Editor's note: Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China. However, there has been a smattering of anti-Chinese mainland sentiment among some Hong Kong youngsters, and some of them don't even identify themselves as Chinese. How does Hong Kong youth view this anti-Chinese mainland sentiment? And how they view the Chinese mainland? Keybros, two Gen Z Hong Kong Youtube influencers, shared their views.

CGTN: How do you define your identity?

Keybros: Both of us are proud to be from the city of Hong Kong, but also very proud to be Chinese. So I think there's no inherent conflict between the two identities.

CGTN: Why are some Hong Kong youngsters against the Chinese mainland?

Keybros: I think one of the main reasons why many Hong Kong youngsters don't necessarily embrace being labelled as Chinese is because of ignorance. I think many Hong Kong youngsters simply refuse to travel to the Chinese mainland and see for themselves firsthand how the Chinese mainland is actually like. They also refuse to communicate with the people from the Chinese mainland, and they only take information, which they have a predisposed agreement with. For example, they only read negative news about the Chinese mainland and they simply aren't given both sides of the coin.

I think if they were able to educate themselves a little bit more, even from a very neutral standpoint, they don't have to consider themselves as super patriotic, they don't need to be super proud of being Chinese. But I think there are two things they have to consider: first thing is, every single nation around the world wants to have decent relations with China. The second thing is that, even if they don't consider themselves, as sort of the same with people from the Chinese mainland, they can still consider themselves to be Chinese because there are different types of Chinese people around the world, even within the Chinese mainland. The Chinese mainland is very diverse place itself. You got people from, for example, Heilongjiang or people from Shanghai, people from Guangzhou, they speak different dialects, they have different cultures, they have different eating habits even, they might also dislike each other as they consider others as 外省人（outsiders）.

CGTN: What are your views of the Chinese mainland?

Keybros: We've been to the Chinese mainland many times. Every time we go, we see that the place has changed and has developed really, quickly. For example, the technology in the Chinese mainland is much more advanced than Hong Kong right now. 

I really encourage all people in Hong Kong to go and take a look first with your own eyes before making up a judgment about the place saying that China is all inherently bad, it's evil, it's not.

Hong Kong people should really realize that if we don't go out and have a look for ourselves, then we are already and we will continue to lag behind the Chinese mainland. I think we should let go of the sense of complacency, let go of this false pretense of superiority, and go to the Chinese mainland have a look for ourselves.

CGTN: What are your views of the people from the Chinese mainland?

Keybros: From personal experience, I've got friends from many different parts of the world in university. And actually, I find people from the Chinese mainland are more much open-minded than our fellows peers from Hong Kong. It's because when they see that we are from Hong Kong, they don't actually discriminate against us. They treat us as one of their own. They would communicate as if we are also from the Chinese mainland.

But if we do a role reversal, let's say I am from the Chinese mainland. And I've got a group of people from Hong Kong, then I will guarantee that I will be heavily discriminated simply because of the fact that I'm from the Chinese mainland. From this, it shows that it really is time for people in Hong Kong, I'm not saying to all, there are some of my friends from Hong Kong who are open-minded as well. It's really important for Hong Kong people to open up to the fact that they should be a bit more open-minded and be more accepting towards different people, especially those from the Chinese mainland.

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