China and Hong Kong: Train Scuffle Ignites Cross-Border Fury · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A YouTube video showing a dispute on a train in Hong Kong in which a mainland China tourist was criticized by passengers for eating food with her child inside the cabin, has triggered a fierce cross-border debate between mainland Chinese and Hong Kong people. As if tempers were not already flaring high, a Beijing University Professor, Kong Qingdong, added fuel to fire with his remark on a mainland online television channel that Hong Kong People are “running dogs” [lapdogs].
Below is a local news report on the subway train dispute on January 15, 2012. YouTube user Languagelover7 has added subtitles in English at the top of the screen:
The unedited version can be found here [zh]. It has attracted more than five million views within four days. Below is an explanation of the situation from the Hong Kong side:
當天與女友在紅磡站上車，上車後近我的兩排位都坐滿人，一邊一個­­大人三個小孩，一邊即是三個大人以及他們的行李。當時都不以為­然­；後來看到那個媽咪張一包童星點心麵倒進她旁的小孩手中，而­另外­兩個女孩則有一個拿著糖包。及後雙手捧著一堆點心麵的小孩­不小心­將一些灑到身上及地上。看到這個程況，我便以我有限的普­通話，指­著不准飲食的牌向他們說：不好意思，這裡不能吃東西。­之後…..­換來一輪啾呼叫。那媽咪說只是小孩子吃，以及正在收­起，問我為何­要多事…..我向他說剛才我都有見你放進自己口中­，你也有吃….­.其實講左幾句我都知冇結果，誰知這時他們對面­的友伴邊笑邊出聲­：佢地說得真是很差！我很火用廣東話同佢地講­：我係講得差！呢度­係香港人的地方，你同我講返廣東話。這時他­們有一句沒一句繼續講­，這時有位見義勇為的男仕出聲：收聲啦！­好嘈呀！繼續食呀好唔好­？自己做錯野仲嘈，要唔要叫職員呀？當­那班人還在嘈時，男仕在旺­角東站按著車門，等職員過來。而我亦­第一時間下車向職員揮手叫他­們過來。之後你地都響YTUBE度­見到晒
There are two major reactions to the video in Hong Kong. Some criticize the lack of etiquette by mainland Chinese; and others feel there is no need to make such a big scene. The most popular comment on the YouTube thread is made by suilaam321:
@MrDrxchannel 請問你有看part1了嗎 你有聽到片主被嘲笑嗎? 中國大陸沒這麼糟糕?也許是小部份人吧 暑假最多中國大陸人來香港的時候 我分別去了香港迪士尼和海洋公園 但情況是 無論去到那一個主題公園 都會有大陸人插隊 當然我沒有說全部大陸人都這樣 也許你會說香港人也一樣 但香港人一般被指責後 都會乖乖排隊 我遇到的卻是 我只說叫他們不要插隊 同行插隊的那個女人便開始發爛 說前面有人幫排隊之類 試想想如果每個人都這樣 會有秩序嗎? 最後我只好找職員 那個人卻理直氣壯說 邊隻眼見到佢有插隊? 最後卻鬧多事 以粗口相對﻿ 請問這還又是否需要容忍?
As for the response from mainland Chinese, there are more moderate but critical ones, such as this one made by Wen Yunchao on Facebook [zh]:
港人很讨厌在地铁上吃东西的大陆人，因为地铁规定说不能在地铁上吃东西且吃东西的是大陆人；但港人不会讨厌在公车上大声讲电话一讲一路的港人，一则是因为没有规定禁止，二是因为讲电话的是港人。这些都与素质和文明无关。
The most controversial comment from mainland China popped up on January 19 on online television, in which Beijing University Professor Kong Qingdong said that most Hong Kong people were corrupted by their colonizers and are “running dogs”.
Languagelover7 has also added English subtitles to this video [now offline] and uploaded to YouTube.
The undercurrent of the tension between Hong Kong and mainland Chinese has everything to do with the increasing influence of Beijing government in Hong Kong – as indicated by the official visit of future premier Li Keqiang in August 2011. The political tension has surfaced in several recent cultural and social conflicts such as the public scandals over  infant formula milk powder shortage; mainland pregnant women taking up local hospital resources; the “invasion” of mainland Chinese tourists; and the official status of Cantonese language in Hong Kong.
Below is an agitated response on Kong's TV interview made by Tinykylei in her forum [zh] (sic) on January 20 that touches on the broader issues:
Wow …. this is with English subtitle and the translation is pretty accurate … can't believe a mainland Chinese “Scholar” said such a thing – why everyone has to speak Mandarin ? It's right for people can speak in their mother tongue but when you said mainlanders yelling in Hong Kong, and the HK citizen speak in Cantonese they are “dog” and not civilize … can you please check what you have just said again? the HK person also speaking in their mother tongue … I had enough of you CCP and brain-washed mainlanders – go on, keep on sending Mainland Chinese to mix the people and let the rich Mainlanders buy house and stay here, poor mainlanders come to give birth and take the social welfare, and take over the city, you better kill all the HKers who born in HK before 1997 as well