Blurbs with the issue or nonissue of hong kong independence becoming the subject of increasingly acrimonious debate, from a british to a chinese colony. Hong kongs economic and political history has been primarily determined by its geographical location. In particular, it is alleged that colonial history curricula neglected or ignored the histories of indigenous populations. Learn more about the british empire in this article. Theres one rather showy descriptor on some labels that may seem a bit mysterious at first. One of the opening battles of the conflict in the pacific, japanese troops commenced their attack on the british colony the same morning as their attack on the us pacific fleet at pearl harbor. At midnight on june 30july 1, 1997, the crown colony of hong kong see map officially reverted to chinese sovereignty, ending 156 years of british rule.
British hong kong news newspapers books scholar jstor january 2018 learn how. Jan, 2018 a brief history of the british empires control shows many inside and outside the city benefited from its rule. Hong kong colonial architecture of the victorian period many of hong kong s early buildings were designed and built by the british armys corps of royal. This volume provides an overview of all aspects of hong kong english in a style designed for undergraduates and general readers. History of hong kong wikipedia a documentary history of hong kong. Its the colonial years of hong kong, from the time when the brits landed on possession point, up to the midnight when elizabeth ii returned hong kong, the last colony of the british empire, to chinese rule. The region of hong kong has been inhabited since the old stone age, later becoming part of. This major new history of hong kong tells the remarkable story of how a cluster of remote fishing villages grew into an icon of capitalism.
Hong kong entered its modern era when it became a british overseas territory in 1841. Historical and statistical abstract of the colony of hongkong by hong kong. As in other periods of hong kong s history, english language policy between 1842 and 1859 was not formulated in vacuo. Hong kong is widely regarded as an exemplar of authoritarian jurisdictions with a positive history of adhering to rule of lawshaped governance systems. Chinese people and british rule in hong kong, 18411880 pdf. History, arts, identity is a key contribution to studies of hong kongs cinematic representation. Hong kong, grumbled palmerston, will never be a mart of trade. I can imagine that if hong kong became a british colony again, and based on the assertion of china in south china sea, china would definitely pose sanctions on hong kong and cut off trades with hong kong. Colonialism transformed hong kong s historical development, shaped the form of the en. But there was a lot going on in the region before that wintry morning in 1841 when a contingent of british marines clambered ashore and planted the union flag on the western part of hong kong island, claiming it for the british crown. Hong kong education in the first two decades of british colonial rule. The territory of hong kong is comprised of two main islands hong kong island and lantau island and a mainland hinterland. As its subtitle indicates, this book comprehensively and effectively traces the development of hong kong cinema from the three perspectives of history, arts, and identity. Two books about hong kong history and culture are examined.
Hong kongs political history makes nonsense of the decolonising process as it is usually imagined. This collection of british colonial office correspondence relates to hong kong as a british colony between 1841 and 1951, and provides detailed information on the political, military, social, economic, and external development of hong kong. During wwii, many british along with many highlevel chinese were penned up in japanese detention centers around hks islands. A modern history of hong kong steve tsang publisher. Feb 05, 2014 an excellent documentary about hong kong s fascinating history right before hong kong s 1997 return to chinese sovereignty. Colonial rule british rule legislative council china policy imperial retreat. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. From a littleknown fishing community at the periphery of china, hong kong developed into one of the worlds most spectacular and cosmopolitan metropoles after a century and a half of british imperial rule.
Britain and the united states perceived hong kongs role in the cold war differently. Handover in hong kong final stanford graduate school of. It took about two decades before hong kong established a genuinely independent judiciary and introduced the cadet scheme to select and. The beginnings of english language education in hong kong. When it was a colony, hong kong was administered by a governor, who was appointed by and represented the monarch of the united kingdom, directed the government, served as the commander in chief, and presided over the two main organs of government, the executive council and the legislative council. Yet the british also realized that its future was inextricably linked with the peoples republic of china that was founded in 1949.
Government and politics steve tsang 1995 book published by. It became a colony of the united kingdom in 1842, and the british maintained control until 1997, when china appropriated it. The story began in 1842 with founding of the crown colony after the first anglochinese warthe original opium war. General readers and academics alike who are interested in hong kongs history will find steve tsangs book to be a lively, entertaining, and fair treatment of the forces and events that led to the formation of this former colony and to the creation of its current identity as a special administrative region of the peoples republic of china. They might be surprised to learn that one of the main reasons hong kong. This book explains the strategic economic position of hong kong in relation to imperial global commerce. Hong kong colonial architecture of the victorian period this refers to colonial architecture developed in hong kong during the reign of queen victoria 18371901. History of hong kong from british colony to special. The more you poke around vintage clothing shops, the more you notice the labels. A concise history of hong kong hong kong university press. It also focuses on the social adaptations of ethnic hong kong citizens.
