Trade
Introductuion
Hong Kong, the pearl of Asia has been the center of trade and finance in Asia since the early 20th century. In a short history of about 150 years, Hong Kong has become the source of growth for many nearby economies. In a certain sense, it can be even said that it is a merchant city founded and managed by businessmen. Traditional "hongs" or trade houses of Hong Kong were the pillars of the economy. Jardine Matheson and Hutchison were major hongs that led the economy and the Hong Kong & Shanghi Bank were the financier of these hongs and has today grown to become one of the largest bank in the world. These firms were the critical factors of the growth for Hong Kong's economy. Their role however has changed overtime. They are no longer the de facto leaders of Hong Kong as they were in the mid 1800's. Their role has diminished as Hong Kong grew to become more international, and the 1997 handover to the People's Republic of China has further altered their position. Some hongs that adapted well to the changing times prospered while others either went bankrupt or become stagnant. Background on Hong Kong Economy The territory of Hong Kong is located at the mouth of the Pearl River, a little southwest of the Guangdong Province of the PRC. Hong Kong was ceded to the British after the Opium War in 1842. Many believe that the British hongs were behind lobbying the British government into fighting the Chinese Government and the settlement of the island. Kowloon was annexed in 1860, and the New territories were leased for 99 years in 1898. In 1984, the British and the PRC government agreed that Hong Kong as a whole would return to Chinese soverienty in 1997. However, a system of one country two systems were also agreed upon where Hong Kong would retain its status as a free port, with it's laws remaining unchanged for 50 years. It's main emphasis is to preserve Hong Kong's laws and economic freedom, thus to enhance the position of Hong Kong as a economic center.
The Large British owned hongs were originally trade and warehouse companies established by the British in the early days of Hong Kong colonialism, they have since grown in to major commerical conglomerates. They hold interest in cargo handling, manufacturing, real estate, and even retailing. They are the engine of the Hong Kong economy. Since Britain took over the port city in 1842 to...
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...tory. Large landowners like Li may have had some losses but 1999 saw the economic prices and activities picking up again.
Many say that the worst is over and that recover is in process. Already land prices have recovered a lot of its losses during the 1997-8 period. The problem in the territory is more a political one. Many incidents have brought attention to the problem of implementing the "one country, two system" policy, which is fundamental in the Hong Kong Basic Law and which will guarntee the independent governing of Hong Kong. The main attraction that has made Hong Kong what it is today is it's efficiency and lassie faire approach of the government. If the mainland interferes too much in Hong Kong, it status will decline as the international free port city that has made it so prosperous.
Bibliography
Chan, Anthong B., Li Ka Shing, Hong Kong's Elusive Billionaire, Oxford University Press, 1996.
Clifford, Mark L, The Taipan's Last Chance, Businessweek, April 26, 1999.
Kraar, Louis, Inside Li Ka Shing's Empire, Fortune, March 29, 1999.
King, Frank H H, The History of the HongKong Shanghi Banking Coporation, 4 volumes (Cambridge University Press, 1987-91)
One of the most important aspects of imperialism is the take over of government. The English accomplished this in several ways. Some of the “Unfair Treaties” forced the Chinese to allow the English ships into their ports and to allow them to have a major role in the trade market. The English wanted tea, porcelain, and silk from china. The Chinese however didn’t want to gods the English offered in return. The English began trading opium in return for the goods. Although it was illegal, many of the money hungry merchants excepted the opium in return for the things that were valuable to the English. Because of this, the first Anglo-Chinese war erupted. China underestimated the power of England and was defeated. At the end of the war, they were forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing (1842). The treaty was one of the first treaties known as the “Unfair Treaties.” Under this treaty, china gave up the island of Hong Kong, abolished the licensed monopoly system of trade, granted English nationals exemption from Chinese laws, and agreed to give England whatever trading concessions that were granted to other countries then and later.
Hong Kong Reading - "The Book of the Year" Through imperialism, British rule encouraged industrialization and modernization which led to visible growth in the economy as the city is described as a trade center and important in manufacturing and banking, which suggests that the industries and businesses prospered. Additionally, the fear of Chinese rule suggests that businesses operated better under British rule, which shows how imperialism improved the lives of the people of Hong Kong compared to the government before imperial rule. The way that citizens of Hong Kong left the colony before it was returned to China further highlights the different effects of British rule and Chinese rule on the people, suggesting that British rule was preferred by the citizens of Hong Kong which is why they left rather than live under Chinese rule. This implies that the colonized people considered Great Britain’s imperialist rule to be better than the government before which was Chinese. This demonstrates that imperialism improved the lives of the colonized people because it helped the economy grow and prosper.
The imperial realms of East Asia before the 19th century were largely based on the theory that Asian countries were far better than their neighbors in the West. The nonchalant manner portrayed by East Asian countries towards western technology and culture led China to become unknowledgeable of the Western empires. As a result, China was astonishingly impacted by imperialism from Great Britain during the 1800’s. During the 18th century Great Britain had set up trade off the coast of the Chinese borders to trade British silver for China’s soft silks, fine porcelain, and strong teas. During this period Qing officials overlooked the foreign brokers. By the early 1800’s, however, Great Britain b...
