And while the city is technically part of China, there's a number of features that make it stand out from the Mainland.

儘管這座城市嚴格上來說是中國的一部分，但仍有一些特點使它與大陸有所區別。

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.

香港是中華人民共和國的一個特別行政區。

This means it's in China, but operates under its own set of rules and regulations, with the exception of defense and foreign affairs.

這代表它屬於中國，但是由一套自己的條例和法規來管理，除了國防和外交事務。

This is laid out in what's called the Basic Law, Hong Kong's constitution and a national law for China.

這些被清楚地規範在《基本法》中，它是香港的憲法以及中國的國內法。

The high degree of autonomy that Hong Kong enjoys, along with its status as an economic powerhouse, makes it unique compared to the rest of the mainland.

香港享有的高度自治以及經濟強權的地位，使它與大陸其他地區相比顯得獨特。

These differences are encapsulated by the “one country, two systems” principle, which means each system has its own set of government, legal, financial, economic regulations and even separate trade relations with other nations.

這些差別被概括在「一國兩制」的原則內。這代表兩種體制分別擁有自己的政府、法制、金融、經濟法規，甚至與其他國家的個別貿易關係。

So what are some of the key distinctions between Hong Kong and mainland China?

所以香港與中國大陸間有哪些關鍵的差別？

Well, despite sharing multiple air, sea and land links, like the Hong Kong-Shenzhen border for instance, you'll need to go through passport control when moving between Hong Kong and the mainland, regardless of nationality.

儘管共享許多領空、領海和陸上連結，像是香港－深圳邊界，當從香港前往大陸的時候你需要經過邊境管制，不論國籍。

In fact, sometimes it's more seamless crossing between two separate countries.

事實上，有時候穿過兩個不同國家還比較通順。

Take going between France and Germany for example.

以在法德兩國間移動為例。

They have no controls because they're both part of the Schengen Area.

它們沒有邊境管制，因為它們都屬於申根區。

Hong Kong residents are also issued passports that are different from their Chinese counterparts.

香港居民也被發放與中國同胞不同的護照。

And if you have a passport from, say the U.S., Germany or more than 100 other countries, you can enter Hong Kong without a visa.

而且如果你有，比方說美國、德國或是其他一百多個國家的護照，你就可以免簽進入香港。

But visitors from most countries will need a visa to enter Mainland China.

但是大多數國家的遊客都需要簽證才能入境中國本土。

China's well-known internet blocks, which prevent you from accessing the likes of Google and Facebook, aren't in place here in Hong Kong.

中國著名的網路封鎖，讓你無法存取 Google 和臉書，在香港是不存在的。

Freedom of expression is well protected by the Hong Kong Bill of Rights.

言論自由在香港是很好地受到《香港人權法案》保護的。

No political views can be blocked online, and government licenses aren't required to run a website.

沒有政治觀點會在網路上被封鎖，營運網站也不需要政府執照。

That's not the case in most of China.

在中國大部分地區的狀況卻不是這樣的。

Here they use the Hong Kong dollar.

在這，人們使用港幣。

While in China, they use the Yuan.

而在中國，他們使用元。

And while China's government is heavily involved in the running of its economy, Hong Kong's is ranked as the world's freest, thanks to its government integrity, and trade and monetary freedom.

儘管中國政府非常高度地干涉其國內經濟運作，香港的經濟自由度卻排名世界第一，這都要感謝香港政府的誠信以及貿易、貨幣的自由。

But that could change in 2047.

但這一切到了 2047 年可能會改變。

So why the expiration date? And why is this relationship so unique?

為什麼有有效期限？ 為什麼他們的關係這麼特別？

It all started in 1842.

一切開始於 1842 年。

Hong Kong was surrendered to the British "in perpetuity", after the Qing dynasty of China lost the First Opium War.

在中國的清朝輸了鴉片戰爭後，香港「永久地」投降於英國。

A second territory, a part of the Kowloon peninsula, was ceded by Qing China to the British in 1860 after the Second Opium War.

