History of Hong Kong

History of Hong Kong

(pictured in 1950)
History of Hong Kong
Hong Kong translates as “Fragrant Harbor”
on July 1 – Hong Kong Independence Day, celebrated since 1997.
Major milestones:
15th century BC
The first people appear on the territory of modern Hong Kong. One of the evidences of their presence is the rock carvings that can be seen, for example, on Big Waife Bay beach or Cheng Chau Island.
221 BC
The ruler of Qin Shi Huang unites the Chinese kingdoms. The Pearl River Delta with the fishing villages of the Yue people, the possible ancestors of the tank, also fall under the influence of the Qin Empire.
11th-15th centuries A.D.
Fishermen are being squeezed by new settlers – ethnic Chinese from five clans who came to the current New Territories. The most powerful (and the first to settle in these places) was the Tang clan – the remnants of its possessions have survived to this day.
1278
For the first time, Hong Kong lands appear on the map of great Chinese history: the young heirs of the Song Dynasty, who had almost lost a protracted war to the Mongols, are fleeing here. Their way lies through Kowloon, which is named by Emperor Zhao Shi, to Lantau. On the island, Zhao Shi dies, and his title passes to his seven-year-old brother Zhao Bin. In a year, the Song Dynasty era will end – the last emperor will die in a naval battle off the coast of Guangdong Province.
1514
Portuguese navigator Jorge Alvarez, who a year earlier was the first European to set foot on the islands in the Pearl River Delta, establishes a trading settlement in Tuenmun. Soon, however, the Portuguese were driven away by imperial troops, and they moved to Macau, which for a long time would become the only port open to foreigners in China.
1644
Invaders from Manchuria, the Qing Dynasty, reign on the Chinese throne. Residents of the southern provinces, who have been resisting the invasion for the longest time, are being evicted to the north. Secret societies swear allegiance to the fallen Ming Dynasty, which in a few centuries will mutate into triads.
1685
The Kangxi Emperor, albeit with strict restrictions, allows Europeans to trade with his subjects. The Portuguese are losing their monopoly – the French and Dutch are rushing to the southern coast of China, but the East India Company is the most active.
1756
Stricter trade rules: Europeans are allowed to do business only in Canton Harbor (Guangzhou). The main problem, however, is not even that – in exchange for tea, porcelain and silk, the Chinese take only silver, but they themselves do not want to buy anything. The British were least satisfied with this state of affairs: they really needed tea and a positive trade balance. Soon they will find a way out: opium from India’s colonial possessions, despite the fact that its import into China is prohibited, is in great demand.
19 century
The British make fantastic money from opium smuggling: the number of drug smokers in China reaches several million. But that’s not enough for the British: they are actively inciting their government to clash with China, hoping to gain access to ports and an island off the southern coast as a base for trade.
1839-1842
The First Opium War. The reason for the outbreak of the conflict was the actions of the Cantonese authorities, who confiscated 20,000 cases of the drug from the British. During the military operation, the British flotilla finds itself dangerously close to Beijing. The ships leave when the imperial governor agrees to the demands of the aggressors, including the transfer of Hong Kong Island to them: on January 26, 1841, the British flag was raised over the island. However, the emperor reneges on his viceroy’s promises, and the British launch a new, successful offensive. As a result, in August 842, the Nanjing Treaty was signed, according to which China should open a number of ports for trade, pay an indemnity, and also give Hong Kong to Britain in perpetuity.
1840x
Despite the fact that Albion is not thrilled with its new possessions, British settlers are actively building the city of Victoria City on the island. Administrative buildings and the Anglican Cathedral on Government Hill are being built, and a racetrack is being built. Several large trading houses, including Jardine Matheson, are moving from Canton to Hong Kong.
1856-1860
An inspection by Chinese officials of a British-flagged ship leads to the second Opium War. An uprising of Taiping Christians is raging in China, while the Europeans, on the contrary, have just finished fighting each other in Crimea, so in addition to Great Britain, France and Russia are opposing China. Having received everything they needed from the Qing Emperor – for example, according to the new treaty, Britain gets the Kowloon Peninsula, among other things – the Western powers help deal with the Taiping as a sign of reconciliation.
