sunday, just proximal to Falun Gong followers practicing in front of the Court of Final Appeal on a daily basis.
That being said, Hong Kong has a population of more than seven million people, so the crush of the populace can be daunting, especially for those who have relocated from a small or medium-sized city.
Additionally, certain things in Hong Kong are just plain different, and even the most well-travelled expat will need some time to adjust. For example, Hong Kongers are generally an American size 0, a British size 6, or a European size 32, so expats will inevitably face situations where well-meaning salespeople with a limited English vocabulary confront you with: “NO YOUR SIZE! YOU TOO FAT!”
The good news is that there are plenty of resources to mitigate the culture shock in Hong Kong. You can join Necescity (for men) or Sassy Hong Kong (for women) to ease into the local culture with the help of others who have been there and done that. Additionally, respective national Chamber of Commerce’s regularly organise events where you can meet up with people from home, and share your scary Hong Kong stories. HK Magazine and CNNGo.com also provide accurate observations on the locals, and supply information about events as well.
Hong Kongers are usually Cantonese and English speaking, with some degree of fluency in Mandarin. However, this bilingual nature actually makes it rather difficult for expats to pick up any Cantonese; people will insist on speaking to you in English just because you look like a foreigner. If you do want to learn Chinese, try Mandarin. Cantonese is known to be hard for foreigners to learn, and Mandarin is useful when you have to liaise with colleagues from China.
There are many unspoken rules in Hong Kong, and it helps to recognise that you need to give yourself time to learn these things as you go. In particular, the way in which people manage the space around them is something that takes some getting
used to. For example, when you are on the escalator you must stand on the right side, because the left side is for others to overtake you. Additionally, Hong Kongers are always queuing up (lining up). You will see visible queues in front of everything, be it the bus stop, cinema box office, or Louis Vuitton flagship store.
As you begin to settle in, you will start to acquire a basic knowledge about what to do and what not to do in the city. For example, don’t chuck your rubbish out on the streets, but try and hold onto it until you see a bin (trash can). There is a 1,500 HKD fine for dumping rubbish, cigarette butts, or allowing your dogs to poop on the street without picking it up and disposing of it properly. Also, Sundays are rather busy from Causeway Bay to Central due to the endless streams of demonstrations. Domestic helpers take their rest days to gather on the streets in packs, and it won’t be long before you realise that it is best to take the subway/tube (named MTR) to avoid traffic jams.
If you are used to living in huge houses with lawns and garages, the sizes and the prices of Hong Kong accommodation might be a nasty shock. With such a dense population, you can expect everybody to have a very small share of space. Furthermore, the real estate prices have sky rocketed over recent years due to the financial situation, so be prepared to pay a lot and get a little.
When you have finally decided on which small space you can settle into, anticipate a frustrating few weeks of receiving deliveries and organising utilities. If you are getting anything delivered or repaired, the best you could do is to rent a good movie, most likely the service providers will show up late.
Hong Kongers eat out a lot, at least several times a week, and there’s an incredibly diverse range of restaurants in the city; you can swoop in for a rushed weekday lunch in Central, indulge in a local weekend brunch in a Cha Chan Teng (local fast food option), enjoy a fancy dinner at an upscale club, or unwind with some pub grub in Wanchai.
Keep yourself up-to-date with all the eateries by surfing the popular dining guide Openrice.com. One thing you should note though, is that Hong Kongers, mysteriously enough, love to take photos of their meals - be it gourmet cuisine or just your run-of-the-mill happy meal from McDonald’s. So when sharing a meal, be sure you give your friends abundant time to photograph the food first before digging in.
At very formal dinners, it is expected that the host or the oldest person at the table would start eating before everybody else. However, if you are just sharing a meal with friends, there is no need to observe this. Moreover, when you are sharing a meal with friends, you are usually expected to split the bill, whereas with the older generations, they tend to compete to treat. For business meals, it is usually rather clear as to who is treating whom (i.e. the client is usually getting a free meal). For dates, usually men pay for the meal, but women should offer paying their share first.
Many people find Hong Kong’s humidity unbearable. Stories even cite that British soldiers who first settled in Hong Kong died
mainly from the smog and the heat, and not from battles wounds.
Hong Kong’s “wet blanket” is most prominent in spring time, and is followed by the extreme heat of summer. Many expats have trouble adapting to the stifling outdoor temperatures, and those that can cope with the rising mercury, may nonetheless have problems with the constant indoor flow of air-conditioning. All the malls and office buildings will be blasting cool air at max volume, so it’s necessary to carry a cardigan everywhere you go, and if you wear glasses you can be sure you will be wiping the fog off of the lenses several times a day.
religious and cultural tolerance of those living here is quite broad; it’s even normal to see Indonesian domestic helpers praying towards Mecca in front of a post office on a Sunday, just proximal to Falun Gong followers practicing in front of the Court of Final Appeal on a daily basis.That being said, Hong Kong has a population of more than seven million people, so the crush of the populace can be daunting, especially for those who have relocated from a small or medium-sized city.
