Langara students from Hong Kong believe their unique culture deserves a unique club

Langara students from Hong Kong have formed a new club this semester to promote Hong Kong’s unique culture.

The president of the Langara Hong Kongers Club, Hin Yung Chiu, said this is Langara’s only club that focuses solely on Hong Kong, rather than Mainland China.

“We wanted to get together all the Hong Kong people,” said Chiu.

The club currently has 13 members, said vice-president Jessica Kwok.

Language has a double-edge

Joey Mak, one of the club’s members, said the main difference between Hong Kong and Mainland China is language.

People from Hong Kong speak Cantonese, while those from Mainland China speak Mandarin.

“Language is a very important component in how people interact,” said Mak.

He said it can be difficult to make friends with Mainland Chinese people because of communication barriers. However, the Hong Kongers Club welcomes anyone who wants to learn about Hong Kong, said Mak.

Spillover

Before the establishment of the Hong Kongers Club, students from Hong Kong only had the option of joining the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), which has been around since 2008.

The CSSA is for students from either Mainland China or Hong Kong, and currently has 200 members, said club member Henry Siu.

He said he has mixed feelings about the new Hong Kongers Club.

“We’re all Chinese, and we don’t want to make it so complicated,” said Siu, adding that the CSSA welcomes people from Hong Kong.

However, he said he recognizes that those from Hong Kong may have started their own club because of language differences.

Siu said there are already many people from Hong Kong in their club, and he hopes the two clubs can work together.

“We’re definitely open-minded,” said Siu. “We’re all one nation.”

Reported by Andrea Anthony