Historical information on Hong Kong’s cession

The origin of Hong Kong

Hong Kong, as its name implies, is a fragrant harbor. There have always been different opinions about the origin of this beautiful name. But the most reliable theory is that it was once a port for transporting and selling incense, hence the name Hong Kong. During the Ming Dynasty, Hong Kong, Dongguan, Baoan, and Shenzhen in Guangdong were rich in Wanxiang. This incense had a unique fragrance and was very popular among people. Therefore, after the British invaded the southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, they soon attempted to occupy the entire Kowloon Peninsula and its nearby islands. waters. On June 9, 1898, the Prime Minister of the Qing government and the British signed the "Special Treaty on Expanding the Boundary Site of Hong Kong" in Beijing. According to the agreement, the Qing government leased the land south of the Shenzhen River and north of the Boundary Street of the Kowloon Peninsula, as well as nearby islands, to the British for 99 years. This land leased to the British later became known as the New Territories of Hong Kong. To this end, Britain achieved its occupation of the territory of Hong Kong, China, through barbaric conquest with bayonets, foreign guns and cannons.

3. British colonial rule in Hong Kong

The establishment of the British Hong Kong government was an important part of the British colonial rule in Hong Kong. On June 26, 1843, the British used the Treaty of Nanjing to When the exchange of letters came into effect, Hong Kong was declared a "direct colony" of the United Kingdom, and Pottinger was appointed as the first Governor of Hong Kong. The British Hong Kong Government was established.

The Governor of Hong Kong, also known as the Governor of Hong Kong, is the person with the highest responsibilities in the British Hong Kong government. According to the "Emperor's Patronage", the fundamental law for British colonial rule over Hong Kong, the Emperor is the supreme ruler of Hong Kong, and the Governor of Hong Kong is the Emperor's plenipotentiary representative. Four systems were established under the Governor of Hong Kong to constitute the British ruling regime in Hong Kong: (1) the advisory Executive Council and the Legislative Council, (2) the administrative agency headed by the Chief Secretary, (3) the judicial agency headed by the Chief Inspector, (4) The British troops stationed in Hong Kong under the orders of the British Ministry of Defense. In addition, an "Office of the Governor-General's Independent Commission Against Corruption" was established. The Executive Council and the Legislative Council are two important institutions that assist the Governor of Hong Kong in exercising his powers. The main officials in the British Hong Kong government also include: Chief Secretary, Financial Secretary and Department of Justice. The British troops stationed in Hong Kong are an important force for Britain to maintain its colonial rule over Hong Kong. Since the British occupied Hong Kong, they have maintained a relatively stable army in Hong Kong, with about 10,000 troops, including the three branches of the army, navy and air force. The legal and judicial system originated from the United Kingdom and is an important means for the United Kingdom to implement governance over Hong Kong. In addition to implementing colonial rule over Hong Kong politically, Britain also ensured the privileged status of British-funded consortiums in Hong Kong economically. British-funded consortium refers to British capital consortium based in Hong Kong, mainly including HSBC Consortium, Swire Consortium, Jardine Matheson Consortium, etc. Most of the British-funded consortiums started their business early, have been involved in the Hong Kong economy for a long time, have close relations with the British Hong Kong government, and have great influence on the policies of the British Hong Kong government. They rely on the support of the Hong Kong government and control the economic lifeline of Hong Kong. For example, the British-owned HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank have the privilege of issuing Hong Kong dollars; the British-owned Cable and Telegraph Company, through its affiliated Hong Kong Cable and Telephone Company and the Hong Kong Telephone Company, monopolizes Hong Kong's external communications and city-wide telephone and telecommunications services; British-owned real estate companies have A large number of real estate properties in Hong Kong. This is just as people in Hong Kong say: "The people who actually rule Hong Kong are the Jockey Club, Jardine Matheson, HSBC and the Hong Kong Government." British colonial rule made the entire Hong Kong society full of colonialism.