1868-1873
Under the leadership of Sir Paul Chatter, the first drainage project was carried out on the island. Over the next 150 years, Hong Kong will expand by 70,000 hectares.
1887
A medical college was founded, the first educational institution not only in Hong Kong, but also in China, where medical practice is taught according to Western standards. In 1912, the University of Hong Kong was established on its basis.
1888
Persian Mithaiwala, who organized regular service between the island and the mainland on Star Ferry ferries, registers his company. In the same year, the funicular starts running to Victoria Peak.
1894
The terrible plague epidemic is reducing the population of Hong Kong by almost half.
1895
A graduate of Medical College, revolutionary Sun Yat Sen uses Hong Kong as a base for a rebellion in the south of the country. The riot fails, and the British expel Balamut to Japan.
1898
There is unrest in the Qing Empire – a revolution is brewing, France, Germany, Russia and Japan are seizing chunks of territories for themselves. In such circumstances, the UK has no difficulty convincing China to lease New Territories to it for 99 years.
1904
The first trams are starting to run through the streets of Victoria City.
1906
A powerful typhoon, the most destructive in Hong Kong’s recent history, kills 15,000 people. The next terrible blow of the elements will fall on the city in 1937 – there will be slightly fewer victims.
1911
Hong Kong’s population is growing due to refugees from the mainland, where the Xinhai Revolution is thundering, one of the leaders of which is Sun Yat-sen.
In early 1912, Emperor Puyi abdicated the throne and China became a republic.
1937
750,000 refugees are seeking refuge in the British colony from the Japanese invasion of China. A year later, the Japanese army will come close to the border of Hong Kong.
December 1841
Japan enters World War II – On December 8, simultaneously with the bombing of the American base Pearl Harbor, Imperial troops launch an attack on Hong Kong. The defensive lines on Kowloon were breached in just 3 days, the island holds out longer – the invaders manage to land only on December 18. Bloody fighting has been going on for almost a week, but the defenders’ situation is aggravated by the fact that the Japanese have blocked access to fresh water sources. On December 25, the British Governor signs the act of surrender at The Peninsula Hotel. A few hours earlier, the Japanese had committed a massacre at a military hospital in Stanley. This day goes down in Hong Kong history as Black Christmas.
1941-1945
The Japanese occupation. The civilian European population is interned in the Stanley camp, the British military are kept in barracks. The fate of the Hong Kong Chinese is even sadder – many are being deported to the mainland, while those who remain suffer from hunger and harsh treatment: Japanese soldiers rob, rape, and kill. After Japan’s defeat in World War II, Hong Kong became a British colony again: after almost four years of occupation, its population decreased from 1.6 million to 610 thousand people.
1949
As a result of the civil war between nationalists and Communists, the latter come to power in mainland China. Hong Kong’s population exceeds pre-war levels due to a new influx of migrants. Rich people with their savings, poor people, and cheap labor are fleeing here. This largely determines the future economic breakthrough.
1953
A fire in the north of Kowloon on Christmas night leaves 53,000 people without a roof over their heads. A program for the construction of cheap high-rise buildings is being launched – they will become the standard for building residential areas.
1958-1966
Mao Zedong follows the Stalinist path, announcing first the “Great Leap Forward” – simultaneous collectivization and industrialization, then the Great Cultural Revolution – a large-scale party purge. The British colony is swollen by new waves of refugees. The industrial boom that will bring the Hong Kong economy to the leaders of the region is accompanied by an increase in anti-colonial sentiments, spurred by communist propaganda.
1966
The increase in prices for Star Ferry ferries provokes mass unrest.
1967
Hong Kong proletarians sympathizing with the Cultural Revolution are staging even more large-scale riots.: fighting with police at demonstrations, bombs, arson, political assassinations. The townspeople fear that this is a sign that the PRC is planning an invasion. Nevertheless, at the end of the year, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai calls on leftist terrorists to stop.
