The
Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting an Extension of Hong Kong Territory or the
Second Convention of Peking was a
leaseA lease is a contract conferring a right on one person to possess property belonging to another person to the exclusion of the owner landlord, and all others except with the invitation of the tenant. It is a rental agreement between landlord and tenant...
signed between
Qing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
and the
United KingdomThe 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...
in 1898.
The convention was signed on 9 June 1898 in Peking. The contract was signed to give the British full jurisdiction of the newly acquired land that was necessary to ensure proper military defence of 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....
around the island.
The
Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting an Extension of Hong Kong Territory or the
Second Convention of Peking was a
leaseA lease is a contract conferring a right on one person to possess property belonging to another person to the exclusion of the owner landlord, and all others except with the invitation of the tenant. It is a rental agreement between landlord and tenant...
signed between
Qing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912...
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
and the
United KingdomThe 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...
in 1898.
Background
The convention was signed on 9 June 1898 in Peking. The contract was signed to give the British full jurisdiction of the newly acquired land that was necessary to ensure proper military defence of 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....
around the island. Some of the earliest proposal for the land usage in 1894 included cemetery space, exercise ground for British troops and land for development. Security and land defense remained the top priority for the contract.
Terms
Under the convention the territories north of
Boundary StreetBoundary Street is a three-lane one-way street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs in the eastbound direction starting at its intersection with Tung Chau Street in the west, and ending at its intersection with Prince Edward Road West in the east, near the former Kai Tak Airport.-History:Historically,...
and south of the
Sham Chun RiverSham Chun River serves as the natural border between Hong Kong and mainland China, together with the Sha Tau Kok River....
, and the surrounding islands, later known as the "
New TerritoriesNew Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon peninsula. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
" were leased to the United Kingdom for 99 years, expiring on 30 June 1997, and became part of the crown colony of
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...
.
Much of the land under the convention comprises the
New TerritoriesNew Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon peninsula. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
and remains rural. New towns were developed after the
19501950s in Hong Kong began after the Japanese rule ended in 1945 with sovereignty returning to the British. However, the Nationalist-Communist Civil War was renewed in mainland China. It prompted a large influx of refugees from the mainland, causing a huge population surge. The government struggled...
s to encourage Hong Kong citizens to relieve the overcrowded regions of
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...
and
KowloonKowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong, comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
.
The governments of the
United KingdomThe 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...
and the
People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
(PRC) concluded the
Sino-British Joint DeclarationThe Sino-British Joint Declaration, formally known as the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, was signed by the Prime Ministers, Zhao Ziyang and Margaret...
in 1984, under which the sovereignty of the leased territories, together with
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...
and
KowloonThe Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong. The Kowloon Peninsula and the area of New Kowloon are collectively known as Kowloon....
(south of
Boundary StreetBoundary Street is a three-lane one-way street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs in the eastbound direction starting at its intersection with Tung Chau Street in the west, and ending at its intersection with Prince Edward Road West in the east, near the former Kai Tak Airport.-History:Historically,...
) ceded 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...
(1842) and
Convention of PekingThe Convention of Peking or the First Convention of Peking is the name used for three different treaties, which were concluded between Qing China and the United Kingdom, France, and Russia.-Background:...
(1860), was scheduled to be transferred to the PRC on 1 July 1997.
Aftermath
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 on 16 April 1899, for the first time in the area. Hong Kong's size was expanded significantly with the acquisition of
New TerritoriesNew Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon peninsula. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
.