Don’t forget to subscribe, lots of videos coming up from my visit back to the UK, as well as visits to other European capitals, comparing what I saw there with what I see every day in China. Also, check out my new Instagram page where I post daily content from inside China: instagram.com/harvmc

You saw 15 homeless people and are shocked? Go to San Francisco. You get to see a hundred in a few street blocks!

So you are telling me the BBC has been telling me lies all these years about China?

There is no country under the sun that brought 770 million people out of poverty - except China! I am from Singapore. In the 1970s, we had to ship old clothes and money to our relatives living in China - they were utterly poor. I witnessed the rise of China in my lifetime. Today, they are a giant on the world stage and I have deep respects for the Chinese people. They are very diligent and pragmatic. Sadly, I witnessed the decline of the West in my lifetime too.

I spent nearly ten years living and working in Northern China, arriving back in the UK (Midlands) in 2019 for my pension. Truth be told, I still haven’t got over my initial culture shock on arriving back. I felt as though I’d arrived in the third world and politically in Alice in Wonderland! No country is perfect and the bureaucracy in China was on another level, but I miss those China days. Cheap, safe and although there must be crime and drugs, they weren’t visible on the streets and I still smile when I hear the media say the Chinese economy is collapsing. In your dreams western media.

I think the most important for the UK government is that they should be more independent from the US foreign policy towards China, rather than acting as the servant of USA.

Hey I'm from the UK and I live in China. I am never going back either. My life is considerably better in China, and China in general is just a better place to live.

You are quite right of course. UK is a basket case now, and London is a toilet. I think the interesting thing is most people have no idea how far behind the UK is - because they've never actually gone anywhere else...

UK born boomer here. I got the chance to leave the UK in the 90's. Travelled and lived the Middle East and SE Asia. I've seen the decline of the UK, every time I come back on vacation. I even came back for work in 22. Six months was enough, now I'm back abroad. What Blair started in 97 and the so called conservatives carried on with has destroyed the country of my birth. I've seen second world countries overtake the UK in just about everthing that affects the quality of life. It really is betrayal by the political class to the UK people.

Harvey, I am a British expat now living in Hong Kong. I've been living in London, Singapore, Taipei and Beijing. I must say after living in Asia for over 20 years, I can not bear to even stay in London for more than 2 weeks. In London, the living standard is so poor and cost is so high that I can no longer get use to it. Most of my friends left the UK and are staying elsewhere in the world. My opinion is, privatization policy led by Mag Thatcher since the 80s totally ruined the country and following administrations simply made bad policy decisions carried forward. I decided to stay in Asia raising my family and not returning for good. I'd suggest this to you as well. After BREXIT the UK is a sinking ship and most young lads know it but not everyone can leave, they are simply trapped.

I just spent 40 days in China, didn’t see any homeless, just crowded almost everywhere that I went.

I was away for 30 years and went back to bury family. The entire country i knew is gone, its heart breaking. I never want to go back again.

When an African comes to Britain, we think we have arrived in heaven, when an indigenous brits returns to Britain after living in China, he sees third world conditions.

It is the same here in Canada. The problem with the Five Eyes countries is that they money is spent on Wars. All that money should have been used for health care, infrastructures and for the people.

It's quite sad seeing the state of UK. If only the UK government prioritised the needs of the people first

Those of us who have never left the country are just as shocked and despairing at what has happened (or rather planned) to our country

China promotes its own indigenous culture UK does the opposite

The best days of the UK are in the past.

It's not the UK anymore, it's a refugee camp

I spent a couple of weeks in China, in Shanghai and Suzhou. What struck me was how civilised the towns seemed. The underground was clean and efficient, the buildings were impressive, the streets felt safe, there was no graffiti and hardly any litter. At night, when it got dark, people of all ages would be in parks, sitting on benches, walking, practising tai chi. Compare that to a city centre in Britain at night - drunks would be staggering about, there'd be fighting, yelling, police sirens, and only an idiot would think it was a good idea to go and sit in a park. Sure, I got only a snapshot of China, but what I saw was impressive.

In the west, government is too concerned about trivia woke concept like pronouns and should be more concerned about sustainable economy, and quality of life.

The UK went to the dogs ages ago, Brits who are born in the UK just dont see it. Those of us who emigrated to the UK recognize the signs.

