There was a lot on the line going into Tuesday night’s World Cup qualifying match between China and Hong Kong: national/local pride, bragging rights to a long-standing rivalry, and a chance to progress in qualifying towards to the biggest show on earth.

The match was big news in Hong Kong, where tensions with the Mainland have boiled over in the past few years, most notably during the 79-day Occupy street protests last fall. Screens were set up around Hong Kong for people to cheer on the home team, with fans hoping the Chinese team could be knocked out of contention. And that’s basically what happened with the 0-0 draw. Now there’s only a slim path for China to qualify for the next round.

In China’s Group C division, Qatar remains in first place, and has secured a place for the next round. In order to advance, third-place China must win its next two games against the Maldives and the undefeated Qatar as well as hope other second-place teams in other Asian divisions perform poorly.

Chances also appear slim for second-place Hong Kong, but the team didn’t waver against an aggressive China in what turned out to be a tense game with several controversial moments involving disallowed goals.

In the 52nd minute, a shot from Hong Kong’s Festus Baise that wound up squarely in the Chinese goal was disallowed by the referee because he ruled teammate Paulinho had first fouled Chinese goalkeeper Wang Dalei.

Later, at the 78th minute, a header from forward Yang Xu to striker Yu Dabao resulted in a pair of shots on goal, with the second deflecting off the goal post and into the arms of Hong Kong goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai. Despite Chinese players celebrating the shot as a goal, the referee disallowed it even though many Chinese fans thought the ball was saved after having crossed the goal line (seen above).

As contentious as these two disallowed goals may be, they paled in comparison to the real controversy of the game as Hong Kong fans loudly booed the national anthem. Hong Kong soccer fans at Mong Kok stadium were seen carrying signs and T-shirts saying “Boo”, “Support Your Own People” and “Hong Kong is Not China” as they chanted “We are Hong Kong” while holding up their middle fingers and shouting profanities against the mainland Chinese team.

The booing of the PRC anthem comes after Hong Kong fans were warned by the Hong Kong Football Association after previous booing that occurred during games with Qatar and Bhutan this past June. Although it can compete independently in the Olympics and the World Cup, Hong Kong S.A.R. is considered a part of of the People’s Republic of China, and so shares the same anthem. Future punishment could involve the Hong Kong football team playing their games without their fans present.

Many Hong Kongers considered the draw to be a win for the home team. Desperate for a win, though, Chinese soccer fans were bitterly disappointed by the draw.

A poll held by Sina revealed that half of the 18,000 respondents said they were angry with the results of the China-Hong Kong match-up, with another 27 percent saying they were disappointed. Seventy-five percent of the respondents asked for Chinese men’s soccer head coach Alan Perrin to step down.

This sentiment was taken to extremes by a fan who hacked into the Chinese Football Association’s website, leaving a note that criticized Perrin’s strategy (seen above). The hacker asked for Perrin and Chinese Football Association president Cai Zhenhua to be fired, along with Cai to be investigated by the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Commission with a “discipline inspection”.

Meanwhile, reaction to possibly yet another failed campaign to qualify for the World Cup brought out anger and disappointment from netizens:

gladyholiday:
Chinese (Men’s) Soccer Team: Last time in Shenzhen (in September), the explanation was that there was a problem with the air. This time, they’re saying that Mong Kok Stadium is too small. You say this in spite of not being out of breath and having flushed faces! What a joke! Huh… maybe we should give them an award for “most creative (explanation)”?

梅州校园新鲜事:
Steps taken by the Chinese Soccer for every competition:
1. Upon drawing lots (for upcoming games), be sure to say many bold, visionary words. 2. Off to a good start, predict a good outcome against opponent. 3. Lose the initiative. 4. Maintain suspense. 5. Citing only theorhetical possibilities, watch how the opponent reacts. 6. Completely say goodbye to the small group by getting knocked out early. 7. Find new people who will fight for the honor. 8. Switch around personnel, get ready for the following World Cup.

写给远方：
Firmly request the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection make an inspection of the Chinese Soccer League!!!

人帅腿长毛也长：
Goodbye to this era, hello 2022. Get lost Perrin, you have destroyed yourself with this game.

