Hong Kong’s modern history begins with Imperial China’s defeat in the First Opium War

(1839–1842). Under the terms of the Treaty of Nanking, China was forced to cede Hong

Kong Island to the United Kingdom. British and Scottish traders made Hong Kong their

primary outpost for trade with China. The adjacent Kowloon Peninsula was added to

Hong Kong after China’s loss in the Second Opium War (1856–1858). The final expansion

occurred in 1898, when the United Kingdom took a ninety-nine-year lease on what are

called the New Territories. Hong Kong remained a British colony for most of the twentieth

century. British rule was interrupted only during the Second World War, when the Japanese

occupied Hong Kong from 1941 to 1945.

 

After Mao Tse-tung’s Communist forces took control of China in 1949, Hong Kong

(along with Portugal’s colony of Macao) became one of the only points of contact between

China and the West. As the People’s Republic of China consolidated its power, it became

increasingly clear that the United Kingdom could not keep the People’s Liberation Army

from overrunning Hong Kong. After long negotiations, the United Kingdom agreed to give

Hong Kong back to China. The People’s Republic of China promised to respect the laws of

Hong Kong, under a policy of “one country, two systems.” The United Kingdom handed

over its colony of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China in 1997.

 

Cultural Note

Hong Kong packs 6.81 million inhabitants (2003 estimate) into its 1,092 square kilometers, giving it one of the highest population densities on the planet.

 

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region includes Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories, and numerous small islands.

 

Type of Government

It is useful to remember that Hong Kong has never known self-rule. It was a colony of the

United Kingdom from 1842 to 1997; only at the end of that period did the British allow the

formation of a locally elected body, the Legislative Council (a.k.a., the Legco). The governor

of Hong Kong was always appointed by London.

 

The former British colony is now the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR),

part of the People’s Republic of China, which has an authoritarian Communist government.

To date, the chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR has been chosen by 800 electors, all of

whom have been appointed by Beijing. 

 

Language

The Cantonese form of Chinese and English are the official languages. Since the takeover of

Hong Kong by the PRC, more students are studying Mandarin, which is the official language

of China. Many businesspeople speak English.

 

Cultural Note

Hong Kong has always been a halfway point between China and the West. Today, it is the home of designers who are helping to brand China’s manufactured products. China’s emerging middle class wants prestigious names on their consumer goods, and Chinese manufacturers want to create an identity for themselves with Western consumers.

 

Although a distinct Hong Kong style did not develop until the end of the twentieth century, Hong Kong designers are helping to brand products all over China.

 

The Hong Kong View

The British established the colony as a place to earn money, not as a way to bring Western

education, technology, or forms of government to the Chinese. And, although the Chinese

of Hong Kong were eventually exposed to all of these, they saw Hong Kong primarily as a

means to build wealth.

 

Hong Kong was also a place of refuge during unsettled times in China, especially during

the Communist takeover in 1949. Since then, the PRC has closely guarded its border with

Hong Kong. Even today, Beijing determines how many “mainland” Chinese may visit Hong

Kong. (When China wants to boost the Hong Kong economy, it allows many visitors to

come and spend money.)

 

Hong Kong has often felt like a transitory home. Of course, many businesspeople from the

West are posted in Hong Kong for just a few years. But Hong Kong has sometimes felt temporary

to its Chinese residents as well. Before the 1997 handover to China, many residents

of Hong Kong sought citizenship in other countries so that they could flee if Beijing’s rule

became oppressive. Hong Kong’s Chinese were angered that the United Kingdom offered

passports to relatively few ethnic Chinese (but gave one to virtually all persons of British

descent). A substantial number of Hong Kong’s wealthier citizens immigrated to Canada.

 

Hong Kong has its own miniconstitution, known as its Basic Law. According to the Sino-

British Joint Declaration (1984) and the Basic Law, Hong Kong will retain its political, economic,

and judicial systems for fifty years following the 1997 handover. Furthermore, Hong

Kong will continue to participate in international agreements and organizations under the

name “Hong Kong, China.” Consequently, Hong Kong will keep its own special identity—at

least for the next four decades.

 

Less than 45 percent of Hong Kong citizens participate in some form of religious practice.

Of those who do, about 8 percent consider themselves Christians. Most religions are

represented in Hong Kong; the city even has four Islamic mosques. However, Confucianism

(a philosophy rather than a religion) dominates the culture.

 

As a trading center, the citizens of Hong Kong have learned to do business with partners

from many countries. Perhaps the only country with which they have a problematic relationship

is Japan. During the Second World War, Japan occupied Hong Kong on Christmas Day,

1941. The occupation was harsh: Many residents were executed, while others were exiled

or interred. Thousands of women were raped. Food was confiscated for Japanese troops,

leaving Hong Kong’s remaining population to starve. By the end of the war, Hong Kong’s

population was down by about 1 million people.

 

There have been occasional anti-Japanese protests in Hong Kong, including one in April

of 2005. However, little is taught about the Japanese occupation in Hong Kong schools. If

the younger generations have negative viewpoints about the Japanese, it is primarily traced

to Beijing’s general opposition to Japan.

 

Know Before You Go

Hong Kong has been a safe destination, except during periodic outbreaks of disease. New strains of influenza (while later spread worldwide) have often first been identified in Hong Kong. The most serious disease outbreak in recent times was that of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which killed almost 300 people in Hong Kong in 2003.

 

The residents of Hong Kong pride themselves on their legal system and their free flow of information; in this, they are much freer than their fellow citizens of the People’s Republic of China. But Beijing has not given up trying to bring Hong Kong into line. Beijing tried to impose an antisedition statute called Article 23 on Hong Kong in 2003. This would have reduced the city’s freedoms, and Hong Kong residents responded with massive protests, forcing an indefinite

postponing of the adoption of Article 23.

 

Business Practices

Punctuality, Appointments, and Local Time

● The official format for writing dates in Hong Kong follows British tradition: day, month,

and year. In this format, December 3, 2010, would be written 03/12/10, or 3.12.10. However,

because influence is strong from the United States, some people use the U.S. pattern

of month, day, and year. This renders December 3, 2010, as 12/3/10. To make matters even

more confusing, the standard in the PRC is year/month/date. In this format, December

3, 2010, is written as 10/12/3. Naturally, if you have any question about a date, ask.

● Hong Kong, like China, is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (G.M.T. +8), or

thirteen hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time (E.S.T. +13).

 

Cultural Note

Chinese names can be rendered different ways in English, so do not be surprised by variations. Chinese normally have three names, and the most common variant is whether or not to hyphenate the final two names. For example, the first chief executive of Hong Kong was Tung Chee Hwa. His name can also be rendered Tung Cheehwa, or even Tung Cheehwa. (As with most Chinese, his surname is listed first, so he would be referred to as “Mr. Tung.”)

 

Dress

● Hong Kong residents consider themselves better dressed and more fashionable than

most Chinese. While this may be true for much of China, there are residents of Shanghai

and Beijing who are equally stylish.

 

Cultural Note

Many residents of Hong Kong are sports fans. Horseracing is one of the most popular spectator sports. The first horserace was run back in 1846, and the races have been part of Hong Kong life since then. The season runs from September through June, with races held on Wednesday evening and either Saturday or Sunday. Hong Kong has two racetracks, at Sha Tin and Happy Valley.