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Hong Kong



 
 
Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia
East Asia

East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either Geography or cultural terms. Geography and geopolitically, it covers about 12,000,000 km?, or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia as Central Asia....
, bordering the province of Guangdong
Guangdong

Guangdong is a political divisions of China on the southern coast of People's Republic of China. The province is also known by an alternative English language name, the Canton Province....
 to the north and facing the South China Sea
South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea*south of China,*west of the Philippines,*north west of Sabah , Sarawak and Brunei,*north of Indonesia,...
 to the east, west and south. It has a population of 7 million people, but with only 1,108km2 of land, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Beginning as a trading port, Hong Kong became a dependent territory
British overseas territories

The 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....
 of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The 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....
 in 1842, and remained so until transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
 in 1997.






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Timeline

1517   Portuguese merchant Fernao Pires de Andrade met Chinese officials through an interpreter at Pearl River estuary and landed at Hong Kong.

1841   Charles Elliot of Britain and Kei Sin of Qing signed the Convention of Chuenpeh. A navy official Edward Belcher led a fleet to land Hong Kong.

1841   The United Kingdom occupies Hong Kong. Later during the year, the first census of the island recorded a population of about 7,500.

1842   British Empire annexes Hong Kong

1894   outbreak of bubonic plague in the Tai Ping Shan area of Hong Kong. The disease killed a total of 2,552 people in the territory that year

1906   Typhoon with tsunami kills an estimated 10,000 persons in Hong Kong.

1941   World War II: British and Canadians are defeated by the Japanese at Hong Kong.

1947   Philippine plane crashes in Hong Kong with $5 million worth of gold and money

1962   Typhoon Wanda strikes Hong Kong, at least 130 die and more than 600 are wounded.

1967   British troops and Chinese demonstrators clash on the border of China and Hong Kong during the Hong Kong Riots.







Encyclopedia


Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia
East Asia

East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either Geography or cultural terms. Geography and geopolitically, it covers about 12,000,000 km?, or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia as Central Asia....
, bordering the province of Guangdong
Guangdong

Guangdong is a political divisions of China on the southern coast of People's Republic of China. The province is also known by an alternative English language name, the Canton Province....
 to the north and facing the South China Sea
South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea*south of China,*west of the Philippines,*north west of Sabah , Sarawak and Brunei,*north of Indonesia,...
 to the east, west and south. It has a population of 7 million people, but with only 1,108km2 of land, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Beginning as a trading port, Hong Kong became a dependent territory
British overseas territories

The 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....
 of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The 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....
 in 1842, and remained so until transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
 in 1997. Along with Macau
Macau

The Macau Special Administrative Region, , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong....
, Hong Kong is one of the two special administrative regions under the One Country, Two Systems
One country, two systems

"One country, two systems" is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping, then Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China, for the Chinese reunification during the early 1980s....
 policy. As a result, Hong Kong is largely self-governing, it has its own currency
Hong Kong dollar

The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of Hong Kong. It is the 9th most traded currency in the world. In English language, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies....
, legal and political systems, a high degree of autonomy in all of its affairs, with the exception of foreign affairs and defence, and is generally not considered a part of mainland China
Mainland China

Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China , excluding Hong Kong and Macau, which run on One Country, Two Systems....
.

Renowned for its expansive skyline and natural setting, Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial capitals, a major business and cultural hub, and maintains a highly developed
Developed country

The term developed country is used to describe countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria. Which criteria, and which countries are classified as being developed, is a contentious issue and there is fierce debate about this....
 capitalist
Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic system in which wealth, and the means of producing wealth, are private property and controlled rather than commonly, publicly, or state-owned and controlled....
 economy. Its identity as a cosmopolitan centre where east
Eastern world

The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures, society and philosophy systems of "the East", namely Asia and Eastern Europe ....
 meets west
Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
 is reflected in its cuisine
Cuisine of Hong Kong

The cuisine of Hong Kong is Cantonese cuisine with extensive influences from parts of non-Cantonese-speaking China , The West, Japan, and Southeast Asia, due to Hong Kong's past as a British colony and long history of being an international city of commerce....
, cinema
Cinema of Hong Kong

The Movie theater of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language film, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan....
, music
Music of Hong Kong

The Music of Hong Kong is an eclectic mixture of traditional and popular genres. Cantopop is one of the more prominent genres of music produced in Hong Kong....
 and traditions, and although the population is predominantly Chinese
Chinese people

The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People who reside in and hold citizenship of the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China or the Republic of China ....
, residents and expatriate
Expatriate

An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently Residency in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence....
s of other ethnicities form a small but significant segment of society.

Etymology

The name "Hong Kong" in the English language
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 is an approximate phonetic rendering of the Cantonese or Hakka pronunciation of the Chinese
Spoken Chinese

Spoken language Chinese language comprises many regional Variety , the primary ones being Mandarin Chinese, Wu Chinese, Yue Chinese, and Min Chinese....
 name "??", meaning "fragrant harbour or port".

The original "fragrant harbour" was a small inlet between the island of Ap Lei Chau
Ap Lei Chau

Ap Lei Chau , or Aberdeen Island, is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong of Hong Kong, located south-west of Hong Kong Island, next to Aberdeen Harbour, Hong Kong and Aberdeen Channel, with an area of 1.32 km?....
 and the south side of Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong in the southern part of Hong Kong. It has a population of 1,268,112 and its population density is 15,915/km?, as of 2006....
, now known as Aberdeen Harbour
Aberdeen Harbour

Aberdeen is an area at the south shore of the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. It is part of the Southern District, Hong Kong. Aberdeen Harbour is a harbor between Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau....
 in English, but still called "Heung Gong Tsai" (Little Hong Kong) in Cantonese.

It is not certain why Hong Kong harbour is so named. The reference to fragrance may refer to the harbour waters sweetened by the fresh water esturine influx of the Pearl River
Pearl River (China)

The Pearl River or Zhu Jiang, or less commonly, the "Guangdong River" , is China's third longest river , and second largest by volume ....
, or to the incense
Incense

Incense is composed of aromatic Biotic material materials. It releases fragrant smoke when burned. The term incense refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces....
 factories lining the coast to the north of Kowloon
Kowloon

Kowloon refers to an urban area in Hong Kong made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south....
 which was stored around Aberdeen Harbour for export, before the development of Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour

Victoria 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 development as a trading centre....
. The village of Heung Gong Tsuen on Ap Lei Chau is perhaps the earliest recorded use of the name.

History

Human settlement in the area now known as Hong Kong dates back to the late Paleolithic
Paleolithic

The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic or "Old Stone" era is a Prehistory era distinguished by the development of the first stone tools, and covers roughly 99% of human history....
 and early Neolithic
Neolithic

The Neolithic period was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 Before the Christian Era in the Middle East that is traditionally considered the last part of the Stone Age....
 era, but the name Hong Kong did not appear on written record until the Treaty of Nanking
Treaty of Nanking

The Treaty of Nanking or Treaty of Nanjing, signed 29 August 1842, was the Unequal Treaties which marked the end of the First Opium War between the British Empire and Qing Dynasty Empires of 1839-42....
 of 1842. The area's earliest recorded Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an visitor was Jorge Álvares
Jorge Álvares

Jorge ?lvares is credited as the first Portugal explorer to have reached China and Hong Kong. The Funda??o Jorge ?lvares , founded by Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira prior to the handover of Macau, got its name for also having reached there....
, a Portuguese
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
 mariner who arrived in 1513.

In 1839 the refusal by Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, followed the Ming Dynasty in History of China, and was the last ruling Chinese Dynasties of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 ....
 authorities to import opium
Opium

Opium is a narcotic formed from the latex released by lacerating the immature seed pods of Opium poppy . It contains up to 12% morphine, an opiate alkaloid, which is most frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade....
 resulted in the First Opium War
First Opium War

The First Opium War or the First Anglo-Chinese War was fought between the 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....
 between China and Britain
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
. Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong in the southern part of Hong Kong. It has a population of 1,268,112 and its population density is 15,915/km?, as of 2006....
 became occupied by British forces in 1841, and was formally ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Nanking
Treaty of Nanking

The Treaty of Nanking or Treaty of Nanjing, signed 29 August 1842, was the Unequal Treaties which marked the end of the First Opium War between the British Empire and Qing Dynasty Empires of 1839-42....
 at the end of the war. The British established a Crown Colony
Crown colony

A Crown colony was a type of colonial administration of the British Empire.Crown colonies were ruled by a governor appointed by The Crown . Though the term was not used at the time, the first of what would later become known as Crown colonies was the Colony of Virginia in the present-day United States, after the Crown took control from the...
 with the founding of Victoria City
Victoria City

Victoria City, or the City of Victoria, was one of the first urban settlements in Hong Kong after it became a British Empire colony in 1842....
 the following year. In 1860, after China's defeat in the Second Opium War
Second Opium War

