During the
Opium Wars
The First Opium War lasted from 1839 to 1842. Britain invaded the Chinese mainland and occupied the island of Hong Kong on Jan. 25, 1841, using it as a military staging point. China lost the war and had to cede Hong Kong to Britain in the Treaty of Nanking.
Hong Kong was a colony of the British Empire and later a dependent territory of the United Kingdom from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War.
The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration had set the conditions under which Hong Kong was to be transferred, with China agreeing to maintain existing structures of government and economy under a principle of "one country, two systems" for a period of 50 years.
Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese from 1941 to 1944 during World War II but remained in British hands throughout the various Chinese political upheavals of the 20th century.
The First Opium War which ensued lasted from 1839 to 1842. Britain occupied the island of Hong Kong on 25 January 1841 and used it as a military staging point. China was defeated and was forced to cede Hong Kong in the Treaty of Nanking signed on 29 August 1842. The island became a Crown Colony of the British Empire.
Reasons that have been cited in favour of independence include: Right to self-determination: Hong Kong people have the right to determine their own future as stated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
An influx of capital and entrepreneurial talent from Shanghai in the late 1940s and the Korean War trade embargo of China in 1950 spurred the colony's industrial development. Hong Kong is both a key business center and a popular tourist destination.
The cultural and economic differences are widely considered as a primary cause of the conflict between Hong Kong and mainland China. The differences between Hong Kong people and mainlanders, such as language, as well as the significant growth in number of mainland visitors, have caused tension.
Erosion of autonomy of Hong Kong
After Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997, Beijing promised that Hong Kong citizens would be free to elect their local government.
Until July 1997, Hong Kong was run by a British colonial administration. Many in Hong Kong still have links to Britain, or even U.K. passports, and some recall British rule with nostalgia, chafing under Beijing's heavy hand.
Prices and wages in Hong Kong are relatively flexible, depending on the performance and stability of the economy of Hong Kong. Hong Kong raises revenues from the sale and taxation of land and through attracting international businesses to provide capital for its public finance, due to its low tax policy.
Hong Kong was briefly occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1945 during World War II. The whole territory was transferred from the United Kingdom to China in 1997. Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under the principle of "one country, two systems".
Very simply put, the geography of HK would have made it flatly impossible for the UK to retain jurisdiction over the territory. The British acquired Hongkong as a result of three successive historical events tied to the multiple Opium Wars.
The island was annexed in 1683 by the Qing dynasty of China and ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895. The Republic of China, which had overthrown the Qing in 1911, took control of Taiwan following the surrender of Japan in 1945. Japan would renounce sovereignty over Taiwan in 1952.
Why was China never conquered by the British? To put it simply, China was a very large and mostly united country. It also had a very large population. It was too strong to conquer, even though it was at one of its weakest points.
Post-handover, the colony of Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and, for official purposes, is a part of China. But, for all intents and purposes, it is allowed to operate as an independent country.
Hong Kong's status as a global financial and business center has also helped China to promote greater global use of its currency, the renminbi or Chinese yuan. The territory — which has its own currency, the Hong Kong dollar — is one of the few places where the yuan is traded outside the mainland.
In addition, under Article 106 of the Hong Kong Basic Law, Hong Kong has independent public finance, and no tax revenue is handed over to the Central Government in China.
In most part this is because Hong Kong is still considered a gateway to China; it's the country's most popular city for international business, Asia's foremost financial centre, and is still regarded as the best place for networking, trading and for accessing the huge mainland China market.
Thus, the richest countries in the world are those with the highest GDP per capita. Currently, the richest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita is Luxembourg, with a GDP per capita of $135,700. Other wealthy countries include Bermuda, Ireland, and Switzerland, all with GDP per capita above $80,000.
“The territory has a total UHNW [ultra-high net worth] footprint of 15,175 individuals,” the report said. “This comprises mostly primary residences of the wealthy, attracted by its unrivalled links to mainland China, low taxation and status as a major global financial services hub.
Hongkongers (Chinese: 香港人), also known as Hong Kongers, Hongkongian, Hong Kongese, Hongkongese, Hong Kong citizens and Hong Kong people, are demonyms that refer to the citizens and nationals of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Culture is Different to Chinese Mainland Culture
They often smile more, seem happier, and are more polite and circumspect in public. Language: English and Cantonese are their official languages. They speak Cantonese in everyday discourse though they might also speak other Chinese languages and dialects.
Technically, Hong Kong and Macau are integral territories of the PRC, governed under the "One Country, Two Systems" framework. This means that Taiwan effectively has unofficial relations with parts of the PRC but not with the national government of the PRC itself.