Additionally, certain things in Hong Kong are just plain different, and even the most well-travelled expat will need some time to adjust. For example, Hong Kongers are generally an American size 0, a British size 6, or a European size 32, so expats will inevitably face situations where well-meaning salespeople with a limited English vocabulary confront you with: “NO YOUR SIZE! YOU TOO FAT!”
The good news is that there are plenty of resources to mitigate the culture shock in Hong Kong. You can join Necescity (for men) or Sassy Hong Kong (for women) to ease into the local culture with the help of others who have been there and done that. Additionally, respective national Chamber of Commerce’s regularly organise events where you can meet up with people from home, and share your scary Hong Kong stories. HK Magazine and CNNGo.com also provide accurate observations on the locals, and supply information about events as well.
Language barrier in Hong Kong
Hong Kongers are usually Cantonese and English speaking, with some degree of fluency in Mandarin. However, this bilingual nature actually makes it rather difficult for expats to pick up any Cantonese; people will insist on speaking to you in English just because you look like a foreigner. If you do want to learn Chinese, try Mandarin. Cantonese is known to be hard for foreigners to learn, and Mandarin is useful when you have to liaise with colleagues from China.
Common law in Hong Kong
There are many unspoken rules in Hong Kong, and it helps to recognise that you need to give yourself time to learn these things as you go. In particular, the way in which people manage the space around them is something that takes some getting
used to. For example, when you are on the escalator you must stand on the right side, because the left side is for others to overtake you. Additionally, Hong Kongers are always queuing up (lining up). You will see visible queues in front of everything, be it the bus stop, cinema box office, or Louis Vuitton flagship store.As you begin to settle in, you will start to acquire a basic knowledge about what to do and what not to do in the city. For example, don’t chuck your rubbish out on the streets, but try and hold onto it until you see a bin (trash can). There is a 1,500 HKD fine for dumping rubbish, cigarette butts, or allowing your dogs to poop on the street without picking it up and disposing of it properly. Also, Sundays are rather busy from Causeway Bay to Central due to the endless streams of demonstrations. Domestic helpers take their rest days to gather on the streets in packs, and it won’t be long before you realise that it is best to take the subway/tube (named MTR) to avoid traffic jams.
Accommodation in Hong Kong
If you are used to living in huge houses with lawns and garages, the sizes and the prices of Hong Kong accommodation might be a nasty shock. With such a dense population, you can expect everybody to have a very small share of space. Furthermore, the real estate prices have sky rocketed over recent years due to the financial situation, so be prepared to pay a lot and get a little.
When you have finally decided on which small space you can settle into, anticipate a frustrating few weeks of receiving deliveries and organising utilities. If you are getting anything delivered or repaired, the best you could do is to rent a good movie, most likely the service providers will show up late.
Food in Hong Kong
Hong Kongers eat out a lot, at least several times a week, and there’s an incredibly diverse range of restaurants in the city; you can swoop in for a rushed weekday lunch in Central, indulge in a local weekend brunch in a Cha Chan Teng (local fast food option), enjoy a fancy dinner at an upscale club, or unwind with some pub grub in Wanchai.
Keep yourself up-to-date with all the eateries by surfing the popular dining guide Openrice.com. One thing you should note though, is that Hong Kongers, mysteriously enough, love to take photos of their meals - be it gourmet cuisine or just your run-of-the-mill happy meal from McDonald’s. So when sharing a meal, be sure you give your friends abundant time to photograph the food first before digging in.
At very formal dinners, it is expected that the host or the oldest person at the table would start eating before everybody else. However, if you are just sharing a meal with friends, there is no need to observe this. Moreover, when you are sharing a meal with friends, you are usually expected to split the bill, whereas with the older generations, they tend to compete to treat. For business meals, it is usually rather clear as to who is treating whom (i.e. the client is usually getting a free meal). For dates, usually men pay for the meal, but women should offer paying their share first.
Weather in Hong Kong
Many people find Hong Kong’s humidity unbearable. Stories even cite that British soldiers who first settled in Hong Kong died
mainly from the smog and the heat, and not from battles wounds.Hong Kong’s “wet blanket” is most prominent in spring time, and is followed by the extreme heat of summer. Many expats have trouble adapting to the stifling outdoor temperatures, and those that can cope with the rising mercury, may nonetheless have problems with the constant indoor flow of air-conditioning. All the malls and office buildings will be blasting cool air at max volume, so it’s necessary to carry a cardigan everywhere you go, and if you wear glasses you can be sure you will be wiping the fog off of the lenses several times a day.
Etiquette tips in Hong Kong
- When receiving gifts from locals, don’t open the gift in front of them, as that is considered rather rude. Just thank them graciously and then put it away.
- Don’t give clocks as gifts; these items can be associated with mourning.
- If you are bringing flowers to a friend’s home, especially during Chinese New Year, don’t bring any white flowers, this symbolises death.
- At occasions where you need to give or receive business cards, you should do so with both hands to show respect.
- When you find yourself in the middle of a crowd, say in the MTR during rush hours or walking through the Chinese New Year wet market in Victoria Park, you are expected to move rather swiftly, otherwise the people behind you will start shoving.