The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese 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....
, Kowloon Peninsula
Kowloon Peninsula

The Kowloon Peninsula, commonly referred to as Kowloon, is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong, China....
 south of Boundary Street
Boundary Street

Boundary 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....
 and Stonecutter's Island were ceded to Britain under the Convention of Peking
Convention of Peking

The Convention of Peking or the First Convention of Peking is the name used for three different treaties, which were concluded between Qing Dynasty China and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Second French Empire, and Russian Empire....
. In 1898 Britain obtained a 99-year lease of Lantau Island
Lantau Island

Lantau Island, also Lantao, based on the old local name of Lantau Peak , is the largest island in Hong Kong, located at the mouth of the Pearl River ....
 and the adjacent northern lands, which became known as the New Territories
New Territories

New Territories, abbreviated to NT or N.T., is a region in Hong Kong excluding Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and Stonecutters Island. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory....
.

led by Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
 Takashi Sakai
Takashi Sakai

was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, known for his brutal conquest of Hong Kong in late 1941....
 and Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral

Vice Admiral is a naval rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. A Vice Admiral is typically senior to a Rear Admiral and junior to an Admiral....
 Masaichi Niimi
Masaichi Niimi

was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during the World War II....
 in December 1941, after the British surrender. (Photo courtesy of Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum

The Imperial War Museum is a museum in London, England which documents British and Commonwealth history since 1914, with an emphasis on the causes, course and consequences of conflict....
, UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
.)]]

During the first half of the 20th century, Hong Kong was a free port
Free port

A 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....
, serving as an entrepôt
Entrepôt

An entrep?t is a trading post where merchandise can be Import and exported without paying import Duty , 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 entrep?t instead....
 of the British Empire
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory 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....
. The British introduced an education system based on their own model, while the local Chinese population had little contact with the European community of wealthy tai-pan
Tai-Pan

A tai-pan was an influential foreign businessman doing business in China or Hong Kong in the 19th century. The Chinese language term is now used in a more general sense for business executives of any origin....
s settled near Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak

Victoria 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....
.

In conjunction with its military campaign in World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan was a Japanese political entity that existed during the period from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until its defeat in World War II in 1945....
 invaded Hong Kong on 8 December 1941. The Battle of Hong Kong
Battle of Hong Kong

The Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific War of World War II. It began on 8 December 1941 and ended on Christmas Day with Hong Kong, then a United Kingdom colony, surrendering to the control of Imperial Japan....
 ended with British and Canadian
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 defenders surrendering control of the colony to Japan on 25 December. During the Japanese occupation
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong

The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Mark Aitchison Young surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Imperial Japan on 25 December 1941 after Battle of Hong Kong by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces....
, civilians suffered widespread food shortages, rationing
Rationing

Rationing is the controlled distribution of resources and scarcity goods or services. Rationing controls the size of the ration, one's allotted portion of the resources being distributed on a particular day or at a particular time....
, and hyper-inflation due to forced exchange of currency for military notes. Hong Kong lost more than half of its population in the period between the invasion and Japan's surrender in 1945, when the United Kingdom resumed control of the colony.

Hong Kong's population recovered quickly as a wave of mainland
Mainland China

Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China , excluding Hong Kong and Macau, which run on One Country, Two Systems....
 migrants arrived for refuge from the ongoing Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War

The Chinese Civil War or , which lasted from April 1927 to May 1950, was a civil war in China between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party ....
. With the proclamation of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
 in 1949, more migrants fled to Hong Kong in fear of persecution by the Communist Party
Communist Party of China

The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and the ruling party of the People's Republic of China and the world's largest political party....
. Many corporation
Corporation

A corporation is a legal entity separate from the persons that form it. It is a legal entity owned by individual stockholders. In British tradition it is the term designating a body corporate, where it can be either a corporation sole or a corporation aggregate ....
s in Shanghai
Shanghai

Shanghai is the List of cities in the People's Republic of China by population in China and one of the List of metropolitan areas by population in the world, with over 20 million people....
 and Guangzhou
Guangzhou

'Guangzhou' is the Capital and a sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province of China in the northern and southern China part of the People's Republic of China....
 also shifted their operations to Hong Kong. The colony became the sole place of contact between mainland China and the Western world
Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
, as the Chinese communist government
Government of the People's Republic of China

Power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the Communist Party of China, the state, and the People's Liberation Army....
 increasingly isolated itself from outside influence.

As textile and manufacturing industries grew with the help of population growth and low cost of labour, Hong Kong rapidly industrialised, with its economy becoming driven by exports, and living standards rising steadily. The construction of Shek Kip Mei Estate
Shek Kip Mei Estate

Shek Kip Mei Estate is the first public housing estate in Hong Kong. It is located in Sham Shui Po and is under the management of the Hong Kong Housing Authority....
 in 1953 marked the beginning of the public housing estate
Public housing estate

A public housing estate is a housing estate in Hong Kong mainly built by the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Hong Kong Housing Society.About half of Hong Kong residents now live in public housing estates and other tower blocks with some form of subsidy....
 program, designed to cope with the huge influx of immigrants. Trade in Hong Kong accelerated even further when Shenzhen
Shenzhen

Shenzhen is a city of sub-provincial city administrative status in southern China's Guangdong province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong....
, immediately north of Hong Kong, became a Special Economic Zone
Special Economic Zone of the People's Republic of China

Special Economic Zones of the People's Republic of China are Special Economic Zones located in mainland China. The government of the People's Republic of China gives SEZs special economic policies and flexible governmental measures....
 of the PRC, and established Hong Kong as the main source of foreign investment to the mainland. The later decades of the 20th century saw the economy shift from textiles and manufacturing to mainly services-based, as the financial and banking sectors became increasingly dominant.

With the lease of the New Territories due to expire within two decades the governments of the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China discussed the issue of Hong Kong's sovereignty in the 1980s. In 1984 the two countries signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration
Sino-British Joint Declaration

The 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 of the People's Republic of China and the United Kingdom governme...
, agreeing to transfer sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997, and stipulating that Hong Kong would be governed as a special administrative region, retaining its laws and a high degree of autonomy for at least fifty years after the transfer. The Hong Kong Basic Law
Hong Kong Basic Law

The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, or simply Hong Kong Basic Law, serves as the constitutional document of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ....
, which would serve as the constitutional document after the transfer, was ratified in 1990, and the transfer of sovereignty occurred at midnight on 1 July 1997, marked by a handover ceremony
Handover ceremony of Hong Kong in 1997

The handover ceremony of Hong Kong in 1997 officially marked the transfer of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China....
 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is one of the two major convention and exhibition venues in Hong Kong, along with AsiaWorld-Expo....
.

Hong Kong's economy was affected by the Asian financial crisis of 1997 that hit many East Asia
East Asia

East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either Geography or cultural terms. Geography and geopolitically, it covers about 12,000,000 km?, or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia as Central Asia....
n markets, and the lethal H5N1
H5N1

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as "bird flu," A or simply H5N1, is a subtype of the Influenzavirus A which can cause illness in humans and many other animal species....
 avian influenza also surfaced that year. After a gradual recovery, Hong Kong suffered again due to an outbreak of SARS
Severe acute respiratory syndrome

Severe acute respiratory syndrome is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus . There has been one near pandemic to date, between November 2002 and July 2003, with 8,096 known infected cases and 774 deaths worldwide being listed in the World Health Organization's 21 April 2004 concluding report....
 in 2003. Today, Hong Kong continues to serve as an important global financial centre, but faces uncertainty over its future role with a growing mainland China economy
Economy of the People's Republic of China

The economy of the People's Republic of China is the second largest in the world after that of the Economy of the United States with a GDP of International dollar7.8 trillion when measured on a purchasing power parity basis....
, and its relationship with the PRC government in areas such as democratic reform and universal suffrage.

Government and politics

Hongkonglegcobuilding2
In accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration
Sino-British Joint Declaration

The 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 of the People's Republic of China and the United Kingdom governme...
, and reflecting the policy known as "one country, two systems
One country, two systems

"One country, two systems" is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping, then Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China, for the Chinese reunification during the early 1980s....
" by the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
, Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy as a special administrative region in all areas except defence and foreign affairs. The declaration stipulates that the region maintain its capitalist
Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic system in which wealth, and the means of producing wealth, are private property and controlled rather than commonly, publicly, or state-owned and controlled....
 economic system
Economy of Hong Kong

Hong Kong's highly favorable geographical position and entrepot trading opportunities are wealth-generating assets. It has a superb sheltered natural harbor....
 and guarantees the rights and freedoms of its people for at least 50 years beyond the 1997 handover
Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong

The transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, often referred to as the Handover, occurred on 1 July 1997....
. The Basic Law
Hong Kong Basic Law

The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, or simply Hong Kong Basic Law, serves as the constitutional document of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ....
 is the constitutional document that outlines executive, legislative and judicial authorities of government, although final authority for interpreting the Basic Law rests with the PRC government.

