Hong Kong

  

Royal Autonomous State of Hong Kong
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: God Save the Queen
Location of Hong Kong
Capital and largest city	Hong Kong (city-state)
Official languages	Cantonese Mandarin English
Official scripts	Traditional Chinese English alphabet
Ethnic groups	92% Han Chinese 2.5% Tondolese 2.1% White British 0.5 Indian 2.8% Other
Demonym(s)	Hongkongers Hong Kongese
Government	Devolved executive-led system under a constitutional monarchy
• Monarch	Charles III
• Governor	Michael Moresby
• Chief Executive	Carrie Lei
• Chief Secretary	Martin Jiang
Legislature	Legislative Council
Establishment
• British occupation	January 26, 1841
• Treaty of Nanking	August 29, 1842
• Japanese occupation	January 23, 1933
• Referendum	June 30, 1997
Area
• Total	1,108 km2 (428 sq mi)
Population
• 2018 estimate	7,284,500
GDP (PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	$490.880 billion
• Per capita	$64,928
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$372.989 billion
• Per capita	$49,332
HDI (2018)	0.939 very high
Currency	Hong Kong dollar
Driving side	left
ISO 3166 code	HK

Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港 Hēung Góng), officially the Royal Autonomous State of Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港皇家自治州 Hēung Góng Wòhng Gā Jih Jih Jāu) and more commonly known as British Hong Kong (Chinese:英國香港 Yīng Gwok Hēung Góng), is a city and overseas territory of the United Kingdom located on the eastern side of the Pearl River south of China. With a population of over 7.4 million people of various nationalities and an area of 1,108 square kilometers (428 square miles), Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire in 1842 after the island was captured by them and ceded to Britain by China following China's defeat in the First Opium War and officially finalized the handing over of Hong Kong to Britain in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking. Following the Second Opium War in 1860, Hong Kong expanded after the colony absorbed the Kowloon Peninsula and Britain later formally annexed the territory as party of the British Empire. During Great War I, Hong Kong was invaded and occupied by Japan as part of the Second Sino-Japanese War seeking to prevent possible British support to China. After Japan emerged victorious, they occupied Japan after the war until 1941 when it was given back to the British, but Japan was allowed free travel through Hong Kong as part of post-war treaties signed which favored the Triple Alliance at the expense of its wartime rivals. During the Interwar period, Britain would station a large number of troops and a small fleet to protect Hong Kong from the People's Republic of China after the Chinese Civil War with Japan approving the measure. During Great War II, the Japanese attacked Hong Kong, but were repulsed by Anglo-Chinese defenders.

Originally a sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages, Hong Kong has become one of the world's foremost commercial ports and financial centers and has been described as the "Crown jewel of Britain" by many foreign journalists and observers. It is the tenth largest exporter in the world and the ninth largest importer and plays a vital role in Britain's trade and economic policies in regard to East Asia. As one of the world's leading financial centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterized with low taxation and free trade, and the currency, the Hong Kong dollar, is the eighth most traded currency in the world. Hong Kong has some of the highest concentration of ultra high-net worth individuals in the world and while Hong Kong has one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world, it also has some of the highest rates in income inequality as well and is visibly noticeable amongst its residents.

Hong Kong is a highly developed territory and ranks fourth on the LN Human Development Index. It has the largest number of skyscrapers of any city in the world and has one of the highest life-expectancies in the world. The dense space of Hong Kong also means that the city has a developed transportation network with public transport rates exceeding 90%. Globally, Hong Kong is ranked third on the Global Financial Center Index being New York City and London. In an annual ranking of the Index of Economic Freedom, Hong Kong has come out on top 25 years in a row, according to the Royal Heritage Association, a Sierran-based think tank.

