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Hong Kong History
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Although Hong Kong today is widely
seen as the modern business hub of Asia, archeological excavations
suggest that humans have populated the area for over five millennia.
Still, the area has long been known as a major trade stop, with
merchants from the British East India Company establishing contact
sometime in the 1700s. Following the First Opium War, which
ended in 1842, Hong Kong was ceded to Britain and its colony
expanded. So much, |
in fact, that Hong Kong became a major center for British trade
with southern China during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It wasn’t until the communist takeover of Mainland China at
the end of World War II that Hong Kong saw a huge influx of people,
as hundreds of thousands fled from China. That’s why today,
Cantonese remains the official Chinese language, although English
is another official language that roughly a third of locals—mostly
those in the tourism profession—understand.
In 1984, Britain and the People’s Republic of China agreed
that on July 1, 1997, Hong Kong would become a special administrative
region of China. Despite that agreement having already taken place,
Hong Kong will still get to enjoy a high degree of economic and
social autonomy by circulating its own currency and operating its
own legal system until China decides whether it will exercise more
control in 2047. China’s “one country, two systems”
formula, however, does not apply to foreign and defense affairs.
More Information
 www.state.gov
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