景俊记：
There will always be a tomorrow. Why are there so many of them?

我系万远涛：
This is the emotional rollercoaster that China always does. Once a problem arises, they transfer attention in order to muddle the feelings of any patriotic Chinese. Heehee, it’s the same trick used by the party I belong to. 

进击的南大学生：
Encourage them for what? Since I was a child, I’ve been watching the Chinese men’s soccer team for ten years now. Encourage them? It’s been fricken ten years of encouragement.

托雷斯他老婆：
Keep on trying to find excuses. No need for anymore of this ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ business. If you can’t get it done, then leave.

Chinese celebrities have offered their own take on the failed chances of China’s men’s soccer team. CCTV anchor Duan Xuan said, “These past few years, there have been a number of changes throughout China, but it seems that only in soccer that ‘time passes so quickly that its beginning and end are the same,'” and also mused that “There’s a type of love that’s called ‘letting go’.”

The rivalry between Hong Kong and China for qualifying for the World Cup has been especially fierce this year. Hong Kong goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai alleged that he was spat upon and insulted as a “dog” by Chinese team captain Zheng Zhi during their September match in Shenzhen. And even before competition began, the Chinese Football Association courted controversy by publishing promotional posters that singled out Hong Kong for having a mixed-race team (seen above), something the China Daily looks to prolong by pointing out the Hong Kong team had “six naturalized players in the line-up” in its follow-up report on Tuesday’s game.

In 1985, Hong Kong ruined China’s chances at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico by knocking them out with a win, leading to riots outside the Workers’ Stadium in Beijing.

China’s sole appearance at the World Cup was in 2002. At that time, the country was able to capitalize on the absence of South Korea during the qualifying rounds since South Korea had already been guaranteed a spot as World Cup hosts.

Related:

• Yao Ming Rejects Soccer As The Future Of Chinese Sport
• Newspaper Blasts China’s Soccer Cheerleaders For Being Ugly
• “Hong Kong is Not China” Artwork Spreads Fast Online

The post China Shocked After Hong Kong Deals Heavy Blow to World Cup Hopes in Highly-Politicized Match appeared first on The Nanfang.

While Chinese are long familiar with “forced shopping”, a practice whereby travel organizers try to force tourists to make purchases in order recoup their losses from offering travel packages at extremely low prices, the news has become sensationalized in China because a person died outside of the Mainland.

On October 19, a 54 year-old man named Miao from Heilongjiang was part of a mainland Chinese tour group that arrived in a commercial shopping area in Hong Kong’s Hung Hom area. Miao went to a Man Lok Street jewelry store with a 53 year-old woman named Zhang, but did not buy anything because it was “too expensive” and bartering proved to be ineffectual.

When Miao left to smoke by the entrance to the store, the tour group’s leader, a 32 year-old dual citizen named Deng, came to help negotiate the disagreement. However, Deng’s appearance only made things worse as things escalated to the point Deng was slapped in the face.

When Miao stepped forward to mediate, a group of four men appeared and physically assaulted both Miao and Zhang after dragging them outside. Miao suffered heavy injuries, with witnesses saying he was bleeding from the mouth when he fell to the ground, unconscious.

About 24 hours later Miao died from his injuries in a Hong Kong hospital.

Hong Kong police has categorized the incident as a case of manslaughter. Two men, a 44-year-old Hong Konger and a 32-year-old mainlander, have been arrested by police for attacking Miao. As well, both Zhang and Deng have been arrested (seen below, right and left, respectively). Hong Kong police say they are still looking for two other men in conjunction with the attack.

The incident has outraged many people from mainland China, who have had a tempestuous relationship with Hong Kong residents over cultural differences and parallel trading, among others.

The Global Times published an op-ed in which Hong Kong is slammed for its role in the death of the tourist:

No matter how you explain it, the incident still took place within Hong Kong borders. This reflects one aspect of the chaos inherent in the Hong Kong tourism market as well as revealing a severe gap in the Hong Kong law and governance over the tourism market. At the very least, this just shows that the cheating of mainland tourists in this market is rampant and unchecked.

