08 hum colonization dairy 17mickm

8/3/2019 08 Hum Colonization Dairy 17mickm

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My Diary

By: Mick Monsereenusorn


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June 9th, 1903

It has been three years since I, Mick Lancelot has founded the Lancelot trading

company (LTC). Since being founded, my company has been a major trading

company in Hong Kong. Sending tea and silk to England and trading opium

into China. Since my company has been founded, trade and the economy in

Hong Kong have grown by a lot. Until five years ago, Kowloon was just a small

fishing village. Since five years ago, the union jack has now been waving

above the city hall. During these five years, I have seen this small rural fishing

village grow into a major trading port. This all started more than a century

ago when Britain started trading with China to get tea and silk. At first, Britain

traded back silver. This was unfair because silver was more valuable than tea

and silk. The only reason we still traded with them was because we couldnt

grow tea and make silk. Everything changed after we managed to colonizeIndia. We had another major resource the Chinese wanted, it was opium.

Many people in China were addicted to opium and wanted to have it, this gave

us a lot of money and the resources we wanted. The Chinese officials banned

the trade of opium and destroyed a lot of opium. We fought back and in

return, got the island of Hong Kong and trading rights in China. Hong Kong

has been transformed by traders and merchants like me. My company has

earned a lot of money and provided local people jobs and money. British

people have introduced technology and education. British people have set up

schools to give both Chinese and British children education. We have brought

in technologies to help make this island modern and more British. We have setup banks, hospitals and police stations to help these peoples state of living.

But of course, the most important thing of all was that we British people have

become really rich from doing this. Trading is a very big business in the part

of the world. Resources like opium when sold to the Chinese will generate a

lot of money because opium addicts will pay for it no matter how much it

costs.

June 9th, 1925

Twenty five years ago, I have founded the Lancelot trading company. From asmall trading company, LTC is now one of the biggest trading companies in

Hong Kong. Nowadays we have expanded and moved beyond selling opium to

China. Since the invention of cars a few decades ago, cars are now everywhere

and are the best method of transportation. LTC has been investing a lot of

money in making buses and other types of public transportation. We have also

expanded into the electric business. We are currently one of Hong Kongs


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main light bulb manufacturers. LTC has is currently employing thousands of

Chinese workers. Weve helped made their lives better and gave them a

sustainable and well-paid job. Part of our success is that we look into the

future and change our business into those that fitted the current situation. As

opium consumption in China has been going down, many opium trading

companies has been bankrupted because they refused to change theirbusiness. Hong Kong has been one of the first cities in East Asia to be

industrialized and modernize. With the help of us British people we have

made this colony prosper and rich. Personally, I think that without people like

me Hong Kong people would still not have clean water or proper roads. They

would still be uncivilized and behind other countries.

April 27th, 1946

Almost one year has passed since the Second World War. I have retired for

about a decade already. LTC has closed down a few years after a I sold thecompany because most British civilians moved out of Hong Kong and back to

Britain During the war, Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese army for

about three years and eight months. British soldiers fought bravely but were

outnumbered by the Japanese. Hong Kong was occupied and defeated by the

Japanese. During the three years Hong Kong has seen a big economic and

population decline. The Japanese soldiers executed and tortured everybody

who opposed them. They created a lot of unemployment and poverty. Many

people died of starvation because the food rations that were given to them

were too little. This was a very dark time in Hong Kong history. But however,

with the help of British people Hong Kong was able to regain its former glory.In 1945 the Japanese has surrendered and Hong Kong was liberated by British

forces. The British people helped Hong Kongs economy recover extremely

fast. This was because Britain lifted the controls and restrictions made by the

Japanese. Britain restored the tax-free markets. Also Britain removed

restrictions that were in place before the war. Chinese people were allowed to

beaches that the usually werent allowed. They were also allowed to own

assets on Victoria Peak. With more people emigrating back from China, the

economy grew really fast and in less than a year Hong Kongs economy is

starting to become what it was before the war. My son Mark is alreadyconsidering starting his own business in Hong Kong. The company is going to

be called Lancelot Construction Company. The company is going to be based

in handling money and helping people invest money. My son had chosen to do

a construction business because as the economy grows there will be more

office buildings and factories.


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December 3rd, 1967

My father, Mick, has passed away

yesterday. He was ninety years old and

passed away because of a heart attack. He

had lived a long and happy life. He had

help improve the economy and

infrastructure of Hong Kong and made it

the way it is. Last week, he gave me his

old dairy. It was his since he was in his

thirties. The dairy was all worn out but

still, it had a lot of information about

my dads life and I had spent all of last

night reading it. I learnt about how

clever and hardworking my father was. But

I also learnt new things about Hong Kong

before the 20th century. I used to think

that Hong Kong was a very happy place and

the Chinese were happy to have it. After

reading my fathers diary I realized

another aspect of the story. I learnt

that many Chinese people were killed when

the British and Chinese fought. I also

learnt that opium that was shipped intoChina from British India had ruined many

peoples lives. There had been many

Chinese slaves and the free Chinese

people had to work under tough

conditions. Chinese people were also


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prevented from politics and owning

properties in certain places. My father

used to say that life was all happy and

good for the Chinese when Britain ruled

Hong Kong, after reading what my father

has written in the previous diary entries

I really dont think so. Still, many

Chinese people would prefer living in

Hong Kong more than China. Right now

China is a communist state ruled by

Chairman Mao. China is now in a state ofpoverty and sadness. Many people who

oppose Chairman Mao are executed and the

living conditions are bad. Millions of

Chinese people are starving in China so

British rule in Hong Kong might have

saved millions of Chinese people from

Communist China.

Other than that I would like to talk

about my company. Lancelot Construction

Company has grown into a Hong Kongs

biggest construction company. We have

been responsible for building dozens of

offices and factories. We have employed a

lot of people and helped boost the

economy. There was also a big demand of

highways and tunnels to make

transportation by car faster. This helped


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spread people and made new places for

people to live.

July 1st, 1997

Today will be mark the last day of

British Hong Kong. After today the

possession of Hong Kong will be given the

Peoples Republic of China. Hong Kong has

walked a long way from becoming a small

fishing village into a major city for

trading and business. Its economy and GDP

is very high and living conditions are

better if compared to other nearby

countries. It is obvious that British

rule has shaped this place and a trace of

British culture will remain forever. The

culture of these people will remain a

little bit British. English will still be

spoken as a main language. English

technologies will still be used. Britain

had enslaved and killed many Chinese

people during colonization but it is

crucial to remember that British people

helped improve Hong Kongs economy and

made a small island with no importantresources into an important and rich

place.


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Bibliography"First Opium War, 1839-42."

GlobalSecurity.org - Reliable Security Information. Web.30 Jan.2012..

"Opium War: Britain Stole Hong KongFrom China."

Serendipity: 9/11, Psychedelics, the War on Drugs, Censorship, Zionism, the Iraq War, theCIA and Much More. Web.30 Jan.2012. .

Storey, Robert, and Carol Clewlow.

Hong Kong, Macau [and] Canton. Hawthorn: Lonely Planet Publications, 1994. Print.

Tsang, Steve."Hong Kong."World Book Student. World Book,2012. Web. 1 Feb.2012.

Wang,Tao.Exploration into China. Parsippany N.J.: New Discovery, 1995. Print.

Hodges, Paul D. "Anglo-Chinese Wars."World Book Student.

World Book, 2012.Web. 1 Feb. 2012.


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08 hum colonization dairy 17mickm

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