🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 21 (from laksa119)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa021.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical, ml_categories_json AS ml_categories_json, ml_types_json AS ml_types_json, ml_intent_types_json AS ml_intent_types_json, meta_language AS meta_language, attrs_author AS attrs_author, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_publish_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_original_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_original_publish_time, ifNull(attrs_is_republished, 0) AS attrs_is_republished, ifNull(attrs_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_nr_words, ifNull(attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, ifNull(body_ext_links_number, 0) AS body_ext_links_number, ifNull(body_int_links_number, 0) AS body_int_links_number, ifNull(meta_nofollow, 0) AS meta_nofollow, ifNull(meta_noarchive, 0) AS meta_noarchive, ifNull(props_was_rendered, 0) AS props_was_rendered, ifNull(src_redirect, \'\') AS src_redirect, ifNull(download_time_msec, 0) AS download_time_msec, ifNull(download_ttfb_msec, 0) AS download_ttfb_msec, ifNull(download_size, 0) AS download_size FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/04/when-margaret-thatcher-came-to-china/274796/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/04/when-margaret-thatcher-came-to-china/274796/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/china\/archive\/2013\/04\/when-margaret-thatcher-came-to-china\/274796\/","crawl_time":1776296472,"first_indexed_time":1487751405,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,theatlantic!www,\/china\/archive\/2013\/04\/when-margaret-thatcher-came-to-china\/274796\/ s443","src_root_hash":"13119341252700813021","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"When Margaret Thatcher Came to China - The Atlantic","meta_descriptions":["What happened when the Iron Lady attempted to preserve British rule over Hong Kong."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"What happened when the Iron Lady attempted to preserve British rule over Hong Kong.\nApril 9, 2013\nA man looks at a 1984 photograph of Deng Xiaoping meeting British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Beijing on the handover of Hong Kong. (Bobby Yip\/Reuters)]\nMost accounts of British foreign policy under former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died yesterday at the age of 87, cite her stalwart defense of the Falkland Islands, prickly relationship with Europe, and warm partnership with the contemporaneous American president, Ronald Reagan. But from a Chinese perspective, Thatcher will best be remembered as the British leader who negotiated the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. A decade and a half later, the handover seems like a historical inevitability; a vestigial colonial power making way for a rising China. Hong Kong's status, though, by no means was inevitable; instead, it reflected the results of a tense negotiation in which the formidable Iron Lady met her match with the tiny, owlish Chinese leader: Deng Xiaoping.\nFor the British, who assumed control of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon following the Opium Wars in the 1840s, Hong Kong was merely another jewel in the country's massive empire. Yet for China, the loss of Hong Kong began \"a century of humiliation\", a calamitous period of war, territorial cessation, and decline that culminated with the reunification of the country under Communist rule in 1949. Once Deng Xiaoping assumed control of China in 1978 and put an end to the disastrous social experiments that characterized the Maoist years, negotiating the return of Hong Kong became a major government priority.\nIn an\nentertaining 1992 account\nof the negotiations published in the\nIndependent\n, Robert Cottrell summarized Deng's state of mind regarding Hong Kong:\nDeng returned to the offensive by repeating his rejection of continued British rule in more categorical terms. If he agreed to let Britain stay in Hong Kong beyond 1997, he said, he would be no better than the traitors of the Qing dynasty who had first yielded Chinese soil to Britain under treaties which were illegal and invalid. He could not do it. China must resume sovereignty over Hong Kong, and sovereignty must include administration. The British flag would have to go. The British governor would have to go. And it would be China alone which decided what policies were 'suitable' for Hong Kong in the future. None the less, he said, China hoped that Britain would 'co-operate' in the transition, and it was prepared to enter into 'discussions' to that end. But it would not be bound by their results. If they failed to produce an agreement acceptable to China within two years, then China would announce its own policies for Hong Kong unilaterally.\nThatcher tried to hold the line with Deng, insisting that any unilateral action by China to assume control over Hong Kong would be in violation of international treaty. But in the end, the diminutive Chinese ruler got what he wanted, and on a rainy July night in 1997, Thatcher was present for the formal transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic.\nTowards the end of her life, Thatcher\nexpressed regret\nabout how things turned out in Hong Kong, telling the\nDaily Telegraph\nthat she felt \"sad\" and \"disappointed\" in regards to the handover. In truth, though, there was little Thatcher could do: The emotional appeal of Hong Kong to the Chinese public -- as well as the leadership -- was simply too strong.","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/china\/archive\/2013\/04\/when-margaret-thatcher-came-to-china\/274796\/#main-content)\n\n## Site Navigation\n- [Popular](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/most-popular\/)[Latest](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/latest\/)[Newsletters](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/newsletters\/)\n  \n  ## Sections\n  - [Ideas](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ideas\/)\n  - [Politics](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/)\n  - [Economy](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/economy\/)\n  - [Global](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/international\/)\n  - [National Security](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/national-security\/)\n  - [Washington Week](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/category\/washington-week-atlantic\/)\n  - [Features](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/category\/features\/)\n  - [Technology](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/technology\/)\n  - [AI Watchdog](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/category\/ai-watchdog\/)\n  - [Science](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/science\/)\n  - [Planet](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/projects\/planet\/)\n  - [Health](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/health\/)\n  - [Philosophy](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/category\/philosophy\/)\n  - [Education](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/education\/)\n  - [Culture](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/culture\/)\n  - [Comedy](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/category\/comedy\/)\n  - [Family](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/family\/)\n  - [Books](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/books\/)\n  - [Fiction](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/category\/fiction\/)\n  - [Photography](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/photo\/)\n  - [Events](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/atlantic-across-america\/)\n  \n  - [![](https:\/\/cdn.theatlantic.com\/_next\/static\/images\/nav-archive-promo-5541b02ae92f1a9276249e1c6c2534ee.png)Explore The Atlantic Archive](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/archive\/)\n  - [![games promo icon](https:\/\/cdn.theatlantic.com\/media\/games\/games_promo_color.png)Play The Atlantic Games](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/games\/)\n  - [Listen to Podcasts and Articles](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/audio\/)\n  \n  ## The Print Edition\n  [![View the current print edition](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/images\/current-issue.420.jpg)](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/)\n  \n  [Latest Issue](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/)[Past Issues](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/backissues\/)\n  ***\n  [Give a Gift](https:\/\/accounts.theatlantic.com\/products\/gift)\n- [Popular](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/most-popular\/)\n- [Latest](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/latest\/)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/newsletters\/)\n\n- [Sign In](https:\/\/accounts.theatlantic.com\/login\/)\n- [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/subscribe\/navbar\/)\n\n[China](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/china\/)\n\n# When Margaret Thatcher Came to China\nWhat happened when the Iron Lady attempted to preserve British rule over Hong Kong.\n\nBy [Matt Schiavenza](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/author\/matthew-schiavenza\/)\n\nApril 9, 2013\n\nShare\n\nSave\n\n![dengmaggie.jpg](https:\/\/cdn.theatlantic.com\/media\/mt\/china\/dengmaggie.jpg)\n\nA man looks at a 1984 photograph of Deng Xiaoping meeting British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Beijing on the handover of Hong Kong. (Bobby Yip\/Reuters)\\]\n\nMost accounts of British foreign policy under former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died yesterday at the age of 87, cite her stalwart defense of the Falkland Islands, prickly relationship with Europe, and warm partnership with the contemporaneous American president, Ronald Reagan. But from a Chinese perspective, Thatcher will best be remembered as the British leader who negotiated the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. A decade and a half later, the handover seems like a historical inevitability; a vestigial colonial power making way for a rising China. Hong Kong's status, though, by no means was inevitable; instead, it reflected the results of a tense negotiation in which the formidable Iron Lady met her match with the tiny, owlish Chinese leader: Deng Xiaoping.\n\nFor the British, who assumed control of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon following the Opium Wars in the 1840s, Hong Kong was merely another jewel in the country's massive empire. Yet for China, the loss of Hong Kong began \"a century of humiliation\", a calamitous period of war, territorial cessation, and decline that culminated with the reunification of the country under Communist rule in 1949. Once Deng Xiaoping assumed control of China in 1978 and put an end to the disastrous social experiments that characterized the Maoist years, negotiating the return of Hong Kong became a major government priority.