China Daily reports the incident prompted calls in the mainland for a boycott of travel to Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the China National Tourism Administration has urged Hong Kong authorities to protect the rights of mainland tourists.

But despite some Chinese news media like 163 News saying the attackers are “suspected local men”, others say the root of forced shopping stems back to the mainland. Analysts say that people called “shadow followers” follow tour groups from the mainland and force them to buy things.

Forced shopping has been been happening in China for a number of years, with the most brazen acts caught on video and reported in the news, as when a tour guide berated a bus full of tourists in Yunnan for not spending enough money this past May.

The post Death of Mainland Tourist in Hong Kong Prompts Calls for Boycott appeared first on The Nanfang.

The Mainland team was heavily favored to beat Hong Kong, so the draw is seen in some quarters in Hong Kong as a victory and a loss for the Mainland. Hong Kong soccer goalie Yapp Hung-fai, who stopped all of mainland China’s 39 shots on goal, said this on Instagram: “We made it! Also, we, the Hong Kong team, intended to defend. You were mad at not winning the match and approached me to call me a dog. Asian Footballer of the Year, you have good skills, but you fail in terms of sportsmanship!”

Yapp confirmed to Hong Kong media that the “Asian Footballer of the Year” he was referring to was Zheng Zhi, captain of the mainland Chinese team. When asked by news media, Zheng responded that the incident “simply didn’t happen”:

At the time, the referee was at the scene. If I had insulted him or had displayed any untoward behavior, the referee must have have seen it.

Zheng said his team was under pressure as the match was winding down, and complained to the press that the Hong Kong soccer team was displaying unsportsmanlike behavior by trying to run out the clock:

It was clear to everyone that our opponents played defensively rather than offensively to try to run out the clock. We expected that they would play defensively, but did not think that our opponents would try to run out the clock.

Hong Kong soccer coach Kwok Ka-ming said it would be difficult to verify Yapp’s claims without an actual audio recording of the incident.

A “dog” is a mainland Chinese slur used on Hong Kong residents and has British imperialist overtones, something similar to the Hong Kong insult of “locust” used on mainland residents.

Controversy between the mainland China and Hong Kong soccer teams has erupted before. A mainland Chinese campaign promoting the match-up with the ethnically-diversive Hong Kong team drew criticism, while mainland Chinese fans were enraged when the PRC national anthem at a Hong Kong match with Bhutan was booed.

Hong Kong remains at the top of their World Cup qualifying division, and will take on undefeated Qatar on Tuesday. Hong Kong and China will play again on November 17 at Mong Kok Stadium in Hong Kong.

The post Chinese Soccer Star Calls Hong Kong Goalkeeper a “Dog” in Emotional Qualifying Match appeared first on The Nanfang.

China Daily tells us that Hong Kong women are choosing to marry more men from mainland China because they are simply better than their Hong Kong counterparts. Chung Kim Wah, director of Centre for Social Policy Studies at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, told China Daily that Hong Kong women have a better opinion of men in the Chinese mainland due to economic development, better education and more communication.

China Daily quotes an unidentified head of an unnamed matchmaking service who points out the superior abilities of mainland Chinese men, saying that “Hong Kong women are glad to work or marry and live in the Chinese mainland, especially as there are much better men in the mainland.”

Other unidentified sources quoted by China Daily include Hong Kong marriage counselors who are quoted as saying many Hong Kong women think Hong Kong men don’t have much ambition compared with the successful and affluent men in the Chinese mainland.Hong Kong women think Hong Kong men don’t have much ambition compared with the successful and affluent men in the Chinese mainland.

Hong Xuelian, associate professor with Department of Social Work in Hong Kong Baptist University, says cultural differences between the Hong Kong women and men in the Chinese mainland are breaking down. This is seen in the example of Mary, a university student in Guangzhou who says that there is no cultural difference between Hong Kong and the mainland when it comes to love.

“My boyfriend and I don’t feel any cultural difference as we listen to the same music, watch the same movies and know the same information, though I was born in Hong Kong and he was born in Guangzhou,” says Mary. And eschewing any ideological differences they may have between them, Mary emphasizes that the big difference is all about money: “I will choose to reside in Guangzhou or Shenzhen when we are married, because quality of life in these cities is even better than that in Hong Kong.”