1860 年第二次鴉片戰爭 (英法聯軍之役) 後第二塊領土，部分的九龍半島，被割讓給了英國。

Finally, the New Territories were leased to the U.K. for 99 years rent-free in 1898.

最終，在 1898 年，新界被免費出租給英國 99 年。

In the 1980s, China broke its silence and called for the "reunification of the Chinese nation".

1980 年代，打破沉默，高呼「中國統一」。

After lengthy negotiations, both countries agreed Hong Kong would revert to Chinese rule in 1997, the same year the 99-year lease on the New Territories expired.

經過漫長的談判，兩國同意香港在 1997 年回歸中國的統治，也就是新界 99 年租約到期的年份。

British rule of Hong Kong, which included Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, ended on July 1 1997.

英國對香港的統治，包括香港島、九龍和新界，結束於 1997 年 7 月 1 號。

Despite being handed back to China, the Sino-British Joint Declaration guarantees Hong Kong's political and economic systems would remain unchanged for 50 years.

儘管被交還給中國，《中英聯合聲明》保障香港的政治和經濟制度可以維持 50 年不變。

That includes freedoms such as the right to assemble and demonstrate, the right to free speech and a free press.

這包含了集會遊行的權利、言論以及媒體自由的權利。

What will happen in Hong Kong after 2047 is anyone's guess.

2047 年後香港會發生什麼事，沒有人知道。

As you can imagine, that could get complicated.

不難想像，情況會變得複雜。

See, in past decades, Hong Kong thrived and rose to become one of Asia's financial powerhouses, ultimately becoming a hub for western companies looking to do business in China.

在過去十年香港茁壯並攀升為亞洲的金融強權之一，最終成為西方公司藉以進軍中國市場的樞紐。

China's opening of its economy in 1978 propelled the country to become the world's second-largest economy behind the U.S., drawing hundreds of millions out of poverty in the process.

1978 年中國的經濟開放將它推升至僅次於美國的世界第二大經濟體，並使數億人脫離貧窮。

And while Hong Kong was strategically well-positioned to benefit from China's economic boom, it was a double-edged sword.

儘管香港在策略上非常好地受惠於中國的經濟發展，然而這是一把雙刃劍。

Hong Kong, which was traditionally a crown-jewel for China, at one point representing 27% of the Chinese economy back in 1993, now represents less than 3%.

香港過去是中國最真珍貴的部分，1993 年它曾經佔了中國經濟的百分之 27 ，而現在卻不到百分之 3 。

In fact, Hong Kong's economy was recently surpassed by the city of Shenzhen, a booming tech city just across the border in Mainland China.

事實上，近年香港的經濟已被深圳超越，一個就位在邊界對面中國大陸興起中的科技城市。

So Hong Kong is now much less significant to China's overall economy.

所以香港現在對中國的整體經濟已經不太重要。

And while Hong Kong is supposed to remain an autonomous region until 2047, some say China doesn't want to wait that long.

儘管香港到 2047 年之前都應該是自治區，有些人表示中國並不想等那麼久。

In recent years, China has tightened its embrace of Hong Kong, not just symbolically, but through massive infrastructure projects too.

近年，中國逐漸收緊對香港的控制，不是象徵性地，而是透過大量的基礎建設計畫來達成。

For one, there's the Greater Bay initiative.

首先是大灣區計畫。

It hopes to combine the cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Southern China with the likes of Hong Kong and Macau to create one massive area that could rival San Francisco, New York and Tokyo's bay areas.

他們希望合併廣州市和深圳市以及香港、澳門，來創造足以和洛杉磯、紐約、東京等灣區抗衡的龐大區域。

The Greater Bay Area is home to more than 65 million people.

大灣區有超過 6500 萬人口。

This new $20 billion dollar bridge is an example of that initiative.

這座造價兩百億美金的橋就是其中一個例子。

It's the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world, connecting Hong Kong to the Mainland.

