China's Rise: A Tale of Two Boats

History can at times have a sense of irony. It's often difficult to demarcate exactly when one era ends and another begins - we always see foreshadowings of the new in the old and residues of the old in the new. But in the case I'm about to present, we see a in two sharply contrasting events a farewell (or a good riddance) to an old era and a warm welcome to a new one. Serendipitously, both of these events star boats.

The first boast is a very old one that had seen a lot of things in its time, few of them happy. I speak of this tacky facsimile of a Chinese palace:

It sank as it was being towed. It would be worth your while to browse through some of the comments on the videos reporting its sinking, all the fond memories of the "tourists" and venereal disease-infested sailors that blighted old Hong Kong with their presence. I'm surprised they could remember anything about it through their drug-induced haze. To be fair, it's had a rather more illustrious breed of visitor as well - Tom Cruise and "Queen" Elizabeth once visited; I hope you feel sufficiently honoured. Alas, it's a reminder of the ugly truth that Hong Kong before 1997 was little more than a drug den and a brothel. Our first case study Jumbo ultimately met a fitting end: an unceremonious sinking, possibly in an act of insurance fraud (the authentic Hong Kong spirit lives on).

But just as that miserable insult sank to rot beneath the waves, a new boat made its resplendent entrance. Of course, I refer to none other than this monstrosity:

I want everyone reading this, lovers of China and haters alike, to understand one crucially important point: this is just the beginning.

I can think of no better commentary on where China came from and where it's going. The death of old shame and birth of new glory.

 

[kankan326]

It’s less the money but social status. Anglos dominate the global media and not surprisingly, they make themselves look great and an object of admiration while making China look terrible. Control of this media makes non Anglo countries desire to be adjacent to the Anglo world due to the natural desire to elevate your social status. Since China is hated in this media, HKese desperately want to disassociate themselves from China in order to gain recognition from their Anglo masters.

Media is only one factor. Americans openly admitted that US spent billions of dollars to drag Ukraine out of Russia sphere. Which is believed as a very profitable investment by Americans. You don't need many brain cells to figure out how much money Americans invested in Hongkong and Taiwan as they see China bigger threat than Russia.

 

[rott]

yes, building carriers that are now literally as useless as tanks are is a great show of china's rise, it's like they don't have any independent thought, their measure of success is how much they can replicate america rofl

Really? How many countries have the capability to kill carriers? Please tell me.

 

[rott]

Fact is, Most Hongkongers were pro-China in 60's and 70's. Back then there were many street revolutions in Hongkong too. But most street revolutions were anti-British.

You always carry a big stick but talk softly.