The Chiu Chow Community in Hong Kong
Chiu Chownese, originated from Chiu Chow in Guangdong, has a population of approximately 1.2 million in Hong Kong. The Chiu Chownese are proud of their community and they usually recognise one another as “ ga gi nang” which refers to “us” to show that they are from Chiu Chow.
With the joint efforts of more than 100 ethnically bounded Chiu Chow clan associations such as Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce and Federation of Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community Organizations in upholding the roots of Chiu Chow, the Chiu Chownese is one of the most well-known ethnic minorities in the city. You may not have noticed that the local tycoon Li Ka Shing, the chairman of Hong Kong Tourism Board Dr. Lam Kin Ngok and the Canto-pop’s favorite artist Sammi Cheng all have their roots in Chiu Chow.
During the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the Chiu Chownese are engaged in worshiping their ancestors as part of the ritual in Hungry Ghost Festival, which is also known as Yu Lan Festival, a well-respected festival of the Chiu Chow community. Since 2011, it has been inscribed as China’s intangible cultural heritage. Chiu Chownese in Hong Kong spend much effort in organizing a range of activities including Chinese opera performances in Chiu Chownese on bamboo stages, an exhibition of traditional customs, bidding for lucky charm and so on. The festival has a long history of more than one hundred years and attracts many locals and foreign visitors.
As a world-renowned gourment paradise, you always get to try a great variety of cuisines in Hong Kong, with the Chiu Chownese food being one of the most popular options. As shown in one of well-liked online dining guide, Openrice.com, there are currently over 350 Chiu Chownese restaurants in Hong Kong. Well-known and mouth-watering dishes includes braised goose, baby oyster congee and oyster omelette.
Situation and Challenges
It has come to our attention that, there has been a gradual yet consistent decline in the proportion of population who use Chiu Chownese as their usual language from 0.8% in 2006 to 0.5% in 2016; to use Chiu Chownese as another language from 3.2% in 2006 to 2.9% in 2016 respectively with reference to the data from Census and Statitics Department.
From our observation and experiences, those who use the dialect on a regular basis are in their 50s, 60s and beyond. It is very rare, if not impossible, for youngsters to learn the dialect as many of them find it worthless to do so. It can be anticipated that, without the support and awareness of the younger generation, Chiu Chownese could by no means be preserved as living languages in the foreseeable future.