\n\nIn an [entertaining 1992 account](http:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/how-mrs-thatcher-lost-hong-kong-ten-years-ago-fired-up-by-her-triumph-in-the-falklands-war-margaret-thatcher-flew-to-peking-for-a-lastditch-attempt-to-keep-hong-kong-under-british-rule--only-to-meet-her-match-in-deng-xiaoping-two-years-later-she-signed-the-agreement-handing-the-territory-to-china-1543375.html) of the negotiations published in the *Independent*, Robert Cottrell summarized Deng's state of mind regarding Hong Kong:\n\n> Deng returned to the offensive by repeating his rejection of continued British rule in more categorical terms. If he agreed to let Britain stay in Hong Kong beyond 1997, he said, he would be no better than the traitors of the Qing dynasty who had first yielded Chinese soil to Britain under treaties which were illegal and invalid. He could not do it. China must resume sovereignty over Hong Kong, and sovereignty must include administration. The British flag would have to go. The British governor would have to go. And it would be China alone which decided what policies were 'suitable' for Hong Kong in the future. None the less, he said, China hoped that Britain would 'co-operate' in the transition, and it was prepared to enter into 'discussions' to that end. But it would not be bound by their results. If they failed to produce an agreement acceptable to China within two years, then China would announce its own policies for Hong Kong unilaterally.\n\nThatcher tried to hold the line with Deng, insisting that any unilateral action by China to assume control over Hong Kong would be in violation of international treaty. But in the end, the diminutive Chinese ruler got what he wanted, and on a rainy July night in 1997, Thatcher was present for the formal transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic.\n\nTowards the end of her life, Thatcher [expressed regret](http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/uknews\/1554095\/My-regrets-over-Hong-Kong-by-Lady-Thatcher.html) about how things turned out in Hong Kong, telling the *Daily Telegraph* that she felt \"sad\" and \"disappointed\" in regards to the handover. In truth, though, there was little Thatcher could do: The emotional appeal of Hong Kong to the Chinese public -- as well as the leadership -- was simply too strong.\n\n![]()\n\n![]()\n\n![]()\n\n![]()\n\n### About the Author\n[Matt Schiavenza](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/author\/matthew-schiavenza\/)\n\n[Matt Schiavenza](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/author\/matthew-schiavenza\/) is the senior content manager at the Asia Society and a former contributing writer for *The Atlantic*.\n\n## Popular Links\n- ### About\n  - [Our History](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/history\/)\n  - [Careers](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/jobs\/)\n- ### Contact\n  - [Help Center](https:\/\/support.theatlantic.com\/)\n  - [Contact Us](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/contact\/)\n  - [Atlantic Brand Partners](https:\/\/atlanticbrandpartners.com\/)\n  - [Press](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/press-releases\/)\n  - [Reprints & Permissions](https:\/\/support.theatlantic.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360011460753-Permissions-to-reprint-or-reproduce-content-from-The-Atlantic)\n- ### Podcasts\n  - [Radio Atlantic](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/podcasts\/radio-atlantic\/)\n  - [The David Frum Show](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/podcasts\/the-david-frum-show\/)\n  - [Galaxy Brain](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/podcasts\/galaxy-brain\/)\n  - [Autocracy in America](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/podcasts\/autocracy-in-america\/)\n  - [How to Age Up](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/podcasts\/how-to-build-a-happy-life\/)\n- ### Subscription\n  - [Purchase](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/subscribe\/footer-cover\/)\n  - [Give a Gift](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/subscribe\/footer-gift\/)\n  - [Manage Subscription](https:\/\/accounts.theatlantic.com\/)\n  - [Group Subscriptions](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/group-subscriptions\/)\n  - [Atlantic Editions](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/atlantic-editions\/)\n  - [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/newsletters\/)\n- ### Follow\n\n### About\n- [Our History](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/history\/)\n- [Careers](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/jobs\/)\n\n### Contact\n- [Help Center](https:\/\/support.theatlantic.com\/)\n- [Contact Us](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/contact\/)\n- [Atlantic Brand Partners](https:\/\/atlanticbrandpartners.com\/)\n- [Press](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/press-releases\/)\n- [Reprints & Permissions](https:\/\/support.theatlantic.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360011460753-Permissions-to-reprint-or-reproduce-content-from-The-Atlantic)\n\n### Podcasts\n- [Radio Atlantic](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/podcasts\/radio-atlantic\/)\n- [The David Frum Show](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/podcasts\/the-david-frum-show\/)\n- [Galaxy Brain](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/podcasts\/galaxy-brain\/)\n- [Autocracy in America](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/podcasts\/autocracy-in-america\/)\n- [How to Age Up](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/podcasts\/how-to-build-a-happy-life\/)\n\n### Subscription\n- [Purchase](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/subscribe\/footer-cover\/)\n- [Give a Gift](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/subscribe\/footer-gift\/)\n- [Manage Subscription](https:\/\/accounts.theatlantic.com\/)\n- [Group Subscriptions](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/group-subscriptions\/)\n- [Atlantic Editions](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/atlantic-editions\/)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/newsletters\/)\n### Follow\n\n## Site Information\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/privacy-policy\/)\n- [Your Privacy Choices](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/do-not-sell-my-personal-information\/)\n- [Advertising Guidelines](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/advertising-guidelines\/)\n- [Terms & Conditions](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/terms-and-conditions\/)\n- [Terms of Sale](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/terms-of-sale\/)\n- [Responsible Disclosure](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/responsible-disclosure-policy\/)\n- [Site Map](https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/site-map\/)\n\nTheAtlantic.com © 2026 The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved.\n\nThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/policies.google.com\/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https:\/\/policies.google.com\/terms) apply","attrs_readable_markdown":"What happened when the Iron Lady attempted to preserve British rule over Hong Kong.\n\nApril 9, 2013\n\n![dengmaggie.jpg](https:\/\/cdn.theatlantic.com\/media\/mt\/china\/dengmaggie.jpg)\n\nA man looks at a 1984 photograph of Deng Xiaoping meeting British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Beijing on the handover of Hong Kong. (Bobby Yip\/Reuters)\\]\n\nMost accounts of British foreign policy under former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died yesterday at the age of 87, cite her stalwart defense of the Falkland Islands, prickly relationship with Europe, and warm partnership with the contemporaneous American president, Ronald Reagan. But from a Chinese perspective, Thatcher will best be remembered as the British leader who negotiated the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. A decade and a half later, the handover seems like a historical inevitability; a vestigial colonial power making way for a rising China. Hong Kong's status, though, by no means was inevitable; instead, it reflected the results of a tense negotiation in which the formidable Iron Lady met her match with the tiny, owlish Chinese leader: Deng Xiaoping.\n\nFor the British, who assumed control of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon following the Opium Wars in the 1840s, Hong Kong was merely another jewel in the country's massive empire. Yet for China, the loss of Hong Kong began \"a century of humiliation\", a calamitous period of war, territorial cessation, and decline that culminated with the reunification of the country under Communist rule in 1949. Once Deng Xiaoping assumed control of China in 1978 and put an end to the disastrous social experiments that characterized the Maoist years, negotiating the return of Hong Kong became a major government priority.\n\nIn an [entertaining 1992 account](http:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/how-mrs-thatcher-lost-hong-kong-ten-years-ago-fired-up-by-her-triumph-in-the-falklands-war-margaret-thatcher-flew-to-peking-for-a-lastditch-attempt-to-keep-hong-kong-under-british-rule--only-to-meet-her-match-in-deng-xiaoping-two-years-later-she-signed-the-agreement-handing-the-territory-to-china-1543375.html) of the negotiations published in the *Independent*, Robert Cottrell summarized Deng's state of mind regarding Hong Kong:\n\n> Deng returned to the offensive by repeating his rejection of continued British rule in more categorical terms. If he agreed to let Britain stay in Hong Kong beyond 1997, he said, he would be no better than the traitors of the Qing dynasty who had first yielded Chinese soil to Britain under treaties which were illegal and invalid. He could not do it. China must resume sovereignty over Hong Kong, and sovereignty must include administration. The British flag would have to go. The British governor would have to go. And it would be China alone which decided what policies were 'suitable' for Hong Kong in the future. None the less, he said, China hoped that Britain would 'co-operate' in the transition, and it was prepared to enter into 'discussions' to that end. But it would not be bound by their results. If they failed to produce an agreement acceptable to China within two years, then China would announce its own policies for Hong Kong unilaterally.\n\nThatcher tried to hold the line with Deng, insisting that any unilateral action by China to assume control over Hong Kong would be in violation of international treaty. But in the end, the diminutive Chinese ruler got what he wanted, and on a rainy July night in 1997, Thatcher was present for the formal transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic.\n\nTowards the end of her life, Thatcher [expressed regret](http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/uknews\/1554095\/My-regrets-over-Hong-Kong-by-Lady-Thatcher.html) about how things turned out in Hong Kong, telling the *Daily Telegraph* that she felt \"sad\" and \"disappointed\" in regards to the handover. In truth, though, there was little Thatcher could do: The emotional appeal of Hong Kong to the Chinese public -- as well as the leadership -- was simply too strong.","meta_canonical":null,"ml_categories_json":"{\"\/Law_and_Government\":486,\"\/Law_and_Government\/Government\":423,\"\/News\":328,\"\/News\/Politics\":284,\"\/Law_and_Government\/Government\/Executive_Branch\":276,\"\/People_and_Society\":206,\"\/News\/Politics\/Campaigns_and_Elections\":194,\"\/People_and_Society\/Social_Sciences\":153,\"\/People_and_Society\/Social_Sciences\/Political_Science\":146}","ml_types_json":"{\"\/Article\":999,\"\/Article\/Story\":551}","ml_intent_types_json":"{\"Informational\":999}","meta_language":"en","attrs_author":"Matt Schiavenza","attrs_publish_time":1365507000,"attrs_original_publish_time":1364774400,"attrs_is_republished":0,"attrs_nr_words":"849","attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words":"577","body_ext_links_number":14,"body_int_links_number":79,"meta_nofollow":0,"meta_noarchive":0,"props_was_rendered":0,"src_redirect":"","download_time_msec":463,"download_ttfb_msec":462,"download_size":29877}

