Mainlanders as 'Others' in the life and law of Hong Kong

This article assesses the significance of the colonial period in the development of the Hong Kong Chinese identity and the way it is expressed through discriminatory legal settings against Mainland Chinese. The central argument is that British-led social welfare initiatives in the mid-1950s and the border-crossing restrictions in the early 19605 had the inevitable effect of assimilating extant refugee populations and creating the Hong Kong identity on a foundation of Mainlander 'otherness'. In light of the economic convergence of the Mainland and Hong Kong, the article contends that current controversies - such as Mainland women seeking to have their babies in Hong Kong - are transitional as economic convergence with the Mainland will render Hong Kong identity a cultural rather than political or legal subject.