Young people from Chinese mainland and Hong Kong get closer through social media

The Golden Bauhinia Sq. in Hong Kong Picture: Courtesy of Chris Au

As an rising variety of younger folks within the Chinese language mainland and Hong Kong have taken to social media apps corresponding to TikTok, mutual understanding and communication between the 2 teams has been elevated.

Chris Au, a 24-year-old Hongkonger from Tuen Mun city within the metropolis’s New Territories, opened an account on Douyin, the China area model of TikTok, in March. Since then, he has posted many movies concerning the each day lives of younger folks in Hong Kong and rapidly gained 54,000 followers.

“I used to be very shocked once I noticed so many individuals observe me since I didn’t have any expectation when opening the account. I’ve acquired lots of encouragement from my followers, which made me really feel that I must take extra accountability to do that job properly,” Au advised the World Instances.

He famous he was more than happy that he has followers and pals in every province of China, with many giving him lots of attention-grabbing suggestions. Probably the most significant responses was from a highschool pupil in Jinan, East China’s Shandong Province.

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“He wrote a letter to me saying the compatriots within the mainland and Hong Kong shouldn’t be hostile to one another however united and work to enhance collectively. He inspired me to proceed making movies and contribute to eliminating battle between the 2 sides,” Au stated, including that the message from a young person gave him a way of achievement.

As a graduate from Guangzhou College in South China’s Guangdong Province, Au stated what he noticed and skilled within the mainland was very completely different from the information reported by some Hong Kong media shops.

“The media, as a transmitter of social info, ought to uphold an goal and neutral angle. Nevertheless, some media exaggeratedly report the mainland’s disadvantages, rising Hongkongers’ disdain for folks within the mainland,” Au stated.

“Younger folks within the mainland are very certified, well mannered and have their very own ideas. They gave me a heat welcome and supplied me lots of assist when finding out on the college,” he stated, including that he’s contemplating working within the mainland as it’s a enormous market with lots of alternatives and potential.

In line with Au, younger folks from Hong Kong and the mainland are all hard-working, motivated and have the identical humorousness. Variations are obvious when coping with duties, his pals from the mainland are extra rigorous and down-to-earth whereas pals in Hong Kong are extra open-minded and proactive.

Au famous that after becoming a member of TikTok, the most well-liked subjects that his followers within the mainland have requested about have been procuring, touring and eating in Hong Kong, and generally political subjects are additionally mentioned.

Au stated that he hopes younger folks from the mainland can change their views about Hong Kong and that his movies can unfold extra optimistic power. He additionally revealed that he hopes to change into a full-time tourism blogger in the future, touring across the mainland so he can share his movies along with his pals in Hong Kong.

Au is not alone in his goals to get rid of prejudice between the 2 sides. A younger medical employee in Hong Kong surnamed Liu has devoted her TikTok channel to speaking about social points in Hong Kong together with difficulties in affording lodging, welfare insurance policies and medical care.

Nevertheless, in contrast to the total assist Au has acquired from his followers, Liu stated she needed to work via a interval during which she was misunderstood earlier than gaining assist on-line. She defined that as a medical employees, she must put on a face masks when making movies at her work place, which led to some netizens within the mainland pondering that she was a protester. Happily, after she defined her causes for sporting a masks, her channel grew to become extra accepted. She presently has 393,000 followers on the China area model of TikTok.

Liu advised the World Instances that she opened the account in September 2019. On the time, the Hong Kong protest motion was instantly within the world highlight. Some Hong Kong protesters who seen her movies started attacking her on-line since her movies had been favorable to the mainland. Some protesters even went as far as revealing her non-public info, together with her work tackle in addition to the names of her relations and colleagues, on the web, which brought about her no small quantity of hassle.

Nevertheless, Liu stated she just isn’t going to surrender on making movies within the hopes that she will in the future construct a bridge between the mainland and Hong Kong. Liu identified that many prejudices begin from a scarcity of communication and that younger folks in each locations want to speak extra.

“I hope to see the day that the obstacles and prejudices [between the mainland and Hong Kong] are eradicated,” she stated.