These are all possible reasons that could possibly explain why Hong Kong women are turning to mainland Chinese men for marriage partners. And, there’s also another that can explain this very simply: there are just not enough Hong Kong men, good or otherwise. For every 3.9 million Hong Kong women in the city, there are only 3.3 million Hong Kong men, a disparity that has been plaguing romance in Hong Kong for years.

But even with a deficit, Hong Kong men are still described in the China Daily report as falling short to mainland Chinese men in terms of affluence, ambition, and ability. And yet, if we were to take all of these things into account, it would point to a surprising conclusion as we consider the most-neglected part of the report: that Hong Kong men have long been taking mainland Chinese women for brides.

Even though it dropped from 2013, 15,226 Hong Kong men decided to marry a spouse from the Chinese mainland last year, more than twice the number of Hong Kong women who did the same.

The China Daily report does not explain this ongoing trend, but does assure us that even though Hong Kong men can’t compete with their peers from the mainland, the only reason they marry mainland Chinese women is for love. As the unidentified head of the matchmaking service says, “affluent women in the Chinese mainland are not willing to be married with Hong Kong men,” thus keeping Hong Kong men honest… at least with mainland Chinese women.

As the China Daily implies, it looks like Hong Kong women are looking for more.

The post Now More Than Ever, Hong Kong Women are Marrying Mainland Men appeared first on The Nanfang.

Thirty-three protesters were arrested in Yuen Long when things began to deteriorate, something well documented in the Mainland media today. Pictures of the protesters, described as “radical” in Mainland news reports, show them to be violent, resistant towards authority, and belligerent. Some of the images used, however, actually depicted the counter-protests.

Sohu and Sina, two major online portals, both noted protesters wore yellow uniforms (the color closely associated with last year’s Umbrella Movement) with face masks and body protection like knee pads and helmets. As well, they said local Yuen Long residents were upset with the protests, and want tougher police action.

The anti-parallel trader protests (or anti-Mainland protests, depending on your bent) have been held semi-regularly since the calendar changed. One particularly ugly incident saw thousands shout “go back to China” at a Shatin shopping mall on February 15.

There’s no love lost between the Mainland and Hong Kong these days, with reports Mainlanders are cutting up their Hong Kong entry permits to protest the city’s treatment of Mainland visitors. It already looks like Mainlanders are giving up on Hong Kong and Macau, and finding other places to go instead.

The post Chinese Media Lashes Out at “Radical” Hong Kong Protesters appeared first on The Nanfang.

Mainlanders have had enough of Hong Kongers’ constant complaining about Mainland shoppers: they are vowing never to return to the territory, and are cutting up their Entry/Exit passes to prove it.

Photos of an anti-Mainland trader protest a couple of weeks ago in a Hong Kong suburb struck a chord in Mainland China, with many saying the behavior of Hong Kongers was completely inappropriate. Thousands of Hong Kong people surrounded Mainland Chinese shoppers in a mall, chanting “go back to China”. To underscore their anger, many Mainlanders are posting photographs of their destroyed Exit and Entry Permit to Hong Kong.

As the photos have circulated, Hong Kongers have responded by cutting up their Home Return Permits, which lets them into Mainland China. The war of words has begun, with one Hong Konger writing online: “Talk is cheap; the best course of action is just not to come (to Hong Kong). Get lost and scram!” A Mainlander responded: “(I) won’t go to Hong Kong anymore. Going to South Korea and Japan is very convenient, and the shopping is about the same.”

A cut-up Home Return Permit.

Tensions between the two sides show no signs of letting up. CY Leung, Hong Kong’s chief executive, recognizes Hong Kong people’s concerns and has vowed to work with the Central Government to limit the number of Mainland visitors to the territory. But if the Mainland anger persists, the numbers may fall without any new restrictions.

The post Mainlanders Cutting Up Hong Kong Entry Permits in Anger at the Territory’s Attitude appeared first on The Nanfang.

