Ni Hao

- Neha Gupta Kapoor

Hong Kong literally translates to Fragrant Harbour in Chinese. Perhaps it comes from the sweet taste of the harbour’s fresh water or the incense tree forest in the northern suburbs neighbouring Mainland China.

DNA

Indians found a home in British-occupied Hong Kong as far back as in the mid-19th century when they were brought here as part of the British troops. Today, the number of Indians has increased from a few hundreds to thousands; this includes Hong Kong-born people of Indian origin — most of whom have been living in the People’s Republic of China since at least four generations.

The number of this ethnicity is still at a paltry 28,616 Indians, making up six per cent of Hong Kong’s non-Chinese population (4,51,000), as per a report published by Hong Kong’s Home Affairs Department. Others who largely dominate this immigrant population include Indonesians, Filipinos and whites in the top three, followed by Pakistanis, Nepalese, Japanese and Thais, after Indians.

Expatriates find the transition to Hong Kong fairly easy with its planned infrastructure, well connected train systems, and reasonably priced public transport and taxis. This autonomous territory that is separated from Mainland China by Shenzhen River has a conspicuous divide between its western and traditional characteristics: expanses of greenery, glass towers, stout vintage buildings, quiet temple lanes and bustling scenes illuminated by neon lights.

STRUCTURE