Hong Kong: History: The Beginnings

More than 20 archaeological sites attest to Neolithic settlements in what is now Hong Kong. People probably came from North China in the 2nd millennium BC, and the area came under Chinese control around 220 BC.
 
For centuries, Hong Kong was a small fishing community of a few thousand people, but by the early 1800s its harbor had become an important place of shelter for British vessels engaged in trade in the area, including those carrying opium. China's desire to ban the import of opium coupled with Great Britain's desire to improve conditions for foreign traders led to war between the two countries in 1839. By the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, which ended the First Opium War, control of Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain in perpetuity. In 1860, after a second conflict, Kowloon and Stonecutters Island were acquired under the1898 Convention of Peking, and the New Territories were acquired on a 99-year lease.

Hong Kong did not really begin to develop into the leading trading center and dynamic economy it is today until after WWII and the Japanese occupation, when it became a place of sanctuary for those fleeing revolutionary changes in China. Throughout its history as a British territory, Hong Kong had always attracted refugees from China, and in the 1980s it became a destination for Vietnamese boat people.

The British Influence on Hong Kong

Knowing that the lease on the New Territories would expire in July 1997, the British and Chinese governments began meeting in 1982 to determine Hong Kong's future. The New Territories account for about 90 percent of the colony's land area, and it is across them that Hong Kong Island and Kowloon receive their crucial supplies of water. Hong Kong is also dependent on China for much of its food and raw materials. The resulting agreement, called the Basic Law and signed in 1984, states that Hong Kong will become a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China in July 1997 and provides for the continuation of Hong Kong's unique social, economic, legal, and other systems for 50 years after that.

The terms of the agreement and the prospect of integration into China, a Communist country, have inevitably given rise to much concern in Hong Kong. Those who can afford to emigrate have been moving to other countries—about 164,000 people left between 1989 and 1991. China has steadily increased its involvement in the colony; for example, it imposed stringent conditions before it would approve a major new port and airport development scheme.

The tension increased in 1992 as a result of support from Hong Kong and British officials for a plan that would increase democratic political participation in the colony before 1997. China strongly opposed any strengthening of democratic institutions and sought to derail the effort by threatening to dismantle any system created outside the 1984 agreement. But citizens of Hong Kong strongly favored greater democracy, and the government under Governor Christopher Patten pressed ahead.

In 1994 Hong Kong's 60-member Legislative Council (Legco) passed a reform package ensuring, by the time of the 1995 elections, that all members of the council would be elected (many are now appointed). It also lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 and provided for other measures. China immediately reacted by stating it would set up a completely new governing body in 1997, one that would uphold the mainland's socialist principles. Hong Kong's leaders stressed that their moves were designed to guarantee certain rights for its citizens, especially considering China's desire to control politics in the territory more tightly.