I used to live in Hong Kong; my final years there coincided with the last Governor, Chris Patten, now the Chancellor of Oxford University, somewhat desperately attempting to introduce a bit of democracy to this British colony before the hand-over to China in 1997.
So naturally I've been following the recent demonstrations in Hong Kong with great interest. I'm not going to comment on the larger political issues, but one thing I've noticed is that whenever the press report on something that one knows a little about, they often get it wrong, at least, irritatingly, on details. The worst example I've heard in the Hong Kong saga so far was one reporter, who sounded Chinese but perhaps wasn't, who said: "and now the demonstrations are spreading to the island of Kowloon!"
Well, Kowloon isn't an island; it's a densely populated peninsula on the mainland. I must admit though, that for your average outsider, the term "Hong Kong" is a bit confusing: "Hong Kong" is the name of the whole territory (former colony), i.e. Kowloon, the New Territories and various islands. But one of these islands, the main one, where most demonstrations have been taking place, is also called Hong Kong. This island contains both the main business area ('Central') and the government offices.
Exactly where on the 'Island' the demonstrators were or are has also been confusingly reported. The reporters often refer to the 'Central Business District' and say the aim is to disrupt HK as a financial centre, but at other times the emphasis seems to be on disrupting the government itself, and getting the Chief Executive to resign (the two areas are different).
To sort out this this conundrum (and to check whether the bank was still operational and my measly savings still in place) I called my friend in HSBC. "Oh, we've hardly been affected - the demonstrators haven't really bothered us at all, and we've all been at our desks as usual all along".
I should explain that HSBC is of course the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, and while (after taking over the Midland Bank) its Head Office might technically now be in London, the bank's major operations and profits remain in the Far East. It was to the Hong Kong head office in Central that my call was directed.
I must say I was a bit surprised - as well as personally relieved - to hear my friend's response. If I was a demonstrator and wanted to make a bit of a splash in that money making place (by the way another bit of annoying reporting is to call Hong Kong a 'city'; in neither sense of the word is that true: even HK island is only 26% built on, while you can hike for hours in other parts and never see a soul) I think I would target big business, Hong Kong's raison-d'etre. And you can't get much bigger than HSBC. Not only does it dominate the local banking scene, it even prints the local money - along now with the Bank of China. In a real sense HSBC symbolizes Hong Kong, its right in front of you when you get out of the Star Ferry and tourists are constantly being told by their guides that HSBC's head office in Central is the world's most expensive building.....
And how about the 'Shanghai' part, I hear you ask. Well that of course became a victim of the Communist revolution, but that's another story...
So naturally I've been following the recent demonstrations in Hong Kong with great interest. I'm not going to comment on the larger political issues, but one thing I've noticed is that whenever the press report on something that one knows a little about, they often get it wrong, at least, irritatingly, on details. The worst example I've heard in the Hong Kong saga so far was one reporter, who sounded Chinese but perhaps wasn't, who said: "and now the demonstrations are spreading to the island of Kowloon!"
Well, Kowloon isn't an island; it's a densely populated peninsula on the mainland. I must admit though, that for your average outsider, the term "Hong Kong" is a bit confusing: "Hong Kong" is the name of the whole territory (former colony), i.e. Kowloon, the New Territories and various islands. But one of these islands, the main one, where most demonstrations have been taking place, is also called Hong Kong. This island contains both the main business area ('Central') and the government offices.
Exactly where on the 'Island' the demonstrators were or are has also been confusingly reported. The reporters often refer to the 'Central Business District' and say the aim is to disrupt HK as a financial centre, but at other times the emphasis seems to be on disrupting the government itself, and getting the Chief Executive to resign (the two areas are different).
To sort out this this conundrum (and to check whether the bank was still operational and my measly savings still in place) I called my friend in HSBC. "Oh, we've hardly been affected - the demonstrators haven't really bothered us at all, and we've all been at our desks as usual all along".
I should explain that HSBC is of course the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, and while (after taking over the Midland Bank) its Head Office might technically now be in London, the bank's major operations and profits remain in the Far East. It was to the Hong Kong head office in Central that my call was directed.
I must say I was a bit surprised - as well as personally relieved - to hear my friend's response. If I was a demonstrator and wanted to make a bit of a splash in that money making place (by the way another bit of annoying reporting is to call Hong Kong a 'city'; in neither sense of the word is that true: even HK island is only 26% built on, while you can hike for hours in other parts and never see a soul) I think I would target big business, Hong Kong's raison-d'etre. And you can't get much bigger than HSBC. Not only does it dominate the local banking scene, it even prints the local money - along now with the Bank of China. In a real sense HSBC symbolizes Hong Kong, its right in front of you when you get out of the Star Ferry and tourists are constantly being told by their guides that HSBC's head office in Central is the world's most expensive building.....
And how about the 'Shanghai' part, I hear you ask. Well that of course became a victim of the Communist revolution, but that's another story...
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