I went to Hong Kong for the summer of my senior year at high school, and met Pinky Lui, whom I’ve kept in touch with ever since. I thought it’d be pretty fun to talk about what makes up the Hong Kong identity. So here’s a list of 25 things that remind her that she is truly a Hong Konger. Note that the items on this list are her opinions and do not necessarily apply to everyone.

1. You hate when people walk slow (WE ARE AGGRESSIVE WALKERS)
2. Foreigners confuse our appearance with the Japanese or Korean, and that pisses me off
3. You’re impressed by people who own drying machines for clothes
4. You expect that when walking, you’ll collide into others but they won’t budge
5. Drivers on the road never use turn signals. We’re not obligated to learn it (I learned everything from Modern Family. Don’t judge me!)
6. You’re forced to do everything you need within 20 minutes of wi-fi availability, but you can still get a fine signal underground
7. You like Japanese food (one Japanese restaurant on every street)
8. People are walking around with their fans because it’s damn hot
9. You’ve heard of the Li’s Field, a conspiracy theory involving the stock market and typhoons
10. You feel offended by big crowds of Chinese tourists. They buy all the formula for babies and face masks, etc. etc. Everything in bulk, like hoggers...
11. The “brand” product that tourist bought at Ladies Market? Yeah, it’s fake
12. You’re attached to England for whatever reason (more applicable for people born before 1997). You probably speak English in a British accent. And so do your friends.
13. You only have one broadcasting company on your TV (it sucks)
14. You or someone you know is a hoarder (doesn’t help that the living space isn’t that big). You don’t buy according to your living space, like the buffet. You take everything
15. You like IKEA. Smart solutions for all your problems
16. You live in a skyscraper apartment or there is one within five blocks.
17. Once you’ve travelled abroad, you’re very grateful for your country’s public transportation
18. You’re on your phone 24/7 and you have a phobia that the battery is going to die . It’s so bad that shopping malls provide phone charging services. I saw them in London too so maybe London and Hong Kong share the same phobia
19. You’re used to shops being open late if not 24/7
20. Every food is delivered. You can order from any restaurant for a year and never leave your home
21. You’re spoiled by earlier movie releases, compared to other countries (many secret screenings)
22. Foreign movies always have higher sales. Hong Kong movies can be really shitty. I don’t know why. It just baffles me
23. We have the nature of a grumpy cat. Everyone looks displeased (more of a morning thing than a HK thing)
24. We don’t particularly like Jackie Chan (why do foreigners love him?)
25. They like having panic attacks (ex. disease)