The island was ceded by qing dynasty in the aftermath of the war in 1842 and established as a crown colony in 1843. From a british style administrative state to a chinesestyle political state. The hong kong letters patent 1843, also titled the charter of the colony of hong kong the charter, was issued by queen vcitoria of the united kingdom of great britain and ireland in 1843 to established the british colony of hong kong in and over hong kong island. This year, in stark contrast to the usually peaceful demonstrations held to coincide with the july 1. Written by three academic specialists on hong kong cultural identity, social history, and mass media, this book. In its early years as a crown colony, it suffered from corruption and racial segregation but grew rapidly as a free port that supported trade with china. Constitutionally the political system is that of a crown colony created in the victorian era, which had. Public protests in hong kong date back to british colonial rule and have evolved from the bloody riots of the 1960s into the recent protests of up to two million people marching.
So, the british eventually acknowledged the inevitable and signed the. The region of hong kong has been inhabited since the old stone age, later becoming part of the chinese empire with its loose incorporation into the qin dynasty 221206 bc. Despite hong kong s chinese influences, we should not underestimate the effect of british colonial rule. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. British hong kong provides a remarkable story of the effective development and consolidation of such a system, which has continued to apply since. The book explores hong kong as a place with a unique identity, yet also a crossroads where chinese history, british colonial history, and world history intersect.
Colony definition, a group of people who leave their native country to form in a new land a settlement subject to, or connected with, the parent nation. As in other periods of hong kongs history, english language policy between. Why was hong kong british, how was it returned to china and what are the challenges and outlook. Decolonization, recolonization, or something elseeach of the ten chapters in this timely. Hong kong seems to fit comfortably into this framework, though other cases might be considered barbados vs. If you read any united states history book youll find ideas like these.
Before the mid1960s, but especially before wwii ended, the british acted like masters towards colonial subjects. A modern history of hong kong read and download epub, pdf. In 1841, hong kong was officially occupied by british forces, opening the door on what was to become the british colonial era in hong kong history. British nationality law as it pertains to hong kong has been unusual ever since hong kong became a british colony in 1842. History in the very long scale of history, hong kong as we know it today has existed for a mere blink of an eye. Firstly, the census information in the blue books of the 1840s and 1850s. This part discusses the history of hong kong up to the point when hong kong island was taken. The battle of hong kong was fought december 8 to 25, 1941, during world war ii 19391945. Hong kong became a british colony in 1842 after china and great britain had led a war on opium trade.
Community and social unrest in the british colony, 184219. A modern history of hong kong hong kong university press. British hong kong was a colony and british dependent territory of the united kingdom from. From its beginning as a sparsely populated trading port to todays cosmopolitan international financial centre and world city of over seven million people, the territory has attracted refugees, immigrants and expatriates alike searching for a new life. History of hong kong lonely planet travel information. But from the outset the new colony prospered, its early growth owing much to the energy and resourcefulness of opium traders, who soon diversified in more respectable directions.
Scholars of british colonialism concentrated mainly on africa and india, while a handful of. As a former british colony, hong kong used english as the language of government, law and education in the early days of colon. British colonial rule of hong kong finally came to an end after over 150 years and the new government. Hong kong s british masters took steps which they hoped would restore public confidence. Government and politics in british hong kong are a paradox. Hong kong in the shadow of china brookings institution. With its 1997 retrocession to chinese sovereignty looming closer every day, hong kong has, during the past decade, appeared frequently in the headlines ofdie international press and as. To london, hong kong was an economically valuable colony and a symbol of britains great power status. Rather apologetic on the british side, but if youve read plenty of other books condemning the opium wars, this is an impressive, thorough history that provides a bit of balance but read with a pinch of salt. Political development in hong kong hong kong university. A hong kong chineses view of the british heritage c. History of hong kong news newspapers books scholar jstor august 2019 learn how and when to remove this template message. Historical and statistical abstract of the colony of.
