Last Updated: December 3, 2025, 16:59 IST The panic of the Jinping government, which threatens those who question the fire in Hong Kong, is hidden in history. This island has been a weak point of China for centuries, which China was forced to pledge for 99 years. After that China took it back but the people here could never tolerate the rule of the dragon. Protests against the government are very common here. China is a weakness. Hong Kong suffered such a massive fire in an apartment complex in Hong Kong that 140 lives were lost while trying to put it out. After this accident many questions started to arise, people want to know how this fire got so big? An angle of corruption also came to light in this…but the Chinese government got scared even before the public could face these questions and announced that questioning this incident would be considered treason, and made many arrests to scare them. This nervousness of Jinping is not new, the history of Hong Kong makes it China’s ‘greatest weakness’. How was Hong Kong pulled out of ‘weak China’? China pledged a large part of Hong Kong, called the ‘New Territories’, to Britain. China did not enter into this agreement because of any mutual benefit, but out of coercion. In a way, Britain wrested Hong Kong from China at gunpoint. In the 19th century, Britain made China an opium addict. When China protested against this, Britain started two terrible wars – ‘Opium Wars’ and in both China suffered a shameful defeat. After this, in 1842, Britain imposed the ‘Treaty of Nanking’ on China and took possession of Hong Kong. Not only that, in 1860 China also had to hand over part of the ‘Kowloon Peninsula’ to Britain. What’s the deal with 99 year lease? In 1898, Britain took advantage of China’s weakness, under the pretext of protecting Hong Kong, and took the ‘New Territories’ on a 99-year lease from China’s Qing Dynasty. This lease ended on 1 July 1997, but Britain accepted that Hong Kong Island and Kowloon belonged to it forever. When China showed its eyes, a new conflict arose between China and Britain. At the time, China said in strong words that the treaties imposed by Britain were humiliating and could no longer be accepted. At that time, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher reached Beijing and had a direct confrontation with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. China has made it clear that if Hong Kong is not returned, China will not hesitate to seize it. Britain’s king was left in tears. Eventually Britain had to bow and in 1984 both signed the ‘Sino-British Joint Declaration’. According to this, Hong Kong was given the arrangement of ‘one country, two systems’. Under which it is guaranteed to maintain its capitalist system and high level of autonomy for another 50 years (until 2047). At midnight, when it rained heavily, the British flag was lowered and the red flag of China was raised. It is said that moisture was visible in Prince Charles’ eyes at that time. Why couldn’t China win the hearts of the people here? Hong Kong’s struggle did not end here, China got this island but the hearts of the people living here have not yet joined China. During that time, more than half of the population of Hong Kong left their homes out of fear and took refuge in countries such as Canada and Australia. They were afraid that the Communist government of China would impose dictatorship on them. Even today, protests are taking place in Hong Kong against China’s monarchical ideology. First published: 02 December 2025, 19:01 IST home world China was once so poor, this organ was uprooted, endured humiliation for 99 years