South Asian Ethnic Groups

Who are the South Asian Ethnic Groups?  The population of South Asian nations, for instance, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

Common South Asian ethnic groups in Hong Kong According to the 2006 census, there were 340,000 (approximately 5.1%) South Asian ethnic groups residing in Hong Kong. Most of them came from South or South East Asian countries. The most common South Asian ethnic groups in Hong Kong are Indian, Nepalese, Pakistani and Filipino. For example, there are approximately 100,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong.

The population and common occupations of South Asian ethnic groups in Hong Kong RacesPopulationsCommon Occupations Indian 87,713 merchant/ professional Nepalese 15,654 construction site worker/ security guard/ cleaner/ catering Pakistani 10,670 construction site worker/ security guard/ driver/ industrial worker/ messenger Filipino 112,016 domestic helper/ hotel or bar band/ catering 資料來源：《融樂會》

The South Asian ethnic groups in Hong Kong  Hong Kong is a city of migrants with people moving in from other areas. For example, millions of people from the Mainland China and western countries moved into and resided in Hong Kong during the last few decades. The South Asian ethnic groups also started to move into here at the same time.  There are various reasons why the South Asian ethnic groups reside in Hong Kong. For example, for living, working opportunities or merchandising. Some of them came because of political reasons.  Many South Asian ethnic groups people started to reside in Hong Kong few decades ago. Many families have been in Hong Kong for 3 or 4 generations.

Video Watching

Discussion questions Which races do Charlie in Homecoming and Vivek Mahbubani belong to? Why do Charlie and Vivek Mahbubani stay in Hong Kong? What was the difficulty Charlie encountered? If you were Charlie, would you stay in Hong Kong or go home instead? Has Vivek encountered any problems? Give one example. What do you think of Charlie and Vivek? Do they give you impressions similar to or different from those you have on South Asian ethnic groups? What are the similarities and differences?

Suggested Answer Which races do Charlie in Homecoming and Vivek Mahbubani belong to? Suggested answer: Charlie is a Filipino and Vivek is an Indian. Why do Charlie and Vivek Mahbubani stay in Hong Kong? Suggested answer: Charlie works as a foreign domestic helper in Hong Kong to support her family in the Philippines. Vivek was born and raised in Hong Kong. His family has been in Hong Kong for many generations. What was the difficulty Charlie encountered? If you were Charlie, would you stay in Hong Kong or go home instead? Suggested answer: Charlie could not take good care of her son, who was in the Philippines. His son became a scamp and she did not know what could be done. [Any answers with reasonable explanations] Has Vivek encountered any problems? Give one example. Suggested answer: He has difficulties in learning Chinese. What do you think of Charlie and Vivek? Do they give you impressions similar to or different from those you have on South Asian ethnic groups? What are the similarities and differences? Any answers with reasonable explanations

South Asian ethnic groups in different occupations In Hong Kong, many people have an impression that South Asian ethnic groups only take up inferior working positions such as domestic helpers. The truth is, they are engaged in various occupations. Some of them are even well known public figures. Can you name some of the public figures who belong to any South Asian ethnic groups?

Example 1 Gill Mohinderpaul Singh ( 喬寶寶，原名： 喬保羅 ) Indian Born in Hong Kong He was an officer in Hong Kong Correctional Services Department before becoming an actor

Example 2 Teresa Carpio ( 杜麗莎 ) Filipino and Chinese mixed Her Filipino father was a popular Jazz player in Hong Kong, known as “The King of Drums”( 香港鼓王 ) She was a famous singer in Hong Kong. She now is a popular singing teacher

Example 3 Yonden Lhatoo Nepalese Chief editor and anchor of aTV World News

Conclusion Though South Asian ethnic groups only make up 5.1% of population in Hong Kong, their contributions to the city is as great as any other people in Hong Kong. They are in many ways similar to you and me.