Two days ago, a 26 year-old mainland Chinese student named Liu physically attacked Cliff Buddle, a British instructor at Hong Kong University, for speaking English in class. Most of HKU’s classes are taught in English, but that didn’t seem to matter to Liu. Immediately before the assault, Liu spoke in Putonghua, saying, “Hong Kong has already returned to the mainland for 17 years now, why do they still use English in classes?”

While attempting to leave the class after the assault, Liu muttered, “A Chinese should be patriotic, and learn less English.” When the police finally arrived, the self-described Tsinghua University student admitted that he thought there was nothing wrong with assaulting foreign nationals.

This isn’t the first case of Mainland resentment towards Hong Kong. Many Mainland people who live in the city complain of discrimination, as Hong Kongers have traditionally seen their Mainland counterparts as “bumpkins” with less political and financial freedom. Some who have felt the wrath of discrimination have lashed out, most notably when a teen complaining about Hong Kong admitted to killing his dog by putting it into a washing machine to incite Hong Kongers.

But then there’s the general disgust towards Hong Kong for maintaining its western-style way of life, most notably the English language. Physically assaulting an instructor, completely unprovoked, takes this nationalism to another level, and anytime something is done in the name of China naturally draws conflicting views from the people who live there.

Most of the comments online in China were disgusted by Liu’s behaviour:

Agape亞卡比：
What does using English to teach a class have to do with the reunification of Hong Kong? Don’t say that you’re a university student; so easily prone to violence despite your schooling, do you call this civilized behavior? [angry.emoji]

一颗牛牛：
A loss of face!!!!!

腐爛叉燒要瘦：
[waving.emoji] Sick people need to take their medication.

留意身边事:
An idiot who knows how to study.

z我是小曾fr:
If you’re not able to adapt, then don’t go to university.

Dct吴迪:
No matter how long its been since reunification, it has nothing to do with your low abilities.

_FORK_Chikin：
Patriotic without reason

Some couldn’t even believe it happened:

云在蓝山月在天：
Is there any proof? Yet another classic case of an inflammatory post.

Arealcooldanny：
This has to have been meticulously set up. Normal people are incapable of doing these things.

壞孩子胡建鋒_Rose：
I feel that this story is not as simple as it appears. Also, during this time of sensitivity, I think that the original poster shouldn’t post this kind of story.

And then, those who applaud what Liu did:

ooo666ooo:
A beating well done. This increases our national prestige (happy.emoji)

羽翼天朝镇八荒:
Hong Kong people should still learn how to speak Putonghua.

Bea哇_：
Why insist on calling him a “mainlander”? In fact, what he’s saying isn’t without merit. After so many years of reunification, the English level in Hong Kong is still so much better than Putonghua!

Smokeriu：
Although I agree that everything he is saying is true, but extremism… all the same, you can’t hit people.

ministry110:
That guy doesn’t even understand Cantonese. On the day the world has been unified, once my great empire of China has vanquished a hundred countries, English will cease to exist.

To finish, there’s a grab bag of sarcastic comments along with those that don’t fit anywhere else, but make an argument of their own:

Kun_Leung:
It’s true, you must speak Putonghua within the borders of China. This is the unbreakable rule. And yet, this is not to speak of the fact that since you’re taking my money, you have to provide me with the proper service. You don’t expect me to accommodate you, do you? Even if you’re going to teach me English, you still have to do it in Putonghua [stiflelaugh.emoji]

Saited:
You have given much face to your countrymen. [tongueout.emoji]

邓雅儿KV：
Just saw the picture and read the comments and feel that the person in the middle of all this is still living in an age of face. The amount of face he lost is directly proportional to the amount he’s invested in this lifestyle.

梓伊琳：
(This guy is) not the least bit cultured. At the very least, Hong Kong was better when it was under the control of the UK. Chinese can’t be too arrogant and have such a high opinion of themselves.

Was it the archaic notion of “face” that prompted this assault? Did Liu feel so embarrassed at being so positively humbled by the worldliness of Hong Kong, so influenced by the west, that he was compelled to physically attack Buddle to preserve the honor of China?

Ironically, if Liu committed the assault because he felt he lost face, his assault lead to a much greater loss of face for Mainland China. Pride and shame are completely opposite emotions, but the other is never far away when you keep one close at hand.

***

Here’s a Youtube video news report of the assault.

