九月 #61
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Crossmen is a monthly magazine published in Hong Kong by Kingdom Ministries. / Copyright Kingdom Ministries, all rights reserved. / Reproduction without permission is prohibited. CROSSMEN / Unit A, 7/F, Kader Bldg., 22 Kai Cheung Road, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2235 5224 Fax: (852) 3018 0414 Email: info@crossmen.hk
www.crossmen.hk Crossmen Hk
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Tel: (852) 2235 5224
Fax: (852) 3018 0414
Email: info@crossmen.hk
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All about Britain What does spending 3 weeks in Britain sound like to you? What comes up first in your mind? Would you think about the cultural differences, or would you think of famous British food like fish and chips? Would you think of the traditional London cabs, or would you think of the 7-hour time difference between Britain and Hong Kong, as well as the jet lag you may experience after the 11-12 hour flight to/from the UK? I spent 3 weeks in Oxford, and I can tell you, there will certainly be changes in your life. It may be insignificant to some, drastic for the others, but there will certainly be changes. The United Kingdom is about 220 times larger than Hong Kong, and consists of 4 countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is a unitary state, which means that while there may be separate governments in the 4 different countries of the UK, they are still delegated by the central government, the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
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Football is the most popular sport in Britain.
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Oxford and Cambridge (often collectively known as Oxbridge) are being known as “the brains of Britain”.
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Limbs and Brains of Britain
Many sports either originated or were substantially developed in the United Kingdom, but based on a poll conducted in 2003, football is the most popular sport in Britain, with the Barclays Premier League being one of the most famous football leagues in the world. Britain is also famous for its academic achievements, with Oxford and Cambridge (often collectively known as Oxbridge) being “the brains of Britain”. Britain is also known for literature, with famous writers such as William Shakespeare, C. S. Lewis, Roald Dahl, J. R. R. Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, etc. Some famous tourist attractions in the United Kingdom include the Tower Bridge, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Stonehenge, the Roman Baths, and so on.
27 ︳ Globetrekker
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Text / Sunny Lin | Design / Matthew Leung
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Sunset is usually around half past 8 in the night in Britain.
The Weather Report
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As soon as you get off the plane you spent the last 12 hours in, you’ll notice the first major difference – weather. The temperature may soar up to 33 degrees Celsius or even higher in Hong Kong, but in London, it hardly goes over 25 degrees Celsius in this time of the year. It’s warm when the sun is out, but it may be a bit chilly for some during nighttime. Speaking of nighttime, you should also know that the sun sets much later in Britain compared to Hong Kong. The sun is usually gone after 7pm in Hong Kong, but in Britain it’s not unusual to see the sun still up after 7pm. Sunset is usually around half past 8 in the night. Britain is also famous for its ever-changing weather. It may be sunny now, but it could be raining after a few minutes, so be sure to bring an umbrella with you when you’re staying in Britain.
Tips for Getting Around Another thing you may notice is the difference in mass transportation. While there is the London Underground in London, most British transport occurs above ground. And believe me, the London Underground (A.K.A. “The Tube”) is much more complicated than the MTR in Hong Kong. Even major cities such as Edinburgh and Newcastle don’t have an underground transport system, but you can definitely find an extensive city bus system. I often had to take the bus to make my way through Oxford, and though you may have to wait at least 5-10 minutes for a bus compared to 3 minutes for an MTR train, you can go to most places on a bus. There are also taxis, but they aren’t as common as in Hong Kong, so I would suggest getting a bus pass if you plan on staying in a certain city for a while.
You are What you Eat Cuisine is also vastly different between Britain and Hong Kong. While rice is the staple of our Chinese diet, the British often have potatoes instead. Some may like it, some may not, but personally I started to get sick of it after 2 weeks. The British love their meat as well, beef, chicken, lamb, pork, you name it! Certain fish such as cod and salmon are common as well, and once in a while, the British may have turkey, duck, or even game. Some other famous British dishes include Shepherd’s pie, Yorkshire pudding, and haggis.
Competing for Space? No Way! Hong Kong is populated with skyscrapers due to limited land, but buildings over 30 stories high are rare in Britain. While you may find taller buildings in major cities like London, most buildings stop at the 5th floor in most parts of Britain, so you can always lift your head up to a beautiful blue sky (maybe grey if it’s raining). As land isn’t as scarce as it is in Hong Kong, parks are much larger as well. Imagine yourself lying on green grass on a sunny day, staring at the clouds above, with plenty of trees around you. You can have a picnic, play football with friends, or even try a traditional English game called rounders, which is similar to baseball. It would definitely be a relaxing afternoon. After reading, what do you think about Britain now? Would it be your next destination for your vacation, or would it still sound like a nightmare? To me, Britain is a beautiful country, and there’s much to explore and enjoy. If you’re going to Britain, remember to use your time to the fullest and enjoy your trip there!
