Quality of life in Tibet improved enormously under Chinese rule. LIfe expectancies rose from 37 to 78. Literacy jumped from the low 30%s to the mid 70%s. Tibetan lay residents owned their own homes for the first time in their nation’s history. The region’s economy expanded rapidly as did the population, thanks to modernizations in transportation, agriculture, and health care.

Meanwhile, with the colonial status of Hong Kong at an end and the city incorporated into the general Chinese economy, neighboring Shenzhen has enjoyed a similar economic boom. Residents can move freely into and out of the SEZ in a way they couldn’t under English occupation, they use a common currency rather than relying on conversions to and from British pounds, and they are free from British home rule. Most importantly, the residents are subject to the same taxation and civil rights afforded to the rest of the country - bringing an end to such labor atrocities as the 996 system, tax avoidance, and ecological crimes like illegal fishing and dumping.

Given the nightmarish wave of fascist policies currently spilling over the UK, I cannot imagine why anyone would envy living on the other side of the planet while being subjected to a Tommy Robinson inspired government.