Filipino Hongkee

Electric Taxi issued by Hong Kong Goverment

 By: Seven Bueno

Hongkee - noun - "A term used to address a local of the Autonomous Region of Hong Kong"

As a Filipino who has been quite close to Hong Kong all my life, I'd like to share with you about some stuff to know on your next visit...

Hong Kong Disneyland celebrates its 10th anniversary this 2015

First, the people.

There are two types of people who live in Hong Kong. Hongkees, and mainlanders. Hongkees are the ones who grew up in Hong Kong, and the Mainlanders are those who came from Mainland China. Why are there such classifications? Some say culture, some including myself believe it's about the education and morals. Many Hongkees generalize that Mainlanders aren't as educated as them, and sometimes ashamed of some Mainlanders' immorality and grave misconduct. I can only say that both Mainlanders and Hongkees are very welcoming to the visitors of Hong Kong.

Typical rush hour situation in the MTR (Hong Kong's Subway)

Next up, the cool history.

Before these theme parks like Ocean Park and Disneyland, Hong Kong was one of the finest trading points of Asia. Hong Kong actually meant "Fragrant Harbour" once translated in English. Hong Kong was once colonized by the Brits, which recently has been transferred to China as a special administrative region after years of negotiations.

Now, some phrases and words that could help you get by...

Fog along Kowloon Bay

You're in a Chinese restaurant, and no one has taken your order. "Fuyuan!!!" is a helpful word to call the attention of a waiter. Me and my family usually goes with "Pengyao" which means "my friend" as a way of calling them in a nicer way... By the way, some countries like the Philippines call it an "elevator" but in Hong Kong, we say "Lift". 

Just remember these few things...

Keep right at all times when you aren't in a hurry. Everyone is on the go, and you probably wouldnt want to get pushed around by someone else - especially  while on the escalator. Don't get surprised if you ask a waiter to cut your noodles, and he shoves scissors on your soup. Always check the weather before booking your flights to HK. There are lots of storms and you wouldn't want to be in Disneyland wearing Mickey Raincoats and umbrellas...

So "HK", "That Chinese place better than China", World City, or whatever you call it, I must say as a Filipino Hongkee, it's one of those must visit places in Asia.

Photos by: Seven and Benedict Bueno