4. Japan occupied Hong Kong during World War II

Fall of Hong Kong

On December 7, 1941 (Sunday), the Hong Kong area presented a peaceful and leisurely atmosphere. The movie theaters were full, the bars were full of customers, jazz music was constantly playing in the dance halls, and young people went out in groups to the rural areas of the New Territories. In less than three weeks, Christmas is coming. Just in the past two or three days, the Hong Kong government held several joke-like air defense drills. Unexpectedly, on the morning of the next day, I heard the rumble of planes, violent bomb explosions and anti-aircraft gun fire. The unexpected Battle of Hong Kong began. Under the cover of fighter jets, thirty-six Japanese light bombers attacked Kai Tak Airport, Kowloon seaplane parking and other places. Some houses near the airport were also hit by bombs. On the same day, Japan also attacked the U.S. naval and air military base Pearl Harbor and other places. The Pacific War broke out.

On December 8, while conducting air strikes on Kai Tak Airport and other places, the Japanese army divided into four groups and crossed the Shenzhen River to attack the New Territories. At the Garbage Bay defense line, the British troops retreated one after another with little resistance in most areas. Only at the Golden Mountain position southwest of the Chengmen Reservoir was the fighting fiercer. The two sides engaged in hand-to-hand combat, and the commander of the English Infantry Battalion was killed.

In the end, due to the huge disparity in strength between the two sides, the British commander Major General Malby decided to abandon Kowloon and ordered the "Peninsula Brigade" to withdraw to Hong Kong Island. The Battle of Kowloon lasted only five days. On the night of the 12th, the entire Kowloon Peninsula was occupied by the Japanese invading army.

On the evening of the 12th, Britain and Japan shelled each other across the sea of ??Victoria Harbor. The next morning, a small boat with a white flag sailed from the Yau Ma Tei Pier in Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. On board the boat were Lieutenant Colonel Tada, the Japanese envoy to persuade the Japanese to surrender, and Mrs. Lee, the private secretary of the Governor of Hong Kong who was held hostage. The British army rejected the Japanese army's surrender. On the 17th, the Japanese army once again sent people across the sea in two small boats to persuade them to surrender. Hong Kong Governor Yeung Mu-ki once again refused and warned Japan that if any more "peace envoys" cross the sea, Hong Kong will shoot them unceremoniously.

At midnight on the 18th, the Japanese troops used more than a hundred motorboats, rubber boats, etc. to force a frontal landing on the north shore of Hong Kong Island. They land. After they landed, they fought fiercely with the British army in Wong Nai Chung. Captain Wakamatsu of the Japanese army was seriously injured, and John Rawson (Lord Canada), commander of the British Western Brigade, was killed. As a result, the British army retreated, and the communication between the Eastern Brigade and the Western Brigade defending Hong Kong Island was cut off. The Japanese army also occupied the Wong Nai Chung reservoir, cutting off the British army's water source. There were only a few British troops left in the area. The British commander believed that he could no longer resist. After discussing with the Hong Kong Governor, he decided to surrender unconditionally. On the evening of the 25th, the British troops on the Eastern and Western Fronts successively hoisted white flags. At this point, the eighteen-day Battle of Hong Kong ended with the complete defeat of the British army when the Japanese army occupied the entire Hong Kong area.

December 25th is Christmas. In the evening of that day, a car with a white flag drove from Central to the Japanese headquarters in Happy Valley. Hong Kong Governor Yeung Mu-ki signed an "armistice agreement" with representatives of the Japanese army, and he himself became a prisoner of the Japanese army. That night, most Hong Kong residents were hiding in dark houses or air-raid shelters. The brightly lit "city that never sleeps" in the past has turned into a bloody and terrifying world. The entire Hong Kong area has completely fallen into the clutches of the Japanese invading army, so people call this day "Black Christmas."

