Editor-in-Chief
Jessica Keady
Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Leo Tse
Head Ed
June Wang
Amy Xiong
Head of
Bettina Lam
Editors
Shannon So
Michelle Ko
Isabella Wo
Nicky Lai
Valerie Chan
Anson Wang
Carmilla Wa
Nicole Lau
The British Empire: A Cultural Expose
Why and How Were Cats Culturally Significant in Ancient Egypt
The Role of Food in Acculturation and Assimilation of Community TheSilentBattle
Have you ever gushed about food from another country thousands of kilometres away? Or craved the numbing sensation of Sichuan cuisine, the complex flavours from Indian spices or the invigorating sugar rush from Belgian waffles, despite coming from none of these places? Well, likelier than not, your exposure to the endless variety of cuisines and flavour profiles is a result of these different races acculturating into your city and seeking to connect back home through the language of food. With food being an inseparable part of our lives which is often overlooked, this article seeks to discuss how different cultures habituate into a new country through food and examine the power of food when bringing communities together.
When an individual moves to a new country or city - mostly to pursue a better quality of lifethere is primarily a lot on their plate to consider. From stressing about getting used to the city’s living habits to dealing with potential language barriers, eating may be the only time they catch a break. Yet, having arrived with their own established eating habits and fortified taste buds, they might be met with disappointment regarding the local diet. For a handful of people, they are lucky enough to adapt quickly into local cuisines as it matches their preferences regarding the five basic tastes - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. But for most people, they must make a conscious effort to adjust to the local ingredients, flavours and eating habits in order to feel at home in this new place. As one may find it difficult to manage the dining experience, listed prices and fundamentally the local flavours, they much prefer in taking matters into their own hands: cooking by themselves, for themselves. One study that interviewed Pakistani women who migrated to Oslo, Norway found distinct dietary changes to adapt to life in Norway. For example, they experienced a change in daily routine. In Pakistan, people typically surround their meals around laborious work, whereas there is a loss of such structure. Moreover, staple foods for the Pakistani women changed from Paratha, unleavened flatbreads made from ghee to white bread due to unavailability of ghee compared to butter1. This is known as the push-and-pull” effect2. On one hand, local norms push expatriates to resort to substituting ingredients according to regional availability or replace certain ingredients when recreating a dish back home. The pull, on the other hand, is the endless determination to make tweaks in recipes and find alternatives to ingredients until “the taste of home” has been achieved. Often, people never achieve this but get endlessly closer
The most outstanding of the bunch, realizes the potential in the market and feels inspired to share their home cuisine with the locals, subsequently establishes eateries and shopfronts. When this process occurs on a massive scale, it can expand a city’s exposure and knowledge to different cultures. Each restaurant serving up foods from their hometown comes with their own story to share and a slightly different take on a local dish, which when locals come and visit their restaurant, gain a little more insight into what a cuisine, a culture, and a country looks like For example, although many may never get the opportunity to fly to Paris in their lifetime, they canstill get the opportunity to try a flaky, buttery croissant or a fancy Parisian-style dinner due to the acculturation of French locals in their city.
Not only do many begin to learn about a new culture through the exploration of its cuisines, many relationships and communities form because of exchanging food For foreigners entering a new country, they build connections in two major ways: they either strengthen their home cultural identity through shared food preferences with the same race, or exchange their love for food with other cultural backgrounds3. What goes on during a dining experience goes far beyond just the food itself; a simple dish may spark and fire off endless topics that strips away any cultural differences or dietary disparities that you might have had at the start of the dinner.
By the same token, sharing food with those you love not only enhances their day having received a warm, delicious home-cooked dish, but also boosts your day by seeing how much they have enjoyed your cooking. In a separate study interviewing Chinese international students in the UK/US, one student, Ting, expressed the power of food in creating potential interpersonal conversations and connections:
I took my group members [in the Buddy Scheme] to try Chinese food, the hotpot, all of them found it “amazing” and we had a really good time… It’s like being finally recognized and accepted by others4.
So, what’s the purpose of placing greater emphasis on food and its effects in our community? An endless pursuit to try new cuisines and explore hidden dining gems around the city cements a city’s cultural competency and fosters an environment where different races understand a wider range of perspectives due to a mature understanding of each other’s cultures. On a broader scale, tight-knit communities form even in a large metropolitan city when everyone can connect through food and potentially lead to less racially- and culturally driven conflicts Perhaps the legendary American TV star and celebri h f h d i i best: “Meals make the society, hold the fabric together in lots interesting and intoxicating to me. The perfect meal, or xt that frequently has very little to do with the food itself.”5
In a world where societal expectations and traditional gender norms sway our behaviours, a pervasive issue silently plagues billions of men around the world. Behind the façade of Samson and Goliath and every stereotypical image of men being pillars of strength and dominant lion heads, lies a silent yet deadly battle with toxic masculinity.
The failure to acknowledge that men are also victims of the oppressive clutches of the patriarchy is shocking. Deeply ingrained traditional norms mercilessly restrict the emotional expression and overall well-being of men. In her profound wisdom, award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie eloquently captures the dire consequences of toxic masculinity: ‘By far the worst thing we do to males by making them feel they have to be hard is that we leave them with very fragile egos.’ Adichie’s powerful words highlight the devastating ramifications of society’s relentless demands for men to exhibit unwavering strength and exercise emotional control. This stereotypical lens through which many see men can foster a culture where seeking assistance is considered as a sign of weakness.
The pressure to conform to suffocating gender roles undoubtedly takes a heavy toll on the well-being of men.
What we tell young boys has a detrimental knock-on effect into adulthood that culminates in selfdestruction. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, can be taken as a case in point for how the tyranny of masculinity led to his severe emotional repression in his formative years Marred by tragedy at the tender age of 12, Prince Harry reveals in Spare that after he had tragically lost his mother, Princess Diana, in a very public scandal, he felt as though he could not express his devastation amongst his family and friends. More recently, in his controversial Netflix series, the prince explained that being denied the opportunity to express himself because it would appear unmanly led to unhealthy coping mechanisms. (Gordon). He confessed to dealing with the overwhelming grief and trauma by ‘sticking [his] head in the sand’, ‘refusing to ever think about [his] mum’, and numbing himself with alcohol and cocaine-fuelled parties throughout his teenage years - scandals that were splashed across the tabloids well into his adulthood
theTalibaninAfghanistantonearlybeing deployedtoIraq.Itisirrefutablethat thereisadirectlinkbetweenbeing emotionallystuntedbyacultureoftoxic masculinityandrebellious,impulsiveand overtlyhostilebehaviourlaterinlife
...according to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, me more likely to [with suicide]
EnterDwayneJohnson.FormerWWE wrestler,AKA‘TheRock’,turnedsilver screensensationofblockbustermovies suchasMoana,FastandFurious,and BlackAdam,Dwayneembodies hypermasculinity.Followinginthe footstepsofhisprofessionalwrestler father,Dwaynegrewupbelievingitwas expectedofmentohaveabrawny physique,behaveaggressively,andmake ithislifeambitiontobecomeaWWE champion Yet,inacandidinterviewon ThePivotpodcast,thisposterchildfor toxicmasculinityhasrecentlyopenedup abouttheconsequencesofmeeting society’sexpectationsoftraditional manhood.Johnsondivulgedthathisfirst encounterwithdepressionstruckwhen hewasstudyingattheUniversityof Miamiintheearly1990s,anexperience thatcompletelyblindsidedhim.Being raisedtosuppressallemotion,mental healthwasaforeignconcepttohim, renderinghimpowerlessinthefaceofthe strugglesthatplaguedhimfordecades afterthat.