Photo: Cantonese Report Station

The post Pride and Shame: Student Assaults Foreign Teacher in the Name of Putonghua appeared first on The Nanfang.

Jacky Lo is a Cantonese-speaking Facebook user who commonly uploads pictures of his fancy car, a nice bottle of wine, or a loose pile of rolled-up cash. However, Lo decided to one-up himself on August 12 when he uploaded pictures of a dog in a washing machine:

Lo’s comments attached to these photographs read:

Here’s a really fast way to help your dog take a bath: first, soak it, then wash it, afterwards get rid of the water, and there you go! All clean, without the hassle!

Even though the picture gallery suggests that this small dog survived his ordeal with pictures depicting a wet dog at its tail end, Lo confirms to a Facebook friend that the dog has indeed died.

Bad Canto provided a translation of this conversation:

Agnes: Is the dog dead?

Lo: Yes! You wanna see it?

Agnes: OK! You’ll certainly get famous!

Lo: Whatever. I’ve nothing to be scared of.

Agnes: DON’T delete anything from your Facebook!!! Including THIS album!

Lo: I don’t care what you guys are going to do! Do I look like I’m afraid of you guys?

Agnes: That means you don’t think animal cruelty is a problem?

Lo: I don’t even think human cruelty is a problem, not to mention cats and dogs!

This conversation took place just as the pictures started to go viral on the Hong Kong internet. Lo’s next Facebook update came on September 1 when he wrote a rant about the radicalisation of Hong Kong youth.

Here is the translation, again provided by Bad Canto:

There are so many young and radical Hongkongers who treat Chinese badly. I only want to question your mindset: To all noble Hongkongers, where did you ancestors come from? If your ancestors came from China, could I interpret that “the ancestors of Hongkongers are Mainlanders. Therefore, Mainlanders are the ancestors of Hongkongers!” You are Chinese. We are of the same race and speak the same language. Our differences are just government systems, law enforcement, and law. I hope you can understand the relationship between people and the government. Don’t blame the Chinese people simply because you hate the Communist Party. You must think rationally!

On September 4, Lo made wrote another rant about Hongkongers, perhaps stemming from the attention his “dog in a washing machine” photographs were getting. Again, from Bad Canto:

The intelligence of young Hongkongers drives me nuts.  They listen to commands of the reactionaries and completely lose their rationality. They have become running dogs of the politics and have no independent thinking. They are so silly to say “Everybody hates Chinese!” Haha, duke, from where did you learn your history lessons? Among the 1 million Hongkongers, how many of them were indigenous residents? (* 1M Hongkongers refers to the population of pre-WW2 Hong Kong). If your ancestor didn’t come from China, could it be that your are the products of the Japanese during WW2? Young Hongkongers are doomed by anti-China politicians!

Before we conflate all of these different elements into a single generalisation, we should remember that Lo likely enjoys the bad attention he receives. As a troll of the highest level, Lo appears to have gotten his standing through his wealth and family. Speaking out against him is something he seems to crave.

If Lo isn’t at all “afraid of you guys”, then he won’t mind talking to the SPCA.

Here’s Lo, followed by more pictures from the August 12 photo album:

[h/t Bad Canto]

Related:

• Fury In Hong Kong After MTR Train Runs Over Dog As People Tried to Save It
• Cute Girl Kills, Dismembers Cat Because She’s Angry at Her Parents
• Security Guards At Shenzhen Hospital Abuse Cat, Attack Reporters [GRAPHIC]
• Man draws criticism after whipping monkeys during street performance in Zhuhai
• Another Brutal Dog Killing, This Time at a Shelter in Hangzhou
• Yunlin Dog Sellers Openly Taunt Dog Lovers: “Buy The Dog Or It Dies!”
• Dog Beaten to Death in Beijing in Front of Foreign Owner

Photos: Bad Canto, Facebook

The post Photos of Dog Swirling in Washing Machine Meant to Incite Hong Kongers appeared first on The Nanfang.

Hong Kongers will tell you they are tired of Mainland visitors cutting the queue. The territory still (mostly) adheres to the idea of one person lining up behind the other while waiting to be served, or board the city’s MTR.