3. Robots.txt Check

Query:

Response:

4. Spam/Ban Check

Query:

Response:

5. Seen Status Check

ℹ️ Skipped - page is already crawled

📄

INDEXABLE

✅

CRAWLED

7 days ago

🤖

ROBOTS ALLOWED

Page Info Filters

Filter	Status	Condition	Details
HTTP status	PASS	`download_http_code = 200`	HTTP 200
Age cutoff	PASS	`download_stamp > now() - 6 MONTH`	0.2 months ago
History drop	PASS	`isNull(history_drop_reason)`	No drop reason
Spam/ban	PASS	`fh_dont_index != 1 AND ml_spam_score = 0`	ml_spam_score=0
Canonical	PASS	`meta_canonical IS NULL OR = '' OR = src_unparsed`	Not set

Page Details

Property

Value

URL

https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/04/when-margaret-thatcher-came-to-china/274796/

Last Crawled

2026-04-15 23:41:12 (7 days ago)

First Indexed

2017-02-22 08:16:45 (9 years ago)

HTTP Status Code

200

Content

Meta Title

When Margaret Thatcher Came to China - The Atlantic

Meta Description

What happened when the Iron Lady attempted to preserve British rule over Hong Kong.

Meta Canonical

null

Boilerpipe Text

What happened when the Iron Lady attempted to preserve British rule over Hong Kong. April 9, 2013 A man looks at a 1984 photograph of Deng Xiaoping meeting British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Beijing on the handover of Hong Kong. (Bobby Yip/Reuters)] Most accounts of British foreign policy under former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died yesterday at the age of 87, cite her stalwart defense of the Falkland Islands, prickly relationship with Europe, and warm partnership with the contemporaneous American president, Ronald Reagan. But from a Chinese perspective, Thatcher will best be remembered as the British leader who negotiated the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. A decade and a half later, the handover seems like a historical inevitability; a vestigial colonial power making way for a rising China. Hong Kong's status, though, by no means was inevitable; instead, it reflected the results of a tense negotiation in which the formidable Iron Lady met her match with the tiny, owlish Chinese leader: Deng Xiaoping. For the British, who assumed control of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon following the Opium Wars in the 1840s, Hong Kong was merely another jewel in the country's massive empire. Yet for China, the loss of Hong Kong began "a century of humiliation", a calamitous period of war, territorial cessation, and decline that culminated with the reunification of the country under Communist rule in 1949. Once Deng Xiaoping assumed control of China in 1978 and put an end to the disastrous social experiments that characterized the Maoist years, negotiating the return of Hong Kong became a major government priority. In an entertaining 1992 account of the negotiations published in the Independent , Robert Cottrell summarized Deng's state of mind regarding Hong Kong: Deng returned to the offensive by repeating his rejection of continued British rule in more categorical terms. If he agreed to let Britain stay in Hong Kong beyond 1997, he said, he would be no better than the traitors of the Qing dynasty who had first yielded Chinese soil to Britain under treaties which were illegal and invalid. He could not do it. China must resume sovereignty over Hong Kong, and sovereignty must include administration. The British flag would have to go. The British governor would have to go. And it would be China alone which decided what policies were 'suitable' for Hong Kong in the future. None the less, he said, China hoped that Britain would 'co-operate' in the transition, and it was prepared to enter into 'discussions' to that end. But it would not be bound by their results. If they failed to produce an agreement acceptable to China within two years, then China would announce its own policies for Hong Kong unilaterally. Thatcher tried to hold the line with Deng, insisting that any unilateral action by China to assume control over Hong Kong would be in violation of international treaty. But in the end, the diminutive Chinese ruler got what he wanted, and on a rainy July night in 1997, Thatcher was present for the formal transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic. Towards the end of her life, Thatcher expressed regret about how things turned out in Hong Kong, telling the Daily Telegraph that she felt "sad" and "disappointed" in regards to the handover. In truth, though, there was little Thatcher could do: The emotional appeal of Hong Kong to the Chinese public -- as well as the leadership -- was simply too strong.

