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Information about History Of Hong Kong Under Imperial China

History of Hong Kong
'''Timeline
    Prehistoric
    Imperial (221 BC - 1800s)
    Colonial (1800s - 1930s)
    Occupied (1940s)
    Modern Hong Kong (1950s - 1997)
        1950s | 60s | 70s | 80s | 90s
        Handover to PRC rule
    At present
   Aviation history
   Bus history
   Technical standards
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Enlarge picture
The waterfall where foreign ships got fresh water, near Hong Kong Village (香港村). It prompted foreigners to incorrectly name the island "Hong Kong".
The History of Hong Kong in Imperial China began in 214 BC under the Qin Dynasty. The territory remain largely unoccupied until the end of the Qing Dynasty when Imperial China lost the region to the British Colony in the 1800s.

Qin Dynasty

The territory was first incorporated into China during the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC). The first emperor in China, Qin Shi Huang sent Yam Hiu (任囂) to occupy Guangdong, Guangxi and Guailin in 214 BC. Hong Kong is located in Nanhai Commandery and near the capital city Pun Yue

When the Qin became unstable in the north, Chiu To, a general succeeded Yam Hiu and declared independent state Nam Yuet (203 BC - 111 BC). The area was firmly consolidated under Nam Yuet. Unfortunately, the artifacts of these periods have not yet been found in Hong Kong.

Han Dynasty

Nam Yuet was incorporated into Han Dynasty in 111 BC. Archaeological evidence indicates that the population has increased since the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220). In the 1950s, the tomb at Lei Cheng Uk from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 – 220) was excavated and archaeologists began to investigate the possibility that salt production flourished in Hong Kong around 2000 years ago, although conclusive evidence has not been found.

Tai Po Hoi, the sea of Tai Po, was a major pearl hunting harbour in China since Han Dynasty. The activities peaked during the Southern Han (917 to 971) and continued till Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644)

Tang Dynasty

During the Tang Dynasty, the Guangdong region flourished as an international trading center. The Tuen Mun region in what is now Hong Kong's New Territories served as a port, naval base, salt production centre and later, base for the exploitation of pearls. Lantau Island was also the salt production centre where the salt smugglers riots broke out against the government.

Song Dynasty

During the Northern Song Dynasty, village schools like Li Ying College were established around 1075 in the New Territories to provide Imperial Chinese education[1].

In 1276, during the Mongol invasion, the Southern Song Dynasty court moved to Fujian, then to Lantau Island and later to today's Kowloon City, but the child emperor, Zhao Bing, after being defeated in the Battle of Yamen, committed suicide by drowning with his officials. Tung Chung valley, named after a hero who gave up his life for the emperor, is believed to have been a base for the court. Hau Wong, an official of the emperor is still worshipped in Hong Kong today. By the end of the Song Dynasty, the first major clan to arrive was the Tang's (Deng, 鄧). They mostly settled in the valleys and plains of the New Territories area[2].

Yuan Dynasty

However, during the Mongol period, Hong Kong saw its first population boom as Chinese refugees entered the area. Five families of Tang (Deng, 鄧), Hau (Hou, 候), Pang (Peng, 彭) and Liu (Liao, 廖) and Man (Wen, 文) were claimed to be among the earliest recorded familial settlers of Hong Kong<ref name="Barber" />. While they are recognized by family surnames, they arrived first mostly in the form of clans. Despite the immigration and light development of agriculture, the area was still relatively barren and had to rely on salt, pearl and the fishery trades to produce income.

Ming Dynasty

In the early 16th century during the Ming Dynasty, Hong Kong's earliest recorded non-Asian visitor came from the Portuguese mariner Jorge Álvares who arrived in 1513[3][4]. After his settlement, Portuguese merchants began trading in Southern China. At the same time, they invaded and built up military fortifications in Tuen Mun. Military clashes between China and Portugal ensued and the Portuguese were expelled. In the mid-16th century, the Maritime Prohibition came into effect. Designed to prevent contact with foreigners, it also restricted local sea activity. Villagers in Hong Kong coastal areas were ordered to move to mainland China. To further reduce the population of an estimated 16,000 in the territory, the transition from Ming to Qing Dynasty led to the flushing out of Ming rebels. Qing officials forced many Hong Kong villagers back to the mainland with destruction of villages, crops and famine<ref name="Barber" />.