If somebody cuts the queue, they might be admonished by others in the line. But one case got so testy it went all the way to court.

A judge in the city has fined a mainland Chinese woman HK$1,000 for her part in a fight she caused by cutting in line, reports China Youth Report.

At the end of July this year, 35 year-old Xie Qiaoling cut into a line to pay insurance fees at the Baocheng Insurance Building. Another woman in line – a Hong Konger – who was six-months pregnant took offense to Xie’s actions and snapped some photos of her on her phone. This infuriated Xie, who jabbed her in the belly with an umbrella.

Yesterday, Xie pleaded guilty to common assault at a a law court in Kowloon where the judge passed the sentence. The defending lawyer said his client admits to being impulsive at the time of the incident. He said Xie didn’t intend on hitting the woman’s pregnant belly, but was trying to point at the phone being used. The contact was unintentional, he claimed.

The judge noted the growing conflicts between Mainland and Hong Kong people, adding that everyone must respect the culture of the place that they are in. The judge reasoned that since Hong Kong residents have a habit of lining up, the act of cutting in line is offensive. However, he said using a phone to take a photograph of a person cutting in line is also offensive, while hurting a pregnant woman was the most idiotic behavior of all. That’s why Xie got slapped with the fine.

Hong Kongers aren’t too thrilled with the sentence, apparently. They say that taking a picture of a person cutting in line is righteous behavior that helps protect themselves.

Photo: Sina

The post Mainlander Jabs Pregnant Hong Kong Woman in the Belly After Cutting in Line appeared first on The Nanfang.

Women browsing single men’s information displayed on a board in a dating event in Shanghai.

While China has a lopsided sex ratio of 1,176 men for every 1,000 women, an imbalance that could leave 24 million men without a wife by 2020, the country’s special administrative region of Hong Kong is having an equally confounding problem but in reverse: a surplus of unmarried women, the result of the city’s worst gender imbalance recorded in history according to the latest official government statistics.

In 1981, the city’s sex ratio was 1,087 men for  every 1,000 women. However, 33 years later, the gender imbalance has declined to 864 men for every 1,000 women, down from 876 men recorded in 2013. This is Hong Kong’s most imbalanced gender ratio since the city first started recording it in 1961.

According to Xinhua, there are two factors behind the problem. One is the influx of mainland women who generally hold a single-entry Hong Kong visa. The other is the mass of foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong, mostly women from Philippines and Indonesia. The population of domestic helpers in Hong Kong is estimated at more than 300,000, wrote The Diplomat.

Meanwhile, the pool of unmarried Hong Kong women aged 25 or above, or the so-called “leftover women”, is also growing. In the city’s central and western district, for instance, the number of unmarried women account for 33% of the district’s total population. In Shatin district alone, there are more than 90,000 unmarried women, according to the Xinhua report, citing official figures.

As a result, the ages for marrying and child-bearing have been pushed later and later. The average age for a woman to marry has moved from 23.9 years old in 1981 to 29.1 years old in 2013. Likewise, their child-bearing age has been postponed to 31.3 in 2013.

In addition, the plight of the city’s leftover women is worsening as more of the city’s men marry mainland women across the border. There could be many reasons for this, but popular belief in Hong Kong is that mainland women are, rightly or wrongly, viewed as more compliant than the stereotyped selective and picky Hong Kong women. In 2013, close to 20,000 Hong Kong men married mainland women.

Squeezed by the worsening gender imbalance in favour of men in the city, Hong Kong women are looking to the fuerdai, the second generation of rich, on the mainland for future partners.

Dating consulting agency personnel Ou Huifang said Hong Kong’s surplus women are “perfect matches” for the mainland’s surplus men. Mainland men in general favor Hong Kong, which means they will have an additional sense of accomplishment if they can marry a Hong Kong woman, Ou continued.

But so far, the cross-border dating experiences have been disappointing for Hong Kong women as they are far too independent to fit the traditional model for mainland men, which involves seeking a “virtuous wife and caring mother”, according to another Hong Kong-based dating agency. For now, most Hong Kong women will continue to be unmarried and lonely by choice, or increasingly, by default.

Photos: Daily Mail; Reuters

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