Fire, then fury: Hong Kong’s deadly blaze
The Intelligence from The Economist
The Economist
4.6 • 3.6K Ratings
🗓️ 28 November 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The dead are still being found; the displaced huddle in public spaces. Who or what will be blamed, and what policies will change after the tragedy? We visit Georgia, where protests have now lasted a year, probing the differences between popular uprisings that succeed and those that fail. And remembering He Yanxin, last natural inheritor of China’s ancient women-only language.
Additional audio courtesy of Zhao Ke'er from the documentary "Heart of Gold".
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Economist. |
| 0:10.3 | Hello and welcome to the intelligence from The Economist. |
| 0:13.3 | I'm your host, Jason Palmer. |
| 0:15.3 | Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world. |
| 0:23.6 | Enjoy. a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world. In Georgia, protesters have now been at it for a full year, |
| 0:27.6 | railing against the ruling party's turn away from the EU and towards Russia. |
| 0:32.6 | Our correspondent returns, speaking to weary, fearful protesters about what it'll take to tip the scales in their favor. |
| 0:42.3 | And in China, Nushu translates as women's script. It's an ancient language spoken, actually sung only by women. |
| 0:50.3 | Our obituaries editor reflects on the life of He Yan Xin, |
| 0:56.6 | the last person to learn Nushu naturally. |
| 1:03.0 | But first... |
| 1:18.6 | This morning, officials in Hong Kong updated the death toll from a fire that's consumed seven high-rise residential blocks. As of Friday afternoon in the city, 128 people are known to have died. |
| 1:24.6 | Thousands more have been displaced, many sheltering in a local mall. |
| 1:32.0 | This 84-year-old man said the wind was so strong. One block by one block goes up in a flash. |
| 1:39.0 | As soon as one is finished burning, the next catches fire. The blaze has at last been contained. Public fear and outrage, |
| 1:47.0 | far from it. It's a tragedy that sparks lots of questions about the Hong Kong of today. |
| 1:54.0 | How much the local government does or doesn't take care in its housing for the poor. |
| 1:58.0 | How much the mainland government will come to Hong Kongers aid, |
| 2:02.2 | even whether scaffolding practices will take the blame and become another aspect of the |
| 2:07.3 | territory's traditions quashed from Beijing. |
| 2:10.9 | It's a very somber mood in the city at the moment. |
| 2:15.2 | Emma Irving is an Asian news editor for the economist. |
... |
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