The primary institutions of government
Separation of powers

Separation of powers, a term ascribed to France Age of Enlightenment political philosopher Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu, is a model for the governance of democracy states, having its origins in an ancient idea of mixed government....
 are:
  • The executive: The Executive Council
    Executive Council of Hong Kong

    The Executive Council of Hong Kong is an organ in the Executive branch of the political structure of Hong Kong. It is responsible for assisting the Chief Executive of Hong Kong in policy-making....
    , headed by the Chief Executive
    Chief Executive of Hong Kong

    The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the head of government of the government of Hong Kong and the principal representative of Hong Kong. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule....
     who is elected by the Election Committee
    Election Committee

    The Election Committee is an 800-member electoral college in the Politics of Hong Kong of Hong Kong. It was established by Hong Kong Basic Law Annex One of the Basic Law of Hong Kong....
     and then approved and appointed by the Central People's Government
    Central People's Government

    The Central People's Government is the central government of the People's Republic of China in Beijing. According to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, "Central People's Government" is synonymous with the State Council of the People's Republic of China....
    ;


  • The legislature: The Legislative Council
    Legislative Council of Hong Kong

    The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong....
     with 60 members, half of which are directly elected by universal suffrage
    Universal suffrage

    Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the Suffrage to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and noncitizens....
    , and headed by the President of the Legislative Council
    President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong

    The President of the Legislative Council is the speaker of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. In the absence of the President, the chairman of the House Committee serves as deputy to the President....
     who serves as the Speaker of the Council
    Speaker (politics)

    The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like....
    ;


  • The Hong Kong Civil Service
    Hong Kong Civil Service

    The Hong Kong Civil Service is managed by 12 policy bureaux in the Government Secretariat, and 67 departments and agencies, mostly staffed by civil servants....
    : A politically neutral body that implements policies and provides government services, where public servants are appointed based on qualifications, experience and ability;


  • The judiciary: Comprising the Court of Final Appeal
    Court of Final Appeal

    The Court of Final Appeal is the court with the court of last resort on the laws of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ....
    , the High Court
    High Court (Hong Kong)

    The High Court in Hong Kong consists of the Court of Appeal of Hong Kong and the Court of First Instance of Hong Kong. It deals with criminal and civil cases which have risen beyond the lower courts....
     (which includes the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance
    Court of First Instance

    The European Court of First Instance, created in 1989, is a court of the European Union....
    ), the District Courts
    District Court (Hong Kong)

    The District Courts are the lower court system in Hong Kong, have both criminal law and civil law jurisdictions. The system is modelled after the English legal system, with indictable offences being taken up by the district court if at the hearing in the Magistrates' Court a criminal defendant elects for a jury trial....
    , et cetera
    Judiciary of Hong Kong

    The Judiciary of Hong Kong is responsible for the administration of justice in Hong Kong. It hears all prosecutions and civil disputes, including disputes between individuals and the Government....
    .


The Basic Law and universal suffrage
Universal suffrage

Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the Suffrage to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and noncitizens....
 have been major issues of political debate since the transfer of sovereignty. In 2002, the government's proposed Article 23 of the Basic Law
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23

Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 is the basis of a security law proposed by the Government of Hong Kong. It states:On 24 September 2002 the government released its proposals for the anti-subversion law....
, which required the enactment of laws prohibiting acts of treason and subversion against the Chinese government
Government of the People's Republic of China

Power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the Communist Party of China, the state, and the People's Liberation Army....
, was met with fierce opposition, and eventually shelved. Debate between pro-Beijing groups and pro-democracy groups characterises Hong Kong's political scene
Politics of Hong Kong

Politics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by its constitutional document, the Basic Law of Hong Kong, its Legislative Council of Hong Kong, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong as the head of government, and of a multi-party system....
, with the latter supporting a faster pace of democratisation
Democratic development in Hong Kong

Democratic development in Hong Kong has been a major topic since the Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong. The One country, two systems principle allows the Hong Kong government to administer all areas of government except foreign relations and defense separately from the national Chinese government....
.

Legal system and judiciary

In contrast to mainland China
Mainland China

Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China , excluding Hong Kong and Macau, which run on One Country, Two Systems....
's civil law
Civil law (legal system)

Civil law is a most prevalent legal system in the modern world and the oldest in human history. It is based on a code, or "a systematic collection of interrelated articles written in a terse, staccato style." The two other major legal systems in the world are common law and Islamic law....
 system, Hong Kong continues to follow the English Common Law tradition established during British rule. Hong Kong's courts are permitted to refer to decisions (precedents) rendered by courts of other common law jurisdictions, and judges from other common law jurisdictions are allowed to participate in proceedings of Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal
Court of Final Appeal

The Court of Final Appeal is the court with the court of last resort on the laws of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ....
 and sit as Hong Kong judges.

Structurally, Hong Kong's court system consists of the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court, which is made up of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance, and the District Court, which includes the Family Court. Other adjudicative bodies include the Lands Tribunal, the Magistrates' Courts, the Juvenile Court, the Coroner's Court, the Labour Tribunal, the Small Claims Tribunal, and the Obscene Articles Tribunal, which is responsible for classifying non-video pornography to be circulated in Hong Kong. Justices of the Court of Final Appeal are appointed by Hong Kong's Chief Executive
Chief Executive of Hong Kong

The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the head of government of the government of Hong Kong and the principal representative of Hong Kong. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule....
.

The Department of Justice
Department of Justice (Hong Kong)

The Department of Justice , headed by the Secretary for Justice, is the department responsible for the laws of Hong Kong.Before 1997, the names of the department and the position was the Legal Department and Attorney General respectively....
 is the largest legal institution in Hong Kong, and its responsibilities involve legislation
Legislation

Legislation is law which has been promulgation by a legislature or other governing body. The term may refer to a single law, or the collective body of enacted law, while "statute" is also used to refer to a single law....
, judicial administration, prosecution, civil representation, legal and policy drafting and reform, and the legal profession. Aside from prosecuting criminal cases, officials of the Department of Justice also appear in court on behalf of the government in all civil and administrative lawsuits against the government. As protector of the public interest
Public interest

The public interest refers to the "common well-being" or "general welfare." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself....
, it may apply for judicial review
Judicial review

Judicial review is the power of the courts to annul the acts of the executive and/or the legislative power where it finds them incompatible with a higher norm....
s and assign legal representation on behalf of the public to take part in such a trial. The Basic Law protects the Department of Justice from any interference.

Administrative districts

Hong Kong is subdivided into 18 geographic districts for administrative purposes, each represented by a district council
District Council of Hong Kong

The District Councils, formerly District Boards until 1999, are the local councils for the 18 Districts of Hong Kong. Under the supervision of Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong Government, they are consultative bodies on district administration and affairs....
 that advises the government
Government of Hong Kong

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China; conventional short name Hong Kong Government, led by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong as Head of the Government....
 on local matters such as public facilities, community programmes, cultural activities and environmental improvements. There are a total of 534 district councils seats, 405 of which are elected, while the rest are appointed by the Chief Executive
Chief Executive of Hong Kong

The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the head of government of the government of Hong Kong and the principal representative of Hong Kong. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule....
 and 27 ex officio chairmen of rural committees. The government's Home Affairs Department
Home Affairs Department

The Home Affairs Department is a department in the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China....
 communicates government policies and plans to the public through the district offices.

The 18 districts can be split into three areas, often used for statistical purposes. Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong in the southern part of Hong Kong. It has a population of 1,268,112 and its population density is 15,915/km?, as of 2006....
 is the original 1842 colony, and contains Hong Kong's financial core
Central, Hong Kong

Central , the central business district of Hong Kong, was commonly known as part of Victoria City. It is an area on the north shore of Hong Kong Island....
 on its northern coast. Kowloon
Kowloon

Kowloon refers to an urban area in Hong Kong made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south....
 is to the north across Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour

Victoria 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 development as a trading centre....
, the southern part of which was ceded in 1860
Convention of Peking

The Convention of Peking or the First Convention of Peking is the name used for three different treaties, which were concluded between Qing Dynasty China and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Second French Empire, and Russian Empire....
. The much larger New Territories
New Territories

New Territories, abbreviated to NT or N.T., is a region in Hong Kong excluding Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and Stonecutters Island. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory....
 was the final addition to Hong Kong's territory
Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory

The 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....
 in 1898.

