Growing up in the third culture
He speaks Cantonese. He has a Chinese name, Kwan Ho-yin, on his Hong Kong Identity Card. He knows a lot about Chinese culture and history. He witnessed Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997. He is no different from most Hong Kongers. Except that he is white.
Christopher Mellen came to Hong Kong as a teenager with his family in 1994. Having spent 15 years in Hong Kong, he is more comfortable with calling Hong Kong instead of America home. His sister has married a Hong Kong Chinese and his brother has married a mainland Chinese.
“Basically my whole family has adopted the culture of Hong Kong and China,” Christopher said. “It’s truly great to be in Hong Kong and understand the language, the culture and be able to interact with the people.”
Christopher is the first white guy doing Cantonese stand-up comedy in Hong Kong. He talks mostly about the cultural differences between the Hong Kongers and Americans during his show.
photos: courtesy of Christopher Mellen
