The British
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
period began in the 19th century when the
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
,
DutchThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
, French,
IndianThe demographics of India is remarkably diverse. India's population of approximately 1.17 billion people consists of approximately one-sixth of the world's population...
s and
AmericansThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
saw China as the world's largest untapped market. The
British empireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom, that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height it was...
launched their first and one of the most aggressive expeditionary forces to claim the territory under
Queen VictoriaVictoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death...
in 1840, three years after she became the queen of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927...
. The territory that would later be known as Hong Kong was gained from the
last dynastyThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
of Imperial China.
In the short span of just a few decades, Hong Kong was transformed from a rocky undeveloped mountainous terrain to a major
entrepotAn entrepôt is a trading post where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties, often at a profit. This profit is possible because of trade conditions, for example, the reluctance of ships to travel the entire length of a long trading route, and selling to the entrepôt...
for global trade. Through the
Opium WarsThe Opium Wars , also known as the Anglo-Chinese Wars, were the climax of trade disputes and diplomatic difficulties between China under the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire after China sought to restrict British opium traffickers...
and a series of treaties, the British were able to legitimately claim the territory until 1997. Early social and economic problems did exist in the
colonyThe British overseas territories are fourteen territories that are under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but which do not form part of the United Kingdom itself....
, as there were drastic differences between Eastern and Western philosophy and culture. Nonetheless Hong Kong seized the opportunity to become one of the first parts of
East AsiaEast Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. Geographically and geo-politically, it covers about , or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang,...
to industrialise and
moderniseModernization is a concept used in sociology and politics. It is the view that a standard, teleological evolutionary pattern, as described in the social evolutionism theories, exists as a template for all nations and peoples...
.
Beginning of trade
By the end of the 18th century the
British EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom, that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height it was...
was already well-established in trade and conquest around the world. China was the main supplier of tea to the British, who were domestically consuming 30 million
poundsThe pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
of
Chinese teaThe practice of drinking tea has had a long history in China, having originated from there. The Chinese drink tea during many parts of the day such as at meals for good health or simply for pleasure...
by 1830, averaging 2 pounds of leaves for every citizen. From the British economy standpoint, Chinese tea was a crucial item since it provided massive wealth for the
taipansA taipan was a foreign businessman in China or Hong Kong in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Cantonese colloquialism is now used in a more general sense for business executives of any origin...
(foreign, e.g. British, businessmen in China), and the
dutyIn economics, a duty is a kind of tax, often associated with customs, a payment due to the revenue of a state, levied by force of law. It is a tax on certain items purchased abroad...
on tea accounted for 10% of the government's income. The British diplomats have never been in favour of performing
kowtowKowtow is the act of deep respect shown by kneeling and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground...
to the
Emperor of ChinaThe Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning since the founding of China, united by Fu Xi in 2852 BCE until the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title created no later than Shang Dynasty, the Emperor was recognized...
. Many saw it as a religious pursuit and would rather be treated as equal. Though the members of the
Qing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
thrones and courts always saw the British envoys as uncivilised foreigners strictly here for tea, silk and other
far eastThe Far East is a term used in English mostly equivalent to East Asia and Southeast Asia, sometimes to the inclusion of South Asia for economic and cultural reasons."Far East" came into use in European geopolitical discourse in...
goods. At the time China's social structure, as passed down from
ConfucianConfucius , lit. "Master Kong," was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese thought and life....
philosophy, ranked merchants relatively low (below farmers and above slaves) since they were considered citizens who only enriched themselves.
Some of the earliest items sold to China in exchange for tea were British clocks, watches and musical boxes. These were not enough to compensate for the unbalance trading of massive quantities of tea. China developed a strong demand for silver. After the 1757 territorial conquest of
BengalBengal , is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent...
in India, the British had access to
opiumOpium is a narcotic formed from the latex released by lacerating the immature seed pods of opium poppies . It contains up to 12% morphine, an opiate alkaloid, which is most frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade...
. Opium was used in western society as a tincture added to water for purification. The Chinese, on the other hand, smoked opium using the product for addictive narcotic means. A large fiscal deficit existed in Bengal and so opium export was used by the government to raise tax, though it would come at the price of creating a new
drug addictionDrug addiction is a pathological condition which arises due to frequent drug use. The disorder of addiction involves the progression of acute drug use to the development of drug-seeking behavior, the vulnerability to relapse, and the decreased, slowed ability to respond to naturally rewarding stimuli...
