ABSTRACT
The identity problem of the Hong Kong Chinese—critical self-reflections of who they are, where they belong, to which government should they pledge allegiance and loyalty, wondering about options and agonizing over choices—is new. The Nanyang Chinese have been caught in both the nation-building drama of their host countries and in their predicament as ethnic and cultural minority groups. The aspect of Hong Kong’s identity problem has to do with the quintessential fact that Hong Kong, instead of gaining independence, will be reintegrated with China. At the collective level, individual approaches and solutions to identity crises will add up to yield outcomes with major political implications. An Special Administrative Region population that becomes too conscious and proud of its local Hong Kong identity, or one that is reluctant to be loyal, will be certain to invite distrust, suspicion, and even interference from the central government.