Globetrekker ︳28
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What the British Has Left With Olympics 2012 just ended in London this summer, the craze for Britain is all the rage. We love the UK for David Beckham, Tower Bridge and the handsome heirs of the royalty. This is how we find traces of British-ness today, yet they did manage to influence different parts of the world in a much deeper way – colonization.
You Know What… 1. India was known as the British ‘Raj’ while under its rule. 2. India was the first British colony in Asia, while Hong Kong was the last one. 3. Connaught Road, the famous channel in HK Central, has a brother in India calls Connaught Place. Check out more in the article!
In the 17th century, the British Empire established its first colony in North America. But prior to its colonization period, the Empire had already founded a trading company in India, the trading hub in Asia at that time. However, not until the 19th century India became a British colony. India under the rule of Britain is known as the British “Raj” (meaning rule or kingdom in Hindi). Actually, India was colonized by a number of European countries before that, but the latest European power, Britain seems to be the most influential one. Portugal, Netherland, Denmark, and France only established power in some parts of India, while Britain gained control over almost everywhere in India. I have visited India twice but I could hardly find a trace of the British rule. So I decided to do some research and eventually get to know that India was influenced by British in many aspects. I have found that India was the first British colony in Asia, while Hong Kong was the last one. It’s quite interesting to know that Britain has influenced Hong Kong and India similarly but distinctively. It may sound a bit contradicting, but you will understand if you continue to read.
29 ︳ Inheritance
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Text / Ninety Nine | Design / Katy Hung
It’s on our Calendar… First, let’s look at the topic which fascinates everyone – public holiday. British Empire has brought Christian holidays to its colonies. That’s why we have both Easter and Christmas holidays in Hong Kong. Even after the Return to China, Hong Kong still retains these Christian holidays. Likewise, the British Empire also made Christmas Day a national public holidays in India. There is also holiday on Good Friday but not in every state of India. Other public holidays in Hong Kong are mostly secular, like Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, while in India, people observe holidays or festivals based on their own religions, namely Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Sikh etc.
It’s on our Maps… If you travel around Hong Kong, you will notice many places were named after some British governors, such as Pottinger Street and Connaught Road Central, or named after the Queen, such as the Victoria Harbour and Victoria Park. This can also be noticed in India, for instance, the Queen’s Way and Connaught Place. Though the names of places are similar, the style of architectures in Hong Kong and in India differs. LegCo Building in Central Hong Kong was a replica of a building in London. Yet, the Victoria Memorial Hall in India was designed and constructed in an Indo-Saracenic style, the hybrid of Hindu and Mughal with Gothic elements. Even both architectures are designed by British people, the unique style and elements show that India is multicultural country.
It’s what we Speak… Another obvious impact we can experience is that British has influenced our language and education system. The British language and education system were brought to Hong Kong and India during colonization period. English was made to be the teaching language as well as official language in Hong Kong. And now, Cantonese speakers are so familiar with some English vocabulary that we will only say them in English, For example, CD, locker,
lunch time, confirm, Miss and Sir (female and male teachers). These words are commonly used to the extent that we don’t know the Chinese word for them. And same goes to India, such as, pen, paper, train, bus, station etc. Have you noticed that the English language has already been part of our lives that we are unaware of it?
It’s what we Play… The British has also influenced Hong Kong and India with their national sports. The English soccer league, Barclays English Premier League is one of the most popular soccer leagues among Hong Kong people, whereas the British has brought 2 sports, cricket and hockey to India in the 19th century. Cricket has even become the national sport of India. Maybe due to the geographic and climate difference, Indian people didn’t pick up soccer, a sport requires lot of running outdoors. But why do Hong Kong people not knowing much about cricket and hockey much?
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That is inheritance. What do we have now that we would like to inherit to the next generation?
It’s in our Blood!
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Actually there are a lot more influences which weren’t mentioned above, like food, legal system and social structure etc. But it’s really interesting to find out that the way British colonization has influenced Hong Kong and India in a way that we are too unaware of it. The colonial period of Hong Kong and India ended 15 and 65 years ago respectively, but we still live our lives with the impacts of the British. And those impacts have become part of our culture. We didn’t become exactly the same as the British, but that’s how culture is. We grow up with what the previous people have left us, and to the next generation we either abandon or pass on what we have experienced. And that is inheritance. What do we have now that we would like to inherit to the next generation?
Inheritance ︳30
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