.
Lin ZexuLin Zexu Lin Zexu Lin Zexu ; (August 30, 1785 – November 22, 1850) was a Chinese scholar and official during the Qing dynasty....
would be the Chinese commissioner who wrote a letter to
Queen VictoriaVictoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death...
in 1839 taking a stance against the acceptance of opium in trade. He confiscated more than 20,000 chests of opium already at the port and supervised their destruction.
Confrontation
The Queen saw the destruction of British products as an insult and sent the first expeditionary force to defend Britain's
"ancient rights of commerce". The
First Opium WarThe First Opium War or the First Anglo-Chinese War was fought between the British East India Company and the Qing Dynasty of China from 1839 to 1842 with the aim of forcing China to allow free trade, particularly in opium...
(1839–1842) began at the hands of Captain
Charles ElliotSir Charles Elliot was a British naval officer, diplomat and colonial administrator. Born in England, he joined the British Royal Navy in 1816...
of the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
and Capt.
Anthony Blaxland StranshamGeneral Sir Anthony Blaxland Stransham, GCB, led the Royal Marines during the First Opium War, winning the war and Hong Kong for the British Empire, when a young captain....
of the Royal Marines. After a series of Chinese defeats,
Hong Kong IslandHong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
was occupied by the British on 20 January 1841. Sir
Edward BelcherAdmiral Sir Edward Belcher, KCB was a British naval officer and explorer. He was the great-grandson of Governor Jonathan Belcher. His wife, Diana Jolliffe, was the stepdaughter of Captain Peter Heywood...
, aboard HMS
Sulphur landed in Hong Kong, on 25 January 1841.
Possession StreetPossession Street is a street in Sheung Wan, from Queen's Road West to Hollywood Road, on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The street marks the boundary of Queen's Road West and Queen's Road Central....
still exists to mark the event, although its Chinese name is 水坑口街 ("Mouth of the ditch Street").
Commodore Sir Gordon Bremer raised the Union Jack and claimed Hong Kong as a colony on 26 January 1841. It erected naval store sheds there in April 1841.
The island was first used by the British as a staging post during the war, and while the
East India CompanyThe East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
intended to establish a permanent base on the island of
ZhoushanZhoushan , formerly transliterated as Chusan, is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China...
, Elliot took it upon himself to claim the island on a permanent basis. The ostensible authority for the occupation was negotiated between Captain Eliot and the Governor of Kwangtung Province. The Convention of Chuenpeh was concluded but had not been recognised by the court of Qing Dynasty at Beijing. Subsequently, Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain in 1842 under the
Treaty of NankingThe Treaty of Nanking or Treaty of Nanjing, signed 29 August 1842, was the unequal treaty which marked the end of the First Opium War between the British and Qing Empires of 1839–42...
, at which point in time the territory became a
Crown ColonyA Crown colony was a type of colonial administration of the British Empire.Crown colonies were ruled by a governor appointed by the Crown...
.
The Opium War was ostensibly fought to liberalise trade to China. With a base in Hong Kong, British traders, opium dealers, and merchants launched the city which would become the 'free trade' nexus of the East. American opium traders and merchant bankers such as the
RussellThe Russell family may refer to:*The English aristocratic family headed by the Duke of Bedford. Other members of this family include the Earls Russell, the Barons Ampthill and Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford...
,
PerkinsJohn Perkins Cushing , called "Ku-Shing" by the Chinese, was a wealthy Boston sea merchant, opium smuggler, and philanthropist...
and the
Forbes familyThe Forbes family is a wealthy extended American family originating in Boston. The family's fortune originates from trading between North America and China in the 19th century plus other investments in the same period. The name descends from Scottish immigrants, and can be traced back to Sir John...
would soon join the trade. Britain was granted a perpetual lease on the Kowloon Peninsula under the 1860 Convention of Beijing, which formally ended hostilities in the
Second Opium WarThe Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war of the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856–1860.- Names :"Second Opium War" and "Arrow War" are both used...
(1856–1858).
