i mentioned the 1967 riot because it illustrated exactly the point - hong kong people are not indifferent to their predicament created by colonial ruler (the kowto accusation) and the large influx of refugees from china. it was exactly the riot, a overdue wake-up call for both the rule and the ruled, the colonial governemnt started a chain of changes after a reasonable thorough post-mortem. instead of just 'give the ruled basic food and shelter' of an exploding population, the ruler was forced to address the systemic corruption plaguing the whole society by setting the ICAC. the ruler then started a series of 'social engineering/educational' projects like "shame the litterbug","queuing up for public services instead of bribing your way in"..........

give credit where credit is due, the changes bore fruit and hong kong still enjoys the benefit of such changes.

".....ordered and implemented gargantuan landfill projects in Wanchai & Central and auctioned them as the last major act of rape on HK's landscape and coffers before packing up for home. Is that the freedom in real estate you are referring to?....."

Land supply in Hong Kong was restricted to 50 hectares (ha) per annum according to the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984. it is the fact. interesting, isnt it? where the auction money went? in the hong kong government coffer and the book is still there for inspection if you wish. did the brit took any that home? give me the figures, please.:-)))))

aiyaryarr,
justice is subjective. people will obviously prefer to see themselves as the good guys. let's not mention that 'Colonialism can be equated with slavery'... someone might bring up the Tibet issue.

it's funny that you say that its the HK people who have issues with their history. i have a number of HK friends (of various ages and backgrounds) and they're just happy to be part of that great and multicultural society. even when i've questioned some of them on the issue, they really couldn't care less. they have a great country (or SAR if you like) and are certainly not living in the "stinking, mosquito- infested swamp" that HK (in particular the area now known as Happy Valley) was up until the British arrived.

if you're unable to debate with people holding an opinion different from your own then you will understandably feel like you are "pissing against the wind".

back on topic, Gaoxing was an idiot when he was in kunming and little appears to have changed. Gaoxing, if you even cared about this amazing girl and were so kindly taken in by her family, why aren't you still with her?!

Debaser and Rejected Goods, thank you for bringing some sense to the proceedings. Reading Gaoxing and aiyaryarr's posts, i was beginning to think the world had gone mad.

But seriously, i also have friends from Hong Kong, who i got in contact with after reading aiyaryarr's overly long posts above. And they basically said the same. They don't understand where aiyaryarr is coming from. They hold no grudge towards the British, and they certainly don't superficially kowtow to Caucasians, which they actually found quite offensive. And aiyaryarr's views on self censorship in Hong Kong they found laughable. As they did with his prediction of future universal suffrage to choose the Hong Kong chief executive (or the Chinese Governor, as they cheekily call him).

Hybrid
A "couple of friends" does not a population, culture, or useful sampling size make. The basic issue is HK was ceded to the British as a result of the UK (and other western nations, including the USA) marketing, selling, and promoting the terminal (sic you die from) addiction and heavy use of the extremely addictive and dangerous narcotic, opium, in China. The entire event is a period of national shame for all Chinese all over the world, as both a race and a nation, as the western nations attacked China both as a nation and as a race.

As for GX - while I don't agree with his oat sowing on a budget and related rants of frustration - that doesn't mean we should engage in name-calling just because he's at a different place in life, unless the community is trying to bait him back into a flame war.

It's extremely difficult to write short blogs as English can so easily be interpreted or misinterpreted in a variety of ways, depending on each individual's perspective. As one ages, one discovers that there really is no right and no wrong - just differing opinions based on different social backgrounds.

I'm sure the british and other western powers felt utterly justified in plying the opium narcotic drug trade in China to offset their massive trade imbalance, caused by their domestic consumers excessive purchase preferences for exotic China-sourced goods. Their resultant looting and pillaging of the imperial palace and the near utter destruction of one of the great wonders of the world - the YuanMingYuan, as a result of a failed rebellion against drug-dealing foreign nations (assisted by corrupt chinese officials) was equally justified for obvious reasons. This is actually a resurgence of the issue the USA is facing right now, only in a different form. This time around - China (aka Hu JinTao et al) are much more careful regarding trade imbalances and are trying to balance the trade deficits to something manageable for all.

That GX suffers from yellow-fever is not a crime. How he manifests that desire may be somewhat immature, depending on the conditions - but it's also another opportunity to share cultures - both the pleasant and the unpleasant and muse at the follies of youth, searching for his Nirvana - which he apparently found.

In actuality, I have to give GX some kudos - he had a dream/desire/fantasy and he acted on it and kept looking until he satisfied his fantasy/dream/goal. Aside from the expats here - how many westerners would jump up and travel to a foreign country where he can barely communicate, much less read a sign, to seek and actually discover his dream - prurient issues aside.

