Indeed, the deal that Hong Kong’s colonial subjects appeared to accept – leaving politics alone in exchange for the opportunity to pursue material prosperity in a safe and orderly environment – is not so different from the deal accepted by China’s educated classes today. The common opinion among British colonial civil servants, businessmen, and diplomats was that the Chinese were not really interested in politics anyway; all they cared about was money.
事实上，香港的殖民地臣民所接受的交易——把政治抛在一边，换取在安全有序环境中追求物质繁荣的机会——与当今中国受教育阶层所接受的交易并无多少不同。英国殖民地公务员、商人和外交官的共同观点是，中国人并不对政治真的感兴趣；他们关心的是赚钱。