The High Class Person (Hong Kong)

The High Class Person (or "the upper class person" Chinese: 上等人) is a term people in Hong Kong often use to describe those who belongs to the subculture of wealthy women.

Origin

The phrase was made popular in the mid-1990s with the broadcast of the long-running TVB drama "A Kindred Spirit". In the show, veteran actress Lily Leung plays a wealthy widow who behaves in an aristocratic way and looks down upon customs and cultures that "belongs" to those of a lower social and economic strata. Although the character Leung plays eventually became more tolerant of more common cultures due to economic problems, she never shed her aristocratic mindset and behaviours completely. The phrase has since lived on in Hong Kong vocabulary, even after A Kindred Spirit's conclusion in 2000.

Characteristics

According to the corresponding page on Chinese Wikipedia, a High Class person in Hong Kong is "assumed" to have the following characteristics.

Economics

*Born into an aristocratic family (aka "old money")
*Wealthy
*Owns various vehicles, with chauffer services
*Owns an exclusive residence with thousands of square feet in living spaces (note: normal Hong Kong housing typically has 600-convert|800|sqft|m2|-1|abbr=on. of living spaces)
*Owns a yacht
*Hires maids

Knowledge

*Graduated from a brand name university
*Studied in a university abroad, such as Oxford or Harvard.
*Fluent in Chinese and English, and perferably in other foreign languages (such as Portuguese and/or French

Behaviours

*Graceful behaviours
*Loves to talk in English, and speaking softly.
*Cares about table manners (perhaps as a way to show off his/her "high class" behaviours)
*Praises oneself beyond his/her own station
*"Diva"-esque behaviours, hard to please.
*Affinity to correct the wrong manners of others
*Only reads, listens, and watches English programmings
*Affinity with current affair programmings.
*Looks down upon those who are rude, and those who "belongs" to a lower social, economical, and educational strata.

Cuisine

*Affinity for Bird's Nest, due to its alleged rejuvenating powers
*Stockpiles abalone at home.
*Frequently dines at fancy restaurants, and frequents hotels for afternoon tea.
*Loves cuisines made by famous chefs, and expensive dishes.

ocial Connections

*Has connections with managers in hotels, restaurants, and people from academia

Pseudo-High Class Person

There are those who became rish mid-life (the so-called "nouveau riche") who attempts to mimic the behaviours of a "genuine" High Class Person, in an effort to immerse into their own society. However, as the positive attributes to a High Class person are believed to be nurtured at birth, those who try to mimic the behaviours often end up with the "negative" behaviours, and not the positives.

Criticism

There are those who believe such labels only strengthens classism and discrimination against common people, and that such labels, with its origins going as far back as the Victorian Era, is not compatible to the social orders of this day.