China’s rulers already revile Hong Kong’s independent streak. I think the people of Hong Kong would rather be still under British dependence than under the Communist Party of China. 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The reason they returned the small islands along with the rest of Hong Kong has a few reasons. Hong Kong includes 426 square miles of territory in the South China Sea, and it is today one of the most densely occupied and economically independent parts of the … The island was officially ceded as a crown colony to the United Kingdom from the Qing Empire in 1842 after the First Opium War under the terms in the Treaty of Nanking. Last year, proposals for patriotic education in the territory's schools were shelved after thousands of protesters camped outside government headquarters for several weeks, dressed in black and chanting for the withdrawal from the curriculum of what they called "brainwashing" propaganda from the Communist Party. Queen Victoria has also influenced a number of names in and around Hong Kong, such as Victoria Harbour, located between Kowloon and the mainland, and the Queen’s Pier. "The interference from the Chinese Communist Party has frightened people in Hong Kong," he said. The region is bordered by Guangdong province to the north and the South China Sea to the east, south, and west. China’s civil aviation authority issued a warning to Hong Kong’s carrier, Cathay Pacific, about the involvement of its staff in protests. He said recent disputes between Hong Kongers and their compatriots across the internal border such as the buying up of infant formula milk by mainland traders had exacerbated the problem. One commenter said: "Sixteen years after the handover, pro-British feeling is still pretty strong," while another said, "This result should worry anyone who loves China and loves Hong Kong.". He said the government had paid more attention to public opinion and traditional freedoms under British rule and that the gap between rich and poor had been narrower. Hong Kong includes 426 square miles of territory in the South China Sea, and it is today one of the most densely occupied and economically independent parts of the world. Hong Kong has always had lots of British values. If you’re not already a British national (overseas), you cannot apply to become one. Victoria's government decided to forcibly export opium from the British-colonized Indian subcontinent to China. Just like the British, Hong Kong still drives on the left side of the road. In 1997, the British handed Hong Kong back to China, the end of a 99-year lease and an event that was dreaded and anticipated by the residents, Chinese, English, and rest of the world. There, opium would then be exchanged for tea. Their big ships and military might meant China had little choice at the end of the first opium war. The British flag was lowered over Government House - home to the last Governor Chris Patten for the past five years - at midnight last night. Hong Kong only became a major metropolis after the British possession, and during the 150 years of the occupation, the city had grown and thrived. British overseas territories citizens from Hong Kong who did not register as British nationals (overseas) and had no other nationality or citizenship on 30 June 1997 became British overseas citizens on 1 July 1997. The idea was that Hong Kong would remain as it was until 2047. Hong Kong If you were a British overseas territories citizen only because of your connection with Hong Kong you lost that citizenship on 30 June 1997 when sovereignty returned to China. Britain invaded the Chinese mainland and occupied the island of Hong Kong on Jan. 25, 1841, using it as a military staging point. It was like so many other places around the world, a stolen plunder of empire, an … He did not want to damage Hong Kong’s enormous economic value, but he was prepared to weather any storm to erase the shame of the unequal treaties. In 1997, the British handed Hong Kong back to China, the end of a 99-year lease and an event that was dreaded and anticipated by the residents, Chinese, English, and rest of the world. New York: Overlook Press, 2014. This is unlike mainland China, where they drive on the right. A new China's national security law appears to be convincing even more people to leave. Some things were unsatisfactory. The settlement of that conflict was the first Convention of Peking, ratified on Oct. 18, 1860, when Britain acquired the southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters Island (Ngong Shuen Chau). China, however, was experiencing an opium crisis, with its military forces suffering direct impacts from their addictions. This event ended 156 years of British colonial rule in Hong Kong. Democratic and human rights have been major issues since the transfer of sovereignty to China in 1997. On June 9, 1898, the British signed a deal with the Chinese to lease Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the "New Territories"—the remainder of the Kowloon Peninsula north of Boundary Street, more territory beyond Kowloon into the Sham Chun River, and over 200 outlying islands. At the time, most of Britain didn't view opium as a particular danger; to them, it was a medicine. John Clark Ridpath / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. The subsequent exponential increase of opium in China between 1790 and 1832 brought about a generation of addicts and social instability. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. The treaty of Nanking in 1842 ceded Hong Kong to the British. In 1842, under British Queen Victoria's expansionist rule, Hong Kong became known as British Hong Kong. Declassified documents from long before handover negotiations even began show that some British officials did seek to introduce more democracy in Hong Kong … Some things were unsatisfactory. Viceroy Lin Zexu took on the task of suppressing the opium trade. She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U.S. and South Korea. In 1997, Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in a one-country, two-systems agreement. That legally binding lease was to last 99 years. This article first appeared on the History News Network. It was an isolated island, surrounded by areas still under Chinese control. With a population of about 6.5 million in 1997, Hong Kong constituted 97% of the total population of all British Dependent Territories at the time. As a result, the British were given the island of Hong Kong and trading rights in the ports of Canton and Shanghai. In 1949, although the victorious PLA had been fully prepared to march to the border and retake Hong Kong, the enclave was allowed to remain under … An increasing number of Hong Kong residents have said they no longer see a future for themselves in the city. "There is a growing mood of protest against and opposition to China, which has to do with the huge pressure and interference Beijing imposes on Hong Kong," Poon said. The poll on the English-language South China Morning Post's website was posted after residents of the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, voted 99.8 percent to remain under the United Kingdom rather than be handed over to Argentina. Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese from 1941 to 1944 during World War II but remained in British hands throughout the various Chinese political upheavals of the 20th century. Many trace their roots in Hong Kong as far back as when most of the Indian subcontinent was still under British colonial rule and as a legacy of the British Empire, their nationality issues remain largely unsettled. On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong was peaceably handed over to China in a ceremony attended by numerous Chinese and British dignitaries. It was gained by the British through a series of ‘unequal’ treaties in the 1800s, but the first two parts (Hong Kong Island and … Residents in Hong Kong have started calling for the return of their former colonial rulers. If they want to remain in the UK for a longer period or for a purpose other than as a visitor, BN(O)s have to apply for a UK visa. Hong Kong, special administrative region (Pinyin: tebie xingzhengqu; Wade-Giles romanization: t’e-pieh hsing-cheng-ch’ü) of China, located to the east of the Pearl River (Zhu Jiang) estuary on the south coast of China. "The government didn't interfere with the media; it respected Hong Kong's local culture, so people naturally gave their allegiance to the British," the user wrote. China Urged to Stop Coal Projects Immediately, China Investment Risk Rises with Ant Group Clash, China's Export Growth May Upstage the Economy. On Dec. 19, 1984, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang (1919–2005) signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, in which Britain agreed to return not only the New Territories but also Kowloon and British Hong Kong itself when the lease term expired. For one, the British government’s view on its empire had been shifting from one of heavy control to one that resembled a loose commonwealth (more what it is today). Under the terms of its 1997 handover to China, Hong Kong was guaranteed the continuation of existing freedoms of expression and association for 50 years. By 1949, the People's Liberation Army led by Mao Zedong (1893–1976) had taken over China, and the West was now afraid that Communists would get their hands on a suddenly invaluable post for espionage, especially during the Korean War. Post-Handover Identity: Contested Cultural Bonding Between China and Hong Kong. "The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams, and the Making of Modern China." On June 9, 1898, the British under Queen Victoria brokered a 99-year lease agreement for the use of Hong Kong after China lost a series of wars fought over the British trade in tea and opium. British overseas territories citizens from Hong Kong who did not register as British nationals (overseas) and had no other nationality or citizenship on 30 June 1997 became British overseas citizens on 1 July 1997. The British grew increasingly worried about the security of their free port in British Hong Kong during the second half of the 19th century. In March 1839, he became Special Imperial Commissioner in Canton, where he ordered the foreign traders to surrender their opium stock. Chinese officials have also hinted that they are unlikely to approve of full and direct elections to the Legislative Council and for the territory's chief executive by 2020, as permitted in the mini-constitution, the Basic Law. No, the ship has sailed on that one. All … It was given to them in perpetuity. The surrender occurred after 18 days of fierce fighting against the overwhelming Japanese forces that had invaded the territory. That lease came about as a result of wars over trade imbalances, opium, and the shifting power of Queen Victoria's British empire. In any case, Hong Kong never was and never will be Great Britain. After 1997, Hong Kong's capitalist economy and way of life - including its legal system - would remain unchanged for 50 years. Hong Kong's Future: Sino-British Negotiations, Perceptions, Organization and Political Culture, The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams, and the Making of Modern China, J.D., University of Washington School of Law, B.A., History, Western Washington University. Hong Kong citizens could continue to practice capitalism and political freedoms forbidden on the mainland. However, my vision is that of a European. The lease ended on July 1, 1997, and since then tensions between the democratically minded Hong Kong population and the People's Republic of China have continued, although Hong Kong remains functionally separate from the Chinese mainland. The newspaper said in a blog post that the poll was unscientific and "just for fun," and that the question was carefully worded to avoid the impression that responses meant votes from the people of Hong Kong. What Is Extradition? On July 1, 1997, the lease ended and the government of Great Britain transferred control of British Hong Kong and the surrounding territories to the People's Republic of China. Hong Kong is a former British colony, which was handed back to China in 1997. Chapter 18—Hong Kong 1997–2047: The Political Scene. Thus, a system of barter based on Indian opium was created to bridge this problem of payment. In 1984, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang negotiated the underlying plan for the lease to end, such that Hong Kong would remain a semi-autonomous region for a 50-year period after the lease ended. The one country, two systems principle allows the Hong Kong government to administer all areas of government except foreign relations and (military) defence separately from the national Chinese government.Many Hong Kong citizens became concerned about democratic development when the … Like literally in 1997 when the Prince of Wales and the last British Governor of Hongkong boarded the Brittania and left Hongkong … Hong Kong legislator and political activist Leung Kwok-hung, known by his nickname "Long Hair," said that while the poll wasn't a scientific survey, it gave a snapshot of public sentiment towards Beijing in the years since the 1997 handover to Chinese rule. This is partly because the the declaration reflected the value that the British placed on Hong Kong. In this real life “East meets West” environment, Asian influence is prominent, but not overwhelming. The retrocession is considered by some to definitively mark the end of the British Empire. Lovell, Julia. Danny Chan, founder of a 'We're Hong Kongese, not Chinese' Facebook group, poses with a colonial-era flag in Hong Kong, Jan. 31, 2013. Such a survey is certainly not allow to be done officially. Media commentator Poon Siu-to said that, even without the poll, it was clear that Hong Kong people felt the city had gone downhill since the handover. "These things have had a huge influence on people's views," he said. Add your comment by filling out the form below in plain text. Although British imperialism never politically took hold in mainland China, as it did in India or Africa, its cultural and political legacy is still evident today. 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