HongCouver

HongCouver is a somewhat derogatory term referring to Vancouver's large Chinese Canadian population, particularly that originating in Hong Kong.

Being Canada's major port on the Pacific Rim, the city has always been a significant Canadian landing point for Asian emigrés. The term HongCouver itself only really surfaced around the 1997 return of Hong Kong to Chinese rule. Several well-to-do Hong Kong families feared the nationalization of their wealth, prompting a large, (by outside standards), exodus. Many chose to settle in Vancouver due to its status as a large cosmopolitan city, preferred living in Canada to the United States, laxer Canadian immigration policies, a history of trade between Hong Kong and Vancouver, and the community already present in Vancouver's Chinatown, which is the second largest in North America. The latest Statistics Canada estimates imply that the Greater Vancouver Regional District could have a 50% population of Asian descent by 2017.

It is commonly joked that Chinese would become Canada's third national language (whether Mandarin or Cantonese is rarely included).

See also

• List of Hong Kong-related topics