Hong Kong’s Growing Separatist Tendencies against China’s Rise: Comparing Mainland and Hong Kong College Students’ National Identities

Autor: Qin Pang, Fan Jiang
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, Vol 48 (2019)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1868-1026
1868-4874
18681026
DOI: 10.1177/1868102619886597
Popis: Why have separatist sentiments increased in Hong Kong despite of China’s growing economic attractiveness? This question is critical for China–Hong Kong relations. However, few studies have explored it from a comparative perspective. This study compares Hong Kong and mainland college students’ national identities by making a series of interlocked surveys and interviews from 2012 to 2016. It shows that Hong Kong students have a much lower sociopolitical identity with China, which proves to be the primary cause for their separatist tendencies. Although they hold a comparably strong pan-Chinese economic identity, it does not strengthen their sociopolitical identity as it does for mainland students. This can be attributed to their post-materialist framework through which they are unlikely to believe that economic development alone can bring sociopolitical improvements. The findings imply that China faces serious difficulties in turning its economic strength into political charm in societies with strong post-materialist values.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals