Most Chinese residents in Hong Kong are from Guangdong, so most of them speak Cantonese, but their expressions are slightly different from those in the Mainland, which is mixed with many Hong Kong slang. Due to historical reasons, English has been the official language in Hong Kong for many years, and most of the young educated generation can answer questions in English, which is also popular in Cantonese. In recent years, Putonghua has gradually become popular in Hong Kong, and the number of residents who use Putonghua has been increasing. After Hong Kong's return to the motherland on July 1, 1997, according to the relevant provisions of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, the administrative, legislative and judicial organs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region can continue to use English in addition to Chinese.
Hong Kong's religious beliefs have been widely spread, and the frost has blown up the freedom of the eyes. Almost all the major religions in the world are believed in Hong Kong. Chinese in Hong Kong mainly believe in Buddhism and Taoism, and most of them "believe in God". Although they follow the traditional religious beliefs and customs, they do not have the consciousness and concept of believers. People generally worship the ancestral gods and the land of door gods. On the first and fifteenth day of the first lunar month, people must burn incense or light "candles and lanterns", and they should also pay homage at happy events and traditional festivals. There are also many people who usually go to temples to pray to God and Buddha for luck or sign.
According to the Chinese Temples Ordinance, all temples in Hong Kong must be registered. According to statistics, there are more than 36 temples, 4 public temples and 24 Tianhou temples in Hong Kong. Because there are many people engaged in fishing and shipping in the offshore of Hong Kong, the most worshiped temple is Tianhou. It is said that Tian Hou, surnamed Lin, was a native of Fujian, who threw himself into the sea to save fishermen and was later regarded as a patron saint by fishermen and sailors. It is said that there are 25 thousand believers. Among the Tin Hau Temples in Hong Kong, the Buddhist Temple Gate in Damiaowan is the most famous.
It is one of the most solemn traditional festivals in Hong Kong to celebrate one's birthday after the 23rd day of the third lunar month. Other gods enshrined in temples include Guanyin, Northern Emperor and Guandi. Many shops also have a shrine of Guan Di for blessing.
The customs of traditional festivals in China, such as Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Double Ninth Festival, are basically the same as those in the mainland. In order to facilitate citizens to celebrate the holidays and return home, the government has also promulgated legal holidays. In addition, traditional activities to worship God, such as clothing burning (Orchid Festival, the 14th day of the seventh lunar month), Qixi Festival (Beggar's Day), Guanyin's Birthday, Master's Birthday and Tianhou's Birthday, are very lively and are listed as grand tourism programs.
Hong Kong people often go to tea houses for breakfast, eat Cantonese dim sum or have "western tea" (milk tea, lemon tea, coffee and bread) in the dining room. The staff usually have a working meal, fast food or afternoon tea in the restaurant. Dinner is the main meal, which is mostly a traditional Cantonese diet. Hong Kong people often pour tea for each other when they meet for tea. Banquets and the like usually start at 9 o'clock in the evening. The host is already waiting for guests around 4 o'clock, and a mahjong table is set up to entertain guests. Those who don't play mahjong usually arrive around 7 o'clock. Seating is generally casual, but guests don't start eating until the host says "pick up chopsticks". When eating, do not lift your elbows horizontally or pillow the table; Do not "fly like an elephant across the river", that is, stretch chopsticks to take dishes from distant dishes; Can't "beauty look in the mirror", pick up the dishes and pour them; Don't make noise when drinking soup, and don't leave food in the bowl after eating. When drinking and eating vegetables, it is not advisable to keep your hands on chopsticks. It is impolite to propose a toast and invite. When serving fish, the head of the fish should face the guest, and don't turn the fish over when eating.
Hong Kong people also have many taboos about the names of dishes. Unauspicious names are changed to auspicious names. For example, pig liver is called pig run, because "liver" and "dry" are homonyms; Luffa is said to be better than melon because the word "silk" is homophonic with the word "lose"; "Tongue" is called "benefit" because "tongue" is homophonic with "erosion". Many dishes also bear the name of Geely, such as Yi Ying Wan Li (duck tongue with sauce), Nian Qing Yu Yu (pine nuts and yellow croaker), happy ever after Red (Jinhua ham with honey sauce), and flowering to add wealth (crab meat and broccoli).
Hong Kong people are also very particular about numbers and figures. "3" and "8" are the numbers they are most willing to pursue, and they think these two words are the most auspicious. The cantonese homonym of "3" is "life", which means life, wealth and vitality; The Cantonese homonym of "8" is "Fa", which means making a fortune and being developed. Some stores also like to use auspicious numbers as store names, such as "168 Fashion Store" and "338 Hairdressing House". The homonym of "168" is "all the way", the homonym of "338" is "living and growing" and the homonym of "238" is "easy to grow".
Hong Kong is located in the hub of the blending and dissemination of the two civilizations, and it is an urban entity that combines the eastern and western cultures skillfully and warmly. Even in the bustling downtown area, the folk customs of China traditional culture are still preserved, such as giving gifts without bells (farewell), books (loss) and blankets (money-saving). Gambling on horses and playing mahjong, avoid people borrowing money and withdrawing money. In doing business, the first case must be concluded, and it is also necessary to reduce the price. It is most taboo for guests to bargain and not buy. In addition, Hong Kong people are superstitious. Apart from praying for divination, geomantic palms are popular, and there are many people who believe in the reincarnation of ghosts and gods, and homophones that are unlucky are also quite powerful.