Reason London has such high homeless people is according to US definition is Over Capacity.

I'm an English expat and took my 17 year old Australian son to visit the UK in 2022. I was shocked to see his look of disappointment and yo hear him say that he thought London was a dump. He expressed a preference to holiday in Asia or China as we normally do and has no desire to go to the UK again.

Not surprising we have always been overtaxed in the UK, but now those taxes are spent on our replacements and not on public services.

I lived in Shenzhen. Loved it. Future city. One day at a western bar, Asked many Expats from UK, "Would you move back to UK?" Their response was an emphatic NOOOO WAY!!

So glad you covered this topic People think I’m MAD to move my wife and daughter back to China last year even meaning making the sacrifice of only seeing them 4 months of the year while I stay in uk for the rest of the time. I was physically attacked 3 weeks ago in London and my car cam caught the whole incident with reg no of his vehicle and his face and the police did nothing I was in AE after for 3 hours waiting and was informed that it will be another 3 hours minimum even though I was coughing up blood and had severe headache I gave up and went home and went to the Gp the next day and he didn’t even examine me and told me to go to the chemist and buy myself some ibuprofen… Knife crime through the roof in my area Wembley A 4 and a 5 year kids got abducted by a passing van last summer just outside my flat … List goes on and people don’t believe me of how bad London is ..: Great Vlog Harvey We heading to Shanghai this July as part of our planned 3000km road trip starting from Huizhou…. Can’t wait to see Shanghai

I was in China for a couple of weeks last year and was amazed at how modern everything was - and clean. Like you I was struck by the fact that I didn't see a single homeless person. The high speed trains are amazing. Overall I was very impressed.

I was in China for a few months, traveled all over by bus and train. China. Was bloody marvelous. Really nice. Cheap good food, clean and bright, beautiful cities, everyone has money, no one is walking around all poor and depressed.. It's just really good.

What an honest video. I have been to China, and their transportation, groceries, food, education, etc are extremely affordable!!! Not to mention their infrastructure is so much better too. It's a safe, clean & convenient country to live.

Coming from Hong Kong and having lived in UK for over 50 years I do see eye to eye with the author of this video. I do have doubt about democracy and am convinced it has some structural flaws especially against another governance like China. As an ethnic Chinese I could never understand why a democratic society prefers electing a leader by popularity instead of capability. UK prefers the ordinary citizens to select a leader but how good a leader is will be presented only by the media. Thus a party or wealthy people controlling the media are effectively controlling the election. I can still remember Tony Blair from Labour got into government by playing political spins using tricks arranged by a public relation company. I think the worst part is in order to show democracy there are always "alternatives" to everything including truth, community interest and even science. The labour and Tory are finding each other in exactly the same way the Americans Democrats fighting with the Republicans. There is no common ground. The party in power will try to undo everything the previous party has done. Time, resources and attention are wasted for the sake of toeing the party line. I don't think the Chinese governance is a system suitable for every country but in China the country is governed by people who have previously proven themselves in government first. China has so many people and will be pulled in all sort of directions if the country must suit everyone's opinion. Instead China adopts its own system which is based on community's interest first and the individual's right second. This in effect in Chinese adopt their own culture that has last for several thousands of years. I do not think there is a system that could fit all. Even with democracy UK runs a NHS system like a communist state that the US doesn't have anything similar. While the US gives freedom for everyone to bear fire arm and suffer the consequence. In UK not every policeman carries a gun. A governance must be continuously updated and adjusted to suit its population. Simply brand the Chinese system authoritarian and even evil will inhibit a democratic nation to modify its governance to use Chinese tools and models even if they show positive results. I suppose if China has not risen up and shown its spectacular development then UK and US may seem nothing wrong in the absence of any comparison.

Great video. Im British born and bred.I am retiring to Asia later this year.Had enough of the UK.The cost of living, rip off prices especially if you need a trades person.But most of all are the rules and regulations.I am fed up to the back teeth of the control those in power seem to want to have over everyone.goverment, councils, planning, health and safety has gone too far.Its a nanny state. The weather sucks, it's lonely when you get older if you are single and we seem to want to go to war all the time following the USA. Immigration is out of control.Political correctness gone mad. self centrered politicians.Its a miserable place.

