How Hong Kong's complex history explains its current crisis ... | hong kong history
Itwastheendofanera:InJuly1997,astheflagoftheUnitedKingdomwasloweredoverHongKong,theprosperouscolonywasreturnedtoChinaafterover150yearsofBritishrule.ThesunhadfinallysetononeofthewealthiestmodernoutpostsoftheBritishEmpire.ButwasitthebeginningoflastingautonomyforHongKong?TheUnitedKingdomhadheldHongKongasacolonysince1841,whenitoccupiedtheareaduringtheFirstOpiumWar.ThewarbrokeoutafterQing-dynastyChinaattemptedtocrackdownanillegalopiumtrade[1]thatledtowidespreadaddictioninChina.Defeatcameatahighco...
It was the end of an era: In July 1997, as the flag of the United Kingdom was lowered over Hong Kong, the prosperous colony was returned to China after over 150 years of British rule. The sun had finally set on one of the wealthiest modern outposts of the British Empire. But was it the beginning of lasting autonomy for Hong Kong?
The United Kingdom had held Hong Kong as a colony since 1841, when it occupied the area during the First Opium War. The war broke out after Qing-dynasty China attempted to crack down an illegal opium trade[1] that led to widespread addiction in China. Defeat came at a high cost: In 1842, China agreed to cede the island of Hong Kong to the British in perpetuity through the Treaty of Nanjing[2].
Over the next half-century, the United Kingdom gained control over all three main regions of Hong Kong: After Hong Kong Island came the Kowloon Peninsula, and finally the New Territories, a swath of land that comprises the bulk of Hong Kong today. The fina...