Etymology

The name of the territory, romanized as "He-Ong-Kong" in 1780, originally referred to an inlet located between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong island with Aberdeen being the initial point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen. While the source of the romanized name is unknown, it is generally believed to have been an early phonetic rendering of the Cantonese pronunciation hēung góng which translates as "fragrant harbour" or "incense harbour". "Fragment" may refer to the sweet taste of the harbor's freshwater influx from the Pearl River or to the odor from incense factories based in the northern coast of Kowloon. The incense was stored near the Aberdeen Harbor for export before Victoria Harbor was developed. John Francis Davis, Second Governor of British Hong Kong, offered and alternative origin; he said that the name derived from "Hoong-keang" ("red torrent"), reflecting the color of the soil over which a waterfall on the island had flowed.

The more simplified name of Hong Kong was frequently used by 1810 and was also commonly written as the single word Hongkong until 1926, when the government adopted a two-word name system, though some corporations still kept the pre-1926 singular name including Hongkong Land, Hongkong Electric Company, Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. Following the 1997 referendum, Hong Kong was officially designated as the Royal Autonomous State of Hong Kong which declared it an autonomous dependency subjected to the British monarchy. The name British Hong Kong continues to be used and mainly refers to the fact that the island is part of the United Kingdom.

History

Main article: History of Hong Kong

Prehistory and Imperial Chinese rule

The first recorded human traces in what is now known as Hong Kong dates back to some 35,000 and 39,000 years ago during the Paleolithic period. This claim is based on archaeological investigation done in Wong Tei Tung, Sai Kung in 2003. The uncovered works revealed knapped stone tools from deposits that were dated using optical luminescence dating.

During the Middle Neolithic period around 6,000 years ago, the region was widely populated by humans. Neolithic to Bronze Age human settlers in Hong Kong were a semi-coastal people. The early inhabitants are believed to be Austronesians in the Middle Neolithic period and later the Yueh people. As hinted by archeological works in Sha Ha, Sai Kung, rice cultivation was introduced in the Late Neolithic period. Bronze Age Hong Kong as featured with coarse pottery, hard pottery, quartz and stone jewelry along with small bronze implements.

The Qin dynasty incorporated Hong Kong into China for the firs time in 214 BCE following the conquest the indigenous Baiyue people. The region as consolidated under the Nanyue kingdom, a predecessor state to Vietnam, after the Qin collapsed and was recaptured by China the Han conquest in 111 BCE. During the Mongol conquest of China during the 13th century, the Southern Song court was briefly located to modern-day Kowloon City in the historic Sung Wong Tui site until their final defeat in 1279 at the Battle of Yamen. By the end of the Yuan dynasty, several families had settled in the region and owned most of the land. Settlers from nearby provinces during the Ming dynasty would frequently immigrate to Kowloon City.

The earliest European visitor to Hong Kong and Mainland China as a whole was Portuguese explorer Jorge Álvares, who arrived in 1513. Portuguese explorers and merchants would establish a trading post called Tamão in Hong Kong waters and would begin to regularly trade in southern China from Hong Kong. Despite the Portuguese traders being forcibly expelled via military force in the 1520s, Portuguese-Chinese trade relations would be re-established in 1549 by the Luso-Chinese agreement of 1554. Portugal would acquire a permanent lease for Macau in 1557.

After the Qing conquest, maritime trade was banned under the Haijin policies. From 1661 to 1683, the population of most of the area forming present day Hong Kong was cleared under the Great Clearance, turning the region into a wasteland. The Kangxi Emperor lifted the maritime trade prohibition, allowing foreigners to enter Chinese ports in 1684. Qing authorities established the Canton System in 1757 to regulate trade more strictly, restricting non-Russian ships to the port of Canton. Although European demand for Chinese commodities like tea, silk, and porcelain was high, Chinese interest in European manufactured goods was insignificant, so that Chinese goods could only be bought with precious metals. To reduce the trade imbalance, the British sold large amounts of Indian opium to China. Faced with a drug crisis, Qing officials pursued ever more aggressive actions to halt the opium trade.

