On the way to our Mekong Cruise in Vietnam and Cambodia, we stopped in Hong Kong for a day and a half. For me it was a return after 45 years, since I visited there for a week in 1970 on R&R from Vietnam with three close friends from my command. We hired a guide and tried to go beyond the soaring buildings, seeking vestiges of the traditional Chinese culture and the century as a British Crown Colony.
We spent time in temples, cruised Aberdeen Bay in a sampan, visited the traditional shops and markets of the city and, of course, rode the tram to the top of Victoria’s peak to see the vistas and today’s skyline.
The residents of Hong Kong are, to me, more educated, stylish and industrious than the average Chinese mainland citizen. Their culture has been shaped by centuries as an important trade port, as an interface with the Western world, and as a British Crown Colony for 99 years. It is today a major financial center, “a dream of Manhattan arising from the South China Sea”.
The recent demonstrations and near riots rebelling against the imposition of the Chinese Communist government reflect a resistance and rejection of the imposition of Communist rule instead of representative government. It will be interesting to see how this struggle plays out over time.
I consider myself lucky to have seen Hong Kong decades ago on leave from Vietnam when it was a British colony and naval base. I have a slideshow from that visit. If you are interested, that slideshow is further down in my collection on this website.