Aug 15, 2007 this history of hong kong from its occupation by the british in 1841 to its return to chinese sovereignty in 1997 includes the foundation of modern hong kong. Jun 24, 2019 a chronology of key events in the history of hong kong from 1842 to the present. Evolution of hong kong education from colonial times. History of hong kongcolonial days wikibooks, open books. Evolution of hong kong education from colonial times through world war ii. Island named as hong kong didnt represent anything special about itself before the moment when its became the first british possession in china. Decolonization, recolonization, or something elseeach of the ten chapters in this. At first glance, the americans did not have great economic and military. The british empire was, at its peak, the largest empire in history. The arrival of immigrants in large numbers helped launch a new role for hong kong as a major manufacturing hub. The colonial period began with the occupation of hong kong island in 1841 during the first opium war. Faq for information about file content and naming conventions. At that time hong kong had already become an important trading post.
This book tells the fascinating story of the development of medical and sanitation services in hong kong during the first century of british rule and how changing political values and directions of the colonial administration and the socioeconomic status of the hong kong affected the policies of development in these areas. The transfer of sovereignty over hong kong, commonly known as the handover of hong kong or simply the handover, also the return in mainland china and hong kong, occurred at midnight at the start of 1 july 1997, when the united kingdom ended administration for the colony of hong kong and returned control of the territory to china. Historians rarely pay much attention to this aspect of either hong kong history or american history, but america has also had a special interest in hong kong since the early 1800s. Required reading for all anglophiles in former british colonies, and needs to be a textbook in britain. Starting out as a farming fishing village and salt production site, it became an important free port and eventually a major international financial centre the qing dynasty ceded hong kong to the british empire in 1842. After a formal handover ceremony on july 1, the colony became the hong kong special administrative region hksar of the peoples republic of china. Carroll concludes by exploring the legacies of colonial rule, the consequences of hong kong s reintegration with china, and significant developments and challenges since 1997. Hong kong confronts historians of decolonisation with an embarrassing. Hong kongs british masters took steps which they hoped would restore public confidence. Returned to the national embrace of china on 1 july 1997 after 150 years as a british colony, the concept of national identity and what it means to belong to a nation is a matter of great tension and contestation in hong kong. Bibliography of hong kong archaeology on the university of hong kong website story of the stanford family and the effect of the fall of hong kong in 1941. From its earliest days as a british colony, hong kong served as a centre of international trade. The result was the first opium war 1839 to 1842 between britain and china. An essential primary source archive for researching the history of hong kong in the context of modern china and the british empire in asia.
American opium traders had a significant presence in early colonial hong kong, and the colony was a major termi. Colonialism and the politics of chinese history in hong kong s schools abstract writers on colonial education have generally assumed that colonial curricula were tools of metropolitan political and cultural hegemony. Jul 23, 2010 how britain said farewell to its empire. British hong kong was a colony and british dependent territory of the united kingdom from 1841 to 1997, apart from a brief period under japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945. See also the what is the directory structure for the texts. Community and social unrest in the british colony, 184219, new york. When you read these words made in the british crown colony of hong kong you may wonder where that is, or more likely, when that is. British imperialist forces captured hong kong in 1842 and ruled the place as both a free port and a colony until recently.
In the turbulent years of the early 20 th century, the citys population was bolstered by refugees, mostly from china. There was a saying that the sun never sets on the british empire because there were colonies all around the world. Colonialism and the politics of chinese history in hong. As a former british colony, hong kong used english as the language of government, law and education in the early days of colonial rule. During the first opium war, china cedes the island of hong kong to the british with the signing of the chuenpi convention, an agreement seeking an end to the first anglochinese conflict. British empire, a worldwide system of dependencies colonies, protectorates, and other territoriesthat over a span of some three centuries was brought under the sovereignty of the crown of great britain and the administration of the british government. Not only is hong kong an important part of modern chinese history, it is also part of british colonial history. The evolution of hong kong, as a british colony and now a special. At first the british only occupied hong kong island. The following source covers the history of hong kong from its colonization in 1839 to its return to china in 1997. Colonialism transformed hong kong s historical development, shaped the. A concise history of hong kong, 2007, 270 pages, john mark. History today this book burns with the power of intellect married with.
In 1842 a barren island was reluctantly ceded by china to an unenthusiastic britain. Carroll concludes by exploring the legacies of colonial rule, the consequences of hong kongs reintegration with china, and significant developments and challenges since 1997. A brief history of the british empires control shows many inside. Modern hong kong oxford research encyclopedia of asian. Political development in hong kong this book is a study on the political development of hong kong in the last two. Hong kong letters patent 1843 wikisource, the free online.
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