Redefining the value structure of college students in Hong Kong and the mainland of China

Research and the theory of historical and dialectical materialism suggest that tradition and modes of production shape the structure of individuals’ values. Corresponding ideologies of modes of production, namely, socialism, capitalism, and feudalism correspond to value factors of Chinese people. A study of 1,221 college students from China and 1,174 from college students from Hong Kong provided a test of the proposed 3-factor structure defining socialist/Confucian, capitalist, and feudalist values. Confirmatory factor analysis verified its validity. The 3-factor structure was also more theoretically, methodologically, and empirically adequate than Bond’s (1988) conceptualization of Chinese values. In addition, indifference in levels of the three values between students in Mainland China and Hong Kong reflected the students’ common orientation to Chinese culture.