Early British colonization

In 1839, the Daoguang Emperor rejected proposals to legalise and tax opium and ordered imperial commissioner Lin Zexu to eradicate the opium trade. The commissioner destroyed opium stockpiles and halted all foreign trade, triggering a British military response and the First Opium War. The Qing surrendered early in the war and ceded Hong Kong Island in the Convention of Chuenpi. British forces began controlling Hong Kong shortly after the signing of the convention, from 26 January 1841. However, both countries were dissatisfied and did not ratify the agreement. After more than a year of further hostilities, Hong Kong Island was formally ceded to the United Kingdom in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking.

Administrative infrastructure was quickly built by early 1842, but piracy, disease, and hostile Qing policies initially prevented the government from attracting commerce. Conditions on the island improved during the Taiping Rebellion in the 1850s, when many Chinese refugees, including wealthy merchants, fled mainland turbulence and settled in the colony. Further tensions between the British and Qing over the opium trade escalated into the Second Opium War. The Qing were again defeated and forced to give up Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters Island in the Convention of Peking. By the end of this war, Hong Kong had evolved from a transient colonial outpost into a major entrepôt. Rapid economic improvement during the 1850s attracted foreign investment, as potential stakeholders became more confident in Hong Kong's future.

Territorial expansion

The Treaty of Nanking failed to satisfy British expectations of a major expansion of trade and profit, which led to increasing pressure for a revision of the terms. In October 1856, Chinese authorities in Canton detained the Arrow, a Chinese-owned ship registered in Hong Kong to enjoy the protection of the British flag. The Consul in Canton, Harry Parkes, claimed the hauling down of the flag and arrest of the crew were "an insult of very grave character". Parkes and Sir John Bowring, the fourth Governor of Hong Kong, seized the incident to pursue a forward policy. In March 1857, Palmerston appointed Lord Elgin as Plenipotentiary, with the aim of securing a new and satisfactory treaty. A French expeditionary force joined the British to avenge the execution of a French missionary in 1856. In 1860, the capture of the Taku Forts and occupation of Beijing led to the Treaty of Tientsin and Convention of Peking. In the Treaty of Tientsin, the Chinese accepted British demands to open more ports, navigate the Yangtze River, legalise the opium trade and have diplomatic representation in Beijing. During the conflict, the British occupied the Kowloon Peninsula, where the flat land was valuable training and resting ground. The area in what is now south of Boundary Street and Stonecutters Island was ceded in the Convention of Peking.

In 1898, the British sought to extend Hong Kong for defence. After negotiations began in April 1898, with the British Minister in Beijing, Sir Claude MacDonald, representing Britain, and diplomat Li Hongzhang leading the Chinese, the Second Convention of Peking was signed on 9 June. Since the foreign powers had agreed by the late 19th century that it was no longer permissible to acquire outright sovereignty over any parcel of Chinese territory, and in keeping with the other territorial cessions China made to Russia, Germany and France that same year, the extension of Hong Kong took the form of a 99-year lease. The lease consisted of the rest of Kowloon south of the Sham Chun River and 230 islands, which became known as the New Territories. The British formally took possession on 16 April 1899.

20th century and the Great Wars

Main article: Japanese occupation of Hong Kong

Government and politics

Main articles: Government of Hong Kong and Politics of Hong Kong

Hong Kong is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, with executive, legislative, and judicial powers devolved from the United Kingdom government. The sovereign of Hong Kong is King Charles III, who is nominally represented in the crown territory by the Governor of Hong Kong. According to the Basic Law of Hong Kong, adopted in 1997 as the de facto constitution, the regional government is composed of three branches:

• Executive: The Chief Executive is responsible for enforcing regional law, can force reconsideration of legislation, and appoints Executive Council members and principal officials. Acting with the Executive Council, the Chief Executive-in-Council can propose new bills, issue subordinate legislation, and has authority to dissolve the legislature. In states of emergency or public danger, the Chief Executive-in-Council is further empowered to enact any regulation necessary to restore public order.
• Legislature: The unicameral Legislative Council enacts regional law, approves budgets, and has the power to impeach a sitting chief executive.
• Judiciary: The Court of Final Appeal and lower courts interpret laws and overturn those inconsistent with the Basic Law. Judges are appointed by the chief executive on the advice of a recommendation commission.