The debate on storing animals in zoos became controversial, and I came to the final decision that animals do not deserve to live in zoos. Animals are meant to live in their natural habitat, just as humans thrive in their naturally industrialized environment. Living in captivity can also cause the animal’s lifespan to decrease, and it may be due to the failure to satisfy their emotional needs. Human interaction to wildlife and its animals is every expanding, and this probably makes manmade disasters the main cause of the transaction of wild animals from the wild to zoos. On the other hand, zoos have the potential to raise awareness and the support from public donations to fund animal conservation projects, but people do not need to physically see an animal provide their support. Since there are many solutions to this debate, there is no direct answer. From a wild animal’s point of view, humans may be seen as immoral beings with countless evil intentions. What they do not realize is that we have the potential to do good and make big, positive
British-Chinese Relations in the Nineteenth Century and Alicia Bewicke Little's Novel, A Marriage in China
...ns such as these: pay $6 million for all the lost opium to Britain, pay $3 million to merchants, free all British prisoners, make island of Hong Kong as a Britain colony, British would remove all soldiers and troops from ports, open five new trading ports, and opium still had to be traded. That was one really bitter downfall for China. They basically had to pay for their own war for a total of $21 million and opium was still traded not even stopped. I think by Britain making those conditions was an act of karma for China’s part. Once the five new trading ports opened, China was confined to learn how to trade with the rest of the world. That was how China became what it was today, rich, powerful, and large. Basically, it was a slap in the face for the British.
Boltz, William G. Lao tzu Tao te ching. In Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide, edited by Michael Loewe. Berkeley: University of California, 1993.
Throughout the years Britain had always tried to use the Chinese markets to their advantage. This is what was seen as the biggest and only cause towards starting the First Opium War. Although the British were gaining a profit from selling their own goods to Chinese consumers, they were not making enough to counter the massive amount of spending they were doing on Chines... ... middle of paper ... ...
Cheng, Nien. Life and Death in Shanghai. New York, New York: The Penguin Group, 1986.
For hundreds of years, eager visitors have journeyed to see animals from various parts of the Earth. Zoological institutions have been provided a place where both wild animals and humans can convene in a controlled manor. A zoo’s purpose is to conserve wild animals’ lives, educate visitors, and provide a site where wild life research can readily take place (Demartoto). Many hold a positive view on zoos. Some believe that zoological institutions provide a safe environment for animals and provide the animals with the best care. However, many find zoos to be guilty of stealing animals’ freedom and dignity. Animal welfare has become a major issue within zoological institutions. The question of whether or not zoos are actually
Since approximately 1250 B.C., ancient Egyptians had created and practiced the capture and display of animals in what are now known as zoos (Fravel). Records describe such exotic animals as birds, lions, giraffes, and tigers in captivity (Fravel). Since then, zoos have continued to entertain millions with the exciting chance to view exotic animals up close and personal. Even in ancient Greece, exotic animals were on display in fighting arenas, and in enclosed viewing areas. Originally in America, zoos were just created so that royalty and the wealthy could flaunt their exotic animals to the public (Leolupus). Today, with species threatened and habitats disappearing worldwide, zoos are serving a new purpose other than the mere exhibition of animals – conservation. (Fravel). When you think of a zoo, you either think of a fun, entertaining place that provides close-up and exciting exhibits of wild animals that you would otherwise never get the chance to see, or a place where people keep suffering, unhappy animals captive just for entertainment and display. However, despite whichever view you hold, and despite the stereotypes, some zoos have evolved to serve alternative and helpful purposes. Although some zoos face controversy due to allegations such as lack of space and quality care, neglect, and cruelty, some zoos have programs specifically designed to help and protect animal species. For example, these zoos have programs that help such conservation efforts as breeding.
By 1971, the Cultural Revolution in China had ended in failure and conditions in Hong Kong calmed,” Gloria Lannom states, yet it took a while for Hong Kong to rebuild its economic standings because of this fact.
Even though some zoos have an endangered species exhibit with the intention of protecting and rehabilitating animals, many do not do an adequate job of protecting the animals. Zoos have been harmful to the very animals they have sworn to protect. Animals in captivity often suffer from anxiety, boredom and other severe issue related to prolonged confinement. Most animals are unable to thrive in small enclosure with unnatural weather and climates. For example elephants are known to walk as far as 30 miles per day, but the association of Zoos and aquariums only require a space the measures $0 feet by 45 feet, which is about the size of a three car garage, to house these large animals. (peta.org) the drastic difference in the amount of space their allowed ...
However, zoos and aquariums reflect responsibility to help and promote animal conservation and protection. Without them, many may have never gotten the chance to see exotic animals such as tigers, elephants, or giraffes up close to examine and learn about their nature. Without zoos, almost all of the best observational, behavioral, biological, or genetically based research on several diverse species would have not been possible. And, without zoos and the help of fundamental captive breeding and reintroduction programs with...
However, educational benefits zoos provide are minimal because animals are in their unnatural environment and behave differently. In his book Wild Animals in Captivity, Rob Laidlaw describes how animal behavior at zoos is completely different from behavior in natural environments. Small spaces and boredom leads to frustration and repetitive actions, such as a monkey rocking back and forth continuously. Laidlaw writes, “At many of the zoos I visit, I see animals doing things their species never do in the wild” (Laidlaw 9). Therefore, what an individual observes at the zoo is untrue to the animal’s natural behavior and the educational experience is false. Moreover, there would be more of an educational benefit from watching documentaries about animals in the wild or reading books on how certain species behave and interact. Even though zoos provide up close interaction with animals, they lack the ability to educate visitors on how animals truly behave. Additionally in a study that further undermines the educational value of zoos, Eric Jenson’s “Evaluating Children 's Conservation Biology Learning at the Zoo” examines the before and after effects surrounding children’s (ages 7-15) knowledge of animals and conservation. He found that the standard unguided zoo experience resulted in negative understanding of animals and their habitats. Only when children were lead by a guide where they more likely to