Much has been made of the generational divide within this city. The young, we are told, relate to life differently. They are insensitive to many values, such as pragmatism and respect that are the bedrock on which their parents built their lives. We are told that the young are radical, idealistic, lazy and irresponsible; and that they are spoiled and unappreciative. Indeed there is a generational divide in this city, and it is far more complex than this.

Let me begin by cautioning against such a generalization. Hong Kong is a city of such diverse communities that it would be wrong to categorize the post-80s generation by one stereotype. This is a point worth stressing as Hong Kong becomes increasingly divided, both socially and economically.

The varied lifestyles this city supports have become more distinct, and the gap between maturing youth and experienced older people has widened. But let us not forget the sharp divide among the young. There is the young politically active "troublemaker" and the materialistic corporate ingenue, both of whom represent differing realities in this city. However, while these differences are increasingly pronounced, there remain a few common threads which unite this generation.

Regardless of their backgrounds, there is almost always a deep respect for family. It is a respect that pushes many young people to allow their careers to be defined by their parents. Personal happiness is so tied up with familial happiness that many are prepared to sacrifice their own wishes to please their family; to block their own sense of values and individual identity to play the role of the good son or daughter.

One of the most revealing experiences I have had has been at the homes of young political activists. The scene will be familiar to those who have watched the classic comedy series 'Til Death Do Us Part - a staunchly conservative patrician presides over the household, and his politics are based on headlines and a disinterest in the details of whatever events are currently happening. His sons and daughters, liberal, educated and more worldly, tolerate his ignorance. But where the show finds fizzle and spark from these political differences, in Hong Kong homes it seems that politics are avoided. Often parents either do not know the political leanings of their children, or are too ill-informed to understand or too apathetic to care.

The generational divide is not grounded in disrespect. Hong Kong's young people are not all spoiled, and those who are are no more spoiled than others brought up in similar circumstances across the border. Most are not lazy, but work exceptionally hard at school. But after graduation they find themselves having to compete in an economy that no longer provides the same opportunities for advancement available a generation before.

Though there are obvious differences between the generations as global values move towards placing a greater emphasis on social justice, how the post-80s generation differs is not so much in what they value as to how they understand these values. It is here that we see a stark generational divide.

Immigrant parents, struggling to survive in a new place and among new people, define temporary or transitional homes. But their children, raised knowing only one home, define their sense of home and self by this city alone. Pragmatic communities thrown together a generation ago have, with a new generation, evolved into local communities with more roots. Between the generations, the bonds that tie people to a place and to its people have changed.

It is not politics that is driving the post-80s to increasingly have a Hong Kong identity rather than a Chinese one. It is a growing realization that their identity as Chinese is itself locally defined. They are a generation for whom the Chinese identity has itself been defined to them within the context of Hong Kong. They are not radical anarchists but patriots, loyal to what they understand.

A week ago my father asked me whether I would consider leaving Hong Kong if this city became a place I could no longer call home. I told him that Hong Kong is my home, not only as a place to live but where I can feel a sense of belonging to the community. If I were forced to leave it would be as a refugee. It was a perspective my father accepts, but does not comprehend.

To me Hong Kong is not merely people or a place, or a scene in my life - I am part of its soul. Hong Kong shapes my understanding of myself, it gives a context to all that I know and motivation to all that I do. It makes me who I am. I may share my father's concerns, but I relate to these concerns differently. I am, after all, of another generation.

The author is a Eurasian essayist, poet and playwright and the fourth generation of his family to call Hong Kong home.

(HK Edition 08/13/2014 page9)