Atrocities

After the Japanese troops entered the city, they looted, raped women and killed innocent residents frequently. The Japanese army's anti-civilian notice falsely declared: "Protect Chinese property, the Hong Kong war is a war against white people." However, many Chinese shops are still closed, especially those large shops such as Xianshi and Wing On. , Daxin and other domestic companies, hardware stores, automobile stores, etc. Most of the companies that have been seized have wooden signs with the words "Military Collection Department Management" nailed on their doors, while banks and pawnshops have wooden signs with the words "Financial Class Management" nailed on their doors. Everyone understands: "Management" is just another name for grabbing. The Japanese army stored 950,000 dans of rice in Hong Kong and stole 800,000 dans to use as military rations, causing a serious food shortage in Hong Kong.

The book "The Fall of Hong Kong - Eighteen Days of War" once described the scene of the Japanese army carrying out robbery with open fire and sticks: "The Japanese army was near the naval dockyard, and they were sorting out bundles of hunting rifles. The harvests were all tied up in sacks and piled up in an open space. On top of the sacks, an enemy soldier tied a small label, which read: 'Kobe...' After the harvests were gathered. The truck took it to the pier in Sai Wan and put it into the big ships. These ships sailed all the way back to Japan. "I once stood in front of a large bicycle shop and stared at it for a long time. A car was placed at the door, and several Japanese soldiers directed the coolies to carry the brand-new bicycles out one by one and load them into the car...another moment, there was another truck...and the brand-new bicycles were Bicycles were brought out one by one from inside. "The boss is just like me, sitting idle as a bystander, as if these things don't belong to him in the first place..." (Tang Hai: "The Fall of Hong Kong-" ---Eighteen Days of War" pages 95-96)

In addition to robbing property, many drunk Japanese soldiers often went out looking for women in the middle of the night. Women were hiding everywhere. Many women were humiliated, and some were even gang-raped by several enemy soldiers. In the nights after the Japanese army held its "entry into the city", many women were so frightened that they ran around on the roofs of three- and four-story houses, and the tiles made a cracking sound when they were stepped on. At that time, some women said that they were not afraid of bombs and machine guns, because if they encountered them, they would just die. What they feared most was the enemy's flashlight and the terrifying knock on the door.

The Japanese invading army also killed innocent residents indiscriminately and regarded Chinese lives as nothing. On Blue Pool Road not far from Happy Valley, eight members of a household were murdered.

On Queen's Road West, an elderly woman wanted to pass through the guard post to go east because she could not understand Japanese. She was shot and killed by the Japanese army on the spot. In the Gulf, a young man accidentally broke into the so-called military zone. The Japanese soldier came up and killed him with a bayonet. On Yuen Chow Street, Sham Shui Po, a woman went shopping for groceries with her child on her back. When she came back, it was under martial law and she could not walk past the building she believed in. Her eldest son, about eight or nine years old, wanted to cross the street to meet his mother. The woman waved her hand to prevent her son from coming over. Unexpectedly, all three of them, mother and son, were shot and killed by the Japanese army. ...

During the more than three years since the Japanese invaders occupied Hong Kong, the majority of Hong Kong residents lived in dire straits and suffered tremendous suffering. The Japanese invading army forced residents to use military stamps. Initially, the ratio of military bills to Hong Kong dollars was set at one to two. By October 1942, it was changed to one to four. On June 31, 1943, it was announced that the Hong Kong dollar would be banned. Residents must go to the Bank of Taiwan to exchange military notes within a time limit. Violators will be killed without mercy. This is an open financial robbery. In the early days of Japanese rule, each resident received only sixty-two cents of rice rations per day, and they could barely make ends meet. In the middle of the war, when there was a food panic, the Japanese invaders changed the rationing system and only rationed food to civil servants serving the enemy. As a result, the price of rice skyrocketed, from nothing to more than 200 yuan per kilogram, and countless residents died of starvation. It was unbearable to watch.

