Latest news with #ethnic minorities
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Success stories from Hong Kong's ethnic minority groups an encouraging sign
Success stories from among Hong Kong's ethnic minorities do not often hit the headlines. While more individual achievers from different fields have come to notice recently, many continue to struggle to overcome stereotypes and barriers. More sustainable policy support is needed to enhance opportunities for the community. Advertisement The challenges faced and progress made by the community were put into perspective in a series of Post reports. The accomplishment of 28-year-old Lamia Sreya Rahman is inspiring. Having co-founded an AI start-up and produced an award-winning wearable device for the visually impaired, the Hong Kong-born Bangladeshi earned a spot in May on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 Social Impact list, which recognises young people who address social issues through their work. Separately, Smriti Kedia shone in the city's university entrance exam with her near-perfect scores this month. The 18-year-old of Indian origin received four 5** and two 5*, the top two grades of a seven-level scale, in the Diploma of Secondary Education exam. The two are role models for a community which is unfortunately often associated with poverty and other problems in society. We are seeing more cases of individual accomplishments, thanks in part to the continuous efforts of the government, businesses and NGOs. However, challenges remain. Official data showed that the education indicators and living standards of ethnic minority groups are gradually improving. The school attendance rate for those aged 18 to 24 rose from 38.4 per cent to 50 per cent between 2011 and 2021, catching up with the rate of 55 per cent across the city's population. Among South Asians, 39.2 per cent attained post-secondary education in 2021, higher than the 34.6 per cent for the population. Advertisement Meanwhile, the median monthly income of South Asians rose by a third from HK$15,000 to HK$20,000 between 2016 and 2021, which was higher than the median income of HK$19,500 for the whole population. Among South Asians, however, Pakistanis and Nepalis earned less at HK$15,000 and HK$17,000, respectively. The median incomes of Indonesian, Thai and Filipino Hongkongers were even lower, at only HK$13,000, HK$13,500 and HK$16,500, respectively.
South China Morning Post
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Chinese ethnic minorities sing songs to mediate disputes in court; case goes viral online
Some courts in southwestern China's Guizhou province have hired folk singers to work as mediators in a bid to settle legal disputes among local ethnic minorities. Advertisement In a 2023 video that recently went viral on social media, a man in Rongjiang County, Guizhou province, took a woman from a neighbouring village to court after she spread a folk song she made up to defame him and his wife in several chat groups. Both parties are from the Shui ethnic group, for whom folk singing is a major way of expressing feelings. It is traditional to sing folk songs at serious occasions such as marriage proposals and dispute settling. Many in the ethnic group believe that folk songs are more powerful than plain words. Traditional folk songs are used to settle all manner of disputes in parts of China. Photo: Douyin The defendant said the song at the heart of the dispute was adapted from an old number and tells the story of a useless man who depends on his thick-skinned wife to earn a living.
