The Cantonese are often unjustly grouped into the wider Chinese historical tapestry. While genetic analysis would certainly show that most inhabitants in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong are descended from Han Chinese, I would argue that as a collective, our culture, language and environment diverged so much from the northern parts of Chinese land that we have developed into a completely different culture, cut off by the Nanling mountain ranges.
The great historical events in the north have never had a significant impact on the day-to-day lives of people in Guangdong. Therefore no history of Cantonese people can be accurate if it is viewed as merely a subdivision of Chinese history. I can certainly agree that our histories are closely connected, yet like two different ropes tied in a knot, we remain fundamentally different from one another. Furthermore, where do we draw the line between ‘separate ethnicities’? After all, modern science has shown that all humans have the same ancestral origins. If a Cantonese-speaking individual should be considered Chinese, shouldn’t it be the case then that a Portuguese should be considered Spanish. Or — and I understand the political implications of such a statement — should a Ukrainian be considered to be Russian by genetic makeup? Their differences extend much beyond the linguistic and cultural, but the undeniable truth is this: the ancestor of a modern Portuguese person would just as likely have been from some parts of modern-day Spain, and the same holds true for Ukrainians and Russians.
Of course, the difference is that we do not have our own independent country, but neither do the Sorbs, the Occitans, or the Zhuang in Guangxi. What makes them different from us? Is genetics the eternal barrier which should forever hinder us from taking pride in our unique, individual culture so distinct from the northern Chinese cultures? Is that a view that is correct — whether from a political or historical perspective? For Hong Kong, and by extension all the Cantonese-speaking people, to develop and prosper, we must be fully understanding of ourselves neither as a subdivision of the Han nor former colonial subjects, but as a people with our own customs, ideas, literature and language.
In the past,the Cantonese were subject to learning English as a ‘language for our future’; now we learn Mandarin as the ‘language of the future’. Who dictates this future? Why should our fate always be determined by others? Why, even in such a modern and advanced world, do we see people who would rather speak English or Mandarin over Cantonese, even viewing those who insist on speaking Cantonese as ‘backwards’? Is that not a legitimate cause for concern for our people as a whole? If the Cantonese has never had an awakening before, now is as good a moment as any to finally assume our responsibility to establish our own existence and cultural identity.
P.S. This article is not motivated by political ideology, nor written to invoke any political sentiments.