它是全世界最長的跨海大橋，連接香港到大陸。

Some critics have actually linked the bridge to an umbilical cord between Hong Kong and China, saying that it's a symbolic way for China to exert more influence over Hong Kong.

有些評論家甚至把這座橋視為香港與中國之間的臍帶，他們認為這是中國對香港施加影響的代表性手段。

And there's this new controversial high-speed rail, which allows Mainland Chinese officials to exercise jurisdiction in Hong Kong for the first time.

另外還有這個充滿爭議性的新高速鐵路，它讓中國第一次得以在香港境內實施司法管轄權。

The city has seen an influx of mainlanders, around one million since 1997, accounting for 90% of Hong Kong's population growth.

香港自 1997 年起湧進了約一百萬的大陸人，這佔據了香港百分之 90 的人口增長。

This influx has fueled some resentment, with some locals blaming them for pushing up property prices and driving down wages.

這股潮流激起了一些怨恨，部分當地人責怪這些大陸人使得地價升高、薪資降低。

In several instances, Hong Kongers have resisted China's influence.

在許多事件上，香港人都抗拒中國的影響。

In 2003, hundreds of thousands protested against proposed national security legislation critics said would erode the coastal city's freedoms.

2003 年，數十萬人對《國家安全條例》的提出表達抗議，評論家認為這項法案會損害香港的民主自由。

In 2014, tens of thousands of people protested China's influence over Hong Kong's elections.

2014 年，上萬人上街抗議中國對香港普選的干預。

This gave birth to the Umbrella Movement, named after the umbrellas protesters used to shield the pepper spray used by police.

這促成了雨傘運動的誕生，該運動因示威者們使用雨傘來遮擋警方噴灑的胡椒噴霧而得名。

In 2017, the Chinese Foreign Ministry declared the Sino-British Joint Declaration no longer had any significance, though it was unclear whether the attack was on British involvement in Hong Kong or the core principles in the document.

2017 年，中國外交部宣布《中英聯合聲明》不再具有意義，不過我們無法確定這是由於英國對香港的干涉所進行的抨擊，還是針對文件的核心原則所作出的發言。

Britain says the document is still a valid treaty.

英方表示這份文件仍是具有效力的條約。

And in 2019, more than half a million protestors flooded the streets to protest an extradition bill that would allow fugitives to be transferred to places with which the city has no extradition arrangements, including mainland China.

2019 年，超過 50 萬名示威者湧上街頭反對一項逃犯引渡法案，這項法案將會允許逃亡者被遣送至與香港沒有簽訂引渡協議的地方，包含中國大陸。

Recently, Hong Kong fell two spots in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Democracy Index landing at 73rd place on a list of 167, tying with Senegal and below Mexico.

最近，香港在經濟學人智庫的全球民主指數排名下降了兩個名次，在 167 個地區中排名第 73 ，與塞內加爾同名、低於墨西哥。

China, meanwhile, rose nine places to 130.

而中國則上升 9 個名次，來到第 130 名。

Hong Kong's autonomy and economic freedom have been key to its rise as a global economic hub.

香港的自治和經濟自由向來是其作為全球經濟中心而崛起的關鍵。

But being seen as the gateway to China has also been imperative.

不過被視為通往中國的門戶也是極重要的因素之一。

Keeping that balance between the two is something Hong Kong will continue to contend with, particularly as it edges closer to 2047.

在這兩者間取得平衡將會是香港未來會不斷要面對的問題，尤其是當 2047 正在逐漸逼近。

Hey guys, thank you for watching.

嗨各位，感謝你們的收看。

Check out more of our videos like that time I went to explore China's Greater Bay Area.

看看更多我們的影片，例如上次我前往探索粵港澳大灣區。

We're also taking suggestions for future CNBC Explains, so leave your comments in the section below.

我們也在為 CNBC Explains 未來的影片收集意見，所以歡迎在下面的留言區留言。

And if you haven't subscribed to our channel yet, now's a good time to do that. See you next time!

如果你還沒有訂閱我們的頻道，現在是個好時機。我們下次見！