The Japanese army also demolished historical sites and demolished civilian houses at will. They demolished the walls of Kowloon Walled City and blew up the Songwang Tower, which symbolized the national spirit. In August 1942, the Japanese army wanted to set up 500 comfort stations (residences for military prostitutes) in Hong Kong, and the location was chosen on Locke Road near the Big Buddha's Entrance in Wan Chai. Nakagawa Jinguang, captain of the 68th Battalion of the Japanese Army, personally took action and commanded a large number of soldiers to suddenly block Locke Road, starting from the entrance of the Ordnance Factory Street in the west and ending at Xunning Road in the east, with a barbed wire fence. The ferocious Japanese soldiers armed with bayonets ordered all the residents to move out within three days, leaving no one behind. Residents were forced to move their young and old to other places during the storm and even slept on the streets. This is the Lock Road Incident caused by the Japanese invading army. In fact, the comfort station could not use so many houses, so the Japanese army turned this area into their entertainment area. In addition to comfort stations, tea shops, bars and restaurants were also set up. This place became the bar district of Wan Chai.

During the Japanese rule, all industries in Hong Kong withered, and only sinful industries such as gambling and drug abuse developed. There are casinos from the busiest Queen's Road to the most remote corners. The notorious big casinos include "Rongsheng Company", "Liangli Company", etc. At the entrance of the casino there is often a Japanese flag and a slogan "Please come in to get rich". Someone is ringing a bell, and some even have prostitutes to entertain them. This is the "new order" brought to Hong Kong by the Japanese army. Most of the people who opened casinos were desperadoes who colluded with the Japanese army, and some even used the names of their secret organizations in the past, such as "Eighteen Sons" and "Guangdong Chengtang". In February 1944, after Tanaka Jiuichi, the commander of the Southern Branch Expeditionary Force, concurrently served as the governor of Hong Kong, he openly encouraged gambling and used gambling wages as military expenses. Since then, there have been many casinos and the atmosphere has become even more chaotic. In addition, the Japanese army also encouraged drug abuse. The enemy's general headquarters set up a drug trafficking agency, the Yuzhen Company, which transported cigarettes from Rehe by plane and opened smoking shops, allowing smokers to obtain licenses to buy cigarettes.

Recovery

During World War II, China formed an anti-fascist alliance with the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain, France and other countries to support each other and cooperate with Germany, Italy, and Japan. The fascists fought long and hard and finally defeated the invaders. On August 15, 1945, the Emperor of Japan announced unconditional surrender in Tokyo because Hong Kong did not belong to the Southeast Asia Theater under the command of Lord Mountbatten, but belonged to the China Theater and was part of the Guangdong Theater. The Japanese troops stationed in Hong Kong were supposed to surrender to the Chinese army. However, the British insisted on sending a fleet to Hong Kong to accept the surrender on the pretext of clearing their former shame. To this end, China and Britain conducted many diplomatic negotiations before and after Japan surrendered. Later, Chiang Kai-shek requested that the British be authorized to surrender in Hong Kong in the name of the Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Theater. However, relying on its own military strength and the support of the United States, the British government refused even this request to save face. During this period, after the news of Japan's surrender reached Hong Kong, Johnson, the Colonial Secretary of the Hong Kong government who was imprisoned in Stanley Concentration Camp, immediately returned to the city to organize a provisional government in accordance with the instructions of the British government to prevent Hong Kong's status from changing after the war. changes occur. He had no armed forces in his hands, but he asked the Japanese army to temporarily maintain order and wait for the arrival of the British army. On August 30, 1945, British Rear Admiral Harcourt led the Royal Navy Task Force and sailed into Victoria Harbor to take over Hong Kong from the Japanese army.

At that time, Chiang Kai-shek was eager to send troops northward to seize strategic areas from the Communist Party. After the British agreed to use Hong Kong as a transfer station for transporting troops northward and agreed to hand over the equipment of the Japanese troops stationed in Hong Kong, he acquiesced to the fact that the British would take over Hong Kong.

On September 16, 1945, Major General Harcourt, accompanied by Major General Pan Guohua representing China, Colonel William Johnson representing the United States and other representatives of the Allied Powers, formally accepted the commander of the Japanese Army in Hong Kong, Major General Umekichi Okada, at the Governor's Mansion. and the surrender of Vice Admiral Reutaro Fujita, commander of the Japanese South China Fleet. Three years and eight months after its fall, Hong Kong returned to British colonial rule.

