History of Hong Kong

This article details the history of Hong Kong.

World War II

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:Main articles: Battle of Hong Kong and Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong

Related Topics:
Battle of Hong Kong - Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong

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The development of Hong Kong was disturbed by the Japanese rule during World War II.

Related Topics:
Japanese - World War II

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The British, Canadians, Indians and the Hong Kong Volunteer Defense Forces resisted the Japanese invasion commanded by Sakai Takashi which started on December 8, 1941, a few hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor (which stated earlier the same morning at 03:23 Japan Standard Time). The defensive positions were doomed from the start; the Japanese achieved air superiority on the first day of battle and the defensive forces were outnumbered. The British and the Indians retreated from the Gin Drinker's Line and consequently from Kowloon under heavy aerial bombardment and artillery barrage. Fierce fighting continued on Hong Kong Island; the only reservoir was lost. Canadian Winnipeg Grenadiers fought at the crucial Wong Nai Chong Gap that secured the passage between downtown and the secluded southern parts of the island.

Related Topics:
Sakai Takashi - December 8 - 1941 - Attack on Pearl Harbor - Japan Standard Time - Air superiority - Gin Drinker's Line - Kowloon - Hong Kong Island - Reservoir - Winnipeg Grenadiers - Wong Nai Chong Gap

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On December 25, 1941 - which has gone down in history as Black Christmas to locals - British colonial officials headed by the Governor of Hong Kong Mark Aitchison Young surrendered in person at the Japanese headquarters on the third floor of (the hotel) The Peninsula Hong Kong. Isogai Rensuke became the first Japanese governor of Hong Kong. This ushered in the three years and eight months of Imperial Japanese administration. The Chinese population who lived through the Japanese occupation simply refer to this period as "Three Years and Eight Months" (san nian ling ba ge yue, 三年零八個月).

Related Topics:
December 25 - 1941 - Governor of Hong Kong - Mark Aitchison Young - The Peninsula Hong Kong - Isogai Rensuke

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During the Japanese occupation, runaway inflation and food rationing became the norm of daily lives. The Hong Kong Dollar was replaced by the Japanese Military Yen, a new currency issued by the Japanese Imperial Army administration. Historians estimate that as many as 10,000 women were raped in the first few days after Hong Kong's capture. The Japanese administration turned the city into a military base, summarily executing many residents suspected of opposing them. According to Philip Snow, a prominent historian of the period, the Japanese cut rations for civilians to conserve food for soldiers, usually to starvation levels and deported many to famine- and disease-ridden areas of the mainland, and even dumped some on barren islands. Most of the repatriated actually had come to Hong Kong just a few years earlier to fled the terror of the Sino-Japanese War happening in the Mainland.

Related Topics:
Inflation - Food rationing - Hong Kong Dollar - Japanese Military Yen - Mainland - Sino-Japanese War

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By the end of the war in 1945, the population of Hong Kong shrunk to 600,000, less than half of the pre-war population of 1.6 million.

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