HONG KONG AS A MULTICULTURAL CITY Whenever people mention Hong Kong in the context of its position on the global front, they always talk about a colonial city that has made its way through post-colonization and successfully established itself as a world-famous city. Or they talk about how it has recognized itself as a world-class city by excelling economically and becoming a major international financial center. However, people hardly associate Hong Kong with being a multicultural city. Why is this so? Is it because Hong Kongers are more likely to promote traditional culture than diversity? Or is it because multiculturalism creates more tension among residents than brotherhood? Through this article I would like to explore Hong Kong from the perspective of being a multicultural city, building on how colonization established multiculturalism in Hong Kong and leading to how multiculturalism influences Hong Kong as a global city, in today's world. But before we explore multiculturalism through Hong Kong eyes, we need to understand what multiculturalism really means. Multiculturalism can be defined descriptively or normatively. In a descriptive sense, multiculturalism can be defined as the mere survival of a heterogeneous group of people, in a specific regional context (Webster's Dictionary). While the Princeton dictionary defines multiculturalism, in the normative sense, as the establishment of certain rules and policies in order to promote peaceful and equal coexistence between various cultural groups, in a single country. Hong Kong definitely meets the criteria of being a descriptive multicultural city. But it meets the norm…middle of the paper…from the perspective of a multicultural city, it doesn't. To be a world-class city it must establish itself as a strong multicultural city that respects all its citizens, regardless of gender, color, class and age (Sung, 2013). Hong Kong must reassure the world that it will treat tourists and immigrants with respect and that their safety and well-being will be taken into account. With the growing global competition to become the “best” city, it is vital that the government and citizens of Hong Kong understand the importance of having collaborative working groups. Hong Kong must come to terms with the fact that promoting multiculturalism will not necessarily cause it to lose ground on its cultural identity (Sung, 2013). If Hong Kong wants to be recognized on a global platform, it must broaden the definition of Hong Konger (Sung, 2013