What do you mean “even in London”? London is hardly an accurate representation of England and the UK. The dire picture you’re trying to paint is nothing like where I live, up north. Not even in the large cities close to me is the situation as bad as it is in London. Try venturing outside of London and Bicester before making sweeping statements about an entire island.

when i arrived @ Heathrow, it's like i'm back to the 80s... the airport is so old from the gate to exit.. it actually reminded me of the old HK Kai Tak that closed on 1998.... even that felt newer than Heathrow... so sad

Great Video Harvey, many good points...

I totally agree with everything you've said...and more. I was born and raised in England but like many others I moved away, and created an opportunity to live in Sydney many years ago. Every time I return to the UK for a holiday, I am shocked to see it so massively overcrowded, the run down state of so many things, poverty and high prices everywhere you go, and of course very high crime rates. I don't recognise the place! Each trip costs me so much, high cost for poor standard hotels, food, trains, underground extremely expensive compared to Sydney, which we at times think is quite expensive BUT IS NOWHERE NEAR AS MUCH AS UK. Plus, we earn so much more. Yes, it's fallen from grace big time...so many problems, and an awful climate. No wonder so many people feel depressed in those long, dark, cold days of Winter, with poor opportunities and a bleak view of their futures. I would say that those of us who live somewhere else, and have something better to compare things to, obviously notice it more. We know other things, are living different lives; enjoying better things all round, like great food, climate, cost of living, superior accommodation, and owning our own car is so normal. Nothing wrong with any of that. No wonder so many are desperate to get out, to places Australia...1,300 UK Drs. this year alone. After my last visit, I can never go back again, feels so dull and frustrating, and I'm paying a huge price to feel that way??

I'm a Brit living in South Korea and have no plans to go back either. Even when I went back for a bit to see family I could even more clearly see the contrast and how the UK has truly fallen into a deep state of disrepair.

After the end of the epidemic, prices in China have dropped a lot, and people have become more rational in their consumption, no longer pursuing luxury goods. I really like this kind of consumption atmosphere.

to me, the main reason uk is on the decline is that it doesn't have an independent foreign policy, just at the beck and call of usa. in fact china is the only country that can give substantial help in terms of economic development, infrastructure improvement and industrial upgrading after brexit . uk dismantled the communication facilities by huawei wasting loads of money just cuz usa asked it to on the pretext of endangering its national security, an ungrounded accusation, thus uk's 4g and 5g communication is way behind other developed countries. america thwarted quite a number of cooperation projects between china and uk, namely helping uk build hsrs and nuclear power plant that can stand magnitude 10 quake with china's cutting edge tech which can utilize more than 90 percent of its energy, and acquisition of uk's bust factories, all on the pretext of endangering uk's national security, which is an american lie. another thing is to stop gas and oil import from russia , so uk has to import gas and oil from usa at prices several times higher than normal price causing inflation in other areas. usa is the greatest beneficiary while the european countries are the victims of russia-ukrane war.

We don't elect leaders full stop. We elect parties they elect the leader.

The problem with your criticism of democracy is the inherent possibility of corruption; with no democracy you cannot kick those in power out. As Churchill said, it is the best of bad options. That stated, this was an interesting perspective.

High daily living costs? The rich would never care while the poor always suffer!

Well said Harvey 👏 you've always been great at expressing yourself so clearly in a calm manner

Democracy is two wolves 🐺 and a lamb 🐑 discussing what to have for dinner 🍽️!

I’ve recently returned to both UK and China after many years. And I can’t agree more that China has progressed so much while UK has regressed

It must be tough being a pensioner in the UK when they can't afford heating in winter, i looked up the European pension breakdown index and the UK pensioner has dropped to 15th spot behind countries like Spain, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Bosnia, and the UK is the only G7 nation where living standards are worse than before the pandemic. The future is not looking to good for Britain.