Itwasonlyin2019,aftermeetinghis wife,singerandproducer, Lauren Hashia, thatheacquiredthecourageand emotionalstrengthtoacknowledgeand expresshistruefeelings.Itwasonlythen thatherealisedthefullimpactofbeing indoctrinatedtoconcealandreject emotionalvulnerabilityfromayoungage. Johnsonnowadvocatesformentospeak upandactivelyseekhelpwhentheir mentalwell-beingisinjeopardy.
Introduction
Scholarship on Britain and its Empire has been focused on the addition and subtraction of British hard power. Consequently, this essay will lay its focus on, not the battles that have been won or the number of enemy soldiers slain but on an aspect of Empire that has stood the test of time: Culture The question that concerns this essay is how a small white minority of British soldiers, administrators and government officials managed to control an Empire spanning a quarter of the global population for nearly a century. Broadly, the answer is the spread of British culture or ‘Cultural Imperialism’ and as such the spread of British culture and societal norms throughout the world (Stoddart, 1988). An important point to bear in mind, however, is that there evidently were moments where violence and ruthless power politics were the answer to how Britain held control of its overseas colonies and events such as the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 or the Mau Mau rebellion of the 1950s prove this to be true (Maunier, 1949) Thus, it is not the contention of this essay to argue that control was established without violence or hard power far from it, but it is to contend that only with the introduction of culture could the British have held their colonies for as long as they did. Hence, this essay will use examples of culture to broadly argue that not only was culture an effective means of cementing control, but it enabled on a fundamental level an almost century-long Empire to persist.
Sport
Men playing cricket. Engraving, 17--.(1700-1799).
This reputation for breaking the normal, rigid divisions of the colonial social order allowed sport to act as a bridge between the traditional colonial elite with the wider colonial population which produced a community that was bonded together with strong societal bonds of similar interests Indeed, from this basis, sport may be envisaged as a powerful but largely informal social institution that created strong shared beliefs and attitudes between rulers and ruled while at the same time enhancing the social distance between them through the emergence of sport as a key to the public school system (Stoddart, 1988). This was rendered particularly potent in the British imperial setting where sport became a strong signifier of societal class (Bailey, 1978) or in countries where a strong caste system persists as with India as it gave people hope that they could rise through the social strata through something like Sport. In this vein, the rising popularity and prestige of sport is mirrored in how even the phrase ‘To play cricket’ or ‘play the game’ meant being honest and upright and accepting conformity within the conventions as much as it meant actually taking part in a simple game. This became famous when James Pycroft used "not cricket" for what is believed to be the first time - in a passage describing how the great batsman Fuller Pilch timidly backed away from the fearsome fast bowling of Harvey Fellows du i G tl Pl i 1849 (ESPNcricinfo, n.d.). This niche example reflects the wi aying the game of cricket a certain way was
Wellcome Collection. The success of sport as a tool through which Empire consolidated its territory rested firstly on the ability of the Imperial ecosystem to transfer its main social tenets into accepted forms of behaviour to the bulk of the native civilian population (Stoddart, 1988). Wherein, sport allowed dominant British beliefs of social behaviour, standards, relations and conformity to be instilled into citizens of the colonies all of which have persisted long beyond the end of the formal Empire (Mandle, 1973) This is particularly true of the second half of the nineteenth century which became a revolution in sport (Sandiford K. A., 1981 ), where sports such as Football (first Football Association Cup final 1853), Tennis (Modern tennis patented 1870s), and Horse racing (institutionalised through 1809 formation of the Jockey Club) all of which became formally codified during this period (Stoddart, 1988) and are all sports that continue to thrive today. Furthermore, the significant influence of sport was consolidated through organisation and ceremony where competition against both the Imperial power (Britain) and other colonial states laid the groundwork for not only a strong centralisation of authority in England, and especially London but also an international framework that persists today in the form of the Commonwealth of Nations This is supported by events such as the Ashes, a test series of cricket which dates all the way back to 1882 and persists every year between England and Australia. Thus, Sports played a key role in binding the colonies to Britain through enforcing British norms of behaviour and gaining a reputation for being an egalitarian and apolitical agency that transcended the normal sectional divisions of the colonial social order (James, 1963).
Fundamental to the establishment of British control in its colonies was the introduction of the public school system, and as similar institutions sprung up across Empire, they ensured the anglicisation of the new generation of the ‘colonised elite’ as well as the continuation of an existing overseas British presence. Furthermore, public schools were famed for exclusively drawing both their curricula and staff from Home in England further centralising the seat of British Imperial power to be that of England, London. Nowhere else is this more evident than Prince Ranjitsinhji, who became one of the greatest cricketers in England before World War I and consequently the popular model for what was "possible" more widely in India, was educated at Rajkumar College, set up in Rajkot State to educate sons of the Indian princes (Stoddart, 1988; Mangan, 1978; Nandy, 1986). Prince Ranjitsinhji was therefore living proof of the Cultural Imperialism established by the British within their Empire, which helped them to integrate their colonies better into the imperial fold. In this vein, this pattern of events was true across Empire with elite English public schools popping up from Sydney and Melbourne Grammar in Australia to Auckland Grammar and Christ's College in Christchurch or Queen's Royal College in Trinidad or even Harrison's College in Barbados (Stoddart 1988 Harrison 1983 Sandiford & Stoddart 1987)
not y y y the 19th century, Western food was seen as culturally superior to traditional Eastern food by the rich (Koy n.d.); some saw the simplicity and its association with the fisherman class as being representative of poverty, calling it a “poor man’s food” (Ellen L 2012). This perception was an outcome of the social dynamic of the time, where the rich would look down on things they viewed as relating to the poor Although the doorways to the upscale restaurants remained closed for a while, the salted fish’s charm and taste allowed it to flourish around Hong Kong Fresh markets like the ones at Des Voeux Road West (Chau 2021) are famous for their myriads of dried seafood, and their packed streets became the perfect home for the dish. Before long, every fresh market in Hong Kong had that distinctive salty smell and salted fish hanging for sale.
