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TOTAL LICENSING
My Note: I have HONG KONG’S EMPLOYMENT Maybe, however, we should now delve a little
to agree, Beijing PICTURE: SALARIES, AND further into the history of this unique place that
Airport was OPPORTUNITIES now is neither China, nor the West, so that we
terrific, smooth can understand it better. It has already been so
and fast. many things in its comparatively short life.
SUPER SPEED, HISTORY
ECONOMIC Back in 1661 the new Chinese Qing Dynasty
PROGRESS decided that it was time to eliminate the pirate
BRINGS A PRICE! nests that occupied a barren unnamed strip of
rocks at the south China coast in Guangdong
POLLUTION BEFORE THE
(Canton) province. Some few thousand Chi-
OLYMPICS
nese lived on land and manned the pirate ships.
The Qings decided to lay waste to the area to
It’s 40 times worse than the famous smog in
deprive the pirates of their land bases by forci-
Los Angeles. Estimate of Beijing deaths due
bly moving all inhabitants some fifty Li (17 miles)
to air pollution, 25,000 per year. Quantity
inland. The new alien Manchu dynasty feared
of cars on Beijing’s roads: 3.3 million. Pre
these pirates as partisans of the preceding Ming
Olympic adjustments to improve the problem:
Dynasty that they had replaced. They consid-
ered this Guangdong district at the edge of their
• China spent 17 billion dollars, shut down
empire, a lawless and unruly region.
200 plants and factories, temporarily
closed 1,000 coal mines and 144
Pirate leaders changed with the generations, but
gas stations.
the most famous family was named Zheng. They
dominated the South China Sea until the last
• Beginning July 20th, half of the city’s
1700’s. Finally, in 1810, the Qing Dynasty made
automobiles are banned for the duration
peace by granting amnesty to the Zhengs and
of the games. Many Western athletes
gave them official recognition by ap-
are training outside of Beijing to the
pointing them to government offic-
last minute, fearful of the effect on their
es. The local government in Guang-
lungs under strenuous conditions.
dong never toed the Qing political
line and always made its own policy.
• Present estimate at opening is that
It even gave sanctuary many years
pollution has been cut by 40%.
later, under different circumstances,
(quoted from The Week, August 1, 2008.)
to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen who toppled the,
by then, weakened empire and be-
came the professorial “father of the
republic” with his teachings.
MORE ECOLOGICAL FACTS ABOUT
CHINA The best harbor on this unnamed
island group was Hong Kong (Xiang-
•16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are gang – incense harbor).
in China
• China produces one third of the world’s Whereas the incense trees did not survive,
garbage of which only 10% is recycled and some 4300 land based Chinese did continue to
an estimated 7 billion tons of trash remains live there as counted by the British in a Brit-
untreated in landfills. ish 1841 survey. The Guangzhou based Chi-
• More than 70% of China’s rivers are con- nese businessmen and also the British opium
taminated and have a billion of its people lack traders were very interested in that empty spit
access to drinkable water. of land with the excellent harbor and Britain’s
(quoted from The Week, August 1, 2008.)
HELLO HONG KONG!
merchant adventurers did what was a common
habit of the time – in all newly opened regions
Now that we have landed at Lantau’s modern
of the world – they advertised glowing descrip-
new airport, which shares it’s remote island with
tions of new lands and made fortunes selling
Disneyland, we realized that there’s much more
Well, now my readers, if you are not tired yet.
the real estate to all willing comers and get rich
to Hong Kong than big city metropolis. There is
Let’s rush away to the real topic of this column.
quick gamblers. (Remember the opening of In-
green, there are super highways, tunnels, over-
donesia by the Dutch East India Company or, for
passes, metropolitan transit rail lines, and traffic
instance, the conquest of the American West),
jams.
THE SAR OF HONG KONG (SPECIAL
ADMINISTRATIVE REGION)
It was written “of all the harbors in this part of
I, for one, remember and miss the excitement
China, this is the best! Let the (British) Lion de-
of a big jet plane swooping in at some 200 feet
To prepare ourselves suitably, let us read a few
clare it to be, under his guarantee, a free port!.”
or less over high rise roof tops to suddenly
pertaining economic and social newspaper
drop into the middle of neon signs and come
clippings:
In the manner of the times as well, the traders
to a hair-raising stop at Hong Kong’s waterfront
pioneered, petitioned, and the Crown followed.
short runway “Old Airport”.
172
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