Hi, I’m Greg Fountain. As you can probably already tell from my accent, I’m British.
大家好，我是方丹。从我的口音中，你们大概能听出，我是个英国人。
And when it comes to Hong Kong, there’s no escaping Britain’s role in its foundation.
谈到香港，我们就不可避免地说到英国在其发展史中扮演的角色。
The history of Hong Kong is complex. Established as a result of what was a shameless act of imperial expansionism, prompted by the British Empire’s desire to profit from the sale of opium to China, it has evolved almost beyond recognition over the years.
香港有着复杂的历史。大英帝国为牟取暴利，向中国倾销鸦片，香港就是在这样一场无耻的帝国主义扩张结成的恶果之上发展起来的。如今的香港已与旧时判若两地。
In 1841, the British Foreign Secretary described Hong Kong as "a barren rock with nary a house upon it [that would] never be a mart for trade", whereas today it is a thriving commercial hub and cultural melting pot.
英国外交大臣在1841年曾这样描述香港，“一座贫瘠荒岛，连间像样房屋都没有，绝无可能成为贸易市场”。然而今天，它却成了一个繁荣的商贸中心和文化熔炉。
The path it forged along the way was nothing if not rocky, however. Its very creation as a colony came as a result of an act of barbarity – war. Or what has been termed “gunboat diplomacy” employed by the British to forcibly open up China to trade.
但香港这一路走来，途中满是荆棘险阻。它沦为殖民地是因为一种残暴野蛮的行径——战争，或者说，是大英帝国为强迫中国开放市场而采取的所谓“炮舰外交”。
What’s worse, this trade focused primarily in highly-addictive opium, which did inconceivable harm to lives of countless Chinese until it was eventually stamped out with the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949.
更恶劣的是，英国与中国的贸易最初主要是倾销让人上瘾的鸦片，戕害无数中国人命。1949年新中国成立后，吸食鸦片之风才得以遏止。
Under the unequal treaties forced upon China as a result of the Opium Wars in the 1800’s, an area of Hong Kong now known as the New Territories was leased by the British for 99 years, while Hong Kong Island itself was contractually ceded in perpetuity.
19世纪的鸦片战争令中国蒙受不平等条约之辱，香港新界被租借给英国，为期99年，而香港岛则永久性割让给英国。
However, it was the lease - which was due to expire in 1997 - that became the catalyst for talks that ultimately resulted in the return of Hong Kong to China.
然而正是这一定于1997年到期的租借条款，促成了香港回归祖国的谈判。
This complex, and at times deplorable, history is nevertheless what lends Hong Kong its multicultural atmosphere and longstanding reputation as a world city.
这段历史错综复杂，可悲可叹，但也赋予了香港多元文化的氛围，成就了这座久负盛名的世界之城。
In the 20 years since the handover, it has continued to thrive under the “one country, two systems” principle that is also followed by the former Portuguese colony of Macao.
香港回归20年来，在“一国两制”的政策下继续繁荣发展。这一政策后来也被运用于曾是葡萄牙殖民地的澳门的管理中。
Enduringly popular with tourists, Hong Kong is renowned the world over for the unique blend of cultures it represents.
香港对游客的吸引力经久不衰，其独具特色的多文化交融享誉世界。
Its reputation as a financial hub on par with the best in the world is undeniable and it will soon be better connected to the rest of the country with a new cross-sea traffic route linking it, via a series of bridges and undersea tunnels, to Zhuhai and Macao, two other major cities on the Pearl River Delta. This bridge is due to open later this year, providing easier access to new markets and further cementing Hong Kong’s status as a gateway for international trade.
毋庸置疑，香港已与世界最优秀的金融中心齐名，而即将建成的港珠澳大桥又将使其与祖国各地联系得更加紧密。这座跨海大桥连接着香港与珠江三角洲上另外两座重要城市，珠海和澳门，包括桥梁和海底隧道，将于今年年底建成通车。它将使进入新兴市场变得更加便利，进一步巩固香港作为国际贸易重要口岸的地位。
With such recent developments to its infrastructure and in its new role as an important node along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Hong Kong looks set to only prosper further in the years ahead.
随着这类基础设施建设的日趋完善，以及香港在21世纪海上丝绸之路中重要节点作用的日益显现，香港未来的发展前景将更加光明。
Good luck China!
好运，中国！
