Fiction: Group 2
Prejudice in the Pearl River Delta
Kau Yan School, Chiu, Ian - 11, Fiction: Group 2
pprehensive that she would have no friends at school and be ostracized in Hong Kong, Bing
thought, “I really don’t want to go to this school”.
While she was still in her home town, Zhanjiang, which is a city in the western most part
of the Pearl River Delta, she had watched with abhorrence on television that Mainlanders had been chased
by Hong Kong locals shouting “locusts” after them. “What a derogative name,” she loathed.
After the teacher had introduced Bing to the class, she had heard giggling coming from the back of
the room. Some of her classmates looked curious, some expressionless, and she noticed a few boys at the
back looking at her and grinning wickedly. Bing felt very uncomfortable and she flushed. She sensed that
they didn’t have good intentions, which seemed to confirm her worries about her fate in Hong Kong.
At lunch time, some mischievous looking boys came over. Bing vaguely remembered one of them
was called Henry, one of those who grinned at her. With a straight face, Henry said, “Hey cousin, it is the
School Rule that there are no eating and…NO PISSING in the classroom!” While they burst into laughter,
running away, Bing heard them chanting, “Thick-Toast! Blue-Ribbon! Brain-washed! Thick-Toast!
Blue-Ribbon!” Feeling extremely humiliated, Bing ran into the girl’s room, sobbing uncontrollably.
Briar-Rose, Bing’s classmate, saw everything and thought it was crude and horrid. She recalled
watching on YouTube that a Hong Konger and a Mainlander were arguing over a child eating on board the
MTR. She agreed that eating on the MTR train was not permitted but she didn’t think it was necessary to
start a fight over this. She has heard jokes about some Mainlanders have uncouth behaviour such as jumping
queues at theme parks, taking off theirs shoes on trains and scratching their feet. On newspaper, Briar-Rose
also has read about a Mainland mother helping her toddler relief himself on-board a train. Yuck! There
were rumours that Mainland immigrants will consume all the resources of Hong Kong. However, this girl
has a very gentle look and pleasant manners. Other than having a different accent, she looks just like the
other girls in her class. Briar-Rose has admired Bing’s beautifully braided hair. Briar-Rose was puzzled. “Is
Bing really a locust, coming to invade us, cleaning our stores of milk formula, stealing all our A’s, our
hospital beds etc.? Is she really an enemy?”
Over the next few weeks, Bing has kept to herself. Briar-Rose didn’t talk much to her new
classmate either except “Hello”, “Good morning” and “Bye”. Henry and his gang still bullied Bing every
now and then, calling her names and making fun of her. But Bing never fought back.
In January, the school organized a field trip to Guangzhou. Bing was glad to hear this. On the
train, Bing and Briar-Rose sat next to each other. As Bing looked relaxed and happy, Briar-Rose started
to chat with her. She had learnt that Bing too was coming from a single-parent family like herself.
Suddenly, Briar-Rose felt very close to her. Bing and her mum have come to Hong Kong through the
Scheme for Talents and Professionals. Her Mum is a prominent scholar in Chinese Literature who teaches at
the University of Hong Kong. It was her Mum who braided Bing’s hair each morning. They chatted about
everything from their toys to their school and how they coped with losing a parent.
After the field trip, they often did their homework together with Bing helping Briar-Rose
improving her Mandarin and Briar-Rose introducing Bing to interesting English books. Every now and
then Briar-Rose would have play dates and sleepovers at Bing’s home. They played and watched television
together and even joked about Henry, nicknaming him ‘Horrid Henry’ after the character in a famous
storybook about a pesky naughty boy. At bedtime, Bing’s Mum would read them fascinating Chinese
stories and expanded their horizons in Chinese Literature. In the mornings, Bing’s Mum would usually braid
the girls’ hair the same, making them looking like twins. They all felt jolly about this. By and by, they have
become the best of friends without knowing it.
One afternoon, Henry and his gangs teased Bing about her hair looking like snakes and called her
Medusa, a monster in Greek mythology. Immediately, Briar-Rose defended Bing and told the boys off.
“Stop harassing her and stop calling her names! She is not an insect or a piece of bread. She’s MY
friend. Don’t stereotype people for each is different. Don’t judge people without even knowing them.
A
