Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. It currently has over 7.4 million people, making it one of the world’s most densly packed areas. Hong Kong was a British colony in the nineteenth century at the end of the First Opium War (1842). China gained control in 1997. Hong Kong is a modern commercial and financial center and has the highest number of skyscrapers in the world.

Parent Map

The British Empire and Its Development (and Fall)

Coordinates

Latitude: 22.320001883171
Longitude: 114.167475700380

View on the COVE Master Map

Timeline of Events Associated with Hong Kong

Date Event Manage
4 Sep 1839 to 29 Aug 1942

The First Opium War

Chinese goods such as silk and tea were very popular among British subjects. However, the Chinese were unwilling to purchase British goods in return. In order to create demand in British trade, the East Indian Company and British government began smuggling and selling highly addictive opium into China.  In 1839, the Chinese government tried to put a stop to the influx of opium flooding their nation and creating addicts of their subjects. They convininced British Superintendent of Chinese Trade, Charles Elliot to give them the stocks of opium waiting in Canton. Once in the Chinese government's possession, they destroyed the opium. This infuriated the British and the fighting began in earnest the following year. China lost the conflict and was required to open more ports for trade, sign over Hong Kong as a British territory, and pay reparations. 

Image Source: https://visualizingcultures.mit.edu/opium_wars_01/ow1_gallery/pages/1841_0792_nemesis_jm_nmm.htm