Happy 4th of July! Enjoy your fireworks in America. We don't get any, unfortunately, because no one here could care less about when America achieved independence. However, we did have a holiday on July 1st, the day Hong Kong was turned over to China by Britain, which brings us to our next round of Hong Kong Facts.
Hong Kong Facts!
Hong Kong has more independence than other cities in China, being a Special Administrative Region (or SAR), but it is far from fully separate. Hong Kong has its own trading agreements with other countries, but the holder of the most important position in the region- the Chief Executive- is elected by China. Even this limited pocket of freedom that Hong Kong has obtained is limited. Thanks to a clause in the agreement (probably buried in microscopic text at the bottom of a tower of paperwork) the autonomy only lasts 50 years.
All in all, Hong Kong has never been fully independent- even as a part of Britain, leaders were elected for them. That's why the holiday on July 1st is called "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day" (rolls off the tongue) and not "Independence Day". When you know the history behind this holiday, it's easy to understand why we don't get fireworks.
Thanks for reading!
Next up: Singapore and Bali, a week from tomorrow!
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