As a special administrative region, Hong Kong is governed as a unitary authority
Unitary authority

A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national government....
, and as such there are no formal definitions for its cities and towns
List of cities and towns in Hong Kong

The following is a list of cities, towns and new towns in Hong Kong.The Hong Kong Government is unitary and does not define cities and towns. The limits of Victoria City, Kowloon and New Kowloon are stated in law, but none of these three areas has the legal status of a city or a town....
. One such example is Victoria City
Victoria City

Victoria City, or the City of Victoria, was one of the first urban settlements in Hong Kong after it became a British Empire colony in 1842....
, which was one of the first urban settlements in Hong Kong after it became a colony, and was considered Hong Kong's capital city
Capital City

Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
 during British rule. Its historic boundary, along with that of Kowloon
Kowloon

Kowloon refers to an urban area in Hong Kong made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south....
 and New Kowloon
New Kowloon

New Kowloon is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, bounded in the south by Boundary Street, and in the north by the ranges of the Lion Rock, Beacon Hill, Hong Kong, Tate's Cairn and Kowloon Peak....
, remain stated in law, but has not had any legal or administrative status since 1982.

Geography and climate

R38943437222 View of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon From Tai Mo Shan Road
Hong Kong is located on China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
's south coast, east of Macau
Macau

The Macau Special Administrative Region, , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong....
 on the opposite side of the Pearl River Delta
Pearl River Delta

The Pearl River Delta in southern People's Republic of China is the low-lying areas alongside the Pearl River estuary where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea....
. It is surrounded by the South China Sea
South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea*south of China,*west of the Philippines,*north west of Sabah , Sarawak and Brunei,*north of Indonesia,...
 on the east, south, and west, and borders the city of Shenzhen
Shenzhen

Shenzhen is a city of sub-provincial city administrative status in southern China's Guangdong province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong....
 in Guangdong Province to the north over the Sham Chun River
Sham Chun River

Sham Chun River serves as the natural land border between Hong Kong and mainland China, together with the Sha Tau Kok River.It formed part of the limit of the concession of the New Territories in 1898 in the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory ....
. The territory's land area consists primarily of Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong in the southern part of Hong Kong. It has a population of 1,268,112 and its population density is 15,915/km?, as of 2006....
, Lantau Island
Lantau Island

Lantau Island, also Lantao, based on the old local name of Lantau Peak , is the largest island in Hong Kong, located at the mouth of the Pearl River ....
, Kowloon Peninsula
Kowloon Peninsula

The Kowloon Peninsula, commonly referred to as Kowloon, is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong, China....
 and the New Territories
New Territories

New Territories, abbreviated to NT or N.T., is a region in Hong Kong excluding Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and Stonecutters Island. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory....
 as well as some 260 other islands.

As much of Hong Kong's terrain is hilly to mountainous with steep slopes, less than 25% of the territory's landmass is developed, and about 40% of the remaining land area is reserved as country parks
Country parks and conservation in Hong Kong

Although Hong Kong is regarded as one of the world's great cities, out of the total 1,092 km? of land, about three-quarters is countryside. Scenically, Hong Kong has a great deal to offer - a landscape rising from sandy beaches and rocky foreshores to heights of almost 1,000 metres, woodlands and mountain ranges covered by open grassland and a vari...
 and nature reserves. Most of the territory's urban development exists on Kowloon peninsula, along the northern edge of Hong Kong Island and in scattered settlements throughout the New Territories. The highest elevation in the territory is at Tai Mo Shan
Tai Mo Shan

Tai Mo Shan has the highest mountain in Hong Kong, with an altitude of 957 m. It is located approximately at the geographical centre of the New Territories....
, at a height of above sea level. Hong Kong's long, irregular and curvaceous coast
Coast

The coast is defined as that part of the land adjoining or near the ocean or its saltwater arms. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the process of tides....
line also affords the territory with many bays, rivers and beaches
Beaches of Hong Kong

Hong Kong has a long coastline that is full of twists and turns with many headlands and bayss and beaches. Many of them are well sheltered by mountains nearby, as Hong Kong is a mountainous place....
.

Despite Hong Kong's reputation of being intensely urbanised, the territory has made much effort to promote a green environment, and recent growing public concern has prompted the severe restriction of further land reclamation
Land reclamation

Land reclamation is either of two distinct practices. One involves creating new land from sea- or riverbeds, the other refers to restoring an area to a more natural state ....
 from Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour

Victoria 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 development as a trading centre....
. Awareness of the environment is growing as Hong Kong suffers from increasing pollution
Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms ....
 compounded by its geography and tall buildings. Approximately 80% of the city's smog
Air pollution in Hong Kong

Air pollution in Hong Kong is considered a serious problem. It affects flora and fauna in the area, and the health of residents living there. Visibility is currently less than eight kilometers for 30% of the year....
 originates from other parts of the Pearl River Delta.

Situated just south of the Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Cancer

The Tropic of Cancer, or Northern tropic, is one of five major degree measures or major circle of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the northernmost latitude at which the Sun can appear directly overhead at noon....
, Hong Kong's climate
Climate of Hong Kong

The climate of Hong Kong is a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate , just short of being a tropical wet-and-dry climate.In winter, the weather is cool, with generally bright and dry weather in early winter but in late winter, it is typically cloud and occasional cold fronts are experienced....
 is humid subtropical climate
Humid subtropical climate

Humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and chilly to mild winters. This climate type covers a broad category of climates, and the term "subtropical" may be a misnomer for the winter climate....
 (Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification

The K?ppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classifications. It was developed by Wladimir K?ppen, a Russian climatologist, around 1900 ....
 
Cwa). Summer is hot and humid with occasional showers and thunderstorms, and warm air coming from the southwest. It is also the time when typhoons are most likely, sometimes resulting in flooding or landslides
Landslide

File:Guatemala landslide.jpgA landslide is a List of geological phenomena which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments....
. Winter weather usually starts sunny and becomes cloudier towards February, with the occasional cold front
Cold front

A cold front is defined as the leading edge of a cooler and drier mass of air, replacing a warmer mass of air.Development of cold front...
 bringing strong, cooling winds from the north. The most pleasant seasons are spring, although changeable, and autumn, which is generally sunny and dry. Hong Kong averages 1,948 hours of sunshine per year, while the highest and lowest ever recorded temperatures at the Hong Kong Observatory
Hong Kong Observatory

Hong Kong Observatory , known as the Royal Observatory before 1997, is a department of the Hong Kong Government. The Observatory forecasts weather and issues warnings on weather-related hazards....
 are and , respectively.

Economy

Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial centres. Its highly capitalist economy is perhaps the freest in the world. The Index of Economic Freedom
Index of Economic Freedom

The Index of Economic Freedom is a series of 10 economic measurements created by the Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal. Its stated objective is to measure the degree of economic freedom in the world's nations....
 has ranked it as such for 15 consecutive years. It is an important centre for international finance and trade, with one of the greatest concentration of corporate headquarters in the Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific or APAC is the area generally regarded as encompassing littoral East Asia, Southeast Asia and Australasia near the Pacific Ocean, plus the states in the ocean itself ....
 region, and is known as one of the Four Asian Tigers for its high growth rates and rapid industrialisation between the 1960s and 1990s. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Hong Kong Stock Exchange

The 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 company are traded....
 is the sixth largest
List of stock exchanges

This is an active list of stock exchanges. Those futures exchanges that also offer trading in security besides trading in futures contracts are listed both here and the list of futures exchanges....
 in the world, with a market capitalisation of US$
United States dollar

The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States and was defined by the Coinage Act of 1792 to be between 371 and 416 grains of silver ....
2.97 trillion as of October 2007, and the second highest value of initial public offering
Initial public offering

Initial public offering , also referred to simply as a "public offering" or "flotation," is when a company issues common stock or Share to the public for the first time....
s, after London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
. The currency used in Hong Kong is the Hong Kong dollar
Hong Kong dollar

The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of Hong Kong. It is the 9th most traded currency in the world. In English language, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies....
, which has been pegged to the U.S. dollar
United States dollar

The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States and was defined by the Coinage Act of 1792 to be between 371 and 416 grains of silver ....
 since 1983.

The Government of Hong Kong plays a passive role in the financial industry, mostly leaving the direction of the economy to market forces and the private sector. Under the official policy of positive non-interventionism
Positive non-interventionism

Positive non-interventionism was the economic policy of Hong Kong during United Kingdom rule. It was first officially implemented in 1971 by John James Cowperthwaite, who observed that the economy was doing well in the absence of government intervention....
, Hong Kong is often cited as an example of laissez-faire capitalism. Following World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, Hong Kong industrialised rapidly as a manufacturing centre driven by exports, and then underwent a rapid transition to a service-based economy in the 1980s. Hong Kong matured to become a financial centre in the 1990s, but was greatly affected by the Asian financial crisis in 1998, and again in 2003 by the SARS
SARs

SARs may refer to:*Special Administrative Regions*Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome *South African Revenue Service ...
 outbreak. A revival of external and domestic demand has led to a strong recovery, as cost decreases strengthened the competitiveness of Hong Kong exports and a long deflationary period ended.

