History of Hong Kong

This article details the history of Hong Kong.

Transition to PRC rule

:Main article: Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong

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In 1982, fifteen years before the lease on the New Territories would expire, the governments of the UK and the PRC began talks on the future of Hong Kong. The British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, hoped that the increasing openness of the PRC government and the economic reforms on the mainland would lead the PRC to agree to a continued British presence. On the contrary, not only did the PRC want to see the New Territories returned to Chinese control (with the PRC as the successor to Qing and the ROC) but it refused to recognise the unfair and unequal Treaties under which Hong Kong Island and Kowloon had been ceded to Britain in perpetuity. The PRC did not recognise British sovereignty in Hong Kong, only its administration.

Related Topics:
1982 - UK - PRC - Margaret Thatcher - Qing - ROC - Hong Kong Island - Kowloon

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In fact, a decade earlier on November 8, 1972, the 27th United Nations General Assembly had adopted a resolution affirming PRC's stand and demands on the issue of Hong Kong. In a letter to the chairman of the UN Committee on Decolonization in March 1972, Huang Hua, the PRC permanent representative to the United Nations wrote that 'Hong Kong and Macau are parts of the Chinese territory occupied by the British and Portuguese authorities. To solve Hong Kong and Macau issues is completely within the sphere of the PRC's sovereign rights, as a successor to Qing and the ROC. It does not at all fall into the general category of the so-called "colony"'. He added that 'China will use peaceful means to resolve the Hong Kong and Macau issues when the conditions become ripe. The status quo will be kept until the settlement.'

Related Topics:
November 8 - 1972 - United Nations General Assembly - UN Committee on Decolonization - March - Huang Hua - Macau

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Regardless of the competing claims for sovereignty, the PRC's 'paramount leader' Deng Xiaoping recognised that Hong Kong, with its free market economy, could not be assimilated into the People's Republic overnight and that any attempt to do so would not be in the interests of either. He advocated a far more pragmatic approach known as the One Country, Two Systems policy in which Hong Kong (as well as Macau, and proposed to Taiwan) would be able to retain their economic systems within the PRC.

Related Topics:
Paramount leader - Deng Xiaoping - One Country, Two Systems - Macau - Taiwan

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On December 19, 1984, the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong (The Joint Declaration) was signed between the PRC and UK Governments. Under this agreement, Hong Kong would cease to be a British Crown Colony from July 1 1997 and would henceforth be a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the PRC. Hongkongers opposing the handover led to the first wave of emigration. The Governor, Sir Edward Youde, died in 1987, and was replaced by Sir David Wilson.

Related Topics:
December 19 - 1984 - Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong - July 1 - 1997 - Special Administrative Region - Handover - Sir Edward Youde - 1987 - Sir David Wilson

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On June 4, 1989, one million Hongkongers marched in support of the Beijing students in the Tian'anmen Square protests of 1989. After the suppression of the protests, Hongkongers were polarised into two groups, the pro-Beijing who supported the suppression and the pro-democratic who opposed it. The unpleasant feelings led to the second and largest wave of emigration. Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the United States emerged as the favourite emigration destinations. Richmond, British Columbia gained the nickname "New Chinatown".

Related Topics:
June 4 - 1989 - Beijing - Tian'anmen Square protests of 1989 - Beijing - Australia - Canada - Singapore - United States - Richmond, British Columbia - Chinatown

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On April 4, 1990, the Hong Kong Basic Law was officially accepted as the mini-constitution of the Hong Kong SAR after the handover. The pro-Beijing bloc welcomed the Basic Law, calling it the most democratic legal system to ever exist in the PRC. The pro-democratic bloc criticized it as not democratic enough.

Related Topics:
April 4 - 1990 - Hong Kong Basic Law

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In July 1992, Chris Patten was appointed as the last British Governor of Hong Kong. Patten had been Chairman of the Conservative Party in the UK until he lost his parliamentary seat in the general election earlier that year. He was the only professional politician to hold the post of Governor of Hong Kong, his predecessors having been from the diplomatic service. By contrast, Patten had little knowledge or experience about Hong Kong or China, and spoke neither Mandarin Chinese nor the local Cantonese spoken variant.

Related Topics:
July - 1992 - Chris Patten - Governor of Hong Kong - Conservative Party - Mandarin Chinese - Cantonese - Spoken variant

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Relations with the PRC government in Beijing became increasingly strained, as Patten introduced democratic reforms that increased the number of elected members in the Legislative Council. This caused considerable annoyance to the PRC, which saw this as a breach of the Basic Law. (See Politics of Hong Kong.)

Related Topics:
Legislative Council - Politics of Hong Kong

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On July 1, 1997 Hong Kong was handed over to the People's Republic of China by the United Kingdom. The old Legislative Council, elected under Chris Patten's reforms, was replaced by the Provisional Legislative Council elected by a selection committee which members are appointed by the PRC government. Tung Chee Hwa, elected in December by a selection committee which members are appointed by the PRC government, assumed duty as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong.

Related Topics:
July 1 - 1997 - Tung Chee Hwa - Chief Executive of Hong Kong

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Some of the changes were purely symbolic:

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• All public offices now flew the flags of the PRC and the Hong Kong SAR. The Union Jack now flies only outside the British Consulate-General and other British premises.
• More (but not all) schools would now teach in Cantonese with textbooks written in Chinese, and in parallel to English. English is still an official language (see Hong Kong Basic Law) and is still being taught in all schools. This has been quite contoversial, since such a change may cause a decline in the level of English in Hong Kong.
• Queen Elizabeth II's portrait disappeared from banknotes, postage stamps and public offices. As of 2005, many pre-1997 coins and some banknotes are still in circulation.
• The 'Royal' title was dropped from almost all organisations that had been granted it, with the exception of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.
• Legal references to the 'Crown' were replaced by references to the 'State', and barristers who had been appointed Queen's Counsel would now be known as Senior Counsel.
• Public holidays changed, with the Queen's Official Birthday and other British-inspired occasions being replaced by PRC National Day and Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day.

In other respects, many things remained unchanged:

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• The new SAR remained a separate jurisdiction, continuing to use English common law.
• The border with the mainland continued to be patrolled as before.
• It remained a separate customs territory, with freer trade with the rest of the world than with the mainland.
• It retained most immigration controls to foreign countries, except politically related visa applications. Similarly, Hong Kong SAR passport holders had easier access to countries in Europe and North America, while mainland citizens did not. Note that the citizens in mainland China can only apply for a visa to Hong Kong from the PRC Government; the same practice executed before and after 1997. Many former colonial citizens can still use British National (Overseas) passport after 1997. (Main article: British nationality law)
• It continued to have more political freedoms than the mainland China, including freedom of the press (although this became vulnerable to self-censorship) and freedom of expression.
• Electric plugs (BS1363), TV transmissions (PAL-I) and many other technical standards from the United Kingdom are still utilised in Hong Kong. However, telephone companies ceased installing British Standard BS 6312 telephone sockets in Hong Kong. (Main article: Technical standards in colonial Hong Kong)
• Hong Kong, unlike mainland China, continues to drive on the left.