Postboxes, Trams and Other Hangovers of the British Empire

After over 150 years of British rule, Hong Kong’s citizen still feel a dominant Western presence, since the British influence is wovon throughout the entire society. Many streets are named after British figures like Prince Edward Road and Wellington Street. Several buildings still remain from the colonial period and Queen Victoria has influenced a number of names in and around Hong Kong, such as Victoria Harbour or the Queen Pier. Additionally, many of the travel routes were inspired during colonial times and have continued to be developed to this day. With those major remains of the British Empire and the remaining British influence, many expats, already living in Hong Kong, experienced a minor culture shock upon relocating and adjusted rather quickly. Suddenly, the postal service in Hong Kong, where 59 of the old colonial postboxes remain, has announced that it plans to cover the royal insignias with a metal plaque, in order to avoid “confusion”, even though the boxes have already been painted green and had the Hong Kong Post’s logo added to them. While postbox fanciers say that the insignias are “part of Hong Kong’s heritage and daily life”, the postal service obviously have a different opinion. However, what is the point in expunging history? Should we not just accept the past, preserve it and go on with life? To get rid of Hong Kong’s double-decker trams, which are originally British, apparently would be a much bigger deal. Those relics of colonial past are now important tourist attractions, however, it is not a sudden attack of fondness for the empire, but a growing fondness for trams.

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