--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How about this? Hong Kong had been…" description: "\"“How about this? Hong Kong had been appropriated by British drug pushers in the 1840s. We wanted Chinese silk, porcelain, and spices. The Chinese didn'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/david-mitchell-264_china_how-about-this-hong-kong-had-been-approp_2760019.jpg" --- # How about this? Hong Kong had been appropriated by British… ![“How about this? Hong Kong had been appropriated by British drug pushers in the 1840s. We wanted Chinese silk, porcelain, and spices. The Chinese didn't want our clothes, tools, or salted herring, and who can blame them? They had no demand. Our solution was to make a demand, by getting large…” quote by David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/david-mitchell-264_china_how-about-this-hong-kong-had-been-approp_2760019.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/david-mitchell-264_china_how-about-this-hong-kong-had-been-approp_2760019.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/david-mitchell-264_china_how-about-this-hong-kong-had-been-approp_2760019.jpg) > ““How about this? Hong Kong had been appropriated by British drug pushers in the 1840s. We wanted Chinese silk, porcelain, and spices. The Chinese didn't want our clothes, tools, or salted herring, and who can blame them? They had no demand. Our solution was to make a demand, by getting large sections of the populace addicted to opium, a drug which the Chinese government had outlawed. When the Chinese understandably objected to this arrangement, we kicked the fuck out of them, set up a puppet government in Peking that hung signs on parks saying NO DOGS OR CHINESE, and occupied this corner of their country as an import base. Fucking godawful behavior, when you think about it. And we accuse them of xenophobia. It would be like the Colombians invading Washington in the early twenty-first century and forcing the White House to legalize heroin. And saying, "Don't worry, we'll show ourselves out, and take Florida while we're at it, okay? Thanks very much.”” [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker criticizes British imperialism in 19th‑century China, highlighting how opium was used to create demand and subjugate the Chinese, then draws a modern analogy to illustrate the hypocrisy of accusations of xenophobia. **In simple terms:** British forced opium trade exploited China and is condemned as hypocritical aggression. Key Takeaway Recognize historical exploitation and avoid repeating oppressive tactics. Themes imperialism hypocrisy colonialism trade power ethics Mood critical reflective serious Type historical political ethical When to use this quote - historical analysis - policy debate - education - human rights advocacy - media commentary Key Concepts opium trade imperial domination cultural exploitation political manipulation Questions to Reflect On - How do historical injustices shape present attitudes? - What responsibilities do former colonial powers have today? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify complex modern geopolitics and ignore differences in scale and context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Chinese Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese-didn-3163477/) [Drug Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug-chinese-3163474/) [Drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs/) [Heroin Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroin-saying-3163475/) [Hong kong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hong-kong/) [Legalize Heroin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legalize-heroin-3163476/) [Opium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opium/) [Opium-wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opium-wars-136792/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [White house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/) ## Related quotes > [“An enormous semiofficial drug-smuggling operation was established in order to improve Britain's unfavorable balance of payments with China—the direct result of the British love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-standage/an-enormous-semiofficial-drug-smuggling-operation-was-established-in/) [Tom Standage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-standage/) > [If you expect the present day school system to give history to you, you are dreaming. 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Hong Kong had been appropriated by British drug pushers in the 1840s. We wanted Chinese silk, porcelain, and spices. The Chinese didn't want our clothes, tools, or salted herring, and who can blame them? They had no demand. Our solution was to make a demand, by getting large sections of the populace addicted to opium, a drug which the Chinese government had outlawed. When the Chinese understandably objected to this arrangement, we kicked the fuck out of them, set up a puppet government in Peking that hung signs on parks saying NO DOGS OR CHINESE, and occupied this corner of their country as an import base. Fucking godawful behavior, when you think about it. And we accuse them of xenophobia. It would be like the Colombians invading Washington in the early twenty-first century and forcing the White House to legalize heroin. And saying, \"Don't worry, we'll show ourselves out, and take Florida while we're at it, okay? 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