In 1898 the United Kingdom was concerned that Hong Kong could not be defended unless surrounding areas were also under British control. In response a 99-year lease titled the
Second Convention of PekingThe Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting an Extension of Hong Kong Territory or the Second Convention of Peking was a lease signed between Qing Dynasty China and the United Kingdom in 1898.-Background:...
was drafted and executed, significantly expanding the size of the Hong Kong via the addition of the New Territories. The lease would set to expire at midnight, on 30 June 1997.
Demographics
Population
When the
union flagThe Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada...
was raised over
Possession PointPossession Point is a former point of the land of the north coast of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, before land reclamation moved the coast further to the north....
on 26 January 1841, the population of Hong Kong island was about 7,450, mostly
TankaThe Boat people or Tankas is an ethnic group in China that has traditionally lived on junks in coastal parts of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, and Zhejiang provinces, as well as Hong Kong and Macau. Though many now live onshore, some members of the older generations still live on their narrow...
fishermen and Hakka charcoal burners living in a number of coastal villages. In the 1850s large numbers of Chinese would emigrate from China to Hong Kong due to the
Taiping RebellionThe Taiping Rebellion was a large-scale revolt in China from 1850 to 1864, during the Qing Dynasty, by an army led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan...
. Other events such as floods, typhoons and famine in
mainland ChinaMainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China , excluding Hong Kong and Macau, which are under the jurisdiction of the PRC but run on different economic and...
would also play a role in establishing Hong Kong as a place to escape the mayhem.
According to the census of 1865, Hong Kong had a population of 125,504, of which some 2,000 were Americans and Europeans. In 1914 despite an exodus of 60,000 Chinese fearing an attack on the colony during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, Hong Kong's population continued to increase from 530,000 in 1916 to 725,000 in 1925 and 1.6 million by 1941.
Segregation
The establishment of the
free portA free port or free zone is a port or area with relaxed jurisdiction with respect to the country of location. Free economic zones may also be called free ports....
made Hong Kong a major
entrepôtAn entrepôt is a trading post where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties, often at a profit. This profit is possible because of trade conditions, for example, the reluctance of ships to travel the entire length of a long trading route, and selling to the entrepôt...
from the start, attracting people from China and Europe alike. The society remained
racially segregatedRacial segregation is the separation of different racial groups in daily life, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a washroom, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home. Segregation may be mandated by law or exist through social...
and polarised due to British colonial policies and attitudes. Despite the rise of a British-educated Chinese upper class by the late 19th century, race laws such as the
Peak Reservation OrdinanceThe Hill District Reservation Ordinance, Ordinance No.4 of 1904 , commonly known as Peak reservation Ordinance, was a racially-based zoning law passed by the Hong Kong Government reserved the Victoria Peak as a place of residence to non-Chinese people except with the consent of the Governor...
prevented Chinese from living in elite areas like
Victoria PeakVictoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...
. Politically, the majority Chinese population also had little to no official governmental influence throughout much of the early years. There were, however, a small number of Chinese elites that the British governors relied on, including
Sir Kai HoSir Kai Ho, CMG, JP, MRCS , was a Hongkonger Chinese barrister ,physician and essayist in Colonial Hong Kong. He played a key role in the relationship between the Hong Kong Chinese community and the British colonial government. He is mostly remembered as one of the main supporters and teacher of...
and
Robert HotungSir Robert Ho-tung, KBE was a famous businessman and philanthropist in Hong Kong. He was a Eurasian, reportedly born to an Englishman of Dutch and Jewish descent by the name of H.T. Bosman, and a Han Chinese woman of Baoan heritage, on D'Aguilar Street...
. They accepted their place in the Hong Kong hierarchy, and served as main communicators and mediators between the government and the Chinese population. Sir Kai Ho was an unofficial member of the
Legislative CouncilThe Legislative Council, or LegCo , is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was created in 1843 under the authority of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
. Robert Hotung wanted Chinese citizens to recognise Hong Kong as the new home after the fall of China's
last dynastyThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
in 1911. As a millionaire with financial influence, he emphasised that no part of the demographics was purely
indigenousThe term indigenous peoples can be used to describe any ethnic group of people who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest known historical connection, alongside more recent immigrants who have populated the region and may be greater in number...
.
