Wanting to learn more facts and information about Hong Kong? China Mike has you covered with this article that will answers some questions you may have. OPIUM ADDICTION Until the British started importing opium, foreign trade with China was severely one-way. The European traders couldn’t get enough tea, silk, and porcelain. However, the Chinese were […]
HONG KONG HISTORY FOR DUMMIES | PART 3
THE EARLY COLONIAL PERIOD: A NEW COLONY Building on the new colony starts fast and furiously. Fifty lots along the northern frontage of the island—later to become Queen’s Road—were snapped up, many by hongs who would soon move their business operations from Canton and Macau. The settlement was called Queen’s Town, later renamed Victoria. Unexpectedly, […]
HONG KONG HISTORY FOR DUMMIES | PART 4
Wanting to learn more facts and information about Hong Kong? China Mike has you covered with this article that will answers some questions you may have. HONG KONG IN THE 20TH CENTURY During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the colony developed rapidly becoming a magnet for immigrants and center for trade with Chinese […]
HONG KONG HISTORY FOR DUMMIES | PART 5
NEGOTIATING THE RETURN TO CHINA By the early 1980s, Hong Kong was dominated by the issue of its return to China. 1982: Margaret Thatcher’s visit to Beijing in 1982 formally starts the discussion of what would happen to Hong Kong after the 99-year lease on the New Territories expired. Meanwhile, China develops Shenzhen, a small […]
The History of Defending the Great Wall of China | China Mike
Describing a more strategic approach to defending the Chinese empire against their northern neighbors, a Song Dynasty historian wrote: “Our Chinese infantrymen are at their best in obstructing strategic passes, while the barbarian cavalrymen are at their best on the flatlands. Let us resolutely stand on guard (at the strategic passes) and not dash off […]
Hong Kong Attractions | What to see & do in Hong Kong
Check out any Hong Kong guidebook or website and you’ll probably find a long list of tourist attractions and experiences. It can be too much to digest. It’s true that there’s a lot to do and see in the area. But the good news is that, geographically, the HK area is compact (for example, most […]