In areas where tourists go, you'll get Mandarin as the service language as default if it's not completely obvious that you're from Hong Kong.

You think? I work at a global firm's Hong Kong office, with clients all over the world. There are about 50 people in the office. Everybody speaks English, of course, from native to pretty proficient. I'd say there are maybe half dozen people in the office who don't speak any Mandarin at all, but the most prevalent native language spoken in our office is Mandarin.

I wouldn't dream of hiring a junior person who didn't speak Mandarin, and even for a senior hire not speaking Mandarin is always a meaningful demerit. And I should know, as I've done most of the hiring.

The times of the fat, ignorant, beer-drinking gweilo FILTH who could drop in from their colonial outposts and run the show are over. As much as I don't like the idea, Mandarin is a necessary evil in Hong Kong business these days.

I'm not sure if I have "the look". I was in Singapore last year for work and eating dinner at the airport with a group where I was the only "asian-looking" one. All the staff seemed to be speaking Cantonese to each other. One of the waiters walked directly to me and asked me a question in Mandarin. I had wondered why he assumed that I spoke Mandarin. I had been speaking English to my co-workers the entire time. I assumed because Mandarin is more prevalent over there.

English alone is perfectly sufficient in Hong Kong unless you visit some local small store ran by a single elderly owner and you cannot communicate what you need by pointing, then you may have to break out your Mandarin!

One time I was in a taxi and I thought I would make it easy for the driver and told him in Cantonese that I need to go to 港麗酒店. The guy thought for a second.. and then said in perfect English with the British Accent, "Conrad Hotel?"

address Cantonese speaker in Mandarin --> Cantonese speaker either replies in Cantonese or speaks Mandarin in a way that will be obvious to both parties that they should switch to Mandarin
address Mandarin speaker in Cantonese --> Mandarin speaker may, especially in a touristy area, wonder why the staff are not being more accommodating to tourists.

Actually, I think the majority of the older generation can speak English pretty well (at least the phrases needed to do business). English education isn't stressed as much in anticipation of and after the introduction of Mandarin in schools.

I can only speak for my own profession (corporate law), but I have consistently heard that you basically have to speak Mandarin to get a job in HK these days, unless you have a diamond-studded solid gold resume that sh*ts rainbows. Pretty much every job there involves a lot of mainland transactions, mainland clients, or both.

Yea, that's pretty much how it goes.

It is, in hk. Not to mention that those who speak putonghua(ordinary language, as opposed to mandarin, which is spoken in tw officially) either screws up the social benefit system or screws up the city economy. Hence being rightly mistreated.

Some things never change...

Can't you get someone to take that chip off your shoulder?

I'm a little late to this conversation but thoroughly enjoyed reading the wide variety of responses. I was born in HK but went stateside early so don't speak Cantonese. But I do speak Mandarin. In the 40 plus years of traveling back/forth -- either for pleasure or business, I've seen a transformation in the local environment.

Back in the late 70's/early 80's when Taiwan opened up travel to China via HK, many of the retail areas [especially the jewelry shops!] learned quickly to speak mandarin. Behind the tourists back, they'd snicker but happily count the cash rolling in. Elsewhere you had to rely on Cantonese and even English was not as wide-spread as it is now.

Post turn-over, once travel from China opened up, this dramatically changed. Now Mandarin is a must secondary language - almost on equal status to English. Some 30-40 million tourists visit last year, and 80% from China....

As an example, I have a son who has lived in HK the past 7 yrs and recently just got his "citizenship/passport". He speaks English, Mandarin and shame on him - not a word of Cantonese, except how to understand mini-bus driver directions/instructions ;)

If you're not Asian, any language skill is appreciated, whether in Cantonese or Mandarin. If you're Asian, they will always speak to you in Chinese. IMHO

It depends what field you're in. I'm in banking and there have been relatively few Mandarin speakers in the two global banks I've worked for in HK. The language of business is English unless dealing with the mainland (even with Taiwan, English is often used) and the lingua franca in the office is generally Cantonese. In my current office, we speak a mixture of French, English and Cantonese. No Mandarin at all. However, staff are offered lessons in Mandarin so it's clear that's the way things are going. I rarely hear Mandarin in a business context but there are plenty of mainland tourists in HK aggravating the locals and generally being unpopular. I'd suggest the OP sticks to English as Mandarin isn't particularly popular with many of the HKers due to what they view as the mainland "invasion". You'll get better service/help by speaking English.

Don't take it personally. How's the rugby? Nice downpour yesterday, eh?

I have the same experience whenever I visit the HK branch of my bank. Cantonese and English in the office. English with clients unless they're from China. Locals despise the mainlanders and their mood typically sours if you start conversing with them in mandarin. If you can't speak Cantonese, you're better off with English (unless you can pull off the rich mainlander look).

Though I said up-thread that I was admonished (yes, I'm Caucasian) for speaking Mandarin in other parts of the world, in Hong Kong, generally in the New Territories, I haven't always had a choice. However, the other party is usually more appreciative than any other adjective, and I at least thank him/her in Cantonese.