China 200 years ago

Being raised in Hong Kong, I wonder why we did not learn much on how Hong Kong was ceded to the Brits as a result of the Opium Wars about 200 years ago.

It started when Manchurians conquered China. The Chinese general was frustrated with the rebels who captured his woman and opened the gate of the Great Wall for the Manchurians.

Chinese emperor showed the Brits that his empire had everything and there was no need to trade with their inferior products for China's silk, porcelain and tea, which had the highest quality. The Brits found they had opium grown in India.

Imagine a nation pushing drugs, and use their military might to enforce drug trade openly!!!!!!

After these wars, China was semi colonized and was bankrupt with silver tales being shipped away. The summer palace was burned down in 3 days and 3 nights and all the loots can be found in London and Paris's museums today. They're still loots no matter how many times they have been changed hands. Shame on them for not returning the loots back to China. When you're in China, visit the ruins of the burned down summer palace which is not too far away from the other summer palace.

The emperor ignored the industrial revolution in the west and the powerful canons/iron ships. If Cheng Ho had traveled further west to Europe (his ships were many times bigger than Columbus's), then the Chinese would not be that eccentric.

It demonstrates that if we do not move ahead, others will. Saying Chinese are inferior just shows our ignorance and history will repeat itself but with the roles reversed.

Victoria was not the only one to blame as the Parliament had debated for at least a day. Come to think about it. China suffered first from British Empire and then the Japanese Empire. Today the royal families are just parasites of societies.

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Be fair to the Brits, they did provide stability to HK and it was one of the several pillars that HK was prosperous. The other pillars all have to do with its closeness to China.

I benefited the most by avoiding China's problems in 50s and 60s.