Hong Kong in the 60s.

Welcome to our rendition of the Wayback Machine. What’s that? The Wayback Machine is an initiative of the Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts It is not only quite useful, especially if history is your bailiwick. But it’s also a load of fun if you have some time on your hands. There’s always something there, just around the corner. Why not sit down, pull up a Coffee Boss drink and watch the world unfurls before your very eyes. It’s always a thrill to see what was, compared to what is in this day and age. It’s free. Click here This episode is Hong Kong. Enjoy!

Here’s a primer to get you started. The British Empire controlled vast parts of Asia, notably British India (modern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh), Burma (Myanmar), Malaya (Malaysia, Singapore), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Hong Kong, and territories in Borneo (parts of Malaysia/Brunei) and the Straits Settlements (Penang, Malacca, Singapore). Britain also established influence in China, Siam (Thailand), and protectorates over states like Sikkim, and islands such as the Maldives, expanding significantly after the American Revolution to focus on Asian trade and dominance.

The British, primarily through the East India Company and later direct rule (the British Raj), established vast colonial control over Asia, beginning with India and expanding to include Malaya, Singapore, Burma, and Hong Kong, driven by trade in goods like tea, spices, and opium, leading to economic exploitation, military conquest, imposition of administrative systems, and significant cultural and political transformations, while also engaging in strategic rivalries like the “Great Game” against Russia in Persia and facing wars, notably the Opium Wars with China. The more things change, the more they stay the same in so many ways. Heavy sigh.