Polity Hong Kong (Great Britain)

This article is about the specific polity Hong Kong (Great Britain) and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here: All Statistics

Was a British Colony in southern China that emerged from a series of treaties between China and Great Britain as consequence of the Opium Wars. It was given back peacefully to China in 1997 at the end of the lease specified in the treaties.

Establishment

  • January 1841: British Commodore Bremer took formal possession of Hong Kong.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. Century of humiliation

A period (1839-1949) of foregin interventions in China resulting in the occupation, conquest or lease of large territories by foregin countries.

1.1. Opium Wars

Were two wars between Qing China and the Western powers. The first war was caused by the Chinese prohibition against opium trafficking by British merchants, and the conflicts took their name from this fact.

1.1.1. First Opium War

Was a war between Qing China and the British Empire whose immediate cause was the Chinese prohibition against opium trafficking by British merchants. At the end of the war Hong Kong Island (part of modern-day Hong Kong) was ceded to Britain.

1.1.1.1. Convention of Chuenpi

Was an agreement between the British Empire and the Qing Dynasty during the First Opium War.

  • January 1841: British Commodore Bremer took formal possession of Hong Kong.

1.2. Concessions in China

During the XIX and XX century China was forced into treaties with foreign powers that established concessions (factually enclaves) in its territory.

  • June 1898: New Territories in Hong Kong leased to U.K. by China for 99 years.

2. World War II

Was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945 (it started sooner in certain regions) between the Axis Powers (mainly Germany, Japan and Italy) and the Allies (mainly the Soviet Union, the U.S.A., the U.K., China and France). It was the war with more fatalities in history. The war in Asia began when Japan invaded China on July 7, 1937. The war in Europe began when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. The war ended with the complete defeat of the Axis powers, which were occupied by the Allies.

2.1. World War II (Asia & Pacific)

Was the East Asian, South Asian and Pacific theatre of World War II.

2.1.1. Battle of Hong Kong

Was a Japanese military campaign against the British colony of Hong Kong that ended with Japanaese occupation.

  • December 1941: Battle of Hong Kong. The British garrison of Hong Kong surrenders ot Japanese forces.

2.1.2. Japanese Surrender (World War II)

Were the evacuation of the Japanese forces from occupied territories after the formal surrender of the Empire of Japan.

  • August 1945: Hong Kong is re-occupied by the Royal Navy after Japanese surrender.

3. Further events (Unrelated to Any War)

  • March 1860: British forces occupy the Kowloon Peninsula.
  • July 1997: Return of the whole colony to China as a special administrative region.

Disestablishment

  • July 1997: Return of the whole colony to China as a special administrative region.

Selected Sources

  • How Hong Kong’s first land reclamation project sprang from a devastating fire. Retrieved on April, 16th 2022 on https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2177107/how-hong-kongs-first-land-reclamation-project-sprang
  • Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p. 9
  • Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p.551