Miss Hong Kong hopeful’s viral video highlights the struggle of learning Cantonese
Mainland contestant’s attempt to speak Cantonese sparked criticism as she talked about the difficulties of learning the local language.
A video of a young woman from mainland China auditioning for the Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant has gone viral among Cantonese speakers. In the video, the contestant struggles to say “tomato sauce” and “beef brisket noodles” in Cantonese. Some viewers criticised her on social media, and asked why she applied to become Miss Hong Kong if she cannot speak Cantonese. But the video also highlighted the differences between Mandarin, the official language of mainland China, and Cantonese, which is predominant in Hong Kong and Guangdong province. It shows how difficult it can be for someone fluent in one to learn the other.