A brief introduction to the history of Hong Kong.

Historical Overview

Hong Kong has clearly become the territory of the Central Plains since the Qin Dynasty (the Central Plains refers to the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River centered on central Shaanxi and western Henan) until the defeat of the Qing Dynasty in the mid-19th century. , the territory was ceded and leased to Britain in batches to become a colony, and Hong Kong opened for port development. In September 1982, China and the United Kingdom implemented the issue of Hong Kong's future and signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, deciding that the People's Republic of China would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong on July 1, 1997. China is committed to implementing one country, two systems in Hong Kong. Hong Kong will maintain its capitalist system and original way of life, and enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign affairs and national defense. That is, "Hong Kong people govern Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy." After the Second World War, Hong Kong's economy and society developed rapidly, becoming not only one of the "Four Asian Tigers" but also one of the richest, most economically developed and highest-living areas in the world. Hong Kong is an important financial, service and shipping center in Asia. It is famous for its clean government, good public security, free economic system and perfect rule of law. Historical changes have transformed Hong Kong from a small fishing village with a population of only 5,000 people to an international metropolis known as the "Pearl of the Orient" today.

Historical evolution

The history of Hong Kong can be traced back to the Neolithic Age five thousand years ago. After Qin Shihuang unified China, he established three counties in the south: Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiangjun. Hong Kong was affiliated to Panyu County, Nanhai County. From then on, Hong Kong was under the jurisdiction of the central government. In the Han Dynasty, Hong Kong belonged to Boluo County, Nanhai County. In the sixth year of Xianhe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 331), Hong Kong was affiliated to Bao'an County, Dongguan County. During the Sui Dynasty, Hong Kong was affiliated to Bao'an County, Nanhai County, Guangzhou Prefecture. In the second year of Zhide (AD 757) of the Tang Dynasty, Bao'an County was changed to Dongguan County, and Hong Kong was still under Dongguan County. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, a large number of people from the mainland moved south to Hong Kong, which promoted Hong Kong's economic and cultural development. In the first year of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty (1573), Hong Kong was affiliated to Xin'an County. Hong Kong is an excellent deep-water port and was once known as one of the three largest natural seaports in the world. In the early years, the British took a fancy to Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor for its potential to become an excellent port in East Asia and did not hesitate to use the Opium War to seize it from the Manchu Qing government. Seizing this place in order to develop its maritime trade in the Far East began the history of Hong Kong becoming a British colony. From 1842 to June 30, 1997, Hong Kong was a British colony. On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong returned to China. The three parts of Hong Kong (Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories) originated from three unequal treaties at different times. After the First Opium War in 1840, Britain forced the Qing government to sign the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 and cede Hong Kong Island. In 1856, the British and French forces launched the Second Opium War, forcing the Qing government to sign the Treaty of Beijing in 1860 and cede the Kowloon Peninsula, the area south of present-day Boundary Street. After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, the British forced the Qing government to sign the "Special Treaty on the Expansion of Hong Kong Boundary Sites" in 1898, forcibly leasing the New Territories for a period of 99 years, ending on June 30, 1997. The lease of the New Territories expanded the area of ??Hong Kong by as much as ten times.

Chronology of major historical events

January 26, 1841: After the First Opium War, the British occupied Hong Kong Island. Afterwards, the Qing government tried to regain it by force. Emperor Daoguang Many edicts were issued to this end, but the Qing Dynasty was never able to defend its territorial integrity. August 29, 1842: The Qing government signed the unequal Treaty of Nanjing with Britain, ceding Hong Kong Island to Britain. October 24, 1860: China and Britain signed the unequal Treaty of Beijing, ceding the area south of Boundary Street on the Kowloon Peninsula to Britain. June 9, 1898: The British forced the Qing government to sign the "Special Treaty to Expand the Boundary Site of Hong Kong" and leased the area north of Boundary Street on the Kowloon Peninsula and 262 nearby islands for a period of 99 years (ends on June 30, 1997) . December 25, 1941: During the Second World War, the Japanese army invaded Hong Kong. The British troops stationed in Hong Kong were unable to resist. The then Governor of Hong Kong, Yang Muqi, reluctantly announced his surrender. Hong Kong was occupied by Japan and began the "Japanese Occupation Period" of three years and eight months. September 15, 1945: After Japan's defeat, it signed a surrender document in Hong Kong and withdrew from Hong Kong. December 19, 1984: China and Britain signed a joint statement on Hong Kong, implementing "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong after 1997.

July 1, 1997: Hong Kong became a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. According to the Basic Law, Hong Kong retains its original economic, legal and social systems, which will remain unchanged for 50 years, and implements "one country, two systems". Except for defense and foreign affairs that are under the control of the central government, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region enjoys a high degree of autonomy.

Origin of place names

There are several theories about the origin of Hong Kong’s place names: Theory 1: Hong Kong’s name is related to spices. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Hong Kong was administratively subordinate to Dongguan, Guangdong. Since the Ming Dynasty, a small harbor in the south of Hong Kong Island has been a distribution port for the transshipment of spices from southern Guangdong. It is famous for its transshipment of spices produced in Dongguan, Guangdong, and is known as "Hong Kong". It is said that the spices transshipped in Hong Kong at that time were of high quality and were called "Hainan treasures". Many local people in Hong Kong were also engaged in growing spices. Together with the spices grown in Hong Kong, Hong Kong became famous. Soon this spice was listed as a tribute to the emperor, and created a prosperous incense making and shipping industry at that time. Later, the cultivation and transshipment of spices gradually declined, but the name Hong Kong remained. Statement 2: Hong Kong is a natural harbor with sweet and delicious water nearby. Sailors traveling on the sea often come here to get water for drinking. Over time, the sweet-smelling water became famous, and this creek was also called "Hong Kong River". ", and the small harbor formed by the alluvial waters of the Xiangjiang River began to be called "Hong Kong". A group of British people landed in Hong Kong Island from this harbor, so they named the entire island after "Hong Kong". To this day, "Hong Kong" is still another name for Hong Kong. Argument 3: It is named after "Xianggu". It is said that Xianggu was the wife of a pirate. After the pirate died, she took over the island. Over time, people named the island after her and called it "Hong Kong". Although there are different opinions, it is generally certain that the place name Hong Kong first appeared in the Ming Dynasty. It initially referred to a small harbor and small village on Hong Kong Island at that time, and was later expanded to refer to the entire island (Hong Kong Island). , and finally in the early 19th century, it became the collective name for the entire area occupied by British colonists at that time.

The origin of the English name of Hong Kong

The English name of Hong Kong is based on the pronunciation of Guangzhou, and the original translation is Heung Kong. There are many water residents in Hong Kong who pronounce "香" as "康". Therefore, the English name was also spelled as Hong Kong. Some people still call Hong Kong "Hong Kong", "Hong Kong Sea", "Hong Kong Island", "Hong Kong", etc.