When Did Britain Rule Hong Kong

In 1861, Governor Sir Hercules Robinson introduced the Hong Kong Cadetship, which recruited young British graduates to learn Cantonese and write Chinese for two years before being quickly put into the civil service. Cadet officers gradually formed the backbone of the civil administration. After World War II, ethnic Chinese were allowed to enter service, followed by women. Cadets were renamed administrative officers in the 1950s and remained the elite of the civil service during British rule. [35] Memories of colonial Hong Konger Clive Caldwell recalls the incredible diversity and diversity of his work as a leader of the Hong Kong government, spanning 30 years in the colony. He had an insider`s view of the Hong Kong government and learned to appreciate the powerful positive attitude of its officers and staff. His experiment only ended with the final handover of the colony to China in 1997, when he brought home the “last boat” for one of Her Majesty`s foreign officials. The walled city was originally a single fortress built in the mid-19th century on the site of a former 17th century guard post on Hong Kong`s Kowloon Peninsula. [137] After the cession of Hong Kong Island to Britain in 1842 (Treaty of Nanjing), the Chinese authorities of the Manchu Qing Dynasty deemed it necessary to establish a military and administrative post to dominate the region and further control British influence in the region.

While some are calling for full independence, China has ruled out this option. On the 19th. In December 1984, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) and Chinese Prime Minister 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 after the lease ended. Under the terms of the declaration, Hong Kong would become a special administrative region under the People`s Republic of China, and it was expected to enjoy a high degree of autonomy outside of foreign and defence matters. For a period of 50 years after the end of the lease, Hong Kong would remain a free port with a separate customs territory and maintain markets for free trade. Hong Kong citizens could continue to exercise capitalism and political freedoms, which are banned on the mainland. The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong,[1][2][3] commonly referred to as the surrender of Hong Kong (or simply surrender, also the return to mainland China), occurred at midnight in early July 1, 1997, when the United Kingdom ended the administration of the colony of Hong Kong and returned control of the territory to China. Hong Kong has become a special administrative region and continues to maintain government and economic systems distinct from those of mainland China. [dubious – discuss] In accordance with the “one country, two systems” principle agreed between the United Kingdom and the People`s Republic of China, the socialist system of the People`s Republic of China would not be practiced in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and the old capitalist system and way of life of Hong Kong would remain unchanged for a period of 50 years. The Joint Declaration states that these basic policies will be set out in hong Kong`s Basic Law.

The signing ceremony of the Sino-British Joint Declaration took place on 19 December 1984 at 18:00.m. in the Western Master Chamber of the Great People`s Palace. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office initially proposed a list of 60 to 80 Hong Kongers to attend the ceremony. The number was eventually expanded to 101. The list included hong kong government officials, members of the Legislative and Executive Council, presidents of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and Standard Chartered Bank, Hong Kong celebrities such as Li Ka-shing, Pao Yue-kong and Fok Ying-tung, and Martin Lee Chu-ming and Szeto Wah. Hong Kong was first founded in 243 BC. During the Warring States period and when the Qin state began to take power, incorporated into China. It remained almost constantly under Chinese control for the next 2,000 years. In 1842, under the expansionist regime of British Queen Victoria, Hong Kong became known as British Hong Kong.

After the deal, Britain began to introduce a broader level of democracy in Hong Kong. The first democratic government in Hong Kong was formed in the late 1980s, consisting of functional constituencies and direct elections. The stability of these changes became doubtful after the Tiananmen Square incident (Beijing, China, June 3-4, 1989), when an indefinite number of student protesters were massacred. Half a million people in Hong Kong marched in protest. On July 1, Hong Kong marks the 20th anniversary of the handover of British rule to China. 1982 – Former British Prime Minister Edward Heath meets Deng Xiaoping as Margaret Thatcher`s special envoy. Deng told him that after 1997, China would rule Hong Kong according to a “one country, two systems” policy. At the same time, during the 5th session of the 5th National People`s Congress, the constitution was amended to include a new Article 31, which stipulated that the country could establish special administrative regions (SARs) if necessary. [17] In 1941, during World War II, the British agreed with the Chinese government of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek that if Japan attacked Hong Kong, the Chinese National Army would attack the Japanese from behind to ease the pressure on the British garrison. On December 8, the Battle of Hong Kong began when Japanese air bombers effectively destroyed the British Air Force in an attack.

[23] Two days later, the Japanese broke through the line of gin drinkers in the New Territories. The British commander, Major-General Christopher Maltby, concluded that the island could not be defended for long if he did not withdraw his brigade from the mainland. On December 18, the Japanese crossed Victoria Harbour. [24] On December 25, the organized defense was reduced to nests of resistance. Maltby recommended a surrender to Governor Sir Mark Young, who agreed to his advice to reduce the further losses. A day after the invasion, Chiang ordered three corps commanded by General Yu Hanmou to march towards Hong Kong. The plan was to launch a New Year`s attack on the Japanese in the Canton area, but before the Chinese infantry could attack, the Japanese had broken through Hong Kong`s defenses. British casualties amounted to 2,232 dead or missing and 2,300 wounded. The Japanese reported 1,996 dead and 6,000 injured. [25] The list included representatives of the Hong Kong government, members of the Legislative and Executive Councils, presidents of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and Standard Chartered Bank, prominent businessmen such as Li Ka-shing, Pao Yue-kong and Fok Ying-tung, and Martin Lee Chu-ming and Szeto Wah.

The new British colony flourished as an east-west shopping mall and as a commercial gateway and distribution center for southern China. On July 1, 1898, Britain received an additional 99 years of rule over the colony of Hong Kong under the Second Beijing Convention. Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese during World War II from 1941 to 1944, but remained in British hands during the various Chinese political upheavals of the 20th century. As the deadline for the 99-year lease approached, Britain and China began discussions about hong Kong`s future – the Chinese communist government wanted everything back under Chinese rule. British Hong Kong was a colony and dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, with the exception of a short period under Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945. The colonial period began with the occupation of Hong Kong Island in 1841 during the First Opium War. The island was ceded by the Qing Empire after the war in 1842 and founded as a crown colony in 1843. The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 after the Second Opium War and was further expanded when the United Kingdom received a 99-year lease from the New Territories in 1898. — 30. June 1997: The British flag is lowered and the flags of Hong Kong and China are hoisted at midnight to signal Hong Kong`s return to Chinese sovereignty after 156 years of British rule. The new British colony flourished as an east-west shopping mall and as a commercial gateway and distribution center for southern China. In 1898, Britain received an additional 99 years of rule over Hong Kong under the Second Beijing Convention.

In September 1984, after years of negotiations, the British and Chinese signed a formal agreement that approved the island`s turnover in 1997 in exchange for a Chinese commitment to preserve Hong Kong`s capitalist system. .