Hong Kong English/Cantonese (XXXVIII)

The Late Queen Elizabeth II Was Not a Queen in Hongkongers’ Hearts

She was something else

The internet memes claiming that the Queen Elizabeth II is immortal are disproved.

A lot of Hongkongers join the UK in mourning the end of the second Elizabethan era. The late Queen visited her colony a few times and photographs of her visiting the city have been spreading over the internet locally for years, and we can still see in some plaques that she officially opened some important venues.

Many of us commemorate her characteristics as a pillar in the treacherous ocean. Her calmness, liveliness and adaptiveness will be remembered for generations. Losing the second longest reigning monarch in human history is like having a void in our hearts — something is gone while it isn’t. It is displaced, but we will remember it, forever and always, while it gets replaced.

Hongkongers loved how Her Late Majesty treated us like one of the most precious jewels of hers and how close she was physically with us when she made visits in the Orient.

We were also so emotionally attached to her that calling her “the Queen” was still too distant.

During the reign of the late queen, Hong Kong grew from agriculture and fishery based to industries based to eventually commerce based before the handover in 1997. Working hard, earning money and improving the standards of living were the core value of the city back then. Therefore, we simply regarded ourselves as workers.

Like any companies, we were theoretically working for somebody — the boss. And the boss should be the head of the company. In this metaphor, we were all just workers in a subsidiary of a company called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

So the boss can be the head of the subsidiary (i.e. the Governor of Hong Kong), but wasn’t because ultimately this should be the head of the mother company, which is the head of state (i.e. the British monarch)*.

Therefore, that was Queen Elizabeth II who was the boss in this metaphorical corporation. And so Hongkongers usually called her the “boss lady” (事頭婆, Jyutping: si6 tau4 po4) as she was the person in charge, not her husband.

And so I never heard anyone called Prince Philip 事頭 (Jyutping: si6 tau2), the male equivalent of "boss". Maybe King George VI got this nickname? I don't know. I am too young to know.

The Boss Lady herself was a legend, who was in charge for just over 70 years. She took the baton in her twenties. She held the corporation from falling apart during her time. She gained reputation from all around the globe. She dedicated her whole life to serve the corporation.

She became the figurehead of the corporation. Now that she passed away, everyone is mourning for her passing. And the baton has passed.

We, Hongkongers, know the successor. He made a speech in front of us before having to give away this subsidiary. He is more mature and aged now than he last visited the former subsidiary. I think we would still wish the new boss all the best even though I don’t think we would call him the boss as we are now out of the corporation.

The Boss Lady will live forever in our hearts.

God save the King.

Note:

*Whether the head of state of the UK should be the monarch or not, I suggest you take a look at Jay Foreman’s Politics Unboringed on YouTube.

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