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The history
of Hong Kong begins in 1842 at which time the Island known as
Hong Kong, meaning "Fragrant Harbor," became the first
British possession in China as a result of China's defeat in the
so-called "Opium War" and the imposition of the first
of a number of "unequal treaties" (a term used to describe
treaties which were imposed upon the vanquished). Prior to Britain
taking possession, the island was home to a few fishing communities;
lacking good sources of water, it had few permanent residents.
Britain had used Hong Kong and other islands as resting and refueling
stops in its growing China trade; Hong Kong was also frequented
by pirates and the British often colluded with them, especially
in the banned opium trade. Britian requested the cession of Hong
Kong so that it would have its own colony just as the Portuguese
had had Macau for the previous 300 years (since 1557). One of
the issues at stake in the Opium War (1839-1841) was the status
of Macau as the Chinese had decreed that all ships, from all nations
must trade with China ONLY through the offices of the Portuguese
on Macau. The British were offended at this and wanted free trade,
which the Treaty of 1842 partially provided.
When the British
were first granted the island of Hong Kong in perpetuity, the
British parliament was incensed and felt that they had been given
a "worthless piece of rock." However, the colony grew
rapidly as factories (the term for warehouses), banks, stores,
ship repair facilities, etc sprang up. The problems of lack of
space and water on Hong Kong island limited the expansion of the
British colony. Most of the island consists of rocky mountains.
Thus, a chief aim of the British in the second Anglo -Chinese
War (1858-1860) was the expansion of its colony. This was achieved
with the treaty in 1862 with the signing of the convention of
Beijing which ceded a mainland area across the harbor from Hong
Kong island, known as Kowloon, meaning 9 dragons, a very auspicious
name. Again, this area was ceded to the British in perpetuity
and, with its acquisition, the colony greatly expanded.
The British
colony prospered and expanded and soon became famous as the most
innovative and reliable center in Asia for banking, shipping and
insurance. However, Kowloon also suffered from lack of water and
arable land and in 1898, the British jumped on the bandwagon of
nations demanding territory from China and demanded to be given
a large area adjoining Kowloon, which became known as the New
Territories. Larger than both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, this
acquisition, unlike the previous two, was not given to Britain
in perpetuity, instead, the British were given a 99 year lease
on the area, a lease which expired in 1997. The area continued
to prosper and to grow as a central distribution point for East
West trade.
Events in
China naturally impacted Hong Kong, but, by and large, the British
created a two tiered system in Hong Kong, with many perks, including
excellent schools and hospitals, for the rulers and their assistants,
while doing little to improve the conditions of the majority of
the residents of the area. Hong Kong, however, did become a center
of both missionary activity and educational opportunities for
young Chinese. It also became a center for those who opposed first
the Qing, and later the Republican and Communist governments.
For example, Kang You Wei, fleeing a death sentence after the
coup which ended the "100 days of Reform", sponsored
by the Emperor with Kang's encouragement, first took refuge in
Hong Kong and then went to Japan. Likewise, Sun Yat-sen, the Father
of Modern China, took refuge in Hong Kong more than once after
a failed uprising left him in danger of arrest.
Hong Kong
experienced few side effects from World War I other than the out-migration
of about 60,000 Chinese residents who feared that the Colony would
be attacked. However, they soon returned, beginning Hong Kong's
population climb from 530,000 in 1916 to 1.6 million by 1941 and
the outbreak of World War II. With the migration of many mainland
Chinese from 1918 until 1941, Hong Kong experienced much of China's
revolutionary change. For example, in 1922 Hong Kong experienced
its first seamen's strike, directed, like those in China, against
foreign control, bad living and working conditions, and the unequal
treaties. In December, 1941, the Japanese invaded and, after 4
days of fighting, occupied Hong Kong. The Chinese population was
terrorized (the Japanese declared all women to be prostitutes
and thus fair game for the soldiers), the Westerners were herded
first into Fort Stanley and later into concentration camps or
sent to labor camps in Japan. The Westerners endured 3 ½
years of brutal captivity, whether on Hong Kong or in Japan (Japan
had not signed the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners
and thus did not consider itself bound by those provisions).
In August
1945, as the atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
and the Japanese surrendered, Sir Cecil Harcout led a British
fleet into Hong Kong harbor to re-establish His Majesty's presence
in the British Crown Colony. As Civil war raged in China, Hong
Kong attempted to keep out refugees, maintain its independence
and regain its world status as one of the most important banking,
shipping and commercial areas in Asia. In 1949, with the collapse
of the Guomindang government and the flight of Jiang Jie Shi (Chiang
Kai Shek) to Taiwan, Communist troops massed along the border
between Guangdong Province and Hong Kong's New Territories; a
"Bamboo Curtain" descended, cutting off contact. Chinese
armies could easily have taken Hong Kong in 1949 or at any time
thereafter. That they did not, speaks volumes for Hong Kong's
role as a major financial center of Asia. It was through Hong
Kong banks that most of China's foreign commerce and money was
transferred during the years when the country was shut out of
normal commerce. Hong Kong grew and became more and more prosperous,
but always with a sense of waiting for the future. Hong Kong experienced
waves of refugees at times when China was undergoing difficulties,
such as the famines following the Great Leap in 1958 and during
the Cultural Revolution.
As the deadline
for the expiration of the 99 year lease on the New Territories
drew near, discussions were held between the British and the Chinese
on the fate of Hong Kong. Deng Xiao Ping refused to consider breaking
up the area and demanded that all of Kong know, including the
two areas ceded "in perpetuity" to Britain, be returned
in 1997. On December 19, 1984, Britain and China agree that Hong
Kong would become a "special administrative region"
of China as of July 1, 1997. China agreed to give Hong Kong an
unprecedented measure of autonomy, to allow its existing social
and economic systems to remain unchanged for the following 50
years. China declared that Hong Kong would be governed under a
"One Country, Two Systems" policy. In spite of concerns
raised by the crackdown on students in Tiananmen in 1989, and
the attempts of the British to finally establish as semblance
of democratic institutions in Hong Kong, the handover took place
on July 1, 1997 as scheduled. British television portrayed the
event in all its sadness, pomp and ceremony; Chinese television,
broadcast from Tiananmen Square, was up-beat and joyous in welcoming
Hong Kong back to China. Since its return to China, Hong Kong
has had its first elections, and its business has continued to
grow, in spite of fears for the future.
A good site
for more details on Hong Kong history as well as its government,
people geography, economic status, etc, is the following commercial
site (once you are one this site, scroll down and on the right
side of the site, you will be able to click on History or a variety
of other topics.
http://hongkongnet.net/