However, salted fish is not something that has just been used for food It has surprisingly been mentioned back in the Qin Dynasty. You might also know Emperor Qin Shi Huang for his 8,000 terracotta warriors that protect his tomb. But did you know that a record from the grand historian of the time claims that when he died, having drunk what he believed to be an immortality potion, his throne was to be passed to his son, who was exiled at the northern border. Allegedly, a greedy eunuch called Zhao Gao wanted the emperor’s throne instead, but he would have to make it back to the capital to do so. The emperor’s body could not be shown to the public, otherwise he would have to give up power. So, he devised a genius plan. Zhao Gao disguised the emperor’s death from the public by carrying a cart of salted fish (Lubrow 2009). Its powerful, salty smell allowed him to transport the decaying emperor back to the capital, where he took over control of the Qin Dynasty. This ultimately led to civil war and the collapse of the dynasty. This means that salted fish played a role in the downfall of one of China's wealthiest dynasties and contributed to one of the most powerful and sophisticated empires on Earth
Today, salted fish is commonly used to enhance bland, simple dishes with its deep, umami flavour Some of the most popular ways to incorporate salted fish into foods are steamed meat patties, which are served as homemade snacks as well as options in large chain restaurants; chicken and salted fish rice, which are popular on the menus of cha chaan tengs (Ellen L 2012); and salted fish head soup, which is good for the brain (Colombos Salted Fish, 7 Oct. 2024). Its integration into many aspects of Cantonese food life, from the rowdy fresh market to the affluent restaurants, shows the cultural impact it has had. Its beautiful harmony of flavour; the magical balance of saltiness, umami, sweetness, acidity, and aromatic elements reveals that despite its deceiving appearance, salted fish is anything but plain.
If somebody wanted to eat salted fish today, Tai O is where they would have to go. The village is famous for its seafood, the waters are teeming with fish, and the villagers have been fishing for decades (The Standard 2022) While visitors look around at the picturesque mountain scenery, the intriguing stilt houses, and the jade-green sea, they see a puzzling sight: many houses have fish out in the open This curious practice is deeply rooted in their food culture and is called fermentation While it may just look like some odd way of drying the fish, it is a perfect harmony of many natural processes: the enzymes and microorganisms break down the complex fats that give the fish its sour taste (Chen et al 2023) while the wind dries out the remaining moisture from the body, helping to prevent bacteria and mold. The salt allows the water to diffuse out of the fish through osmosis. All of these steps combine to give the fish its aromatic, sour smell and crispy, firm texture that it is known for.
Today, salted fish has lost a lot of its earlier glory. Refrigerators are common, ice is cheap, most fish are imported from other countries, and traditional markets have declined. The need for salted fish has diminished, and naturally, its popularity as a food has as well (Lo 2019). Sadly, the production of salted fish in Hong Kong has slowed, with only 3 shops producing their product by hand (Lo 2019) However, the cultural impact of salted fish has not completely disappeared from the traditions and plates of Hong Kong It is served in celebrations like Chinese New Year, where it is included in fried rice and meat patties or during birthday banquets to symbolise longevity and good fortune Even upscale restaurants like Yung Kee restaurant have begun experimenting with the dish. The strong flavour and aromatic smell make it the perfect addition to traditional refined foods. A food created out of the basic need to preserve fishermen's catches is now served on the plates of the wealthy.
But the best example of salted fish history being adapted to the modern day is the “Revive: Salted Fish” project. Revive is a modernised version of the historic salted fish. As the project understands that the iconic dish is slowly disappearing from our culture, they aim to reintroduce it to the marketplace. It is a project that both celebrates the role of salted fish in Cantonese cuisine history and adapts the dish into items for contemporary tastes. Salted fish mead, salted fish fragrance diffuser, and shredded salted fish are just a few of the amazing and creative adaptations the project has produced They use the traditional flavours and smells of salted fish to create creative and inspiring items that are not only delicious but also cater to the new generation They recognise that the younger generation often prefers nicely designed packaging instead of the practical way salted fish has been wrapped for years, and that new generations might be less familiar with the traditional ingredients. Their imaginative products are a wonderful addition to the rich history of salted fish and Cantonese cuisine.
In conclusion, salted fish is one of the greatest contributions to Cantonese food culture in our city’s history. Its relevance and prevalence to modern culture is a testament to its significance in tradition. From its humble grass-rooted beginnings to its fade into obscurity to its modern revival today, salted fish is truly an important part of our history that has left its mark on our culture.
In modern day, domestic cats are a common household pet beloved by many. However, when cats were first domesticated in ancient Egypt, they were more than just beloved pets but were seen as divine animals. So why were cats so revered in ancient Egypt, and how did they achieve such status?
Ancient humans have settled along the Nile and the fertile crescent since 6000 BC, but Egypt wasn’t officially founded until 3150 BC when a king later called Pharoah united the two kingdoms along the Nile, which modern historians call Upper and Lower Egypt. It wasn’t until between 2310 and 1950 BC that cats were first selfdomesticated in Egypt (3). They did this by going into Egyptian homes when it was cold outside, the Egyptians then kept them as mutually beneficial partners because they preyed upon venomous snakes and protected crops from birds and rodents (3). Like many ancient civilizations, the upper class strongly influenced common people The pharaohs, the Egyptian kings, kept giant cats dressed in gold and jewels This was seen as a symbol of high status and increased the popularity of cats (10). Cats were also later associated with divinity and were seen as the physical embodiment of the ancient Egyptian deity Bastet, the cat-headed goddess of fertility, dance, music, and pleasure
Cats and felines attributes are presented in mythology as physical characteristics or traits of gods or parallels to that of the gods One of the most important gods in Egyptian mythology, Ra the sun god and the creator of all humans and gods was associated with cats as they both enjoyed napping( 11). In addition, the sisters Bastet and Sekhmet assumed the likeness of felines Bastet resembled a domesticated cat and was gentle and protective as cats were protective of their offspring; on the other hand, her counterpart Sekhmet resembled a lioness and was aggressive and destructive (9) The god Mafdet who resembled a feline or mongoose was said to protect people against venomous scorpions and snakes, playing a similar role to Eegyptian cats (9). These parallels drawn by ancient Egyptians between their cats and their gods reveal the magnitude of the role cats play in the belief system of Egyptian culture
Because cats are nocturnal, they were also seen as a symbol of the transition between the living world and the afterlife as they could navigate in the dark (10). In addition, cats were sometimes mummified and placed in the same tomb of their owner when the owner died with the belief that they would provide companionship and guidance in the underworld. Furthermore, Bastet was sometimes cited as the wife or mother of Anubis, the god of mummification, guide to the afterlife, and second in command of the underworld after Osiris, further strengthening the belief that cats were guides of the underworld (12). To clarify, the underworld is not the same place as the afterlife; the underworld is the area of contest between deceased mortals and gods where a person’s heart would be weighed against a feather on a balance to decide whether they could enter the afterlife (7).