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China-British Negotiations on the Hong Kong Issue

The Chinese and British governments are trying to resolve the problems left over from history in Hong Kong two-year formal talks on the issue. The Chinese government has repeatedly stated that it must take back Hong Kong in 1997. Under this circumstance, the Chinese and British governments began negotiations on the Hong Kong issue. At the beginning, the negotiation topic raised by the British government was the issue of ownership, while the Chinese government raised three issues, namely the return of Hong Kong to China, the system to be implemented in Hong Kong in the future, and the arrangements for Hong Kong's transition period. The negotiations were divided into two stages: In the first stage, from September 1982 when British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher visited China to June 1983, the two sides mainly held talks on principles and procedural issues. In the second stage, from July 1983 to September 1984, the two sides held 22 rounds of talks on specific substantive issues. There were a lot of debates during this period. In the spirit of putting the overall situation first and friendly cooperation, after careful and patient negotiations, it was sold in Jiangsu and Zhejiang in 19th and gained a good reputation throughout the country. Since incense merchants at that time usually shipped incense to Guangzhou or Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces at Seac Pai Wan Port on the north coast of Hong Kong Island, people called this port Hong Kong, which means the port of incense trafficking. The village is called Hong Kong Village. After the British invaders landed in Stanley in the south of Hong Kong Island in 1841, a local resident named Chen Qun led the way north. When passing through Hong Kong Village, the British army asked for the name of the place, and Chen Qun replied "Hong Kong" in the local dialect. , the British army remembered it with the local accent of Chen Qun, Hong Kong, and used it to call the whole island. In the Treaty of Nanjing signed in 1842, Hong Kong was officially determined as the name of the entire island. After the signing of the "Sino-British Treaty of Beijing" in 1856 and the signing of the "Special Article to Expand the Boundary Site of Hong Kong" in 1898, Hong Kong further became the name of the entire region.

The historical evolution of Hong Kong

As early as ancient times, people have been living in Hong Kong. After Qin Shihuang wiped out the six kingdoms and unified the Central Plains, he sent troops to pacify the Lingnan area where the Yue people lived. , incorporated it into the territory of the Qin Dynasty, established three counties of Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiangjun, and moved 500,000 merchants and criminals from the Central Plains to guard and develop this area. Since Qin Shihuang, Hong Kong has been under the jurisdiction of the Chinese central government until the British invaded and occupied Hong Kong. After Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, pacified the world, he adopted a policy of appeasement towards Zhao Tuo because Lingnan was too far away and beyond his reach, and he was named King of Nanyue. After Liu Bang's death, Zhao Tuo tried to become independent again. The imperial court repeatedly launched expeditions without success, so he had to send people to reward and encourage Zhao Tuo. Only then did Zhao Tuo remove his imperial title and submit to the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty established nine counties here, including Nanhai, Hepu and Jiaozhi. Hong Kong is under the jurisdiction of Boluo County, Nanhai County. From then on, it continued until the Western Jin Dynasty.

In the sixth year of Xianhe, Emperor Cheng of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the eastern part of Nanhai County was divided and another Dongguan County was established, which governed six counties including Bao'an, Xingning, and Haifeng. The jurisdiction of Baoan County includes today's Hong Kong area, Shenzhen City, and Dongguan City. The county seat is today's Nantou City, Shenzhen.

The Sui Dynasty also abolished Dongguan County and merged its jurisdiction into Nanhai County, Guangzhou Prefecture. Bao'an County was also changed to Nanhai County, while Hong Kong remained under the administration of Bao'an County.

