History

History

A.D. 960-1279	Sung (or “Song”) dynasty. Towards the end of the period the Sung are driven south by Genghis Khan’s Mongols, and most of the seek refuge in the Hong Kong area. The oldest settlements on Hong Kong Island are Chek Pai Wan (Aberdeen) and Shan Kei Wan.A people who are undoubtedly related to the aboriginal population are the Tonkas, who come closest to the description of the first inhabitants. They are incomers from what is now Vietnam, who still live on boats and in the New Territories.
1300	The first Chinese settlers come to Hong Kong.
1400	The Cantonese move into Hong Kong, and become known as the Puntis (“local inhabitants”) Cantonese poon tei(. They are followed by the Hakkas (“guests”) and towards the end of the Ming dynasty by the Hoklos, immigrants from the northern coastal regions of China who are much given to piracy. Their language is a dialect spoken in the province of Fukien.
1840-42	First Opium War between China and Britain. Its cause is the banning by the imperial government in Peking of the profitable opium trade carried on by the British. All opium is required to be handed over to the Chinese for destruction, and British dealers and ship owners are called on to agree in writing not to import opium from India.
Jan 20 1841	Convention of Chuanbi (Chuenpil. The island of Hong Kong is ceded to Britain, and the British superintendent of trade, Captain Charles Elliott declares it a British colony on his own responsibility.
Jun 1841	Charles Elliott begins to sell land to settlers. During the year there it dissatisfaction both in China and in Britain with the Chuanbi agreement and Elliott is replaced by Sir Henry Pottinger.
Aug 1841	Pottinger successively occupies Amoy, Ningpo and Shanghai.
1842	Pottinger threatens to attack Nanking, and China thereupon accepts his conditions.
Aug29 1842	End of the Opium War (Treaty of Nanking). Hong Kong is formally ceded to Britain “in perpetuity”. The towns of Amoy, Ningpo, Foochow and Shanghai are thrown open to British trade and settlement.
Jun 16 1843	Ratification of the Treaty of Nanking. The island officially becomes a British Crown Colony, with Sir Henry Pottinger as its first governor.
Oct 1843	Supplementary agreement of Humen (Bogus). The Chinese are given access to Hong Kong for the purposes of trade.
1856-58	Second Anglo-Chinese War (wrongly called the Second Opium War), caused by the capture by the Chinese, in their search for pirates, of the “Arrow”, sailing under the British flag.The war is ended by the Convention of Tientsin (Tianjin). Britain is given the right to diplomatic representation in Peking.
1860	Convention of Peking (following hostilities in 1859 and 1860). Britain acquires territory extending to Boundary Street on the Kowloon peninsula and Stonecutters Island.
1861	The British frigate “Repulse” drives Chinese pirates out of the bay later named Repulse Bay after it. and provides temporary security for trading ships sailing to Hong Kong.
1865	Equal rights granted to the Chinese population. The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. is founded with capital of £5 million. British and German merchants are on the first board of directors.
1871	First telegraphic communications by underwater cable established between Europe and Hong Kong.
1888	Construction of the Peak Tram funicular up Victoria Peak.
1891	The Hong Kong dollar becomes the colony’s official currency.
Jun 9 1898	Treaty of Peking. Britain acquires from China, under a 99-year lease, the June 5th less. New Territories and 236 associated islands.
1904	Tramway system established on Hong Kong Island.
1910	Railway line to Canton.
1911	Foundation of the University of Hong Kong.
1937-39	After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War some 750.000 people flee from China to Hong Kong.
1939	Hong Kong’s population is now 16 million.
Dec 8 1941	Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, just one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Dec 24 1941	Hong Kong surrenders to the Japanese. During the occupation there are enormous difficulties in feeding the population, and the Japanese resort to deportation. Macao takes in many refugees. The British surrender to the Japanese and, together with Hong Kong’s civilian population, are held in POW camps on the Stanley peninsula.
Jan13 1943	In London the Privy Council meets no discuss the future of the colony, and “certain circumstances” are conceded, leading to its surrender to the Japanese.
Aug 14 1945	End of the Japanese occupation.
1946	A decree is published prohibiting trade in opium.
1949	Establishment of the People’s Republic of China: refugees flood into Hong Kong. The economy stagnates because of the United Nations embargo on trade with China.
1950	Beginning of Hong Kong’s industrial revolution. The foundations are laid by the developing textile industry, and this is followed by the establishment by the plastics, electronic end watchmaking industries. Hong Kong becomes en international commercial centre. Following large-scale demonstrations, social legislation end public housing lead to a steady improvement in working and living conditions.