The territory has little arable land and few natural resources, so it must import most of its food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
 and raw materials. Hong Kong is the world's eleventh largest trading entity, with the total value of import
Import

In economics, an import is any good or service brought into one country from another country in a legitimate fashion, typically for use in trade.It is a good that is brought in from another country for sale....
s and export
Export

Export goods or services are provided to foreign consumers by domestic Production theory basics. It is a good that is sent to another country for sale....
s exceeding its gross domestic product
Gross domestic product

File:GDP nominal per capita world map IMF 2008.pngThe gross domestic product or gross domestic income is one of the measures of national income and output for a given country's economy....
. Much of Hong Kong's exports consist of re-exports, which are products made outside of the territory, especially in mainland China
Mainland China

Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China , excluding Hong Kong and Macau, which run on One Country, Two Systems....
, and distributed via Hong Kong. Even before the 1997 handover
Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong

The transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, often referred to as the Handover, occurred on 1 July 1997....
, Hong Kong had established extensive trade and investment ties with mainland China, and its autonomous status now enables it to serve as a point of entry for investment flowing into the mainland. At the end of 2007, there were 3.46 million people employed full-time, with the unemployment rate averaging 4.1%, the fourth straight year of decline. Hong Kong's economy is dominated by the service sector, which accounts for over 90% of its GDP, while industry now constitutes just 9%. Inflation was at 2% in 2007, and Hong Kong's largest export markets are mainland China, the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, and Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
.

Military

As it has never been a sovereign state, Hong Kong never has any entirely independent military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
 forces. As a British colony and later territory
British overseas territories

The 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....
, defence was provided by the British military
British Armed Forces

The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or His/Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, encompasses a Royal Navy, an British Army, and an Royal Air Force....
 under the command of the Governor of Hong Kong
Governor of Hong Kong

The Governor of Hong Kong was the Head of Government of the Hong Kong Government, ex-officio Commander-in-Chief and Vice-Admiral of Hong Kong during British rule between 1841 and 1997....
 who was
ex officio Commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief

A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function....
. When the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
 assumed sovereignty in 1997, the British barracks were replaced by a garrison of the People's Liberation Army, comprising ground
Army

An army , in the broadest sense, is the land-based armed forces of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as an air force....
, naval
Navy

A navy is the branch of a nation's military forces principally designated for naval warfare and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions....
, and air force
Air force

An air force, also known in some countries as an air army or historically an army air corps , is in the broadest sense, the national armed force or armed service that primarily conducts aerial warfare....
s, and under the command of the Chinese Central Military Commission. The Basic Law protects local civil affairs against interference by resident military forces, and the Hong Kong Government
Government of Hong Kong

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China; conventional short name Hong Kong Government, led by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong as Head of the Government....
 remains responsible for the maintenance of public order.

Demographics

Hksycss
Buddha Lantau
Residents of Hong Kong are sometimes referred to as Hongkongers. The territory's population increased sharply throughout the 1990s, reaching 6.99 million in 2006. Hong Kong has a fertility rate of 0.95 children per woman, one of the lowest in the world and far below the 2.1 children per woman required to sustain the current population. However, the population in Hong Kong continues to grow due to the influx of immigrants from mainland China
Mainland China

Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China , excluding Hong Kong and Macau, which run on One Country, Two Systems....
, approximating 45,000 per year. Life expectancy
List of countries by life expectancy

__FORCETOC__This is a list of countries by life expectancy at birth, the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future....
 in Hong Kong is 81.6 years as of 2006, the sixth highest in the world.

About 95% of Hong Kong's population is of Chinese descent
Han Chinese

Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and, by most modern definitions, the largest single ethnic group in the Earth.Han Chinese constitute about 92 percent of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98 percent of the population of the Republic of China , 75 percent of the population of Singapore, and about 19 percent...
, the majority of which is Cantonese
Cantonese people

The Cantonese people , broadly speaking, are a subgroup of the Han Chinese originating from the present-day Guangdong province in North China and South China China....
 or from ethnic groups such as Hakka
Hakka

The Hakka people are a subgroup of the Han Chinese people based in the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi and Fujian in China and speaking the Hakka language....
 and Teochew
Teochew people

The Teochew are a subgroup of the Han Chinese people who primarily live in coastal eastern Guangdong in China, and represent one of the three major ethnic groups in the province....
. The remaining 5% of the population is composed of non-ethnic Chinese forming a highly visible group despite their smaller numbers. A South Asian
South Asians in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has a long-established South Asian population. As of the 2006 by-census, there were at least 44,744 persons of South Asian descent in Hong Kong....
 population of Sindhis
Sindhi people

Sindhis are a Sindhi language speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh, now a province of Pakistan. Today Sindhis that live in Pakistan are predominantly Muslim but there are also smaller minorities of Hindus and Christians....
, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
ns, Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
is and Nepal
Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by India....
ese are found. Vietnamese
Vietnamese people in Hong Kong

Many of the Vietnamese people in Hong Kong immigrated as a result of the Vietnam War and persecution in Vietnam since the mid-1970s.Backed by a humanitarian policy of the Hong Kong Government, and under the auspices of the United Nations, some Vietnamese were permitted to settle in Hong Kong....
 refugee
Refugee

Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecutionOwing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of their nationality,...
s have become permanent residents of Hong Kong. There are also a number of Europeans
European ethnic groups

The European peoples are the various nations and ethnic groups of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
, Americans
Americans in Hong Kong

Americans in Hong Kong makeup a part of the foreign residents who call Hong Kong home. Some are Chinese Americans who have come to Hong Kong, while others are expatriate Hong Kong Chinese who have returned to Hong Kong holding United States citizenship, both sometimes referred to by the local population as ??, or "Jui Sing" which literally me...
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
ns, Canadians
Canadians in Hong Kong

Like their United States counterparts, a significant number of people with Canadian citizenship live and work in Hong Kong. Many are former Hong Kong residents that left prior to the 1997 handover and later returned when they had a Canadian passport and had some of the fears allayed....
, Japanese
Japanese people in Hong Kong

Japanese people in Hong Kong are composed primarily of expatriate businesspeople and their families, although there are also a sizable number of single women....
, and Koreans
Koreans in Hong Kong

Koreans in Hong Kong formed a population of 4,812 individuals as of 2006, making them one of Hong Kong's smaller minority groups....
 working in Hong Kong's commercial and financial sector.

Hong Kong's de-facto official dialect is Cantonese
Standard Cantonese

Standard Cantonese, or Guangzhou dialect, is the prestige dialect of Cantonese language. It is used in Hong Kong and Macau as the spoken language of government and instruction in the schools....
, a Chinese
Chinese language

Chinese or the Sinitic language is a language family consisting of language mutually unintelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the two branches of Sino-Tibetan languages of languages....
 language originating from Guangdong
Guangdong

Guangdong is a political divisions of China on the southern coast of People's Republic of China. The province is also known by an alternative English language name, the Canton Province....
 province to the north of Hong Kong, and is spoken by 95% of the population as a first language. English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 is also an official language, and according to a 1996 by-census is spoken by 3.1% of the population as an everyday language and by 34.9% of the population as a second language. Signs displaying both Chinese and English are common throughout the territory. Since the 1997 handover, an increase in immigrants from mainland China
Mainland China

Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China , excluding Hong Kong and Macau, which run on One Country, Two Systems....
 and greater integration with the mainland economy have brought an increasing amount of Mandarin
Standard Mandarin

Standard Mandarin, or Standard Chinese, is the official modern Spoken Chinese used in People's Republic of China and Republic of China, and is one of the four official languages of Languages of Singapore....
 speakers to Hong Kong.

Religion in Hong Kong
Religion in Hong Kong

Religion in Hong Kong is part and parcel of the culture of Hong Kong. Religious freedom is one of the fundamental rights enjoyed by Hongkongers....
 enjoys a high degree of freedom, guaranteed by the Basic Law. 90% of Hong Kong's population practises a mix of local religions, most prominently Buddhism
Buddhism

Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religionand is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as "The Buddha" , who was born in what is today Nepal....
 (mainly Chinese Mahayana) and Taoism
Taoism

Taoism refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. These traditions have influenced East Asia for over two thousand years and some have spread to the West....
. A Christian
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
 community of around 600,000 exists, forming about 8% of the total population, and is equally divided between Catholic
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
s and Protestants. There are also Muslim
Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
, Latter-Day Saint, Jewish
Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
, Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationism, Millenarianism Christianity religious movement. Sociology of religion have classified the group as an Adventism sect....
, Hindu
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
, Sikh
Sikhism

Sikhism , founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak and ten successive Sikh Gurus in fifteenth century Punjab region, is the Major religious groups organized religion in the world....
 and Bahá'í
Bahá'í Faith

The 'Bah?'? Faith' is a monotheism religion founded by Bah?'u'll?h in nineteenth-century Persian Empire#Persia and Europe , emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind....
 communities. Concerns over a lack of religious freedom
Freedom of religion

Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in religious education, practice, worship, and observance....
 after the 1997 handover have subsided, with Falun Gong
Falun Gong

Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline founded in People's Republic of China by Li Hongzhi in 1992. It has five sets of meditation exercises and teaches the principles truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance , as set out in the main books Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun ....
 adherents free to practice in Hong Kong, and the Anglican Church
Sheng Kung Hui

Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui , also known as Hong Kong Anglican Church , is the Anglican Church in Hong Kong and Macau. It is the 38th Ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion ....
 and Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 each freely appointing its own bishops, unlike in mainland China
Mainland China

Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China , excluding Hong Kong and Macau, which run on One Country, Two Systems....
.