Markdown

[Skip to content](https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/04/when-margaret-thatcher-came-to-china/274796/#main-content) ## Site Navigation - [Popular](https://www.theatlantic.com/most-popular/)[Latest](https://www.theatlantic.com/latest/)[Newsletters](https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/) ## Sections - [Ideas](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/) - [Politics](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/) - [Economy](https://www.theatlantic.com/economy/) - [Global](https://www.theatlantic.com/international/) - [National Security](https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/) - [Washington Week](https://www.theatlantic.com/category/washington-week-atlantic/) - [Features](https://www.theatlantic.com/category/features/) - [Technology](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/) - [AI Watchdog](https://www.theatlantic.com/category/ai-watchdog/) - [Science](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/) - [Planet](https://www.theatlantic.com/projects/planet/) - [Health](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/) - [Philosophy](https://www.theatlantic.com/category/philosophy/) - [Education](https://www.theatlantic.com/education/) - [Culture](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/) - [Comedy](https://www.theatlantic.com/category/comedy/) - [Family](https://www.theatlantic.com/family/) - [Books](https://www.theatlantic.com/books/) - [Fiction](https://www.theatlantic.com/category/fiction/) - [Photography](https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/) - [Events](https://www.theatlantic.com/atlantic-across-america/) - [![](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/_next/static/images/nav-archive-promo-5541b02ae92f1a9276249e1c6c2534ee.png)Explore The Atlantic Archive](https://www.theatlantic.com/archive/) - [![games promo icon](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/games/games_promo_color.png)Play The Atlantic Games](https://www.theatlantic.com/games/) - [Listen to Podcasts and Articles](https://www.theatlantic.com/audio/) ## The Print Edition [![View the current print edition](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/images/current-issue.420.jpg)](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/) [Latest Issue](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/)[Past Issues](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/backissues/) *** [Give a Gift](https://accounts.theatlantic.com/products/gift) - [Popular](https://www.theatlantic.com/most-popular/) - [Latest](https://www.theatlantic.com/latest/) - [Newsletters](https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/) - [Sign In](https://accounts.theatlantic.com/login/) - [Subscribe](https://www.theatlantic.com/subscribe/navbar/) [China](https://www.theatlantic.com/china/) # When Margaret Thatcher Came to China What happened when the Iron Lady attempted to preserve British rule over Hong Kong. By [Matt Schiavenza](https://www.theatlantic.com/author/matthew-schiavenza/) April 9, 2013 Share Save ![dengmaggie.jpg](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/mt/china/dengmaggie.jpg) A man looks at a 1984 photograph of Deng Xiaoping meeting British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Beijing on the handover of Hong Kong. (Bobby Yip/Reuters)\] Most accounts of British foreign policy under former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died yesterday at the age of 87, cite her stalwart defense of the Falkland Islands, prickly relationship with Europe, and warm partnership with the contemporaneous American president, Ronald Reagan. But from a Chinese perspective, Thatcher will best be remembered as the British leader who negotiated the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. A decade and a half later, the handover seems like a historical inevitability; a vestigial colonial power making way for a rising China. Hong Kong's status, though, by no means was inevitable; instead, it reflected the results of a tense negotiation in which the formidable Iron Lady met her match with the tiny, owlish Chinese leader: Deng Xiaoping. For the British, who assumed control of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon following the Opium Wars in the 1840s, Hong Kong was merely another jewel in the country's massive empire. Yet for China, the loss of Hong Kong began "a century of humiliation", a calamitous period of war, territorial cessation, and decline that culminated with the reunification of the country under Communist rule in 1949. Once Deng Xiaoping assumed control of China in 1978 and put an end to the disastrous social experiments that characterized the Maoist years, negotiating the return of Hong Kong became a major government priority. In an [entertaining 1992 account](http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/how-mrs-thatcher-lost-hong-kong-ten-years-ago-fired-up-by-her-triumph-in-the-falklands-war-margaret-thatcher-flew-to-peking-for-a-lastditch-attempt-to-keep-hong-kong-under-british-rule--only-to-meet-her-match-in-deng-xiaoping-two-years-later-she-signed-the-agreement-handing-the-territory-to-china-1543375.html) of the negotiations published in the *Independent*, Robert Cottrell summarized Deng's state of mind regarding Hong Kong: > Deng returned to the offensive by repeating his rejection of continued British rule in more categorical terms. If he agreed to let Britain stay in Hong Kong beyond 