1970x
To reduce the degree of tension, new labor laws are being adopted, the authorities are thinking about affordable education and medicine, as well as, not least, about housing. Extensive areas of residential high-rises like Shatin are being built in the New Territories.
1971
The golden era of Hong Kong cinema begins with the film “Big Boss” starring Bruce Lee, shot by the local Golden Harvest studio. Soon, the same studio will reveal another star, Jackie Chan.
1972
The construction of the first tunnel under Victoria Bay has been completed – from now on, you can get to the mainland from the island not only by water.
1974
The Hong Kong authorities are creating an Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, which will become a role model in other Asian countries.
1979
The first line of the Hong Kong Subway has been launched.
1982-1984
The year 1997, when the lease period for New Territories ends, is causing increasing concern. These areas have become a full-fledged part of the city, and it is not possible to sever the Goknong between the two countries. Negotiations between Margaret Thatcher and Chinese President Deng Xiaoping have been going on for two years. As a result, the concept of “one country in two systems” is born – Hong Kong will come under Chinese rule, but will retain its political and economic independence.
4 june 1989 г
In Beijing, government troops are dispersing a student demonstration in Tian Anmen Square, the death toll even according to official figures exceeds 200 people. The townspeople, one and a half million of whom took part in a solidarity rally with the protesters a few days before the event, are terrified of the upcoming unification. Mass migration to Canada, the USA and Australia is beginning. The annual memorial service for those who died in Tian Anmen still gathers tens of thousands of Hong Kongers.
1990
Hong Kong is adopting the Basic Law, the future mini-constitution of the autonomy.
may 1997
The most important Hong Kong cultural triumph since Bruce Lee’s success, the film “Happy Together” by the already critically acclaimed Wong Kar Wai, wins the Cannes Directing prize. In 2010, his next film “Love Mood” will be celebrated at the Cannes Film Festival, and Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, who played the main role, will be awarded as the best actor.
June 30, 1997
The ceremony of handing over the city to China is taking place at the Goknong Exhibition Center. Fireworks have been going off continuously for seven hours in Beijing. Corked bottles of freedom air are very popular among tourists.
1998
As a demonstration of good intentions, the Chinese authorities are helping to complete the ambitious Chehlapkok Airport construction project.
2003
A hectic year. In March, an epidemic of SARS broke out in the city – almost 300 people died from the infection, and the local economy suffered enormous damage. In July, 700,000 citizens demonstrated against the adoption of article 23 of the Basic law, the largest protest of 1989. The article is directed against subversive activities, threatens civil liberties and calls into question Hong Kong’s political independence. Under public pressure, the bill is shelved.
2010
The International Commercial Center, the city’s tallest skyscraper, has been built in west Kowloon.
2012
In January, after the ban on photographing storefronts in front of local Dolce & Gabbana stores, mass protest demonstrations took place.
On July 1, pro-Beijing politician Leng Chanying (Liang Zhenying) became the third head of the SAR. On July 24, typhoon Vicente raged in Hong Kong (more than 100 people were injured). In September, the first direct elections to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong were held against the backdrop of powerful anti-Beijing demonstrations. On October 1, 37 people were killed and more than 100 were hospitalized near Lamma Island as a result of a collision between a passenger ferry and a pleasure boat, which partially sank. The 18th World Sumo Championship was also held in Hong Kong in October.
2013
In May, 77 people were injured in a skytrain accident in Tinseiwai district. In September, the powerful typhoon “Usagi” hit Hong Kong. In November, 87 people were injured in a collision on a high-speed ferry en route from Hong Kong to Macau.