Education

Hong Kong's education
Education

File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
 system roughly follows the system in England
Education in England

Education in England is overseen by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills....
, although at the higher education levels, both English and American
Education in the United States

Education in the United States is provided mainly by government, with control and funding coming from three levels: Federal government of the United States, State government, and Local government....
 systems exist. The medium of instruction
Medium of instruction

Medium of instruction is the language that is used in teaching. It may or may not be the official language of the territory....
 is mainly spoken Cantonese
Cantonese

Cantonese generally refers to people or things associated with a region around the Chinese province of Guangdong or its capital, Guangzhou.* Cantonese, a branch of the Chinese language family, spoken in Guangdong and neighboring provinces...
, written Chinese
Chinese language

Chinese or the Sinitic language is a language family consisting of language mutually unintelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the two branches of Sino-Tibetan languages of languages....
 and English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
, but Mandarin language education has been increasing. The Programme for International Student Assessment
Programme for International Student Assessment

The Programme for International Student Assessment is a triennial world-wide test of 15-year-old schoolchildren's scholastic performance, the implementation of which is coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ....
, has ranked Hong Kong's education system as the second best in the world.

Hong Kong's public school
School

File:Primary Student of Pakistan.JPGA school , is an institution designed to allow and encourage students to education, under the supervision of teachers....
s are operated by the Education Bureau. The system features a non-compulsory three-year kindergarten
Kindergarten

is a form of education for young children which serves as a transition from home to the commencement of more formal schooling. Children are taught to develop basic skills through creative play and social interaction....
, followed by a compulsory six-year primary education
Primary education

A primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as Primary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth of Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ....
, a three-year junior secondary education
Secondary education

Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education is generally the final stage of compulsory education....
, a non-compulsory two-year senior secondary education leading to the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination
Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination

The Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination is a standardized examination which most local students sit for at the end of their 5-year secondary education....
s, and a two-year matriculation
Matriculation

Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula - little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings....
 course leading to the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination
Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination

The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination , or more commonly known as the A-level, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority , is normally taken by senior students at the end of their matriculation in Hong Kong....
s. Most comprehensive schools in Hong Kong fall under three categories: the rarer public school
Public school

The term public school has two distinct meanings depending on the location of usage:* in the United States, Australia and Canada: A school funded from tax revenue and most commonly administered to some degree by government or local government agencies....
s; the more common subsidised schools, including government aids and grant schools; and private school
Private school

Private schools, or independent schools, are schools not administered by local, state, or national government, which retain the right to select their student body and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students tuition rather than with public funds....
s, often run by Christian
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
 organisations and having admissions based on academic merit rather than on financial resources. Outside this system are the schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme
Direct Subsidy Scheme

The Direct Subsidy Scheme is instituted by the Education Bureau of Hong Kong as a means to enhance the quality of private schools in Hong Kong at the kindergarten, Primary education, and Secondary education levels....
 and private international school
International school

An International school is loosely defined as a school that does not require their students to learn the national or local language of the country the school is located in....
s.

There are nine public universities
Higher education in Hong Kong

Higher Education in Hong Kong means any education higher than secondary education, including professional, technical and academic. It is the highest level of education in Hong Kong, regulated under Hong Kong Law Education Ordinance ....
 in Hong Kong, and a number of private higher institutions
Higher education in Hong Kong

Higher Education in Hong Kong means any education higher than secondary education, including professional, technical and academic. It is the highest level of education in Hong Kong, regulated under Hong Kong Law Education Ordinance ....
, offering various bachelor's
Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years....
, master's
Master's degree

A master's degree provides a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of profession. Within the area studied, graduates possess advanced knowledge of a specialized body of theory and applied topics; high order skills in analysis, Critical thinking and/or professional application; and the ability to problem solving a...
, and doctoral degree
Doctorate

A doctorate is an academic degree that in most countries represents the highest level of formal study or research in a given field. In some countries it also refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to practice in a specific profession ....
s, other higher diploma
Higher diploma

A higher diploma is an academic award in Hong Kong and Republic of Ireland. In Hong Kong the award is below the standard of the bachelor's degree, in Ireland it is above the standard of the bachelor's degree....
s and associate degree courses. The University of Hong Kong, the oldest institution of tertiary education
Tertiary education

Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, or gymnasium ....
 in territory, was referred by Quacquarelli Symonds
Quacquarelli Symonds

Quacquarelli Symonds is a company specializing in education and study abroad. The company was founded by Wharton MBA, Nunzio Quacquarelli, in 1990....
 as a "
world-class comprehensive research university" and was ranked 26th on the 2008 THES - QS World University Rankings
THES - QS World University Rankings

The THE - QS World University Rankings is an annual publication that ranks the "Top 200 World Universities", and is published by Times Higher Education and Quacquarelli Symonds ....
  , making it 3rd in Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
 (after only to University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo

The , abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculty with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign....
 and Kyoto University
Kyoto University

, or is a major Japanese national university in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest university in Japan, and formerly one of the Imperial university of Japan....
). The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology and Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, commonly referred to as CUHK, is the second oldest university in Hong Kong; it is campus-based and also the only collegiate university in the territory....
 are ranked 39 and 42 respectively, making them ranked 5th and 6th respectively in Asia.

Culture

Avenue of Stars2
Hong Kong is frequently described as a place where East meets West, reflecting the culture's mix of the territory's Chinese roots with the culture brought to it during its time as a British colony/territory
British overseas territories

The 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....
. Although over a decade has passed since the handover, Western cultural practices remain, and coexist seamlessly with the traditional philosophy and practices of Chinese culture. Hong Kong still has a Welsh male voice choir and a traditional English morris dancing team, for example.

One of the more noticeable contradictions is Hong Kong's balancing of a modernised way of life with traditional superstitious
Superstition

Superstition is a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge. The word is often used pejoratively to refer to supposedly irrational beliefs of others, and its precise meaning is therefore subjective....
 Chinese practices. Concepts like
Fung shui are taken very seriously, with expensive construction projects often hiring expert consultants, and are often believed to make or break a business. Other objects like bagua
Bagua (concept)

The Ba gua are eight diagrams used in Taoist cosmology to represent a range of interrelated concepts. Each consists of three lines, each either "broken" or "unbroken," representing a Yin and yang line or a yang line, respectively....
 mirrors are still regularly used to deflect evil spirits, and buildings often lack any floor number that has a 4 in it, due to its similarity to the word for "die" in the Chinese language. The fusion of east and west also characterises Hong Kong's cuisine, where dim sum
Dim sum

Dim sum is the name for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea. It is usually served in the mornings until noon time at Chinese restaurants and at specialty dim sum eateries where typical dishes are available throughout the day....
 or da been lo
Hot pot

Hot pot , or less commonly Chinese fondue, refers to several Chinese varieties of steamboat . It consists of a simmering metal pot of stock at the center of the dining table....
 restaurants can be found next to fast food
Fast food

File:2008-0614-In-N-Out-burgsfries.jpgFast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with low quality preparation and served to the customer in a packaged form for Tak...
 joints.