In the second year of Emperor Suzong's reign in the Tang Dynasty, Bao'an County was renamed Dongguan County, and Hong Kong was again under the jurisdiction of Dongguan County. In the first year of Wanli reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, Liu Wen, deputy envoy of the Guangdong Sea Patrol, reported to the court that the coastal area of ??Dongguan County would be divided into another county, named Xin'an County. Since then, Hong Kong has been under the jurisdiction of Xin'an County. In 1842, the 22nd year of Daoguang reign in the Qing Dynasty, the Sino-British Opium War occurred. The Qing government was defeated and ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain. In 1860, the tenth year of Xianfeng's reign, the Kowloon Peninsula was ceded to Britain. In 1898, the 24th year of Guangxu's reign, the New Territories were also forcibly leased by the British, and the entire Hong Kong area was administered by the British.

A history of humiliation

1. The Opium War

Britain has long been salivating over China.

In 1773, Britain began the opium trade with China and became the largest opium trafficker. British opium dealers continued to import opium into China, which suddenly plunged China into a quagmire of serious disasters. Silver poured out of China, causing a serious financial crisis for the Qing government. The result of the silver outflow was that the people were in dire straits. Industry and commerce were generally in depression and decline, and opium and poison had spread in China. Regarding this, the patriot Wei Yuan at that time said angrily in his book "Hai Guo Tu Zhi": "The spread of opium and poison is a disaster that has not happened in China for three thousand years."

The opium eradication in Humen in 1839

The billowing smoke of opium caused by the British plunder of China directly threatened the survival of the Chinese nation. At this time, the "strict prohibition faction" (anti-smoking faction) represented by Lin Zexu, a famous patriot and national hero in modern Chinese history, wielded the sword of China, fought resolutely against the British invaders, and led the anti-smoking movement that shocked the world. In March 1839, Lin Zexu arrived in Guangzhou as an imperial envoy to investigate and deal with opium. On June 3, 1839, Lin Zexu came to Humen Beach near Guangzhou and ordered that all the seized opium be destroyed in public. The elimination of opium in Humen showed to the world the Chinese people's determination to ban opium and the strong will to resist foreign invaders.

The feat of eradicating opium in Humen led by Lin Zexu was supported by all those who uphold justice in the world. For example, a British man wrote in his book "The Sin of the Opium Trade in China" that he accused British businessmen of "The opium trade has brought great insult to the British flag", and British opium dealers and industrial capitalists were unwilling to fail and stepped up their activities to urge the British government to launch a war of aggression against China. In June, 48 ships equipped with 540 cannons, carrying an "expeditionary force" composed of 4,000 soldiers, arrived in the sea of ??Guangdong and blocked the Pearl River Estuary. As a result, the Opium War, which had been planned by the British bourgeoisie for a long time and was aimed at opening the door to China and seeking the greatest benefits for Britain in China, finally broke out. On July 6, Dinghai, the main city of Zhoushan Islands, was captured. When he invaded Dagu again in the north, Emperor Daoguang sent the cowardly and incompetent bureaucrat Qishan to Guangzhou to negotiate peace with the British army. At the same time, he dismissed Lin Zexu from his post to investigate and deal with the Qing government's panic and incompetence, which fueled the invaders' arrogance. In January 1841, the British army occupied Hong Kong Island by force, captured Humen in February, and invaded Guangzhou in May. In 1842, Britain further expanded its war of aggression against China and successively captured Xiamen, Dinghai, Ningbo, Wusong, and Zhenjiang. On August 29 of the same year, the Qing government and Britain signed the Treaty of Nanjing, the first unequal treaty in modern Chinese history, in Nanjing.

2. The cession of Hong Kong

The United Kingdom occupied our territory, Hong Kong Island, in accordance with the Treaty of Nanjing. Britain's occupation of Hong Kong Island destroyed China's territorial integrity. Britain's purpose was to attempt to control China militarily and economically. In October 1860, the British and French forces invaded Beijing and burned Yuanmingyuan. The Qing government was forced to accept all the invaders' demands and signed the Treaty of Beijing on October 24. In this way, the British occupied the land south of present-day Boundary Street on the Kowloon Peninsula, as well as Stonecutters Island, a large island located in the west of the Kowloon Peninsula. This enabled the British to further consolidate and strengthen Hong Kong, the base for its invasion of China.