Qing Dynasty



In 1685 Kangxi Emperor became the first emperor to open limited trade on a regular basis starting with Canton territory. He imposed tough terms for trades such as requiring foreign traders to live in restricted areas. They could only stay during the trading seasons. They could not bring in firearms, warships or women. Trading was to be done in silver[5].

The British East India Company made the first sea venture to China in 1699, and Hong Kong's trade with British merchants grew rapidly thereafter. In 1711, the Company established a trading post in Canton. Hong Kong was governed under Xin'an County (新安縣) and became one of the foremost military outposts for Imperial China. By 1773 the British reached a landmark 1,000 chests of opium in Canton with China's consuming 2,000 chests yearly by 1799<ref name="Discovery" />.

The Hakkas became the dominate group to occupy the territory<ref name="Barber" />, and were referred to as the "gypsies of China". They made an art of salting and preserving ingredients. While their Hakka cuisine today is recognized as serving offals such as deep fried intestines (炸大腸), salt baked chicken (鹽焗雞) and poon choy (盆菜)[6]. It may be difficult to prove these were the actual diets of the old Hakka custom, giving any insight to the first generation of cuisines. Henry Pottinger would be on his way to Asia, eventually becoming the first governor of Hong Kong.

References

1. ^ Sweeting, Anthony. [1990] (1990). Education in Hong Kong, pre-1841 to 1941. HK University Press. ISBN 9622092586
2. ^ Barber, Nicola. [2004] (2004) Hong Kong. Gareth Stevens Publishing. ISBN 0836851986
3. ^ Porter, Jonathan. [1996] (1996). Macau, the Imaginary City: Culture and Society, 1557 to the Present. Westview Press. ISBN 0813337496
4. ^ Edmonds. [2002] (2002) China and Europe Since 1978: A European Perspective. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521524032
5. ^ Discovery Channel guide. [2005] (1980). Insight Guide HK. APA Publications. ISBN 981-2582460
6. ^ Sterling, Richard. Chong, Elizabeth. Qin, Lushan Charles. [2001] (2001) World Food Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Lonely Planet Publishing. ISBN 1864502886

See also

History of Hong Kong
The history of Hong Kong began as a coastal island geographically located in southern China. While pockets of settlements had taken place in the region with archaeological findings dating back thousands of years, regularly written records were not made until the engagement
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The following is a timeline of the history of Hong Kong:

Imperial China Era


Date Ruling Entity Events Other people/events
221 BC Qin Dynasty First records of the territory in Chinese history
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In the prehistory of Hong Kong, according to archaeological studies and many other resources, human activity in Hong Kong dates back over five millennia.

Palaeolitic


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The Colonial Hong Kong period began in the 19th century when the British, Dutch, French, Indians and Americans saw China as the world's largest untapped market. The British empire launched their first and one of the most aggressive expeditionary forces to claim the
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The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting between British and Canadian defenders against Japanese Imperial forces.
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1950s in Hong Kong began after the Japanese rule ended in 1945 with sovereignty returning to the British. However, the Nationalist-Communist Civil War was renewed in mainland China. It prompted a large influx of refugees from the mainland, causing a huge population surge.
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1960s in Hong Kong continued with the development and expansion of manufacturing that began in the previous decade. The economic progress made in the period would categorize Hong Kong as one of Four Asian Tigers (亞洲四小龍) along with
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1970s in Hong Kong underwent many changes that shaped its future. Economically, it reinvented itself from a manufacturing base into a financial centre. The market also began leaning toward corporations and franchises.
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1980s in Hong Kong marks a period when the territory is known for its wealth and trademark lifestyle. Hong Kong would be recognized internationally for its politics, entertainment and skyrocketing real estate prices.
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1990s in Hong Kong marks a transitional period and the last decade of Colonial Hong Kong.