GX has gumption, huevos, whatever - he's definitely not lazy when focused. That's why I encouraged him to focus that talent on something constructive, instead of relegating him to the imbecile dungeon.

laotou, are you drunk? did you even think before you typed? your typically 'harmonious' rantings are becoming tiresome. FFS... change the track.

laotou:

Thanks for kudos. I am glad you are one of the few people that somewhat understands my line of thinking and my drive.

Yes, I did complain about Kunming a lot and I still have some "beef" with that city, but for the most part I am over it. I am also fully aware that some of my comments may seem out of place, but I like to voice my opinion on this forum. I guess it's a way to let everyone know my feelings.

And yes, I still have "yellow fever." I will always have an interest in Asian women. I think my yellow fever started when I was a young kid during puberty. I remember going to a Chinese buffet with my parents and seeing these beautiful Asian women and from that moment on, I was hooked. I like Asian women because they are slim, intelligent, beautiful, hard working (well, some are), strong, and they are family orientated.

If I had to do it over again, I probably wouldn't have traveled to Kunming. I would have probably gone to Chengdu or maybe even skipped China altogether. Maybe I would have gone to South Korea or Japan. Who knows.

Laotou, just because you are obsessed with the Opium Wars, doesn't mean the people of Hong Kong are as well. And if you are so against the selling of dangerous addictive drugs, then why come to Yunnan, the largest traders of cigarettes in the country. More people have died, are dying and will die from smoke related deaths in China then ever did from opium. Not to mention the fact that it is so socially acceptable to smoke here, leading to even more deaths through passive smoking.

And as for the summer palace, didn't the Chinese burn down and loot Kublai Khan's summer palace (Xanadu, or Shangdu), which was also one of the great wonders of the world, so great in fact, that it is mentioned in Samuel Coleridge's excellent poem 'Kubla Khan'?

Also, if you want to read something about what was going through the minds of the soldiers who took part in the Yuanmingyuan burning, then look up 'the Parkes Party' or 'the Parkes delegation'. You won't find it in any Chinese sources i am sure, but you will find it in more neutral places.

happy new year of the rabbit!

it is hard to remain silent on opium war......etc.
i think it is about relevance. if you could establish a credible link then use the opium war by all means. but when you say specific issues, like the "ability" of the new government manages in widening the gap between the rich and the poor..., things that are not socially desirable...etc, are a result of things happened in the past, then it is perhaps the time to go for a walk and breath some fresh air. :-)

OK...since you guys specifically asked...

Hybrid
I'm obsessed with lots of things that have value. The Opium War revealed much about how the international community responded to a massive trade imbalance with China, albeit over a century ago - it wasn't pretty, but history's repeating itself. Thanks for the Coleridge reference - I'll see if I can wade thru it.

As for China's history - I use history to understand the past, present, and future state of the economy and how foreign influence may affect the economics as it relates to current and future projects - geo-political economics and finance. This is part of the process to qualify and quantify (using best efforts) foreign and domestic political risk. We try to personify nations to understand their culture so we can generally predict their behavior. It's a rather depressing business activity as national cultures are rather droll, in that they mature (or not) very slowly.

As for GX, I used the opium war to demonstrate that even in the midst of such an enduring incendiary topic - there is always room to at least try to see the other side's perspective. I see that the Opium War was caused by a massive trade imbalance. I don't have to like or dislike the response of either party - just understand it. I also see that today - those very same governments have not changed much in character - but that's just my personal opinion.

GX was blunt and brutally honest about his prurient mission in KM. Aside from a chronic case of raging hormones and a sulky attitude - I tried to see the exploitable part of GX and communicate with GX at that level. If poon is what motivates him - then use that to motivate him to focus on a career that will enable him to pursue his asian fever poon. As GX matures - his friends and co-workers will eventually marry, start families - this will work to channel his poon hobby into more domesticated interests. Hopefully GX will find his asian fever dream - treat her well and poon her to the exclusion of all other eye-candy.

To me - GX is typical of the vast horde of young American GIs fresh out of boot camp and on their first foreign tour - raging hormones etc. I gave GX the same advice I'd give any GI without commenting on the intelligence of centuries old tradition - if the well's dry - quit whining about it and move on. I also gave him advice to channel his energy into a career that would enable him to pursue his hobby. As GX matures - perhaps his logic will finally overcome his hormones and he can pursue things of lasting value.

I go out of my way to be left alone while drinking coffee and practising my second hand smoke kung fu. But the gokm blogs make it easy to help out without expending energy or time. To practice hospitality and courtesy and to occasionally share comments - without diving into personal attacks, mixed with vigorous debate.

Debate keeps us sharp. Personal attacks (e.g. laotou - you traitorous moronic imbecile ... yada yada) - well - they get my attention - but only because I read the responses more carefully from a psycho-analytical perspective to build a quick profile of the author, so I can "see from their perspective".