Lifestyle
The east portion of Colonial Hong Kong was mostly dedicated to the British; filled with race courses, parade grounds, barracks,
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
and
poloPolo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a long-handled mallet...
fields. The west portion was filled with Chinese shops, crowded markets and
tea houseA tea house or tearoom is a venue centered on drinking tea. Its function varies widely depending on the culture, and some cultures have a variety of distinct tea-centered houses or parlors that all qualify under the English language term "tea house" or "tea room." In Central Asia this term could...
s. The
Hong Kong tea cultureThe tea-drinking habits of Hong Kong residents derive from Chinese tea culture. After more than 150 years of British rule, however, they have changed somewhat to become unique in the world...
began in this period and evolved into
yum chaYum cha is a term in Cantonese which means "drinking tea". It now refers to the dining experience of eating small servings of different foods, e.g., dim sum, while sipping Chinese tea in Cantonese speaking areas of southern China. It is an integral part of the culinary culture of Guangdong...
. One of the most common breakfasts was
congeeRice congee is a type of rice porridge that is eaten in many Asian countries. The word congee is possibly derived from the Dravidian language Tamil word kanji....
with fish and
barleyBarley is a cereal grain derived from the annual grass Hordeum vulgare. It serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food. It is used in soups, stews and barley bread in various countries, such as Scotland and in Africa...
.
In the mid 1800s many of the merchants would sell
silkSilk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from cocoons made by the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
,
jadeJade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
and consult
feng shuiFeng shui is an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics believed to use the laws of both Heaven and Earth to help one improve life by receiving positive qi...
to open shops that favour better spiritual arrangements. Other lower ranked groups like coolies arrived with the notion that hard work would better position them for the future. And the success of boatmen, merchants, carters and fishermen in Hong Kong, would leapfrog China's most popular port in
CantonGuangzhou , in English formerly known as Canton and also known as Kwangchow, is a sub-provincial city and the capital of Guangdong Province in the southern part of the People's Republic of China.It is a port on the Pearl River,...
. By 1880 Hong Kong's port would handle 27% of the mainland's export and 37% of imports.
A British traveller,
Isabella BirdIsabella Lucy Bird was a nineteenth-century English traveller, writer, and a natural historian.-Early life:Bird was born in Boroughbridge in 1831 and grew up in Tattenhall, Cheshire...
, described Hong Kong in the 1870s as a colony filled with comforts and entertainment only a Victorian society would be able to enjoy. Other descriptions mentioned courts, hotels, post offices, shops, city hall complexes, museums, libraries and structures in impressive manner for the era. Many European businessmen went to Hong Kong to do business. They were referred to as
tai-pansA taipan was a foreign businessman in China or Hong Kong in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Cantonese colloquialism is now used in a more general sense for business executives of any origin...
or
"bigshot". One of the more notable Tai-pan hangout spot was the
Hong Kong ClubThe Hong Kong Club is the first Gentlemen's club in Hong Kong. Opened on 26 May 1846, at 1 Jackson Road overlooking the Cenotaph, it is a private business and dining club in the heart of Central, Hong Kong...
at
Queen's RoadQueen's Road is the first road in Hong Kong built by the Government of Hong Kong between 1841 and 1843, spanning across Victoria City from Shek Tong Tsui to Wan Chai...
.
Education
In 1861,
Frederick StewartFrederick Stewart was the Colonial Secretary in Hong Kong. He is considered "The Founder of Hong Kong Education" for integrating a modern western-style education model into the Colonial Hong Kong school systems. Stewart could speak fluent Cantonese, which was vital to his work in the 19th...
would become the founder of Hong Kong education system bringing western-style philosophy to the east. Some have argued that his contribution is the key turning point between the group of Chinese that were able to modernise Hong Kong versus the group that did not in China. The education would bring western-style finance, science, history, technology into the culture. The father of modern China,
Sun Yat-senSun Yat-sen was a Chinese revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Republican China, Sun is frequently referred to as the Father of the Nation. Sun played an instrumental role in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in October 1911, the last imperial dynasty of China...
was also educated in Hong Kong's
Central SchoolQueen's College , initially named the The Government Central School in 1862, later renamed as Victoria College in 1889, is a sixth form college for boys with a secondary school attached. It was the first public secondary school founded in Hong Kong by the British colonial government...
.
