This article focuses on the right of abode movement that emerged in Hong Kong soon after the 1997 handover to China. Collective action was taken by thousands of mainland-born people with Hong Kong parents to fight for the right of abode in Hong Kong. The political and legal implications of the right-of-abode issue had been widely examined in the media and academic world. This article offers another angle to the issue by exploring why mainland-born people with Hong Kong parents sacrificed their work, studies and lives in mainland China to fight for the right of abode in Hong Kong. In-depth interviews conducted with 14 mainland-born right of abode seekers shed light on the construction of collective identity and the relationship between collective identity and individual identity among movement participants.
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