UK to concentrate on anti China and Russia rather deal with in own problem. 😂😂😂

Having come back from Doha, Qatar, i was shocked to see the state London Underground was in! Dirty trains, stations. Beggers everywhere, homeless. Rapid decline. Restaurants, cafes shut early

The wealthy parts of China are nice, but you should go to the poor villages Western China. The wealth gap between east and west is absolutely shocking. None of the benefits of economic growth go over there. And as for the government, a one party system can go for or against you. With good leaders, the country can be amazing. But with bad and corrupt leaders, as demonstrated by Venezuela, the country can all go to shit. If the UK was an autocracy, in theory the government could pull a North Korea and you could be sentenced to life in a labour camp for stealing a poster. Also, I don't think what China is attempting in Kashmir or the South China Sea helps the people in any way. And the good thing about democracy is the bad leaders like that can be voted out, whereas in an autocracy like China, you would just have to deal with it. China has in fact been through famine several times because of a shit government. The country is just improving right now because of their economic boom. It will be rough once that trend reverses. Your point on China being "friendly" was horribly wrong. China actually has more border disputes than any other country. And China's major industries are filled with unpaid workers in rough factory conditions, though I don't blame you for not knowing this as the Government is very discrete about it. The UK just also happens to be one of the worst western countries. I lived in Germany for a while, went back to the UK and was stunned at how much worse it was. Last thing, the problem with the Underground was just bad luck. I have used it countless times and have never experienced that issue.

In China the public can change the policy but not the party, in the west you can change party but not the policy. I hope I remember this correctly it was George Galloway who pointed this out.

I’ve traveled to Hong Kong 4 times over the past two years so I’ve sampled China, what a great place and nice people. Coming back to the UK is depressing after a visit to China or many other parts of Asia.

If you would ask me back in the 80's or 90's where would I choose to live between Moscow and London, the answer would be London, now it would be Moscow without a doubt and the same applies for NYC or LA but how it happened in such a relatively short period of time is beyond me and something I would never guess, I really mean never but here we are

When I visited China recently I was quite astounded how well organised and polite people were ( as I have found in my travels the very large proportion of people are nice) and the public transport was fantastic the cities were as you mentioned busy and vibrant, yes China does have its problems but the Government is trying to resolve them , maybe not in the same way as the West and we should respect that, but the political reporters say thee country is not democratic but look at the mess Europe and the US is in.

I can't get used to the hostility and negativity in my home country anymore. I still didn't overcome my reverse culture-shock after returning from China. It's like the mind can't accept it anymore, once you've seen that things could be much different. That something better is indeed possible.

It is truly terrible UK is a calamity is depressing and is becoming a 3rd world country

I also was away for nearly 3 years, and was shocked on my return too! Everything was broken, nothing seems to work. The driving standards were suicidal, people so angry at everything and each other too. Can it be reversed??

Just came back from 3 weeks in China and was shocked how far behind we are.

I tried to tell my european friends that China is a country worth visiting, they just laugh and think I'm crazy.

I used London Underground for years. It is a nightmare. Worst part of working in London is using the Underground. And you pay too much for the "pleasure".

Yesterday, I read British government spend 20 millions on royal family’s security only each year, don’t mention other costs from them. And English people are pretty happy about it! I went like wow, how generous these people are! In 21 century, they still keep their king and love to pay taxes to raise the whole royal family, unbelievable!!! Do you ever know how rich the royal family is, how much money they got each year? Go do your own research, it will shock you!

I worked overseas 2004-2018. I was really looking forward to returning to the UK... home. This place is nothing like home now and nothing like the country I left in 2004.

😮Subscribed. We have a lot of homeless people around city area at night in Australia, just don't feel safe. The cost of living is SO SO SO bad, many people can't afford a pack of tomato for 3 months, yes many！ I guess the Australian politicians are just blind.

Imagine how I feel after coming back to UK after 15 years living in China! .

Spot on mate!! I am from the EU and just finished my LLB Law degree at a UK RG university, after 3 years of seeing "Great" Britain, i can safely say that it is not that Great, or so it seems. Streets littered with trash, inflation, poor infrastructure across the entirety of the UK (apart from high-end London streets and Canary Wharf). The UK's lavish and great reputation fades away as soon as you step foot in the UK. Glad to take away an LLB though as British education is a stronghold. I'm returning to the EU and hopefully moving to China in the next 10 years.

Absolutely shocking what is happening in the UK. So many people still denying it too.

Every time I heard of freedom and democracy and the rights to vote, I'm laughing my arse out. Let these gullible continue to live in their democracy world and watch their country sink to the bottom.

