How 156 years of British rule shaped Hong Kong
Hong Kong has British DNA.
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Even though Britain gave Hong Kong back to China 21 years ago, today when you walk around the city you can see British fingerprints everywhere. From statues of Queen Victoria to double decker buses, British culture and lifestyle is baked into the culture at every turn.
Both the history and the current-day British influence are visually fascinating stories and in this episode I show it all — exploring Britain’s imperial history, which includes opioid trade, discrimination and a divided city, and then showing the effects of that history, resulting in a city that is unlike any I’ve visited.
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@Vox
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
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@kongingchen7111
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
British should have ask it for forever
@longsok2417
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
People are laughing at British while they don't know that British has quietly evolved into US. Who knows.
@ryanindustries4795
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
didn't like…mainland Chinese began to move into hong kong in between the 80s and 90s and started to "express the idea to some of the hong kong people to join china" ?
@aidanwalsh2545
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
Not to split hairs, but the 99 year lease was for the New Territories on the mainland, not H.K. islands.
@RaizacostaOliveira
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
London is better
@M-ye3kp
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
😊❤
@jake13122
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
"negotiated" a treaty and "gave them" Hong Kong? You need a lot of white paint for that little gem.
@superhumanxgw
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
The document says: The island will be possessed by Great Britain for perpetuity, meaning forever.
@bryanbrush2202
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
👉H👈.. erb 🇬🇧
Just saying
@4AMPizza
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
UK should’ve kept it
@koolaid0565
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
*How 156 years of imperialism shaped generations of Chinese who think they're white-adjacent and seek approval from the West over reintegration
@winglo1697
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
Without being a British colony, Hong Kong today may still be a fishing community.
@HatesTomatoes
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
The only difference between this ex british colony and the other ex british colonies is their culture..
@lifeisstrange336
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
you eEnglish guys sell optium to China then occupied China's HongKong island then say it is wrong with China goverment😅😅😅😅😅
@superkeyboardwarrior
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
Hong Kong feels more like London than London these days. It’s good to see a British place with no illegal migrants.
@luw8561
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
The music is too loud
@jakehowie442
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
Yup I’m British and I know loads of people who lived there. It was part of the British empire just like Singapore. Hong Kong certainly regrets joining China now
@Bob-cx4ze
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
We're going to see very soon "How a decade of PRC rule changed Hong Kong."
@Peascooter-u1j
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
Just as a note, Hong Kong was ceeded to Britain in perpetuity, i.e. for ever, not 99 years. The New Territories were for 99 years, which is why the whole of HK was returned to China in '97.
@arindamganguly7498
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
You are saying that like it's a good thing
@a1exyoung
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
The piano is too loud
@janwide72
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
not so gb n e more
@Arthur12137
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
well, that's britainnia~
we may call it Britishstein in some time point of the near future lololol
@davidreynolds3995
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
Lazy, poor reporting. This fellow didn't do his research or even a simple Google search. The 99-year lease applied to the New Territories, not HK Island nor Kowloon, which were ceded "in perpetuity." HK-ers don"t like milk in their tea…really? If he had actually spoken to a single HK-er they would have introduced him to naaichai….milk tea is a HK specialty.
@m1kloss
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
Hong Kong is only Hong Kong because of the British. God Speed!
@Chakilam95
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
Can anybody help what’s the music at 1:04 ?
@ZaneMK77
February 12, 2026 at 3:54 am
The land of Hong Kong belongs to China. The United Kingdom only occupied it through unreasonable means. Those Hong Kong people who feel “betrayed” should just immigrate to the UK themselves.
Comments are closed.