Because cats were so closely linked to gods and divinity, they were often the center of rituals and worshipping practices.
During the Ptolemaic period from 332–30 BC, cats were mummified and sacrificed to Isis This was because Isis, the goddess of healing and magic became associated with Bastet and cats, leading people to believe that offering mummified cats would mean blessings and protection from Isis and Bastet (8). Votive offerings of cats would be done at the end of each month, when a priest brings the mummified cats to the catacombs beneath the temple; the sacrificial offerings often come in variating appearances, including cats being encased in bronze, wood, or just being wrapped in linen (8). In fact, mummifying cats became so popular that an industry formed around breeding, killing, and mummifying cats, usually at temples (8). However, not all cats were mummified for sacrificial purposes, cats would sometimes be mummified when they died as a symbol of mourning; in addition, cat owners would shave their eyebrows and mourn until they grew back (2)
Cats are prominently featured in many artifacts of ancient Egypt, showing their significance in the culture of ancient Egyptians and as a part of people’s daily lives.
Cats were often worn as amulets, which are necklaces or bracelets believed to possess divine qualities. Cat amulets were believed to bring protection from Bastet, and kitten amulets were popular among women as it was believed to bring fertility (6)
Cats were also depicted in many ancient Egyptian tombs, which were sacred places believed to grant safe passage to the afterlife. For example, one of the most famous Egyptian tombs, the tomb of Nebamun, depicted a gold-eyed cat with three birds caught within its mouth and its claws, representing the sun god Ra hunting the enemies of the light (10). In the tomb of Nakht, a depiction of a cat enjoying a fish under a sitting woman is present (4). This depiction of a cat in an intimate setting provides insight into the cat’s significant role in daily life as a companion and source of comfort. The detail in the depiction of the cat and the fact that a cat was referenced in such a significant piece also suggests that they were an important part of society at the time.
Cats were also the subject of many sculptures, including the Gayer-Anderson cat. The Gayer-Anderson cat is a bronze sculpture with gold ornaments and a scarab engraved on its head and a winged scarab on its chest and although it has the appearance of a normal cat, it is meant to represent a form of Bastet As some cats had natural stripes and patterns on their foreheads, the ancient Egyptians believed that the already divine cats bore the symbol of a scarab on their foreheads (5). Scarabs were symbols of renewal and rebirth, which is due to the belief that the sun was moved through the sky in the day by the scarab-faced god Khepri Like many other cat sculptures, the Gayer-Anderson cat strikes a graceful upright sitting position which represents the cat’s divine status; the position also symbolizes Bastet’s alertness and readiness to defend against evil spirits which was one of the many blessings people believed would come from statues and sculptures of cats
However, some may ask: if cats were seen as significant symbols of gods in the past, why and when did people stop seeing cats as divine creatures?
Around 30BC, Octavian later called Augustus who was the great- nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar, conquered Egypt after the Battle of Actium (9). After Egypt became a province of Rome, a series of decrees were issued by Roman emperors from the 4th to the 5th century AD which slowly abolished paganism, which was any religion other than Christianity (9). These decrees included the requisition of all pagan temples which included those of Kemetism, the belief system of ancient Egypt, the prohibition of sacrifices, then later the banning of all pagan rituals and burial ceremonies, and the introduction of the death penalty for all offenders (9). By 415AD, all property that was formerly used for paganism was handed over to the Christian Church, and less than a decade later, all people who believed in paganism were banished(9) This series of brutal attacks on non-Christian beliefs made life extremely difficult for people believing in Kemetism (a neopagan religion of the revival of the ancient Egyptian religion), and essentially forced people to convert to Christianity for a normal life However, Roman laws weren’t the entire reason for the downfall of Kemetism. Before the Roman laws were set in place to abolish paganism, Christianity had already been spreading and replacing other religions in the Roman province This was mainly due to the work of the missionary Saint Mark during the 1st century AD.
In conclusion, cats were revered because of their association with gods of Kemetism, and the adoration of cats in ancient Egypt was directly linked to the popularity and beliefs of Kemetism. The reverence of cats spanned from 1950BC to 30AD for almost 2 Millenium, throughout that period of time there were many beliefs associated with cats, including its likeness with gods such as Bastet and Ra and their divine qualities; with these beliefs also came worshipping practices, the most questionable of which was the mummification of cats as votive sacrifices. Cats were also referenced in many mediums of expression such as in paintings intombs and sculptures, shedding insight into the role of cats and their importance in the daily lives of early Egyptians.
Joanna Fung, Gellhorn, Y12
In the US alone, 103,223 patients are on the waiting list for organ transplants (Health Resources & Services Administration, 2024), but the shortage of organ donations has always been a problem as organ failure and the need for transplantation remain high in all countries Without the matched organs, these patients can do nothing but struggle with sickness with their lives heavily dependent on medical equipment and medicines. Transplantation undoubtedly saves lives or improves the quality of life for patients with organ failure. For instance, it is scientifically proven that renal transplantation has a substantial long-term survival advantage compared to dialysis.
Worldwide, there are different legislative models for the consenting donor rule: opt-in and opt-out, but it can be argued that they are currently ineffective methods for increasing organ donors. The opt-in system is when a person voluntarily registers to consent to donating their organs upon death A ‘hard’ opt-in is only evident in a few countries, where any recorded consent by the deceased will be followed even if the family strongly opposes it (Hong Kong Legislative Council, 2016). In the US, court action is sometimes taken by hospitals and donation organisations to enforce an opt-in of the deceased In contrast, the opt-out system is when all people 18 or above are automatically registered but have the right to not consent to donating in the end (Gardiner, 2021). Family members also have the right to not consent to this
Before discussing the arguments for and against whether governments should mandate individuals to donate their organs upon death, the definition of “death” must be established. This is because one of the two fundamental ethical and legal rules for deceased organ donation is the dead donor rule which states that the death of the donor must be determined by at least two senior independent doctors who are not related to any organ donation matters to confirm the brain death of a patient. There have been lots of debates on which point is a person considered “dead” Traditionally, “death” is defined as “when the circulatory and respiratory systems are no longer functioning, and when the body has been without circulation for long enough that autoresuscitation is impossible” (Murphy et al, 2024)
s when there is no longer electrical activity in the brain (“whole ). Some even define it as when a person has a permanent loss of “higher brain dead”). However, this means that even those in a etative state which means that the brain stem is still regulating, circulatory and respiratory systems are still functioning, is still ad (NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 2020). However, for this th” will be defined as stated in the NHS: “an individual who has ed either (1) irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory or (2) irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem, is dead.”(Tomasini, 2017).
