The official Hong Kong response to the case of the urinating child, delivered by a flummoxed secretary of commerce, was to "help educate mainlanders of good manners".
Many Hong Kongers accuse the well-heeled mainlanders of driving up the price of real estate — an odd charge, indeed, given that the speculative flipping of apartments seems to be encoded into everyone's DNA in the S.A.R. (Meanwhile, it is widely believed here that mainlanders are worried about the social and political stability of China and are using Hong Kong real estate to park their money).
Before the private jet set arrive for a little R&R on these storied and pricey islands every summer and fall, most hotels offer weekend deals to entice mainlanders of all stripes.
Conflict was rekindled on Bougainville beginning in late 1988, when a number of disputes arose over environmental damage caused by mining, perceptions of racism in the mining industry, the large numbers of mainlanders on the island, and the distribution of mineral revenues among landowners.
Clips of mainlanders on Hong Kong's MTR subway system eating food or fighting with local commuters have periodically surfaced online, sparking public anger.
Okinawans reacted with revulsion, saying comments like this were symptomatic of mainlanders' view of them.
According to Ian Hutton, a naturalist, photographer and tour operator from Lord Howe Island, the "no" voters seem to be motivated by a mix of suspicion of mainlanders, a distrust of government and a legitimate concern about the possible unintended consequences of the intense use of poisons required to wipe out vermin in one fell swoop.
This traditional Hawaiian meal — validated as fine fare by the president-elect when he proclaimed his longing for one during a vacation in Oahu last summer — might be poised to enter the consciousness of mainlanders in all of its fatty, greasy deliciousness.
At public meetings Uamsho supporters have called for foreigners to be expelled.With more than a third of Zanzibaris living in poverty, many blame wabara, Tanzanian mainlanders, some of whom are Christian, for taking jobs and eroding traditional beliefs.
Everyone I knew hummed the hits of Hong Kong pop idols and gawked at the city's skyline in films, but we understood that, as mainlanders, few of us would ever be permitted to see the Fragrant Harbor ourselves.
"I have a few bad experiences with mainlanders — most of them have to do with them jumping queues or being rude," said Tai Wing-yi, a student at Hong Kong Baptist University.