Law and order
In 1843 the
legislative councilThe Legislative Council, or LegCo , is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was created in 1843 under the authority of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
was established. The
governor of Hong KongThe Governor of Hong Kong was the head of Government, ex-officio Commander-in-Chief and Vice-Admiral of Hong Kong during British rule between 1841 and 1997....
generally served as the British
plenipotentiaryThe word plenipotentiary has two meanings.As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers"...
in the far east in the early years. The
Colonial SecretaryThe Chief Secretary for Administration , commonly known as Chief Secretary and abbreviated as CS, is the second highest position of the Hong Kong Government...
would also assist in legal matters.
A colonial police force was established in the 1840s to handle the high crime rate in Hong Kong. By China's standards, colonial Hong Kong's code of punishment was considered laughably loose and lenient. The lack of intimidation may have been the leading cause for the continual rise in crime.
Po Leung KukThe Po Leung Kuk is a charitable organisation in Hong Kong that provides support for orphaned children, education and other services.-Founding of Po Leung Kuk:...
became one of the first organisations established to deal with the
abductionAbduction may refer to:-Abduction of a person or people:* Kidnapping, as a near synonym in criminal law, but sometimes used particularly in cases involving a woman or child** Bride kidnapping...
of women and
prostitutionProstitution is the act or practice of engaging in sex acts for hire. In most cultures, prostitution is viewed by many as a deviant profession, either illegal or socially discouraged...
crisis. Crime in the sea was also common as some pirates had access to
cutlassA cutlass is a short, broad sabre or slashing sword, with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge, and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket shaped guard.-History and Use:...
and
revolverA revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. As the user cocks the hammer, the cylinder revolves to align the next chamber and round with the hammer and barrel, which gives this type of firearm its name...
s.
Pandemics and disasters
The
Third PandemicThird Pandemic is the designation of a major plague pandemic that began in the Yunnan province in China in 1855. This episode of bubonic plague spread to all inhabited continents, and ultimately killed more than 12 million people in India and China alone...
of
bubonic plaguePlague is a deadly infectious disease caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis . Plague is a zoonotic, primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas. Plague is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death and devastation it brought...
broke out in China in the 1880s. By the spring of 1894 about 100,000 were reported dead in the mainland. In May 1894 the disease erupted into Hong Kong's overcrowded Chinese quarter of
Tai Ping ShanTai Ping Shan Street is a street marking the early colonial history in Hong Kong. Located at the north slope of Victoria Peak in Sheung Wan, the street starts east from a ladder street at the junction with Bridges Street and end west in Po Yan Street near Tung Wah Hospital...
. By the end of the month, an estimated 450 people died of the illness. At its height, the epidemic was killing 100 people per day, and it killed a total of 2,552 people that year. The disease was greatly detrimental to trade and produced a temporary exodus of 100,000 Chinese from the colony. Plague continued to be a problem in the territory for the next 30 years. In the 1870s a typhoon hit Hong Kong one evening reaching its height by midnight. An estimated 2,000 people lost their lives in a span of just six hours.
Transport
The growth of Hong Kong depended greatly on domestic transport of citizens and cargo across
Victoria HarbourVictoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea was instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...
. The establishment of the
Star FerryThe "Star" Ferry Company Ltd. is a passenger ferry service operator in Hong Kong. Its principal routes carry passengers across Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon...
and the
Yaumati FerryThe Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company Limited , HYF, is a ferry company founded in 1897 in Hong Kong. It is commonly known as Yaumati Ferry...
would prove to be vital. In 1843 the colony had built the first ship at a private shipyard. Some of the customers later included the Spanish government in the Philippines and the
Chinese NavyTwo modern navies have been known in English as the Chinese Navy:* People's Liberation Army Navy* Republic of China NavyFor Chinese navies before 1912, see:*Imperial Chinese Navy*Naval history of China...
. The
Peak TramThe Peak Tramway is a funicular railway in Hong Kong, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. Running from Central district to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of...
would begin in 1888 along with the
TramwayHong Kong Tramways is one of the three tramways in the world that have regular operation of double-decker trams , and is the only system that runs exclusively on double-deckers....
service in 1904. The first railway line was also launched in 1910 as the
Kowloon-Canton RailwayThe Kowloon-Canton Railway refers to a railway network in Hong Kong which is now combined with the MTR railway system, comprising rapid transit services, a light rail system and feeder bus routes within Hong Kong, and intercity passenger and freight train services to the rest of China...
.
