ABC in HK // Nathan Tseng

ABC in HK is a new mini interview series amplifying the voices of Chinese Americans who’ve returned to their roots / motherland, whether it’s for work or any other reason. These are their stories, their struggles, their triumphs, their dreams.

If you’re a Chinese American (either an ABC—a.k.a. American-born Chinese—or Chinese who grew up in the US) currently living in Hong Kong and would like to participate, see the call here.

I’m back (from—no surprise here—Hong Kong), so this project is too. For its return, meet Nathan Tseng, and ABC who actually spent his adolescent years in Hong Kong before moving as an adult. His description of an “identity crisis”—feeling more American when in Hong Kong, feeling more Chinese when in America—is something many can relate to.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Tseng

Name: Nathan Tseng

Title & Occupation: Web Developer at Spacious.hk

Where you were born and grew up: Cupertino, CA

When you moved to Hong Kong: I actually first moved to Hong Kong at the age of 10 in 1994 and went to high school here. I moved back to the US for college and then came back again in 2011 for work.

Why you moved to Hong Kong: First time was with family. The second time I came back was myself wanting to try out the job market here. I was also in a long distance relationship with my now wife.

Tell me a little about yourself! Basically, what’s your story?

My parents are originally from Hong Kong, but they both immigrated to North America in their teens: my mom to Canada following the riots of 1966 and my dad to the US for college. When I was born, my dad was working in Cupertino and I had a typical suburban upbringing during my formative years. Although Cupertino is considered a majority Asian suburb these days, it was mostly white back then and that’s how I remembered it. Since my parents had spent so many years in North America, I actually spoke mostly English at home unlike many other Asian families we knew.

When I was 10, my grandpa convinced my dad to move back to Hong Kong to help out with the family business. Moving at that age, especially to another country, was difficult. Although I had travelled to Hong Kong a number of times, living here was a different story. Making new friends was difficult, and so was getting used to the densely populated city life. My parents sent me to international school and I can only imagine how much more difficult it would have been had I gone to a local Cantonese speaking school. On the other hand, because of that, I think it took me a long time to understand local Hong Kong culture, which I eventually came to love and appreciate.

I went back to the States for college, first UT Austin for undergraduate and then University of Washington where I did a Masters in Urban Planning. I didn’t quite follow my father’s footsteps; I guess I was still trying to discover what my interests were after those years living in Hong Kong. I did experience some reverse culture shock moving back to the US. For example, football is very big in Texas and I didn’t quite understand the hype since it wasn’t something I kept up with living in HK. I joined some Asian American groups, but also realized that my life experiences differed from theirs; many people I met hadn’t even been to Asia before!

In 2011, I was living in Seattle and while I enjoyed it there very much, I wanted to try the job market in Hong Kong because of my interest in urban development and planning. Unfortunately, being a planner meant I needed native Chinese language skills and sadly my written Chinese skills weren’t up to par. At that time, I decided to stay here though, since I started seeing my now wife, whom I married last Christmas. I ended up doing a few odd jobs, including part time English tutoring, before I ended up getting a job at Spacious, a local online real estate platform, as a software developer. Funny how I ultimately ended up following my dad’s footsteps in a way!

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced since moving to Hong Kong?

Language – As I mentioned just now, although my spoken Cantonese is good enough to get around Hong Kong, the same cannot be said about my written Chinese, which I had a difficult time learning. Even with my ability to speak, sometimes I get lost when I’m out with local friends and slang gets thrown around. While almost everyone in Hong Kong can speak English, it’s always felt awkward to me to do so unless I have to. I mean, in the end I still look Chinese to them, and I’m in a Chinese speaking place; it wouldn’t feel right to speak any other language, would it?

Pollution – Every time I take a trip out of Hong Kong, I feel like I can breathe so much easier.

Cost of Living – Now that I’m married and no longer living with parents, it is true that it isn’t easy to save money especially after paying rent!

What have been the best things about living in Hong Kong?

Definitely the convenience, the public transportation, personal safety, and the ability to travel to so many places in Asia so easily.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Tseng

What’s your favorite thing to do in Hong Kong?

Hiking – It’s wonderful to be able to escape from the city so easily and it’s such a great way to keep fit without paying for a gym.

Have your views about being an American changed since you came here?

I definitely feel more American while living in Hong Kong, while I felt more Chinese living in the US. I guess it’s just a natural tendency. There are some little cultural quirks that made me realize I have more of an American/Western way of thinking.

I think the 2016 Election definitely brought out my American identity the most, since it was something everyone was talking about here and everyone was asking me who I voted for and my opinion of how the election was going to go (the results disappointed me, in case you were wondering). When I went to watch the election results come in at this American Chamber sponsored event, local media were especially interested in my Chinese American viewpoint.

Have your views about being Chinese changed since you came here?

Living here and learning about Chinese history as well as my own family’s history has certainly given me a much better appreciation of Chinese culture than I would have if I hadn’t lived here.

Has being an ABC in Hong Kong shaped/changed your overall views about heritage, home, and identity?

To be honest, I still feel a bit of an identity crisis to this day. Sometimes I feel America is more home; sometimes I feel Hong Kong is more home. In addition to having a Chinese and American identity, I also feel that I can identify as a Hong Konger. Given Hong Kong’s tenuous political situation, I also share concerns about Hong Kong’s future and this is one thing that’s helped my bond with my local friends, including my wife!

I still don’t know where I will end up settling in the future. Hong Kong is home for now, but I do miss the lifestyle in the States.

What advice would you give to an ABC who would consider moving to Hong Kong?

Expect to get a culture shock and try to keep an open mind. Don’t expect everything to be like they are back home. While there is nothing wrong with making friends with other ABCs or expats (it helps to be around like-minded people), try to meet some local friends as well. It will help you to understand the local culture better and be able to understand things from their perspective, be it culture, politics, etc. Definitely spend more time exploring different neighborhoods of Hong Kong rather than only sticking around in expat ghettos.

If you don’t know Cantonese, definitely try to learn.

In addition to exploring Hong Kong, please definitely try to travel around China and other parts of Asia. There are many exciting places in this part of the world and it will give you a deeper appreciation of what it means to be ethnic Chinese or Asian.

You can find Nathan on Facebook.

To view all interviews in this series, visit the ABC in HK tag here at Artists on the Lam or my latest stories on Medium.