Prejudice Faced by Mainlanders in Hong Kong. An Intercultural Communication Analysis and Possible Solutions in Policy Making

Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Communications - Intercultural Communication, grade: 3.7, Education University of Hong Kong (Department of English Language Education), course: ENG2336 Intercultural Communication, language: English, abstract: Since the implementation of Individual Visit Scheme, the number of mainland visitors visiting Hong Kong has increased at a tremendous speed. Although it stimulated Hong Kong's economy and increased capital inflow, it has also brought about culture shock to Hong Kong people. The 'uncivilized' behaviors of mainlanders have been reported by various media and includes pooing and peeing in the public, littering and spitting, damaging public facilities, putting one's foot on the opposite seat in public transportation, sitting on tables in public areas, washing feet using the drinking fountain, intercepting queues and speaking extremely loud etc. Although these behaviors are tolerable in mainland China, in Hong Kong it is not due to cultural differences, and as a result these behaviors have become a prominent label for mainlanders. By assuming all people in mainland China have the tendency to perform in improper ways, mainlanders in Hong Kong face prejudice in nearly every context one can think of. This essay will first define what is prejudice, and then describe how worse is the situation that mainlanders are facing in Hong Kong in terms of prejudice, and afterwards analyze in what ways have cultural differences contributed to the distinction on level of acceptance to the above-mentioned improper behaviors, and finally give suggestions on how to eliminate this prejudice in terms of policy making.