Hong Kong is always in the news.
England gained control of this island after the first Opium Wars in 1842 and part of the mainland after the Second Opium War in 1860. England was forcing China to buy opium.
It started as a military outpost and rapidly became the main British trading post for the Pacific. It remained under British control until 1997 when it was ceded back to the Chinese on the condition that it would remain a commercial outpost for 50 years.
Hong Kong was settled by Chinese displaced from many areas of China particularly from the frontier such as the Hakka. There were also some Tanka settlers.
The current political environment is always a contest between the Communist Central government and the commercial people in Hong Kong and the mainland, Kowloon, who want more commercial independence.
I visited Hong Kong many times from 1970 until 1990. My first memory was from the early 1970’s on the island of Hong Kong which was already a colossal finance center with many skyscrapers.
I walked leisurely around the poorer part of south end Hong Kong. I saw a line of a dozen women walking at a slow pace with one arm on the shoulder of the woman in front of her. I asked my knowledgeable friends about this.
These were blind prostitutes from a local brothel out for some sunshine and fresh air. I had to deal with the idea that blind women would be perfect prostitutes because they would not be judgmental about the male clients appearance.
Now you, my readers, who never heard of this have to confront the morality of that issue.