The Governor of Hong Kong since 1997 has been a mostly ceremonial position, promulgating laws on the advice of the Legislative Council and the Chief Executive. Judicial and other senior office appointments are made by the monarch (through his governor) after consultation with the elected local government. On matters of defense, foreign policy, national security, and intelligence, the Government of Hong Kong as well as the Governor are responsible to Westminster.

Hong Kong is not a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and is represented by the United Kingdom, but it was granted Associate Membership in 2005. It is also on the League of Nations list of non-self-governing territories of the UK.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Districts of Hong Kong

Legislature

Main article: Legislative Council of Hong Kong

The territory is divided into 18 districts, each represented by a district council. These advise the government on local issues such as public facility provisioning, community programme maintenance, cultural promotion, and environmental policy. There are a total of 479 district council seats, 452 of which are directly elected.

Political parties and elections

Main articles: List of political parties in Hong Kong and Elections in Hong Kong

Defense and law enforcement

Main article: British Forces Overseas Hong Kong

The British Army, the Royal Navy, and the Royal Air Force maintain a garrison in Hong Kong for national defense and internal security, and collectively these units are under the authority of Commander British Forces Hong Kong, a position usually held by a one-star general or admiral. The Royal Hong Kong Regiment, composed of local volunteers, is a Territorial Army unit that forms the core of the garrison, and it is assisted by the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force and the Hong Kong Squadron of the Royal Navy. While these native units are the majority of the garrison, the regular British forces rotate battalions, ships, and aircraft through Hong Kong so that several are stationed there at any given time. The monarch of the United Kingdom, represented by the Governor of Hong Kong, is the commander-in-chief of all defense forces in Hong Kong, though this is exercised through royal prerogative by the elected Chief Executive.

The Royal Hong Kong Police Force is the agency of the Government of Hong Kong that is responsible for matters of civilian law enforcement, including counterterrorism, narcotics trafficking, customs and border patrol, organized crime, and financial crimes. It has broad investigatory powers. Queen Elizabeth II granted them the right to use the prefix 'Royal' in 1963. In 1994 the RHKPF completely took over border control duties along the Chinese-Hong Kong border from the UK Border Force. The Royal Hong Kong Police also includes the Marine Police as a coat guard and the Special Branch as an elite counterterrorism response unit, trained by the British Army's Special Air Service (SAS) and the Royal Navy's Special Boat Service (SBS).

Geography

Hong Kong is on China's southern coast, 60 km (37 mi) east of Macau, on the east side of the mouth of the Pearl River estuary. It is surrounded by the South China Sea on all sides except the north, which neighbours the Guangdong city of Shenzhen along the Sham Chun River. The territory's 1,110.18 km² (428.64 sq mi) area (2754.97 km² if the maritime area is included) consists of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories, Lantau Island, and over 200 other islands. Of the total area, 1,073 km² (414 sq mi) is land and 35 km² (14 sq mi) is water. The territory's highest point is Tai Mo Shan, 957 metres (3,140 ft) above sea level. Urban development is concentrated on the Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong Island, and in new towns throughout the New Territories. Much of this is built on reclaimed land; 70 km² (27 sq mi) (6% of the total land or about 25% of developed space in the territory) is reclaimed from the sea.

Undeveloped terrain is hilly to mountainous, with very little flat land, and consists mostly of grassland, woodland, shrubland, or farmland. About 40% of the remaining land area is country parks and nature reserves. The territory has a diverse ecosystem; over 3,000 species of vascular plants occur in the region (300 of which are native to Hong Kong), and thousands of insect, avian, and marine species.

