從陌生人到朋友︰中港跨文化友誼的挑戰與期望

From Strangers to Friends: The Perceived Challenges and Expectations of Friendship between Mainland and Hong Kong Students

隨著近年高等教育日趨國際化，來港升學的內地學生日漸增加，然而，自2014年雨傘運動及2019年反對《逃犯條例》修訂草案運動以來，中港兩地的關係日益緊張，社會及個人層面的矛盾亦日趨尖銳，然而，目前學界對於中港同胞文化間的友誼形成及挑戰，仍欠缺充分研究。針對這一研究缺口，筆者採用混合式研究法，透過網上問卷（N=159）和一系列半結構化訪談（N=24），探討中港學生對彼此間形式跨文化友誼的感知和挑戰。研究結果顯示，語言差異、文化差異和缺乏共同話題是三大挑戰。第一，語言的差異會導致更多的焦慮，降低交流的意願；第二，文化差異體現在工作方式、工作與生活的平衡、價值觀和信仰的不相容；第三，此文化差異涉及到文化層面的潛在衝突和尋找共同話題的困難。透過中港學生感知的比較分析，本研究揭示了各種中港友誼影響因素如在個人及不同情景發揮作用。對大學及大專院校學生而言，本研究為他們提供了有價值的參考，讓他們在全球化趨勢下，更好地預備跨文化交流及它所帶來的挑戰。

With the internationalization of higher education, Hong Kong has attracted an increasing number of non-local students in the past decade, among which mainland students have been the most predominant group. However, it seems that there is an accelerating tension between Hong Kong (HK) and mainland China, as evidenced by the umbrella movement in 2014 and the anti-extradition protests in 2019. Nonetheless, studies on understanding friendship formation between these two “sibling cultural groups” are very limited. To fi ll this research gap, this study adopted a mixed-method approach to explore students’ perceived challenges of mainland- HK friendship formation. An online survey and a series of semi-structured interviews were conducted at one university in Hong Kong. It was found that language difference, cultural difference, and the lack of common topics were perceived as the three main challenges. First, the language difference caused more anxiety and reduced students’ willingness to communicate. Second, cultural difference was reflected in the perceived incompatibility of working style, work-life balance, and values and beliefs. While cultural differences attributed to intercultural conflicts, they also led to the difficulty in seeking common topics. Implications of the influential factors for mainland-HK friendship at the individual and contextual level were discussed. This study also shed light on what roles the university should play in facilitating intercultural communication between local and non-local students.