Long Live Cantonese

There’s a big hullabaloo in the South China Morning Post this week. Historian Jason Wordie wrote about the so-called Third Culture Kids (born in one country, moved to Hong Kong, sent to boarding school in their home country, came back to Hong Kong to wreak havoc with the maids) that they were bratty and didn’t want to integrate into Hong Kong society.

A shit storm immediately ensued, with scores of put-upon Third Culture Kids whining to the SCMP about how “breathtakingly offensive” Wordie’s article was, how “insulted” they felt, and terrible it was of him to generalise about such a diverse group. Boo-hoo!

Some of them sniffily added that they had tried to integrate – by taking Mandarin lessons.

Really? Is Mandarin the official language of Hong Kong now?

I think it’s absurd and ridiculous for anyone to grow up in a place and not learn the local language. Nowadays that goes for many local Chinese too, who send their children to international school in Hong Kong and speak broken English with them at home. Local Chinese. Born here. Can’t speak Cantonese. Can’t go shopping in the market. Can’t communicate with their grandparents. Where else does that happen?

Wordie’s article must have struck a big nerve, judging by the wails.

P.S.

Whether you’re a new arrival to Hong Kong or a bratty Cantonese-less TCK, you can now learn Cantonese without really trying by taking a couple of crash courses from me! You’ll be able to have quite a meaningful conversation about food and drinks after only two and a half hours.