While Hong Kong is a recognised global centre of trade, its most famous export is its entertainment industry, particularly in the martial arts genre which gained a high level of popularity in the late 1960s and 1970s. Several Hollywood performers have originated from Hong Kong cinema, notably Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee

Bruce Jun Fan Lee was a Chinese people martial artist, philosopher, instructor, martial arts actor and the founder of the Jeet Kune Do combat form....
, Chow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-Fat

Chow Yun-Fat Silver Bauhinia Star is a Hong Kong Film Awards-winning actor. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer , and Hard-Boiled; and to the West for his role as Rama IV in Anna and the King....
, and Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan, Silver Bauhinia Star, Member of the Order of the British Empire is an actor, Stage combat, film director, film producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer from Hong Kong....
. A number of Hong Kong film-makers have also achieved widespread fame in Hollywood, such as John Woo
John Woo

John Woo Yu-Sen is a critically acclaimed international China film director and film producer. Recognized for his stylized films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Mr....
, Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai

Wong Kar-wai Bronze Bauhinia Star is an award winning Hong Kong filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylized films....
 and Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark

Tsui Hark, born Tsui Man-Kong on 15 February 1950, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director in Hong Kong and a highly influential film producer....
. Homegrown films such as
Chungking Express
Chungking Express

Chungking Express is a 1994 in film Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film consists of two stories told in sequence, each about a Hong Kong cop and his relationship with a woman....
, Infernal Affairs
Infernal Affairs

Infernal Affairs is a Hong Kong films of 2002 Cinema of Hong Kong crime film-Thriller directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It tells the story of a police officer who infiltrates the crime gang, and a Mole secretly working for the same gang....
, Shaolin Soccer
Shaolin Soccer

Shaolin Soccer is a Hong Kong films of 2001 Cinema of Hong Kong comedy film film co-written and directed by Stephen Chow, who also stars in the film....
, Rumble in the Bronx
Rumble in the Bronx

Rumble in the Bronx is a Hong Kong films of 1995 Hong Kong martial arts film-Hong Kong action cinema starring Jackie Chan and Anita Mui.Released in the US in 1996, Rumble in the Bronx had a successful theater run, and brought Chan into the United States mainstream....
, and In the Mood for Love
In the Mood for Love

In the Mood for Love , literally "Our Glorious Years Have Passed Like Flowers") is a 2000 in film Hong Kong film directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu Wai....
have gained international recognition. Hong Kong is also the world's main centre for Cantopop
Cantopop

Cantopop is a colloquial portmanteau for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music"....
 music, which draws its influence from other forms of Chinese music, and more international styles including jazz
Jazz

Jazz is a primarily American musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
, rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
, rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music first created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s....
, electronic music
Electronic music

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology....
, western
Western culture

File:Clash of Civilizations map.pngWestern culture are terms which are used to refer to cultures of European origin. This terminology originated as a way of describing what was different about the Graeco-Roman culture and its descendants, in contrast to the older neighboring civilizations of the Middle East, which in many ways continued...
 pop music
Pop music

Pop music is a music genre that features a noticeable rhythmic element, melodies and hook , a mainstream style and a conventional structure.The term "pop music" was first used in 1926 in the sense of "having popular appeal" , but since the 1950s it has been used in the sense of a musical genre, originally characterized as a lighter alternat...
 and others, and has a multinational fanbase.

The Hong Kong government supports cultural institutions such as the Hong Kong Heritage Museum
Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Hong Kong Heritage Museum is a museum of history, art and culture in Sha Tin, Hong Kong, by the Shing Mun River. The museum was built by the Regional Council, Hong Kong and opened on 16 December 2000....
, the Hong Kong Museum of Art
Hong Kong Museum of Art

The Hong Kong Museum of Art is a museum for Chinese cultural heritage, and local and international art in Hong Kong. The museum was established as the City Hall Museum and Art Gallery in the City Hall, Hong Kong in Central, Hong Kong by the Urban Council in 1962....
, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts , located near the north coast of Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, is both an academic institution and a venue for performances....
, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra , commonly abbreviated HKPO , is the largest symphony orchestra in Hong Kong. First established in 1895 as an amateur orchestra named Sino-British Orchestra, it was renamed to Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1957, and became a professional orchestra in 1974 under the funding of the Government....
. Also, the government's Leisure and Cultural Services Department
Leisure and Cultural Services Department

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department , often abbreviated as LCSD, is a department in the Government of Hong Kong. It reports to the Home Affairs Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Home Affairs....
 subsidises and sponsors international performers brought to Hong Kong. Many international cultural activities are organised by the government, consulates, and privately.

Hong Kong has two broadcast television stations, ATV
Asia Television Limited

Asia Television Limited is one of the two free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, the other being its arch-rival Television Broadcasts Limited ....
 and TVB. Cable and satellite services
Pay television services (Hong Kong)

Television in Hong Kong has two broadcast television networks, Asia Television Limited and TVB. The latter, launched in 1967, was the territory's first free-to-air commercial station, and is currently the predominant TV station in the territory....
 are also widespread. The production of Hong Kong's soap dramas, comedy series and variety show
Variety show

A variety show or variety entertainment is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and comedy skits, and normally introduced by a Master of Ceremonies or Presenter....
s have reached mass audiences throughout the Chinese-speaking world. Magazine and newspaper
Newspapers of Hong Kong

Hong Kong is home to many of Asia's biggest newspapers. The territory has one of the world's largest press industries and is a major centre for print journalism....
 publishers in Hong Kong distribute and print in both Chinese and English, with a focus on sensationalism
Sensationalism

Sensationalism is a manner of being extremely controversial, loud, or attention grabbing. It is especially applied to the emphasis of the unusual or atypical....
 and celebrity gossip
Gossip

Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and other variations into the information thus transmitted....
. The media is relatively free from government interference compared to that of mainland China, and newspapers are often divided along political lines of support or show skepticism towards the Chinese government
Politics of the People's Republic of China

The politics of the People's Republic of China take place in a framework of a Single-party state socialist state. The leadership of the Communist Party is elected in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China....
 in Beijing
Beijing

is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....
. Hong Kong is also one of three CNN International
CNN International

CNN International , usually known on-air as simply "CNN" to viewers outside the United States, is an English language television network that carries news, current affairs and business programming worldwide....
 headquarters.

Hong Kong offers wide recreational and competitive sport opportunities despite its limited land area. Internationally, Hong Kong participates in the Olympic Games
Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter sports. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games held at Olympia, Greece, Greece....
, and numerous other Asian Games
Asian Games

The Asian Games, also called the Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among Sportsperson from all over Asia. The games are regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia under the supervision of the International Olympic Committee ....
 events, and hosted the equestrian events for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, People's Republic of China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008....
 in Beijing
Beijing

is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....
. There are major multipurpose venues like Hong Kong Coliseum
Hong Kong Coliseum

Hong Kong Coliseum is a major multi-purpose indoor arena in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was built by Urban Council and inaugurated on 27 April 1983....
 and MacPherson Stadium. Hong Kong's steep terrain make it ideal for hiking
Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often on trail. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous :Category:Hiking organizations worldwide....
, with expansive views over the territory, and its rugged coastline provides many beaches for swimming
Swimming

Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through water, usually without artificial assistance. Swimming is an activity that can be both useful and recreational....
.

Architecture

Hong Kong has the world's greatest number of skyscraper
Skyscraper

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building. There is no official definition nor height above which a building may clearly be classified as a skyscraper....
s, at 6,439. The high density
Urban density

Urban density is a term used in urban planning and urban design to refer to the number of people inhabiting a given urbanized area. As such it is to be distinguished from other measures of Population density....
 and tall skyline
Skyline

A skyline is best described as the overall or partial view of a silhouette of a City tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background....
 of Hong Kong's urban area
Urban area

An urban area is an area with an increased Population density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be city, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlet ....
 is due to a lack of available sprawl
Urban sprawl

Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is the spreading of a city and its suburbs over rural land at the fringe of an urban area. Residents of sprawling neighborhoods tend to live in single-family homes and commute by automobile to work....
 space, with the average distance from the harbourfront to the steep hills of Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong in the southern part of Hong Kong. It has a population of 1,268,112 and its population density is 15,915/km?, as of 2006....
 at . This lack of space causing demand for dense, high-rise offices and housing, has resulted in 38 of the world's 100 tallest residential buildings being in Hong Kong, and more people living or working above the 14th floor than anywhere else on Earth, making it the world's most vertical city.

A downside to the lack of space and demand for construction is that few older buildings remain, the city instead becoming a centre for modern architecture
Modern architecture

Modern architecture is a set of building styles with similar characteristics, primarily the simplification of form and the elimination of Ornament ....
. The tallest building in Hong Kong is Two International Finance Centre, at high. Other recognisable skyline features include the HSBC Headquarters Building
HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building

The HSBC Main Building is the headquarters building of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in Central, Hong Kong, Hong Kong. It is located along the southern side of Statue Square at the location of the old City Hall, Hong Kong ....
, said to be easily dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere, the triangular Central Plaza
Central Plaza, Hong Kong

Central Plaza is the second tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong. With a height of 374 m , Central Plaza is only surpassed by International Finance Centre in Central, Hong Kong....
 with its pyramid-shaped spire, The Center
The Center

The Center is the fourth tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, after International Finance Centre , Central Plaza, Hong Kong and Bank of China Tower....
 with its nighttime multi-coloured neon light show, and I M Pei's Bank of China Tower
Bank of China Tower

The Bank of China Tower is one of the most recognized skyscrapers in Central, Hong Kong, Hong Kong. It houses the headquarters for the Bank of China Limited....
 with its sharp, angular façade
Facade

A facade or fa?ade is generally one side of the exterior of a building, especially the front, but also sometimes the sides and rear. The Word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
. The city has been rated as having the best skyline in the world. Notable remaining historical assets include the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower
Clock Tower, Hong Kong

The Clock Tower is a landmark in Hong Kong. It is located on the southern shore of Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It is the only remnant of the original site of the former Kowloon Station on the Kowloon-Canton Railway....
, the Central Police Station
Central Police Station

Central Police Station , located at the eastern end of Hollywood Road, in Central, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, is awaiting development following its decommissioning....
, and the remains of Kowloon Walled City
Kowloon Walled City

The Kowloon Walled City was a tiny Chinese people enclave and exclave that was located in the middle of Colonial Hong Kong for decades. It was torn down in 1993....
.