Thank you for your revelations as I no longer live in the UK. I came back to the UK in 2000 after 5 years away in Germany and at that time I was shocked on my return. The huge increase in homelessness was because of the closer of mental health facilities. There was a huge increase in migration and the impacts of privatisation and de-industrialisation was becoming evident as the UK was switching to a service based economy. The UK, Europe and the West is intentionally being destroyed under instruction from the IMF and the UN. It was decided before WW2 that China would be developed into the manufacturing base for the world, be developed into a Technocratic model for the rest of the world to follow as part of a global plan that later became known as UN Agenda 21. Those behind Central banks and organisations such as Chatham House and their many affiliates are behind the demise of the West as part of their global plans for a one world government and global socialist governance system.

You might be a bit too young to be nostalgic about the good old days. I love both China and the UK. Just spent too years in Berlin and I'm so happy to be back in London 😊

I thank you so.much. I am international interpreter I am 70 years old. I thank you to see the world'sreality. Talk with each other is the best agenda. Instead of words which hurt so much.❤ Noella Berlin 😢

UK is just too expensive.

Your observation is consistent with the vast majority of westerners. A similar trend is observed in the US/Canada and throughout western allied nations. The endless QE does not improve the situation either as the hegemon exports inflation around the globe in an effort to tame their economic woes. Economic prosperity is clearly shifting towards the East now with global south nations expected to undergo further development if they continue to establish cooperation and trade through the BRI. Poor economic conditions and political instability are often accompanied by drastic decline in the living standards, rise in poverty and crime as wealth is concentrated within a small group of social elites.

What you say about tech salaries is true. As CTO in London, with the responsibility of 60 people and a budget of almost 5 millions, I was making 160k a year, which is an entry salary for a senior software engineer in the worst US companies, and it's the salary of someone with 2 years of experience in a FAANG company, like Facebook or Google. And believe me, the situation now is much worse than 4 years ago. It is way harder to get a job. The rent is gone up between 20 and 30 percent just in the last year.

Relatable experience. I've worked in UK for almost 3 years. Coming back to Moscow I was shocked how it is light years ahead in terms of infrastructure and services (not speaking of being 3-30 times cheaper in most key aspects such as rent/ownership, transportation, utilities, telecom, essentials etc.).

I am glad you didn't get accused of being a paid agent of China. Great comparison of the two countries.

Excellent presentation, thanks Harvey, from Toronto 🇨🇦 where similar decay is happening.

Thanks for posting this, I think it's a really important perspective having left and returned years later. People don't recognise the rot when they live in the slow drip daily. I moved to Ireland almost 6 years ago and I've watched all of the UK, Europe and Ireland absolutely fall apart in just that short time. People need to open their eyes and start holding the government responsible for what they've done to us!

I come from a country (Germany) where 90 years ago, people also thought that democracy is not the right way to go, and that we would need a strong leader (and it even looked like that would work for a while). Russians also think, that they need a strong (cleptocratic) leader. Please wake up. These leaders won't question themselves, because nobody dares to contradict them. You can rather argue, that Britain is not a real democracy anymore, because thanks to Cambridge Analytica etc. large corporations and super rich can manipulate the public opinion (and lure the Brits into Brexit). But believe me: To think that a strong leader is needed, is the worst kind of thinking. Even if there is one of them around that might be ok, a claptocrat who will do anything to stay in power is just around the corner.

Something must be wrong with the UK and the politicians in charge there. Where do those in charge drive their energy and thinking at?

Good afternoon Harvey. Big culture shocks for you, from UK China UK. I understand your emotions. 😮

British expat now living in Hong Kong. We moved here six years ago. Never looked back. It is safe, clean and we have a far higher quality of life here than in the UK. There have been so many attempts to smear Hong Kong and frankly misinformation from the mainstream media and Western politicians. China is also a massively misunderstood place. When we first arrived, I like many Brits have been conditioned to be apprehensive about crossing the border into the mainland. But after I did amd after a number of trips, meeting people and making friends, you soon realise it is utter BS. In many ways people here in HK are more free here than we are led to believe. People often forget this but at the very least during COVID the government's priority was to protect lives and as a result we lived relatively normal lives. We went to parks, beaches, shopping etc. This was so important because my wife was pregnant. Meanwhile my mum back in the UK was working in an elder care facility and was denied proper PPE, and hospitals kept sending infected patients back into these care homes like trojan horses because the official policy was to let the virus kill off the weak.