May l8 1951	During the Korean war, under pressure from the USA, the United Nations Organisation places an embargo on trade with China. Income from trade with China drops from 1604 million Hong Kong dollars in 1951 to 136 million in 1956.
1956	Britain grants Hong Kong the right to self administration. The Chinese population demonstrates against exploitation by its employers; the riots are put down with much bloodshed.
1962	The Chinese government briefly relaxes frontier controls. Between May 1^st end 23rd more then 60,000 Chinese refugees stream into Hong Kong.
1967	During the cultural revolution in China the communists in Hong Kong take advantage of conflicts over wages to promote anti-British riots.
1968	After large scale strikes the government passes laws providing both for basic rights to work and also a compulsory minimum wage.
1571	Free education is extended to all public Chinese-language elementary schools.
Jun 15 1972	After heavy falls of rain between June 14th and 18th 1972 - the Roya Observatory measured 678.2mm/26¾in. — there is a landslide on the Po Shan Road on Hong Kong Island, resulting in a death-toll of 67 and many injured.
1973	After a period of rising prices the share market collapses and the stock exchange closes for a time.
1974	Cantonese is given equal status with English as an official language in Hong Kong.
1980	Opening of the Mass Transit Railway (MRT).
Oct 23 1980	A new immigration law demands the future ‘repatriation” of all illegal immigrants.
Oct 1981	The new British Nationality Act is passed and is so come into force on January 1st 1983. Under this act the Hong Kong Chinese will lose their privileged statuses British subjects. Since 1975 more than 200,000 Vietnamese “boat people” have reached Hong Kong.
Dec 1982	Agreement with China that 150 Chinese per day may enter Hong Kong.
1984	A taxi-drivers’ strike on January 13th results in the most serious riots since 1967, social injustices being the root cause. Hong Kong Agreement: From July 1st 1997 the colony will be under Chinese sovereignty while retaining its special status for a transition period of 50 years. China will be responsible for defense and security. The first demonstrations are held protesting against this proposal.
1986	In connection with important decisions the British governor will consult the Peking government. Although nobody can guarantee that the Chinese will keep their promises foreign investment is nevertheless flooding into Hong Kong.
1989	From March the people living in “Walled City” will be moved elsewhere and the buildings pulled down. In May there are supporters of democracy and removal of the corruption evident in the Peking government. Solidarity events are held on strike. Sympathy is also expressed by the pro-Chinese business world. The shocking events in Peking a dramatic fells in currency values, especially on June 5^th. Long queues of people applying the US, Canadian and Australian consulates. Following the suppression of the student riots the governor opens the frontiers to refugees from China.
	The new representative of the People’s Republic of China makes a public appearance in Hong Kong on February 17^th. On February 17^th more than 100,000 people protest against the “Basic Law”, the proposed future constitution of Hong Kong as passed by the Peoples’ Congress in Peking, which they consider to be undemocratic. A pro-Chinese counter-motion by lthe Hong Kong municipal parliament (LegCol) is defeated by only one vote. On April 19th the British Parliament passes a law giving to some 50,000 leading citizens of Hong Kong the right to move to Britain. The Chinese government protests.
1991	After lengthy negotiations China and Britain reach agreement regarding the erection of the large new airport of Chek Lap Kok.
1992	Serious rioting in one of the refugee camps causes Hong Kong to announce that it will enforce even more strongly the deportation of Vietnamese. It comes as a complete surprise when the governor David Wilson is relieved of his duties and succeeded by Christopher Patten.
1993	In the spring, negotiations commence between China and Hong Kong regarding the democratisation of Hong Kong. Christopher Patten incurs the displeasure of the Chinese government when he states that elections will beheld in 1994, the result of which will continue in force after date of the hand-over of Hong Kong to China.
1994	A continuation of the 1987 census shows that the official population of Hong Kong is 6,060,000.
1995	Democratic elections are planned for September, in which 20 of the 60 members of parliament will be chosen by the electorate and 10 indirectly by the new district councils. The remaining 30 MPs will be chosen by those of the inhabitants of Hong Kong who have a permanent place of work.

July 1997	Great Britain returns Hong Kong back to China Hong Kong Info Links Hong Kong Daily

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