There are many development plans in place, including the construction of new government buildings
Tamar site

Tamar site , 4.2-hectare large, the former location of the naval basin attached to the headquarters of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong, is currently paved as a parking lot at the Victoria Harbourfront of Central, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong....
, waterfront redevelopment in Central
Central, Hong Kong

Central , the central business district of Hong Kong, was commonly known as part of Victoria City. It is an area on the north shore of Hong Kong Island....
, and a series of projects in West Kowloon
West Kowloon

West Kowloon is a part of Kowloon, Hong Kong situated within the Yau Tsim Mong District. It is bounded by Canton Road to the east, Victoria Harbour to the west and the south, and Jordan Road, Hong Kong to the north....
. More high-rise development is set to take place on the other side of Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour

Victoria 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 development as a trading centre....
 in Kowloon, as the 1998 closure of the nearby Kai Tak Airport
Kai Tak Airport

Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. On July 6 1998, the airport was replaced by the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok....
 lifted strict height restrictions, including the soon-to-be tallest tower, the International Commerce Centre
International Commerce Centre

International Commerce Centre is a 118 story, 484 m skyscraper under construction in Kowloon, Hong Kong; as part of the Union Square project built on top of Kowloon Station....
, which will open in 2010.

Transport

Hong Kong has a highly developed transportation network, encompassing both public
Public transport

Public transport comprises passenger transportation services which are available for use by the general public, as opposed to modes for private use such as automobiles or vehicles for hire....
 and private transport. Over 90% of daily travels (11 million) are on public transport, making it the highest percentage in the world. The Octopus card
Octopus card

The Octopus card is a rechargeable Contactless payment stored value smart card used to transfer electronic moneys in online or offline systems in Hong Kong....
, a stored value smart card
Smart card

A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is in any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits which can process data....
 payment system, can be used to pay for fares on almost all railways, buses and ferries, and also for parking and purchases at convenience stores and fastfood restaurants.

The city's rapid transit
Rapid transit

A rapid transit, subway, underground, elevated railway or metro system is an railway electrification system public transport rail transport in an urban area with high capacity and frequency, and which is grade separation from other traffic....
 system, MTR
MTR

MTR, or Mass Transit Railway, is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. The MTR first began service in 1979 and officially merged with the Kowloon Canton Railway on 2 December 2007, still bearing the same name in English....
, has 150 stations and serves 3.4 million people a day. A tramway system
Hong Kong Tramways

Hong 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....
, serving the city since 1904, covers the northern parts of Hong Kong Island and is the only tram
Tram

A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railroad car, of lighter weight and construction than a train, designed for the transport of passengers within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, on tracks running primarily on streets....
 system in the world run exclusively with double deckers. Double-decker bus
Double-decker bus

A double-decker bus is a bus that has two floors. While double-decker long-distance coaches are in widespread use around the world, double-decker city buses are less common....
es were introduced to Hong Kong in 1949, and are now almost exclusively used, with single-decker buses remaining in use for routes with lower demand or roads with lower carrying capacity. Most normal franchised bus routes in Hong Kong operate until 1 am. Public light bus
Public light bus

A Public light bus is a common Public transport mode of transport in Hong Kong. It mainly serves the area that Buses in Hong Kong cannot reach as efficiently....
es run the length and breadth of Hong Kong, through areas where standard bus lines cannot reach or do not reach as frequently, quickly, or directly.

The Star Ferry
Star Ferry

The "Star" Ferry Company Ltd. is a passenger ferry service operator in Hong Kong. Its principal routes carry passengers across the Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon....
 service operates four lines across Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour

Victoria 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 development as a trading centre....
 and has been in operation for over 120 years, providing a panoramic view of Hong Kong's skyline for its 53,000 daily passengers. It is considered one of the city's most treasured cultural icons and has been rated as one of the most picturesque ferry crossings in the world. Other ferry
Ferry

A ferry is a form of transport, usually a boat or ship, used to carry passengers and their vehicles across a body of water. Ferries are also used to transport freight and even railroad cars....
 services are provided by operators serving outlying islands, new towns, Macau
Macau

The Macau Special Administrative Region, , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong....
, and cities in mainland China. Hong Kong is also famous for its junks
Junk (ship)

A junk is a Chinese sailing vessel. The English name comes from the Fujian#Culture word , jun ?, meaning "ship" or "large vessel." Junks were originally developed during the Han Dynasty and further evolved to represent one of the most successful ship types in history....
 traversing the harbour, and small kai-to
Kai-to

The kai-to is a type of small, motorized ferry serving remote coastal settlements in the Outlying Islands, Hong Kong of Hong Kong.There are currently 78 fixed kai-to routes, mostly used to ferry passengers between the outlying islands of Lantau Island, Peng Chau, Cheung Chau, Lamma Island, among others, to the west of Hong Kong, and to...
 ferries which serve remote coastal settlements.

Hong Kong's steep, hilly terrain calls for some unusual ways of getting up and down the slopes. The Peak Tram
Peak Tram

The 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, Hong Kong to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong....
, the first public transport system in Hong Kong, has provided vertical rail transport between Central
Central, Hong Kong

Central , the central business district of Hong Kong, was commonly known as part of Victoria City. It is an area on the north shore of Hong Kong Island....
 and Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak

Victoria 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....
 since 1888 by steeply ascending the side of a mountain. In Central and Western district
Central and Western District

The Central and Western District located on northern part of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, is one of the districts of Hong Kong of the city-state....
, there is an extensive system of escalator
Escalator

An escalator is a conveyor transport device for transport people, consisting of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, which keep the treads horizontal....
s and moving pavements, including the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, the Mid-Levels escalator.

Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport , because it was built on the Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong#Islands of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from the old Hong Kong Airport ....
 is a leading air passenger gateway and logistics hub in Asia and one of the world's busiest airport
Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as Fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and Non-rigid airship take off and land. Aircraft may also be stored or maintained at an airport....
s in terms of international passenger and cargo movement, serving more than 47 million passengers and handling 3.74 million tonnes of cargo in 2007. It replaced Kai Tak Airport
Kai Tak Airport

Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. On July 6 1998, the airport was replaced by the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok....
 in Kowloon
Kowloon

Kowloon refers to an urban area in Hong Kong made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south....
 in 1998, and has been rated as the world's best airport in a number of surveys. Over 85 airlines operate at the two-terminal
Airport terminal

An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from airplanes....
 airport and it is the primary hub of Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific Airways is the flag carrier of Hong Kong. Based at Hong Kong International Airport, the airline's operations include scheduled passenger and cargo services to 115 destinations worldwide....
, Dragonair, Air Hong Kong
Air Hong Kong

AHK Air Hong Kong Limited , abbreviated AHK, is the only all-cargo airline based in Hong Kong. It operates regional overnight express and freight services....
, Hong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Express.

Further reading

  • A History of Hong Kong (Third Edition). Frank Welsh. HarperCollins. 1 October 1998. 624 pages. ISBN 1-56836-002-9.
  • Mathematical Modelling of Hong Kong Political and Economical Development. Derek Lam. Guangzhou Academic Press. 18 February 1986. 23 pages.
  • Hong Kong's History: State and Society Under Colonial Rule (Asia's Transformations). Tak-Wing Ngo. Routledge. 1 August 1999. 205 pages. ISBN 0-415-20868-8.
  • The Cinema of Hong Kong: History, Arts, Identity. Poshek Fu, David Deser. Cambridge University Press
    Cambridge University Press

    Cambridge University Press is a printer and publisher granted a Royal Letters Patent by Henry VIII of England in 1534. It is the world's oldest continually operating book publisher....
    . 25 March 2002. 346 pages. ISBN 0-521-77602-3.
  • A Modern History of Hong Kong. Steve Tsang. I.B. Tauris. 14 May 2004. 356 pages. ISBN 1-86064-184-9.
  • An Outline History of Hong Kong. Liu Shuyong. 291 pages. ISBN 7-119-01946-5.
  • Forts and Pirates - A History of Hong Kong. Hong Kong History Society. Hyperion Books. December 1990. ISBN 962-7489-01-8.


External links


Government
  • - Official government site
  • - Official site of the legislative body


General reference
  • at Encyclopædia Britannica
    Encyclopædia Britannica

    The Encyclop?dia Britannica is a general English language encyclopedia published by Encyclop?dia Britannica, Inc., a privately held company....
  • at UCB Libraries GovPubs


Travel
  • - Official site of the Hong Kong Tourism Board


Other