On land the rickshaws were extremely popular when they were first imported from Japan in 1874, since it was affordable and necessary for street merchants to haul goods. Sedan chairs were the preferred mode of the transport for the wealthy Europeans who lived on
Victoria PeakVictoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...
due to the steep grade which ruled out rickshaws until the introduction of the Peak Tram. The first automobiles in Hong Kong had petrol-driven internal combustion engines and arrived between 1903-05. Initially they were not well received by the public. Only around 1910 did the cars begin to gain appeal. Most of the owners were British. Buses operated by various independent companies flourished in the 1920s until the government formally issued franchises for the
China Motor BusChina Motor Bus Company Ltd. , often abbreviated as CMB, was the first motor bus company in Hong Kong, and was responsible for the introduction of double-decker buses to Hong Kong Island....
and
Kowloon Motor BusThe Kowloon Motor Bus Company Limited , a company of the Transport International Holdings Limited, is the largest franchised bus operators in Hong Kong, and one of the largest privately owned public bus operators in the world...
companies in 1933.
The flying boats were the first British aeroplanes to reach Hong Kong in 1928. By 1924 the
Kai Tak AirportKai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. It was officially known as the Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to July 6 1998, when it was closed and replaced by the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, 30 km to the west...
would also be found. The first flight service from
Imperial Airwaysright|thumb|BOAC Speedbird logo, adopted following the merger of UK airlines in 1939, it was commissioned by Imperial Airways who rarely used it on their own planes prior to 1939. According to Adenair who also used it under their BOAC ownership, it was designed by Theyre Lee-Elliot...
would become available by 1937 at a price of 288
poundsThe pound sterling , often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory...
per ticket.
Hospitals and hospitality
Soon after the British occupied Hong Kong in 1841, Protestant and
CatholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
missionaries started to provide social service. Italian missionaries began to provide boy-only education to British and Chinese youth in 1843. "The Catholic French Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres" was one of the first orphanage and elderly home was established in 1848.
In 1870 the
Tung Wah HospitalTung Wah Hospital is a hospital in Hong Kong under the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. Located above Possession Point, at 12 Po Yan Street in Sheung Wan, it is the first hospital established in Colonial Hong Kong for the general public in the 1870s.-History:The hospital was declared for construction...
became the first official hospital in Hong Kong. It handled much of the social services and was providing free
vaccinationVaccination is the administration of antigenic material to produce immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by a pathogen. Vaccination is generally considered to be the most effective and cost-effective method of preventing infectious diseases...
s in Hong Kong Island and
Kwang TungGuangdong is a province on the southern coast of People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
. After raising funds for the 1877
famine in China, a number of the hospital officials became Tung Wah elites with much authority and power representing the Chinese majority. Some of the booming hotel businesses of the era included the Victoria Hotel, New Victoria Hotel and the
King Edward HotelThe King Edward Hotel in Toronto, Canada is part of the Le Méridien chain of hotels. Officially known as the Le Méridien King Edward Hotel, it is also colloquially called the King Eddie.-Location:...
.
Finance
In 1864 the first large scale modern bank Hong Kong Shanghai Bank would be established turning Hong Kong into the focal point of financial affairs in Asia. Its chief manager, Sir Thomas Jackson Bart, has a statue in
Statue SquareStatue Square is a public pedestrian square in Central, Hong Kong.-History:The square was built at the end of the 19th century. The idea of a square of statues dedicated to royalty was conceived by Sir Catchick Paul Chater.. It derives its name from the fact that it originally contained the...
. The bank first leased Wardley House at HKD $500 a month in 1864. After raising a capital of HKD $5 million, the bank opened its door in 1865. The
Association of StockbrokersThe Hong Kong Stock Exchange is the stock exchange of Hong Kong. The exchange has predominantly been the main exchange for Hong Kong where shares of listed companies are traded. It is Asia's third largest stock exchange in terms of market capitalisation, behind the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the...
would also be established in 1891.
Resources
In December 1890 the
Hongkong ElectricHongkong Electric Holdings Limited is a vertically integrated electric utility company. It is the first company to provide electricity in Hong Kong. The service has been running in continuation since the 19th century.-History:...
company went into production with help from
Catchick Paul ChaterSir Catchick Paul Chater, CMG was a prominent businessman in Colonial Hong Kong.-Early life:He was born in Calcutta, India, one of thirteen offspring of Armenian parents Miriam and Chater Paul Chater...