Background

The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration paved the way for a series of changes that would facilitate the transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the
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The transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China, often referred to as "The Handover", occurred on July 1, 1997. The event marked the end of British rule, and the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to Chinese rule.
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2000s in Hong Kong began a new millennium under the People's Republic of China (PRC). The attitude of the citizens can be summarized as pessimistic at the turn of the century due to the handover, and gradually improving over time.
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Seven years after the first flight of a heavier-than-air controlled aeroplane in 1903, planes were already flying in Hong Kong. The first privately owned airport in Hong Kong was located in Sha Tin.
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The history of bus transport in Hong Kong began with the introduction of the first bus routes in Hong Kong in the 1920s.

History

1920s: The beginning

Omnibus Transport in Hong Kong dates from the beginning of the last century.
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This article gives readers an insight on how the British colonial rule affected the technical standards in Hong Kong. However, not all technical standards in Hong Kong are identical with their counterparts in the United Kingdom due to practical or some other reasons.
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The history of China is told in traditional historical records that refer as far back as the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors about 5,000 years ago, supplemented by archaeological records dating to the 16th century BC. China is one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations.
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    The United Kingdom is the sovereign state or realm that covers England, Scotland, Wales (the island of Great Britain) and Northern Ireland and which for over one hundred years included the whole of the island of Ireland.
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    The culture of Hong Kong can best be described as a foundation that began with China, and then leaned West for much of the 20th century under constructive British colonialism.
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    The Economy of Hong Kong is widely believed, and some argue incorrectly, to be the most economically free in the world. It has often been cited by economists such as Milton Friedman and the Cato Institute as an example of the benefits of laissez-faire capitalism.
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    Education in Hong Kong has a similar system to that of the United Kingdom, in particular the English education system of Hong Kong was modernized by the British in 1861. The system can be described as extremely competitive by global standards.
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    geography of Hong Kong primarily consists of three main territories: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories. The geography of Hong Kong is varied and is home to various physical geographical features.
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    Politics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by China, an own legislature, the Chief Executive as the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government.
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    3rd century BC - 2nd century BC
    240s BC  230s BC  220s BC - 210s BC - 200s BC  190s BC  180s BC 
    217 BC 216 BC 215 BC - 214 BC - 213 BC 212 BC 211 BC

    Politics
    State leaders - Sovereign states

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    History of China
    ANCIENT
    3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors
    Xia Dynasty 2070–1600 BCE
    Shang Dynasty 1600–1046 BCE
    Zhou Dynasty
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    History of China
    ANCIENT
    3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors
    Xia Dynasty 2070–1600 BCE
    Shang Dynasty 1600–1046 BCE
    Zhou Dynasty
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    British Overseas Territories are fourteen[1] territories which the United Kingdom considers to be under its sovereignty, but not as part of the United Kingdom itself.
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    Centuries: 18th century - 19th century - 20th century

    1770s 1780s 1790s - 1800s - 1810s 1820s 1830s
    1800 1801 1802 1803 1804
    1805 1806 1807 1808 1809

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    Events and trends

    Technology


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    This page contains Chinese text.
    Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.
    China (Traditional Chinese:
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    History of China
    ANCIENT
    3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors
    Xia Dynasty 2070–1600 BCE
    Shang Dynasty 1600–1046 BCE
    Zhou Dynasty
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    3rd century BC - 2nd century BC
    250s BC  240s BC  230s BC - 220s BC - 210s BC  200s BC  190s BC 
    224 BC 223 BC 222 BC - 221 BC - 220 BC 219 BC 218 BC

    Politics
    State leaders - Sovereign states

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