1997, he said, he would be no better than the traitors of the Qing dynasty who had first yielded Chinese soil to Britain under treaties which were illegal and invalid. He could not do it. China must resume sovereignty over Hong Kong, and sovereignty must include administration. The British flag would have to go. The British governor would have to go. And it would be China alone which decided what policies were 'suitable' for Hong Kong in the future. None the less, he said, China hoped that Britain would 'co-operate' in the transition, and it was prepared to enter into 'discussions' to that end. But it would not be bound by their results. If they failed to produce an agreement acceptable to China within two years, then China would announce its own policies for Hong Kong unilaterally. Thatcher tried to hold the line with Deng, insisting that any unilateral action by China to assume control over Hong Kong would be in violation of international treaty. But in the end, the diminutive Chinese ruler got what he wanted, and on a rainy July night in 1997, Thatcher was present for the formal transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic. Towards the end of her life, Thatcher [expressed regret](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1554095/My-regrets-over-Hong-Kong-by-Lady-Thatcher.html) about how things turned out in Hong Kong, telling the *Daily Telegraph* that she felt "sad" and "disappointed" in regards to the handover. In truth, though, there was little Thatcher could do: The emotional appeal of Hong Kong to the Chinese public -- as well as the leadership -- was simply too strong. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ### About the Author [Matt Schiavenza](https://www.theatlantic.com/author/matthew-schiavenza/) [Matt Schiavenza](https://www.theatlantic.com/author/matthew-schiavenza/) is the senior content manager at the Asia Society and a former contributing writer for *The Atlantic*. ## Popular Links - ### About - [Our History](https://www.theatlantic.com/history/) - [Careers](https://www.theatlantic.com/jobs/) - ### Contact - [Help Center](https://support.theatlantic.com/) - [Contact Us](https://www.theatlantic.com/contact/) - [Atlantic Brand Partners](https://atlanticbrandpartners.com/) - [Press](https://www.theatlantic.com/press-releases/) - [Reprints & Permissions](https://support.theatlantic.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011460753-Permissions-to-reprint-or-reproduce-content-from-The-Atlantic) - ### Podcasts - [Radio Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/radio-atlantic/) - [The David Frum Show](https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/the-david-frum-show/) - [Galaxy Brain](https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/galaxy-brain/) - [Autocracy in America](https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/autocracy-in-america/) - [How to Age Up](https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/how-to-build-a-happy-life/) - ### Subscription - [Purchase](https://www.theatlantic.com/subscribe/footer-cover/) - [Give a Gift](https://www.theatlantic.com/subscribe/footer-gift/) - [Manage Subscription](https://accounts.theatlantic.com/) - [Group Subscriptions](https://www.theatlantic.com/group-subscriptions/) - [Atlantic Editions](https://www.theatlantic.com/atlantic-editions/) - [Newsletters](https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/) - ### Follow ### About - [Our History](https://www.theatlantic.com/history/) - [Careers](https://www.theatlantic.com/jobs/) ### Contact - [Help Center](https://support.theatlantic.com/) - [Contact Us](https://www.theatlantic.com/contact/) - [Atlantic Brand Partners](https://atlanticbrandpartners.com/) - [Press](https://www.theatlantic.com/press-releases/) - [Reprints & Permissions](https://support.theatlantic.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011460753-Permissions-to-reprint-or-reproduce-content-from-The-Atlantic) ### Podcasts - [Radio Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/radio-atlantic/) - [The David Frum Show](https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/the-david-frum-show/) - [Galaxy Brain](https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/galaxy-brain/) - [Autocracy in America](https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/autocracy-in-america/) - [How to Age Up](https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/how-to-build-a-happy-life/) ### Subscription - [Purchase](https://www.theatlantic.com/subscribe/footer-cover/) - [Give a Gift](https://www.theatlantic.com/subscribe/footer-gift/) - [Manage Subscription](https://accounts.theatlantic.com/) - [Group Subscriptions](https://www.theatlantic.com/group-subscriptions/) - [Atlantic Editions](https://www.theatlantic.com/atlantic-editions/) - [Newsletters](https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/) ### Follow ## Site Information - [Privacy Policy](https://www.theatlantic.com/privacy-policy/) - [Your Privacy Choices](https://www.theatlantic.com/do-not-sell-my-personal-information/) - [Advertising Guidelines](https://www.theatlantic.com/advertising-guidelines/) - [Terms & Conditions](https://www.theatlantic.com/terms-and-conditions/) - [Terms of Sale](https://www.theatlantic.com/terms-of-sale/) - [Responsible Disclosure](https://www.theatlantic.com/responsible-disclosure-policy/) - [Site Map](https://www.theatlantic.com/site-map/) TheAtlantic.com © 2026 The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply

Readable Markdown

What happened when the Iron Lady attempted to preserve British rule over Hong Kong. April 9, 2013 ![dengmaggie.jpg](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/mt/china/dengmaggie.jpg) A man looks at a 1984 photograph of Deng Xiaoping meeting British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Beijing on the handover of Hong Kong. (Bobby Yip/Reuters)\] Most accounts of British foreign policy under former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died yesterday at the age of 87, cite her stalwart defense of the Falkland Islands, prickly relationship with Europe, and warm partnership with the contemporaneous American president, Ronald Reagan. But from a Chinese perspective, Thatcher will best be remembered as the British leader who negotiated the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. A decade and a half later, the handover seems like a historical inevitability; a vestigial colonial power making way for a rising China. Hong Kong's status, though, by no means was inevitable; instead, it reflected the results of a tense negotiation in which the formidable Iron Lady met her match with the tiny, owlish Chinese leader: Deng Xiaoping. For the British, who assumed control of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon following the Opium Wars in the 1840s, Hong Kong was merely another jewel in the country's massive empire. Yet for China, the loss of Hong Kong began "a century of humiliation", a calamitous period of war, territorial cessation, and decline that culminated with the reunification of the country under Communist rule in 1949. Once Deng Xiaoping assumed control of China in 1978 and put an end to the disastrous social experiments that characterized the Maoist years, negotiating the return of Hong Kong became a major government priority. In an [entertaining 1992 account](http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/how-mrs-thatcher-lost-hong-kong-ten-years-ago-fired-up-by-her-triumph-in-the-falklands-war-margaret-thatcher-flew-to-peking-for-a-lastditch-attempt-to-keep-hong-kong-under-british-rule--only-to-meet-her-match-in-deng-xiaoping-two-years-later-she-signed-the-agreement-handing-the-territory-to-china-1543375.html) of the negotiations published in the *Independent*, Robert Cottrell summarized Deng's state of mind regarding Hong Kong: > Deng returned to the offensive by repeating his rejection of continued British rule in more categorical terms. If he agreed to let Britain stay in Hong Kong beyond 1997, he said, he would be no better than the traitors of the Qing dynasty who had first yielded Chinese soil to Britain under treaties which were illegal and invalid. He could not do it. China must resume sovereignty over Hong Kong, and sovereignty must include administration. The British flag would have to go. The British governor would have to go. And it would be China alone which decided what policies were 'suitable' for Hong Kong in the future. None the less, he said, China hoped that Britain would 'co-operate' in the transition, and it was prepared to enter into 'discussions' to that end. But it would not be bound by their results. If they failed to produce an agreement acceptable to China within two years, then China would announce its own policies for Hong Kong unilaterally. Thatcher tried to hold the line with Deng, insisting that any unilateral action by China to assume control over Hong Kong would be in violation of international treaty. But in the end, the diminutive Chinese ruler got what he wanted, and on a rainy July night in 1997, Thatcher was present for the formal transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic. Towards the end of her life, Thatcher [expressed regret](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1554095/My-regrets-over-Hong-Kong-by-Lady-Thatcher.html) about how things turned out in Hong Kong, telling the *Daily Telegraph* that she felt "sad" and "disappointed" in regards to the handover. In truth, though, there was little Thatcher could do: The emotional appeal of Hong Kong to the Chinese public -- as well as the leadership -- was simply too strong.

ML Classification

ML Categories

/Law_and_Government		48.6%
/Law_and_Government/Government		42.3%
/News		32.8%
/News/Politics		28.4%
/Law_and_Government/Government/Executive_Branch		27.6%
/People_and_Society		20.6%
/News/Politics/Campaigns_and_Elections		19.4%
/People_and_Society/Social_Sciences		15.3%
/People_and_Society/Social_Sciences/Political_Science		14.6%

Raw JSON

{
    "/Law_and_Government": 486,
    "/Law_and_Government/Government": 423,
    "/News": 328,
    "/News/Politics": 284,
    "/Law_and_Government/Government/Executive_Branch": 276,
    "/People_and_Society": 206,
    "/News/Politics/Campaigns_and_Elections": 194,
    "/People_and_Society/Social_Sciences": 153,
    "/People_and_Society/Social_Sciences/Political_Science": 146
}

ML Page Types

/Article		99.9%
/Article/Story		55.1%

Raw JSON

{
    "/Article": 999,
    "/Article/Story": 551
}

ML Intent Types

Informational

99.9%

Raw JSON

{
    "Informational": 999
}

Content Metadata

Language

Author

Matt Schiavenza

Publish Time

2013-04-09 11:30:00 (13 years ago)

Original Publish Time

2013-04-01 00:00:00 (13 years ago)

Republished

Word Count (Total)

849

Word Count (Content)

577

Links

External Links

Internal Links

Technical SEO

Meta Nofollow

Meta Noarchive

JS Rendered

Redirect Target

null

Performance

Download Time (ms)

463

TTFB (ms)

462

Download Size (bytes)

29,877

Shard

21 (laksa)

Root Hash

13119341252700813021

Unparsed URL

com,theatlantic!www,/china/archive/2013/04/when-margaret-thatcher-came-to-china/274796/ s443