Demographics

The Census and Statistics Department estimated Hong Kong's population at 7,482,500 in mid-2019. The overwhelming majority (92%) is Han Chinese, most of whom are Taishanese, Teochew, Hakka, and other Cantonese peoples. The remaining 8% are non-ethnic Chinese minorities, primarily Filipinos, Indonesians, and South Asians. However, most Filipinos and Indonesians in Hong Kong are short-term workers. According to a 2016 thematic report by the Hong Kong government, after excluding foreign domestic helpers, the real number of non-Chinese ethnic minorities in the city was 263,593, or 3.6% of Hong Kong's population.

Economy

Hong Kong has a capitalist mixed service economy, characterised by low taxation, minimal government market intervention, and an established international financial market. It is the world's 35th-largest economy, with a nominal GDP of approximately US$373 billion. Hong Kong's economy has ranked at the top of the Heritage Foundation's economic freedom index since 1995. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is the seventh-largest in the world, with a market capitalisation of HK$30.4 trillion (US$3.87 trillion) as of December 2018. Hong Kong is ranked as the 14th most innovative country in the Global Innovation Index in 2021.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Hong Kong has a highly developed, sophisticated transport network. Over 90% of daily trips are made on public transport, the highest percentage in the world. The Octopus card, a contactless smart payment card, is widely accepted on railways, buses and ferries, and can be used for payment in most retail stores.

Other utilities

Hong Kong generates most of its electricity locally.

Culture

Hong Kong is characterised as a hybrid of East and West. Traditional Chinese values emphasising family and education blend with Western ideals, including economic liberty and the rule of law. Although the vast majority of the population is ethnically Chinese, Hong Kong has developed a distinct identity. The territory diverged from the mainland through its long period of colonial administration and a different pace of economic, social, and cultural development. Mainstream culture is derived from immigrants originating from various parts of China. This was influenced by British-style education, a separate political system, and the territory's rapid development during the late 20th century. Most migrants of that era fled poverty and war, reflected in the prevailing attitude toward wealth; Hongkongers tend to link self-image and decision-making to material benefits. Residents' sense of local identity has markedly increased post-handover: The majority of the population (52%) identifies as "Hongkongers", while 11% describe themselves as "Chinese".

Cinema

Hong Kong developed into a filmmaking hub during the late 1940s as a wave of Shanghai filmmakers migrated to the territory, and these movie veterans helped build the colony's entertainment industry over the next decade.

Education

Education in Hong Kong is largely modelled after that of the United Kingdom, particularly the English system. Children are required to attend school from age 6 until completion of secondary education, generally at age 18. At the end of secondary schooling, all students take a public examination and awarded the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education on successful completion. Of residents aged 15 and older, 81% completed lower-secondary education, 66% graduated from an upper secondary school, 32% attended a non-degree tertiary program, and 24% earned a bachelor's degree or higher. Mandatory education has contributed to an adult literacy rate of 95.7%. The literacy rate is lower than that of other developed economies because of the influx of refugees from mainland China during the post-war colonial era; much of the elderly population were not formally educated because of war and poverty.

Media

Main article: Media of Hong Kong

TVB City, headquarters of Hong Kong's first over-the-air television station

The majority of Hong Kong newspapers are written in Chinese but there are also a few English-language newspapers. The most notable English publication is the South China Morning Post, with The Standard serving as a business-oriented alternative. A variety of Chinese-language newspapers are published daily; the most prominent are Ming Pao and Oriental Daily News. The central government has a print-media presence in the territory through the state-owned Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po. Several international publications have regional operations in Hong Kong, including The Bunker Hill Journal, The New York Times International Edition, Yomiuri Shimbun, and The Nikkei.

Three free-to-air television broadcasters operate in the territory; TVB, RTHK, and ATV air eight digital channels. TVB, Hong Kong's dominant television network, has an 80% viewer share. Pay TV services operated by Cable TV Hong Kong and PCCW offer hundreds of additional channels and cater to a variety of audiences. RTHK is the public broadcaster, providing seven radio channels and three television channels. Ten non-domestic broadcasters air programming for the territory's foreign population.