This is not comparable. The population of China's Top cities is equivalent to half of the UK‘s , so the China government must provide corresponding services.

Democracy is a good idea, it's the multi-party system that's the problem. They lead to constant division, bickering, backstabbing, sabotaging, etc. to the detriment of the country. There need to be a new way to select public officials much like how the corporations do it.

All Anglophone countries in general all facing the same decay as UK. East Asia is booming for 5 reasons: 1. Freedom Only to law-abiding citizens. 2. Common sense policies. if you encourage homelessness you got homelessness, if you empower crime you got crime, if you support drugs you got everything in between. 3. No race theory, no race war. Diversity and inclusion yield way to nationalism and patriotism. 4. No Free food, Free Housing, Free medical, Free education. Everybody has to pay for things they want. If you don’t want to work you die. 5. If you shoot, you die.

The Government tinker with the currency but dont replenish the workers pay.

you are spot on my friend i live in am British born in London the last 10 years i have lived in Taiwan and when i return each year to uk i cant believe the state of it you have to dodge the holes in the road as they are no longer repaired them very sad to see the decline

It happens when an empire was built on colonies and industrialization, that now it got nowhere to colonize and de-industrialized.

Thanks Harvey. I think your views make more sense than many of today's politicians..

Harvey, you say _"this is a purely anecdotal video based on my opinions and experiences it's not being backed up by facts or statistics"._ It would be SO helpful if you could add the evidence to your message.

I have taken the China Express train before, which only costs 7 USD for a 45 minute journey, with only one delay of 2 minutes. The longest subway in a big city, with a maximum cost of only 1 USD, provides a great experience!!

quite rare to listen to the truth. now i know more. thanks harvey.

I wonder how many people in the UK will now call you a "paid CCP troll" because of this video.

China policy doesn't allow crime or drugs on the streets. People must behave , otherwise they Will be punished. I have read comments about crime in London and i feel shocked not only because this is happening in the first World but also this great city has become similar to any latin american city where gangs , carteles, drugs, extorsión, corrupción, is as common as to turn on or off the light. London was the goal for many who had a Dream, a huge dream of being an brit english speaker. It was a Dream!

The basic driving force on the cost and standard of living in the UK has always been the cost of energy. Energy prices are at the root of manufacturing, agriculture, transport, the service sector, EVERYTHING. The tragedy is we are sitting on a mountain of coal that the government won't allow us to use because open cast mining is too unsightly and would make the planet too hot. Have the Germans shut down their open cast mines? No, they've opened new ones. Has China abandoned open cast mining - of course not. Coal still accounts for 60% of the energy there compared to only 1% in the UK. It is madness. I thought I'd already stopped the planet from getting to hot when I was forced to change my light bulbs.

You are a very fortunate young man. I'm now 65 yrs and collecting my Canadian CPP & OAS. It's a meagre amount but I'm able to get by. If I had the money I would love to spend five years in Russia; just to see what it's like. I certainly don't believe all the propaganda that the government feeds us. All the best.

Reading all these comments is absolutely heart breaking,extremely worrying and makes me very thankful that I am not homeless.

Really interesting, Harvey! Thanks for your video - just subbed

Maybe you should tell us about China today where middle class has been completely wiped out.

After several days in London, I was desperate to flee and so I hastened to St Pancras for Paris which is also depressed but with more grand monuments.

I know how you feel. I used to live in NYC and flew to HK once or twice a year. NYC > HK = like taking a time traveling machine into the future. HK > NYC = fucking depressing. And take into account that HK is a bit behind in comparison to all the crazy new shit in mainland.

Do not get over excited about China, maybe the streets are full of people but there are some interesting things going on . The youth unemployment rate reached 21.3 per cent in June 2023, after which the government decided to no longer disclose this figure. Local government debt, including that of urban investment companies, has reached 100 trillion yuan (US$13 trillion). With the economic slowdown, the risk of default has increased. It has been calculated the the Government are lying about their stats eg they are not a 19 trillion dollar economy but more realistically a 5 at best