Hong Kong people in the United Kingdom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Total population |
|---|
| 145,000[1] 29% of the Chinese British population 2.69% of the geographically Asian British population 0.24% of the UK's population |
| Regions with significant populations |
| London, Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Brighton, Liverpool, Glasgow |
| Languages |
|
English, (Hong Kong English, British English), Hong Kong Cantonese |
| Religion |
| Related ethnic groups |
Hongkonger in the United Kingdom refers to either immigrants or naturalized citizens in the United Kingdom who are usually ethnically East Asian and come from the former British colony of Hong Kong. Today, Britain is home to the largest diaspora of Hongkongers after Canada. As of 2001, 96,000 people born in Hong Kong were residing in the UK, while the Hongkonger diaspora population in the United States totals around 68,000.[2]
A majority of the Hongkongers in the United Kingdom are ethnically Chinese. There are also people from other ethnic groups who have emigrated from Hong Kong to the UK. Most of these are South Asians, whose ancestors have emigrated from modern-day countries such as India and Pakistan to Hong Kong during the colonial era, and also Gurkhas from Nepal who have served for the British army in Hong Kong.
Contents |
[edit] Background
The UK has historically been a popular destination for Hong Kong immigrants due to the extremely close relationship between the mother country and her former colony. The UK's popularity among immigrants was also helped by the fact that the English language enjoys official status in both countries.
[edit] Demographics
In 2001, 96,445 Hong Kong born people were residing in the United Kingdom, and most recent estimates put the Hong Kong British population at around 145,000.[3]
In the 2001 UK Census, 29% of Chinese British people were born in Hong Kong, which is an even larger percentage than the number of ethnic Chinese people born in the UK or Mainland China. Hong Kong British people were most likely to have chosen box 81 in the 2001 census, which includes all ethnically Chinese people, regardless of birth location.[4] Most Hongkongers are of Han-Chinese origin, and in this respect, they can be considered a subgroup of the larger Chinese British community. Despite this, it is important to distinguish the difference between ethnicity and nationality, due to the long and complicated history of the Britain-Hong Kong relationship.
One may also note that Hong Kong's status as a separate entity to mainland China, continuing after 1997 as a Special Administrative Region of China, preserves and fosters a sense of a distinct identity to Chinese whom may have emigrated from the mainland. A comparison can possibly be made to the Taiwanese people. Hong Kong people born in the UK, due to the Chinese Nationality Law, are forbidden to possess dual nationality or to enter the mainland China without a permit. This may continue to serve as a form of distinction within the British Chinese community- along with linguistic and cultural differences.
[edit] Notable individuals
[edit] See also
- British nationality law and Hong Kong
- Chinese British
- East Asian British
- Demographics of Hong Kong
- Transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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