HK298M
King & Country
Two recumbent Chinese gentlemen enjoying a pipe of Opium each while they dream away their problems.
As we all know history has no shortage of darker moments and the subject of ‘OPIUM’ has been an integral part of the Hong Kong story. This city’s foundations were built on the Opium Trade when British traders introduced Opium, grown and refined in India and then shipped to China in exchange for silver bullion. After a few years it became a major problem for China itself and the Emperor tried to ban it and stop its import.
The British traders meanwhile were most upset by this attempted ban on their highly lucrative business and coerced the British Government to take their side. This was to lead to the ‘First Opium War’ in which the victorious British were ceded a small, barren island off the coast of Southern China called... Hong Kong.