. It was the first step in allowing the transition of gas lamps to
light bulbsThe incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe is a source of electric light that works by incandescence . An electric current passes through a thin filament, heating it until it produces light...
. Other companies like Jardine Matheson would launch the "Hong Kong Land Investment and Agency company Ltd" accumulating a wealth as large as the entire government's total revenue. (See also
China Light and PowerThe CLP Group is a company headquartered in Hong Kong. It started out in 1901 as China Light and Power Company, Limited , which operated a vertically integrated electricity generation, transmission and distribution business...
.)
Politics
One observer summed up the decades as "politics, propaganda, panic, rumour, riot, revolution and refugees". The role of Hong Kong as a political safe haven for Chinese political refugees further cemented its status, and few serious attempts to revert its ownership were launched in the early 1900s. Both
Chinese CommunistThe Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and the ruling political party of the People's Republic of China and the world's largest political party...
and
NationalistThe Kuomintang of China , translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party, is a political party of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan since the 1970s. It is the founding and the ruling political party of the ROC...
agitators found refuge in the territory, when they did not actively participate in the turmoil in China. However, the dockworkers strikes in the 1920s and 1930s were widely attributed to the Communists by the authorities, and caused a backlash against them. A strike in 1920 was ended with a wage increase of
HKDThe Hong Kong dollar is the currency of Hong Kong. It is the 9th most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. The dollar is subdivided into 100 cents.-Etymology:In...
32 cents.
Ambrose KingAmbrose King Yeo-chi, SBS, JP is a Hong Kong sociologist, educator, writer and academician. He was formerly vice-chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong .-Personal life:...
, in his controversial 1975 paper
Administrative Absorption of Politics in Hong Kong, described the colonial Hong Kong's administration as "elite consensual government". In it, he claimed, any coalition of elites or forces capable of challenging the legitimacy of Hong Kong's administrative structure would be co-opted by the existing apparatus through the appointment of leading political activists, business figures and other elites to oversight committees, by granting them British honours, and by bringing them into elite institutions like Hong Kong's horse racing clubs. He called this "synarchy", an extension of
John K. FairbankJohn King Fairbank , was a prominent American academic and historian of China.-Education and early career:Fairbank was born in Huron, South Dakota on 24 May, 1907...
's use of the word to describe to describe the mechanisms of government under the late
Qing dynastyThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
in China.
When modern China began after the fall of the last dynasty, one of the first political statements made in Hong Kong was the immediate change from
long queue hairstylesThe queue or cue is a hairstyle in which the hair is worn long and gathered up into a ponytail. It was worn traditionally by certain Native American groups, Indian Brahmins and the Manchu of Manchuria.-Queue:...
to short haircuts. In 1938, Guangzhou fell to the hands of the Japanese, Hong Kong was considered a strategic military outpost for all trades in the far east. Though
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer...
assured that Hong Kong was an "impregnable fortress", it was taken as a reality check response since the
British ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
actually stretched too thin to battle on two fronts.
See also
- History of Hong Kong
Hong Kong began as a coastal island geographically located in southern China. While pockets of settlements had taken place in the region with archaeological findings dating back thousands of years, regularly written records were not made until the engagement of Imperial China and the British Colony...
- Thirteen Factories
Thirteen Factories was an area of Canton , China where the first foreign trade was allowed in the 18th century since hai jin...
- The Hongs
The Hongs were major business houses in Hong Kong with significant influence on patterns of consumerism, trade, manufacturing and other key areas of the economy...
- Tai-Pan (novel)
Tai-Pan is a novel written by James Clavell about European and American traders who move into Hong Kong in 1841 following the end of the first Opium War. It is the second book in Clavell's "Asian Saga".-Plot summary:...
- Hong Kong Royal Instructions
Issued by Queen Victoria I of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1843, together with Hong Kong Letters Patent, the Hong Kong Royal Instructions was one of the two constitutional documents in Hong Kong prior 30th June, 1997. The document was replaced by the Hong Kong Basic Law.-See...
- Hong Kong Letters Patent
Issued by Queen Victoria I of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the form of royal prerogative legislation in 1843, together with Hong Kong Royal Instructions, the Hong Kong Letters Patent was one of the two constitutional documents in Hong Kong prior 30th June, 1997...