In Hong Kong, every day, there are over 2000 patients who needs organ transplants. (Hong Kong Legislative Council, 2016) Despite having the medical equipment for transplantation, the availability of donor organs remains the biggest challenge. According to the International Registry in Organ Donation and Transplantation’s statistics on the Worldwide Actual Deceased Organ Donors 2023 per million people (pmp) (Figure 1), only 3 2 in every million people in Hong Kong donated This figure is among the lowest in the world, significantly below places like Spain (49.38 donors pmp) and the USA (48.04 donors pmp) (International Registrey on Organ Donation and Transplantation, 2023)
Hong Kong currently adopts the opt-in system and the Centralised Organ Donation Register (CODR), set up by the Department of Health (DH), this is a system that allows people to voluntarily register their wish to donate organs after death The CODR will provide medical personnel to be reponsible responsible for the organ donation, but ultimately, the final decision to donate after death rests with the family members of the deceased donor and the donation will not proceed if they object (Hong Kong Legislative Council, 2014).
Ethical Iissues, Religious and Cultural Factors
Surrounding Organ Donation
The lack of registrations in the organ donation registry can be because of social values, ignorance and death taboo Death taboo means that people simply do not want to bring the topic of “death” up to their family so there is an uncertainty of whether the deceased would consent to donating (Cotrau, 2019) There are many different perspectives on how different cultures and communities react to organ donation.
Pope John Paul II had repeatedly advocated organ donation and organ transplant as a “service of life”.
Buddhist traditions have a high value placed on compassion leading to wide support of organ donation
Orthodox Rabbi Moses Tendler, chair of the Bioethics Commission of the Rabbinical Council of America, said that “if one is in the position to donate an organ to save another’s life, it’s obligatory to do so ” In the Jewish tradition, saving a human life is considered one of the noblest acts a human can perform.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops affirms that organ donation is morally permissible, encouraging it as an act of charity.
Most Muslim scholars promote the value of preserving human life and thus allow organ transplantation as a necessary means to attain a noble end whilst some Muslims believe that the body should be returned to Allah without change
Figure 1
Figure 2 (Hong Kong Organ Transplant Foundation, 2023)
Specifically in Hong Kong, Chinese culture is heavily influenced by Confucian ethics and the Taoist tradition which regards filial piety highly (NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 2020), which poses a great barrier to organ donation. In this culture, your body is sacred and does not belong to you but rather it is a gift that is inherited from one’s parents and ancestors Therefore, one must repsect respect their family members very much and follow their wishes, whether it is to consent to donate or not.
Figure 3: Patient-to-donation ratio and Average waiting time for patients on kidney transplant waiting list, 2022 (Hong Kong Legislative Council, 2023)
Education:
Alternatives to Mandating Organ Donation in Hong Kong An Opt-out System: Of random sample of 802 adults aged between 18 and 64, when the wish of the deceased is unknown, 72 6% of the respondents said that under an optout system, they would consent to donating the kidneys of a deceased family member (Chan, 2013). This is significantly higher than under the current system.
Australia has targeted its public education programme at young people who tend to think that organ donation is irrelevant to them The Australian government funded HK$2 7 million to 22 organisations in 2014 (Hong Kong Legislative Council, 2016). This would be a great policy initiative as better knowledge of the system correlates with an increasing willingness to donate
Incentives:
In Spain, there are government incentives for hospital coordinators which led to Spain’s success of increasing the number of donations under the opt-out system. Therefore, introducing incentive measures and improving existing supportive organisations are essential to success (Hong Kong Legislative Council, 2016). Another example is in mainland China who have recently decided to incorporate legal conditions that will prioritise a donor’s family members on any organ transplant waiting list (Fan, 2017). Such incentives are ethically fitting for Chinese family-based culture and could be adopted to promote organ donation in Hong Kong.
In some states of the United States, drivers who wish to renew their licence must check a box stating their preferences for organ donation The renewal application will not be valid if they fail to comply (NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 2020).
Changing the existing opt-in system in Hong Kong to an opt-out system would increase the number of organ donations However, the legislation of opt-out consent alone is not sufficient to boost organ donation. As exemplified in Spain and mainland China, having incentives for organisations and families would ensure more attention on this issue. Considering religious beliefs and Chinese family-based culture, prioritising the deceased family members on the organ transplant waiting list would be a great incentive for people to consent to organ donations. A mandated choice would also be feasible as people will need to actively make a decision before their death to prevent ambiguity when the final decision lies on the family members.
In an increasingly globalised world, cultural identity has become a vital lens through which we can understand our place within communities. Cultural identity is unique for everyone everyone views their culture in their own way! (Harrington, M. 2024) Cultural identity is not simply a reflection of our heritage, but the beliefs, practices, and experiences that shape who we are. Cultural identity influences our connection with others And for many, it is a source of pride and belonging which is deeply embedded into their lives.
How Globalization have affected Cultural identity and Cultural Diversity
How Globalization have affected Cultural identity and Cultural Diversity
How Globalization have affected Cultural identity and Cultural Diversity
Several key elements of culture help build strong communities, the most significant being traditions. Celebrations, festivals, and communal events allow people to come together, share experiences, and strengthen their bonds The 1st day of the lunar calendar is New Year in China The streets are filled with red decorations and children are given red packets. In China, celebrating Chinese New Year is part of the cultural identity. Not only does Chinese New Year brings together people in a community, but it also gives one a sense of cultural belonging As part of a global community, it is important to recognise these traditions that help to build communities within the world. Surrounded by different celebrations and traditions allows us to learn about those traditions and learn about the world around us. This helps to shape multiple perspectives on how people live within the world and aids our learning regarding the diverse variety of cultures around us.
The Evolution of Aesop's Fables
The Evolution of Aesop's Fables
The Evolution of Aesop's Fables
Language also plays a vital role in shaping cultural identity; it is not just a means of communication but also a way to share stories and express feelings. For example, many stories and myths were told in that language and so it holds significant values in a culture For instance, Aesop’s Fables were initially written in Greek by Greek philosopher Aesop but were translated into English many years later. In doing so, stories are only shared to other people, but also introduced the morals and lessons embedded in those stories to millions of children across the world In the beginning, some of the stories in Aesop’s Fables were passed down from his own ancestors, but most were inspired by his own life experiences, which can be directly related to his own culture and identity However, these events happened so long ago that there is no proof to the tale and this “Aesop” we know might not have ever existed. Although the existence of the “Aesop” we know is still a mystery, he is known to have been through much trouble, and to have used his fables as an irony to accusers (Huston, Surber, 2023) The first English translation of Aesop’s Fables in English was by William Caxton in the 19th century. It is thought by historians that he had altered the tale according to his own cultural identity, perhaps due to the mystery shrouding Aesop and his life, but did not alter its moral meanings at all. While his translation may not have been entirely faithful, the way in which Caxton understood Aesop’s fables in line with his own cultural identity shows how cultural identity is intricately linked with language.
Another important aspect we can extract from Aesop’s fables and the history around it is that it shows how language can connect people to their heritage whilst also allowing others to appreciate and learn from it When people speak the same language, they can connect on a deeper level. Storytelling traditions, whether through oral history or written literature, help pass down values and lessons from one generation to the next. These shared stories create a sense of unity and belonging among the community
In today's world, cultural diversity is extremely promi (Jamali, R 2015) Globalization has facilitated the excha of ideas, traditions, and practices across borders, leadi to a blending of different cultures While this can lead the phenomenon of cultural homogenisation, where dominant cultures overshadow local ones, it also come with opportunities for cultural enrichment and collaboration. International festivals, art exhibitions, and culinary exchanges are just a few examples of how cultural diversity can be celebrated Moreover, it is important to understand and respect the cultures of others in a community Additionally, it is essential for all cultural groups to have a voice to share their traditions and stories to ensure that the community is an inclusive one where everyone feels included and rep
“Cupid” and Cultural Expression and Exchange
“Cupid” and Cultural Expression and Exchange
“Cupid” and Cultural Expression and Exchange
Digital media has transformed how communities are formed and provides platforms for people to connect based on shared interests and experiences. TikTok is a prime example, as it allows users to create and share short videos that celebrate cultural practices and traditions People often participate in challenges that highlight traditional dances, music, or recipes, bringing together those who share similar backgrounds or interests. Short videos like “Cupid” from Korean culture got spread on a global scale, while the video itself is related to Greek Culture Aside from that, people from all around the world get to be involved and express a completely different culture in their own way. Digital media allows people to share their own cultural identity, allowing them to connect to their own culture as well as understand other cultures at the same time
However, as the advancement of technologies like Tik Tok and YouTube become much more viewermade, the channels for cultural exchange have become narrower as well. Social media can create echo chambers, where viewers only interact with those who share their views. This can limit genuine understanding of different cultures and result in a lack of understanding of cultures and the formation of stereotypes. This makes it difficult to understand other cultures.
CConclusion Conclusion onclusion
Communities bring our differences together, while culture brings similarities together. Cultural Identity can be used to increase our cultural belonging and emotion to our culture To create strong communities, it is essential to embrace diverse cultural identities. (Bartleby, 2022) In recent years, globalization has enhanced the multicultural interaction between cultures. Although this has brought about much prejudice and judgement, it has also introduced many trends and ideas, which digital media has encouraged. Diverse perspectives online and engagement in open conversations about cultural differences are crucial for a more globalised perspective As Harrovians, it is important for us to recognize and respect the various backgrounds that people have. By celebrating our cultural differences and being inclusive, we can create positive communities where everyone’s cultural identity feels belonged.
The First Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong, once stated: “Learn from the masses, and then teach them.” This was the same type of thinking Mao applied and part of his reasoning when leading the 1966 - 76 Chinese Cultural Revolution (officially known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution), a sociopolitical movement that attempted to reshape Chinese society fundamentally by mobilising the masses to challenge established norms and authority In this essay, I will be dissecting Mao’s ideological justifications for the Cultural Revolution, evaluating whether his aims were achieved (and if so, by what measure), and finally analysing both the immediate and long-term impact caused by the Revolution
In 1966, Mao had just suffered a heavy loss: his 1965 plan, the Great Leap Forward, had initially promised to elevate the People’s Republic of China to become an industrial superpower. Instead, in 1962, millions of people died in one of the largest famines in human history, and Mao was displaced from a position of power This massive failure led to the Lushan conference, where Peng Dehuai, a senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), criticised Mao’s methods, exacerbating his political collapse [6].
However, Mao was not deterred In 1963, he launched the Socialist Education Movement (SEM) or the Four Cleanups Movement, an initiative which aimed to ‘clean up’ the four categories of Chinese politics, economics, ideology, and organisations [4]. With SinoSoviet relations steadily deteriorating, Mao felt that officials in the CCP were becoming more detached from revolutionary ideals of socialism and that capitalist tendencies were starting to emerge from peasants following the disaster of the Great Leap Forward. To combat this, Mao focused on class struggle, attacking bourgeois elements in the CCP and attempting to mobilise the working class to fight against those Mao perceived as capitalist threats
Despite this, the Socialist Education Movement made limited progress and could not fully fulfil Mao’s wishes of quashing revisionism. Perhaps because of this, the SEM is often referred to as a precursor or even a dress rehearsal for the ensuing Cultural Revolution: many elements of the Movement were integrated into the Revolution and the Revolution is seen as the most impactful initiative taken by Mao towards his ultimate goal of tackling revisionism and creating a unified accordance towards socialism
On the 16th of May 1966, Mao issued what would be known as the Notification. In this document, Mao damned several members of the CCP including figures such as Deng Xiaoping and Luo Ruiqing, stating that they would soon ‘seize political power and turn the dictatorship of the proletariat into a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie’ [1]. The Notification also summarised the doctrine of Mao Zedong Thought; similar to what was stated during the Socialist Education Movement, Mao placed a strong emphasis on class struggles as the backbone to retaining socialist allegiances and accused alleged capitalists in the CCP of trying to remove these problems from the public eye [4].
Shortly after the Notification was released, Mao publicly advertised a Marxist poster, calling for an attack on the ‘command centre of counter-revolution’. The poster claimed that officials were trying to suppress budding revolutionaries and spread revisionism Inspired by the poster, and being under the assumption that Mao was leading a growing revolution, many students began to revolt against their universities
by June, there was a nation-wide school suspension and students could be seen standing outside their school gates, holding pictures of Mao and beating drums to express their noncompliance towards bourgeois revisionism. These were the first members of the Red Guard, a student-led paramilitary force led by Mao from 1966-1968 [1].
The Cultural Revolution was only formally announced in August 1966. Mao shut down China’s schools, and during the following months, he organised eight mass rallies in Tiananmen Square. With these rallies, Mao introduced the idea of the ‘Four Olds’: Old habits, old ideas, old customs, and old culture. He encouraged young people to attack anything they could that had ties to the Four Olds; in the following years, many creatives and even elderly family members of Red Guards were attacked and abused [8]. As Mao had garnered such unprecedented support from students, teachers were one of the groups that suffered the most attacks Many staff from schools situated in Beijing were repeatedly tortured by the Red Guards. Some teachers committed suicide upon hearing that the Red Guards had infiltrated their schools Some of the party members Mao had criticised in his May 16 document, such as Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, lost their positions. Industry fell by 12% from 1966-68 and many people died.
Analysing the Cultural Revolution
From this, it is evident that the Cultural Revolution was a time of great upheaval and change for China. Mao’s approach in uniting society has been widely discussed in the years following the revolution This approach differed from movements led by other leaders in a few crucial ways:
1.Although Mao had pushed for the formation of a more industrialised society in the Great Leap Forward, in the Cultural Revolution, he targeted the masses and student groups when looking for supporters. This was unprecedented compared to other revolutions, where smaller elite groups of established political parties or military groups typically led the charge.
2.Unlike most movements which advocated for economic or social change, the Cultural Revolution called for an ideological purge, with Mao seeking to remove capitalist elements that were starting to take root in China [3]. What he sought was a reshaping of cultural values and norms, emphasising a radical transformation of ideology and social fibre rather than merely a shift in governance or a different economic structure Perhaps it is this defining factor of the Revolution that let it accumulate so many supporters and leave such a widespread impact; Mao appealed to the ‘pent up grievances caused by years of Communist rule’ and blamed peasants’ on party members that he accused of contaminating Chinese communism and diverging towards bureaucracy
Mao was famous for once saying “Political power grows out from the barrel of a gun”. He was vehement about this and believed that capitalism in China could only be felled using a combination of force and mass support Although his methods certainly caused much upheaval in society in the decade following 1966, we must evaluate the cogency with which its aims were achieved.
Firstly, Mao had aimed for the removal of his rivals in the CCP as he felt that they were a threat to his authority, stating publicly that they were corrupt and were falling under the temptation of bureaucracy This was achieved to a reasonable extent; many members were subsequently criticised by the public which led to their positions being removed. However, this resulted in chaos and growing divisions between the remaining members of the CCP, contradicting Mao’s reported initial plans of unifying the Communist Party After Mao's death in 1976, many of these purged leaders were rehabilitated, indicating that his long-term rectification goals were not fully realised.
Another goal of Mao’s was to test and mobilise the youth; he wanted to instil in them the practice of challenging authority figures and make them realise the importance of class struggles. Mao attempted to achieve this with the Red Guards. Initially, this seemed a success as the Red Guards seemed to be adapting well to the revolutionary stance he had encouraged; however, as time went by, their radical actions quickly spiralled into violence and anarchy, with different factions forming that all claimed to best epitomise Mao’s ideology Ultimately, while youth were mobilised, they did not create a lasting revolutionary change as intended and when put in positions of power, did not lead other officials towards Mao’s path of ‘sinicized’ Marxism.
Finally, Mao’s last goal was to instil change in Chinese society both culturally and politically. Culturally, Mao did manage to achieve his stated goal, which was to remove the ‘Four Olds’. Mao had believed that all traditional art, music, language and literature led to revisionist policy, so he decided to abandon these areas entirely by encouraging the Red Guards to destroy as many manifestations of traditional culture as they could. However, he had held an unspoken expectation: new cultural values that aligned with his views would be subsequently established by his followers. The removal of previous cultural aspects left a cultural vacuum in Chinese society and created a sense of disillusionment that has secured an association with Maoist ideology over time Politically, however, Mao’s initial goals of reducing elitism and moving society towards social egalitarianism were not unsuccessful. Because of the violent acts taken by the Red Guards, instead of making services more available for everyone, the movement disrupted educational institutions and public healthcare services, leading to a generation that lacked basic education. In 1970, it was found that most Chinese citizens had not completed school past the 12th grade. Furthermore, after Mao’s death, Deng Xiaoping implemented more pragmatic economic reforms that abandoned many ideas proposed by Mao in the Cultural Revolution This indicated that the policy changes Mao sought were largely ineffective and thus were reversed in subsequent years.
Is the Cultural Revolution and Mao’s Ideology Still Relevant to Us Today?
The Cultural Revolution leaves its legacy on China in a multitude of ways, with the most significant being socially, politically and culturally. Mao’s actions during the Revolution have irrevocably shifted the course of Chinese history, causing following leaders to dissect their ideology more closely, bringing into question matters of nation-wide distrust and filial piety, and even leading to an influx of historical amnesia regarding culture. The consequences of these changes are profound and multifaceted, but one thing is certain: the Cultural Revolution brought about immense change and continues to affect the lives of Chinese people even today.
I would argue that the Cultural Revolution had the biggest impact on the social fibre of Chinese society. During the Cultural Revolution, Chinese society was under a system of censorship, in which Mao’s supporters were heavily encouraged to report any sign of revisionism or ‘counter-revolution’ Young people would have no qualms in betraying each other to the government in order to prove their loyalty to Mao and the CCP, spurring on the decline of trust among Chinese citizens. Studies have shown that to this day, people living in regions most affected by the Cultural Revolution continue to be more prone to fraught interpersonal relationships and are more distrustful compared with those living in less impacted regions [7] Aside from mutual betrayal, another reason Chinese society deteriorated socially was Mao’s forcible expulsion of the ‘Four Olds’. Young people were incited to attack their elderly relatives and were made to hold beliefs that differed from previous generations’
This tore apart many families, with children denouncing their parents and leaving home to come under the wing of other Mao followers, inflicting long-lasting familial scars With the decade of nationwide school suspension, young people at the time who are now senior citizens today were deprived of opportunity for formal education and had to grow up with minimal systematic learning resources in environments that still held remnants of Maoist influence [2], and were arguably the most affected parties during the aftermath of the Revolution
The Cultural Revolution also had a significant impact on Chinese politics – or rather, how they were perceived by Chinese citizens. People became more sensitive and wary to political ideology, with a heavier focus on stability and order Following Mao's death in 1976, the CCP sought to stabilise itself by moving away from the discord of the Cultural Revolution, leading to a more collectivist leadership style and a cautious approach to political dissent This period also marked a shift toward pragmatism and a focus on economic growth. Leaders such as Deng Xiaoping were shaken by the violent time period that the Revolution spanned, and advocated for ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics,’ moving away from Mao’s strict adherence to communist ideology and instead taking steps to shift China strategically towards economic and industrial development into a technology-driven, industrialised modern society [6] Today the CCP continues to place great importance on economic stability and nationalism as pillars for social stability and common prosperity, with a Sinicized version of Marxist ideology taking a secondary focus in the eyes of China’s leaders
Lastly, when questioning how the Revolution affected China culturally, we must take into account the suppression of cultural memory that has swept China in the years since. Mao’s campaign against the "Four Olds" led to widespread destruction of cultural artefacts and anathema against traditional practices, resulting in a startling absence of 1960s culture and tradition that still plagues historians and anthropologists today [8] The Revolution brought about a clash between advancement and tradition which is still mirrored today, as China grapples with balancing evolving technology with the preservation of its rich cultural heritage Views regarding cultural impact are convoluted, but it is certain that the cultural fallout of the Revolution still lingers in China as communities seek to reclaim lost traditions today.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Chinese Cultural Revolution was a metamorphic period that left an indelible mark on China's social, political, and cultural landscape. It came about as a result of Mao’s beliefs, which were an amalgamation of Chinese communism and Marxist-Leninist ideology. Mao focused on class struggle as one of the most important factors in a strong society, and criticised fellow members of the CCP who he felt were veering towards the Soviet path of revisionism. The Cultural Revolution itself caused millions of deaths and did not fully accomplish Mao’s initial aims of restoring the nation to his idealised communist framework as it ultimately resulted in widespread chaos and suffering. However, it did raise serious questions about the use of force in the name of cultivating an ‘improved’ society, political extremism, and navigating the relationships between new and old traditions. The legacy of the Cultural Revolution has shaped not only the direction of the country’s developmental trajectory, but also the memories and psychology of millions of Chinese individuals that have lived through its tumultuous events. As China navigates its modern identity, the lessons of this transformative era remind us of the complexities inherent in the long-lasting consequences of ideological radicalism and provide significant insights on the impetus of modern day society
By Vanessa Ho, Anderson, Y11
Hong Kong the world's fourth-ranked global financial centre, bustling with prosperity and culture. However, beneath the surface, the people who make up the backbone of this city are often overlooked, discriminated against, and exploited. They are the domestic workers. Hong Kong is home to 340,000 helpers [Yeung, 2023], the highest number per capita in Asia, who are depended on for all types of domestic work, which has led to Hong Kong’s rapid economic growth. Despite this, they are still cruelly excluded from our culture due to the stigma surrounding their ethnicity and status.
When I think of Hong Kong culture, I think of family. As children, we learn that the family contains the most crucial relationships for individuals and forms the foundations of all social organisation; this is evident in our traditions and daily lives. For example,
during the Mid-autumn festival, we send mooncakes to loved ones. During the Lunar New Year, it is a time for gathering with our extended family to share meals, joy, and connection. The Ching Ming Festival is a time for visiting gravesites to commemorate and honour our ancestors. However, these helpers sacrifice this connection to support their families abroad financially, often going years without seeing them, and thus, are unable to participate in family activities and traditions such as the above [McCaughey, 2024] In this essay, I will offer solutions to help them build this sense of family away from home and experience the warmth of Hong Kong’s culture and tradition.
Foreign domestic workers slave away for up to 18 hours everyday on minimum wage ($4,870 per month), with just one statutory rest day weekly. On that one day, I witness the grey city transform into one full of colour and life, with helpers convening on ragtag pieces of cardboard or plastic on the grimy sidewalks They seize the streets because it is all they can afford due to their financial difficulties not making it a feasible solution to go to restaurants weekly, and modern-day segregation and discrimination resulting in them being unwelcomed in many areas of Hong Kong [Moss, 2017].
Thus, we could incorporate more communal areas in the city centre, with benches and an open space that would provide both helpers and locals with increased opportunity to break down the wall between them and cultivate a diverse community, letting their Sunday tradition flourish beyond the streets. Moreover, the demeaning ‘live in’ law states that they must live with their employer. However, in one of the most densely populated cities, homes are infamously cramped, resulting in helpers being forced to live in
substandard conditions, squeezed into kitchens or toilets [Ramos, 2023]. Even though there is a legal requirement for employers to provide domestic helpers with suitable accommodation, there are still loopholes in the system that some employers exploit [McCaughey, 2024], leaving domestic helpers vulnerable to exploitation and without recourse. Moreover, in a restrictive household, they are defenceless to exploitative and harsh forms of labour, hidden from the public eye and formal labour structures [Yeung, 2020]. By allowing them to live separately, for example in communal dormitories, the risk of exploitation is reduced. They will also have a community of helpers with similar experiences to connect to and share their culture from home, alleviating feelings of isolation and giving them a safe place to go back to after a laborious day Additionally, it would allow for more regular working hours, allowing them more time for the rare but precious digital interactions they get with their family abroad and protecting them from having their whole life consumed by work.
With any foreign country, language barriers pose a challenge to integrating into the culture. Language and transferable skills courses and training supplemented by employment agencies would allow them to communicate effectively, share their experiences and culture with the locals, and develop skills that could support their career advancement, such as developing financial literacy and participating in scientific advancements and the arts
Unlike other migrant workers, they do not receive welfare benefits or the right to citizenship [Yeung, 2023]. It is discriminatory and exacerbates their mistreatment and exclusion from Hong Kong culture Additionally, the ‘two-week rule’ demanding their leave if they cannot find work within 14 days after an ended contract treats them as transitory, without a permanent place and status [Yeung, 2023]. We could push for more equal policy changes and initiatives as well as strengthen and review the legal protections put in place currently to ensure their rights are valued They should be given equal rights as other migrant workers this city is their home as well.
Lastly, a little bit of empathy can go a long way. ‘We notice how some people react when they see foreign domestic workers on public transport as if we have a transferable disease,’ wrote Ramos to SCMP [Ramos, 2023] Foreign domestic helpers are often shrouded by stigma, and it would be beneficial to educate the wider community on this to break these stereotypes and allow them to be integrated into society, with cultural differences put aside. Let us treat them with kindness and inclusion instead of allowing their stories to be written down as modern-day slavery
These women are mothers and daughters and sisters. They have left their homes to help others build theirs. Helpers are integral to Hong Kong’s culture let them be included and seen once and for all.
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