2014
On January 1, thousands of opposition demonstrations took place in Hong Kong demanding the democratization of the electoral system, direct elections and the resignation of Leng Chanying; some demonstrators tried to enter the headquarters of the Hong Kong garrison of the PLA. On July 1, mass demonstrations for the liberalization of the electoral system were repeated, with up to 500,000 people taking part (more than 500 marchers were detained). At the end of August, Beijing approved the procedure for holding elections in Hong Kong in 2017, while retaining control over the nomination process. The denial to Hong Kong residents of the right to hold direct general elections with the possibility of nominating pro-democratic candidates has caused a new wave of protests. In response, the authorities arrested activists from the Occupy Central movement, which advocates a new electoral order in Hong Kong.
At the end of September, a new wave of protests swept Hong Kong, dozens of people were injured and arrested as a result of clashes between demonstrators and police. Thousands of students from universities and colleges in Hong Kong organized a boycott of classes. Thousands of sit-ins blocked the business center of the city, paralyzing traffic. The epicenter of the unrest was the Tamar government complex in the Admiralty district and the Central financial district, as well as the Monkok district in Kowloon (in addition, traffic was blocked in the neighboring districts of Wan Chai and Causeway Bay). In response, Chinese authorities have blocked access to a number of popular social media and photo-sharing apps, as well as canceled classes at all schools located in central Hong Kong. Offices of companies and banks, shops, schools, as well as bank branches and ATMs were closed in areas of mass unrest.
In early October, after Hong Kong’s chief of staff Liang Zhenying refused to resign, clashes continued between demonstrators on the one hand and pro-Beijing activists and police on the other (members of local triads were identified among the activists attacking students). Soon, the demonstrators agreed to liberate a number of areas, partially dismantle the barricades and open up traffic for vehicles. A government complex, secondary schools and some bank branches have reopened in the central part of Hong Kong.
During the police dismantling of the barricades in the government quarter, the demonstrators were again attacked by pro-Beijing activists close to the triads. Soon, clashes with the police resumed, followed by mass arrests of demonstrators. In Monkok, police attacked demonstrators’ barricades several times, dozens of people were arrested and injured. In November, clashes between police and demonstrators in Bangkok resumed. After a short lull, bailiffs dismantled the barricades near the government complex, and the demonstrators responded by trying to break into the administrative building, which led to new clashes with the police.
During the new clashes that took place in late November during the dismantling of barricades in the Monkok district, police arrested more than a hundred activists, including two student leaders. In early December, clashes with police and arrests of opposition activists continued at the administrative complex in the Admiralty district. By mid-December, police had dismantled all three protest camps located in the areas of Monkok, Admiralty and Causeway Bay, but the protests continued.
2015
In September, nine small vessels (fishing boats and pleasure yachts) burned down as a result of a large fire in the harbor of Saukeiwan district. In October, a hydrofoil sailing from Macau to Hong Kong collided with an unknown object off Lantau Island, injuring more than 120 passengers.
2016
In February, dozens of people were injured as a result of mass riots in the Wonkok area. A conflict arose between representatives of the sanitary department, who were supported by the police, and illegal hawkers, who were defended by the townspeople.
2017
In January, the trial of Donald Tsang, the former Chief Minister of the Hong Kong administration, accused of corruption, began.
In February, the court sentenced Tsang to 20 months in prison. In March, according to the results of the electoral college vote, Carrie Lam, whose candidacy was supported by Beijing, became the new head of the Hong Kong administration.
On July 1, Hong Kong celebrated the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrived in the city, attended the inauguration of Hong Kong President Carrie Lam. On August 23, Typhoon Hato hit Hong Kong: hundreds of flights were canceled at the airport, waves flooded the embankments and the first floors of houses.
2018/strong>
On February 10, a double-decker bus accident in the New Territories killed 19 people and injured more than 60 passengers. In September, Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong, injuring hundreds of people and dozens of buildings.
2019
On June 9, about 1 million people took to the streets of Hong Kong to protest against the upcoming draft law on extradition to China. The opposition opposed Beijing’s growing influence on the policy of the autonomous authorities of Hong Kong, fearing that not only criminals, but also dissidents and human rights defenders would be deported to China. The protests led to the fact that the Hong Kong government was forced to postpone the discussion of the bill, but this did not save the city from violent street clashes.
A small photo gallery of Hong Kong history: