The rights and freedoms of hong kong people and others living here are founded on the impartial rule of law, an independent judiciary, a comprehensive system of legal aid, and a free and active press. The region is bordered by guangdong province to the north and the south china sea to the east, south, and west. The evolution of hong kong history from colony to powerhouse. When it was ceded to great britain in 1842, hong kong was a small fishing village with a population of about 15,000. The history and principles of chinas most explosive martial art. Take a 360degree flying tour through hong kong history from possession to handover and beyond. The lams, who later settled in hong kong, entered the city through joss house bay. Starting out as a farming fishing village and salt production site, it became an important free port and eventually a major international financial centre the qing dynasty ceded hong kong. Hong kong s first elections under chinese rule, in 1998, allowed for onethird of the 60member legislature to be elected by direct popular vote, with the democrats hong kong s largest party winning the most seats although full suffrage, with a fully elected legislature and chief executive, is declared a goal in the basic law, it has no. May 11, 2019 the hong kong history museum is a good place to go for learning about hong kongs history from prehistoric times to today. Edited and produced by the hong kong museum of history, first published in june 1994, second edition in october 1997.
Covering the political and cultural angles on the city as well as fiction and personal memoirs, these are our ten best books about hong kong. Before visiting a place ive never been before, i like to read books that are set there. Is hong kongs rich, obedient neighbor chinas new golden child. Antony dapiran explores the historical and social stimuli and implications of public dissident movements from the. Part of macaus acceptance of chinese rule may be down to history. The hong kong exhibition features 45 documents, books, maps, photographs and manuscripts and depicts, from an american perspective, the history, economy, culture, society and art of hong kong during the british colonial period. Save your shortlist of musttry restaurants and access them on the go. A grant from the hong kong economic and trade office made the symposium and exhibition possible. Protestors in hong kong demonstrated against a new extradition law proposed by the government of mainland china. Hong kong, grumbled palmerston, will never be a mart of trade. In hong kong, history at a new hotel the new york times. The return to china formally, no treaty forced the british to also return hong kong island and kowloon in 1997. Hong kong was first captured on camera when the british arrived to lay claim to its fragrant harbour in 1841.
Rather apologetic on the british side, but if youve read plenty of other books condemning the opium wars, this is an impressive, thorough history that provides a bit of balance but read with a pinch of salt. Fiction or nonfiction they should transport the reader to an era during hong kong s development to help us understand the islands fascinating history. View the best historical places in hong kong on a map. The events of 1972when hong kong s future was decided by britain and chinaare still shrouded in a secrecy that welsh doesnt dispel, stating only that some feel that if britain hadnt approached china, china would have let matters lie because hong kong was too valuable a trading partner to lose. History teacher chang wen lung said the textbooks warped.
Jul 10, 2018 explore hong kong s fascinating history through this quick and easy guide to the best books about hong kong, from romantic novels, to informative works of nonfiction, to my favourite hk writers. Historical inscriptions of hong kong set of 3 in chinese edited and produced by the hong kong museum of history, published in march 1986, 892 pp, isbn 9789627039238. Wherever i went, the air was redolent with the smells of. Lam was detained by nonhong kong disciplined services in october 2015. And, as you explore the citys colourful heritage, youll discover stories of powerful clans, marauding pirates and european traders. Grade i historic buildings in hong kong are those selected as those outstanding merits of which every effort should be made to preserve if possible these buildings may be protected under the antiquities and monuments ordinance. The sole land border crossing between china and hong kong connects hong kong and the chinese city of shenzhen at seven different control points. Hong kong, special administrative region of china, located to the east of the pearl river estuary on the south coast of china. In summer and early autumn, there is a frequent threat of typhoons. Hong kong has a wellestablished and trusted legal system based on the common law. Hong kong history project rethinking a citys history. A modern history of hong kong is clearly written and easily read. New buildings seem to appear overnight, shops are suddenly transformed, and. Our favorite banned books in hong kong and china cnn travel.
Hong kong hong kong is a city in constant flux, reinventing itself virtually every day. Welcome to the website of the hong kong history project. But from the outset the new colony prospered, its early growth owing much to the energy and resourcefulness of opium traders, who soon diversified in more respectable directions. The e books in the collection cover a wide range of categories, including leisure reading materials, childrens and young adult collection, fiction, various subjects like business and economics, social science and more. Hong kong is a city with a long history of civil disobedience. Discover its unique history while getting a read more. History through maps an exhibition of old maps of china map produced by the hong kong museum of history, published in july 1997. There was no literature of any sort, until the launching of one of the first modern chinese newspapers, xunwan ribao cycle. In 1859 the kowloon peninsula was sold to britain, and in 1898 a. When britain handed hong kong back to china on july 1, 1997, 4,000 peoples liberation army soldiers crossed the border in boats, aircraft and armored personnel carriers to establish control. Tuen mun was a port of extreme importance by the song dynasty.
Hong kong literature, the body of written works, primarily in chinese but occasionally in english, produced in hong kong from the mid19th century when it was ceded to great britain in 1842, hong kong was a small fishing village with a population of about 15,000. As tear gas filled hong kongs streets over the weekend amid an. In 1842 a barren island was reluctantly ceded by china to an unenthusiastic britain. Best fiction and nonfiction books, novels and memoirs that take place primarily in the city of hong kong. Hong kong, 20 years after the handover the new york times. Eastern han dynasty 25 220 tombs, splendid th century ancestral halls, walled villages, elegant victorian architecture and wwii relics tell the story of hong kong s journey from a far flung outpost of imperial china to the culturally diverse crossroads of a shrinking world.
History of hong kongindex wikibooks, open books for an. The kat hing wai museum is a former punti walled village. Hk writers the 5 best books about hong kong page traveller. However, the history of the more than 1,100 square kilometres that hong kong now occupies predates the events of the qing dynasty by more than a thousand years. History in the very long scale of history, hong kong as we know it today has existed for a mere blink of an eye. Will hong kongs democracy protests spread to its close neighbor. Malcolm burgess, publisher of the citylit series, selects his.
This makes it, by far, the busiest border crossing in the world. Now explore hong kong s rich history and colourful characters through these 10 books that everyone should read about hong kong, set in hong kong. If youre looking to get to grips with hong kongs rollercoaster history, tsangs documenting of opium smugglers, pirates and colonial mandarins. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
As hong kong is located nearly at the centre of the eurasian plate, there are. Hong kong literature is 20thcentury and subsequent writings from or about hong kong or by writers from hong kong, primarily in the poetry, performance, and fiction media. This history of hong kong from its occupation by the british in 1841 to its return to chinese sovereignty in 1997 includes the foundation of modern hong kong. It is cool and wet in winter janmar, hot and rainy from spring through summer aprsep, and warm, sunny and dry in the autumn octdec. Taiwan school textbook row highlights antipathy to one china.
Full of colour and incident, a childhood memoir that is also a history of hong kong in the 20th century. Buy bestselling and newlyreleased hong kong books, magazines, and other chinese books from hong kong with free international shipping. Hong kong was a british possession for decades until it rejoined china in 1997. Hong kong is one of the worlds most enigmatic cities and its complex history has captured peoples imaginations around the world, these ten mustread books about hong kong will help visitors understand what makes this extraordinary citys heart beat. The hong kong police museum has information about the history of hong kongs police and the british colonial government. Below youll find the key dates in the history of hong kong presented in a timeline. Its fascinating history has been documented through photography ever since from its rapid expansion as a crown colony to its handover to china in 1997 and its present status as one of the worlds leading international financial centres. Hong kong simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Hong kong is a symbol of the fall of empire, and the nostalgia for a crumbling colonial life infuses novels like jane gardams old filth trilogy, which covers the last halfcentury of british. The tanka pirate was originally born in xinhui, china, but was kidnapped by legendary pirate ching i and eventually adopted after years of earning his stripes with the crew. Pick the best books set in hong kong for your trip. The bookworms guide to hong kong the art worlds eyes are on the citystate for art basel hong kong but how is the former colony portrayed in literature.
Bird names are given in english, latin and chinese. Government history hong kong history macau macau history ocean pirates sailing. The approach seems balanced, and it is obvious when in a few places tsang takes positions which he realises are disputed. Hong kong, ore more precisely the hong kong special administrative region hksar, is located at the south coast of china near the pearl river delta which helped make it become the center of business and center it is now. This book will become one of the authoritative books on this period of hong kong economic history. List of grade i historic buildings in hong kong wikipedia.
Historical hong kong this is a list of historical novels, memoirs and nonfiction books set primarily in hong kong throughout the centuries to present day. Hong kong literature, the body of written works, primarily in chinese but occasionally in english, produced in hong kong from the mid19th century. Siu the university of hong kong introduction the story of the transformation of hong kong into a modern metropolis from a small fishing village on the south china coast is now standard fare in almost all history books about the territory. Due to the impact of its british colonial history, for a long time many hong kongers came to see themselves as distinct from mainland chinese. History of hong kong lonely planet travel information. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. New buildings seem to appear overnight, shops are suddenly transformed, and everyone is always on the go. Will hong kongs protests spread to its neighbor macau.
The timeline starts at the areas earliest recorded mention through to world war two, taking in the major moments in hong kong history. Joss house bay was the only way for people to go to guangdong from fujian and zhejiang. Journal of the hong kong archaeological society vol. It also provides flexible modes for readers to read online or download e books to computers or mobile devices. Hong kong literature reflects the areas unique history during the 20th century as a fusion of british colonial, cantonese, and seatrading culture. In hong kong, which together with china suffered the most, the illness sickened 1,775 people and claimed almost 300 lives. After deng xiaoping took over and assigned hong kong an importent role as a gate to the west, hong kong started booming. I will be visiting hong kong for the first time in october.
South china morning post the evolution of hong kong. Tsang offers a mix of narrative and analysis, and covers social and economic history as well as politics. It is a vibrant cultural and financial center of chinese society. Jul 04, 2012 top 10 books set in hong kong hong kong s intoxicating mix has been colourfully captured by authors from paul theroux to jan morris. Classics of hong kong culture and history christopher munn 4. Learn more about the fragrant harbours history and culture through different voices and stories, both real. Completely revised 8th edition of the is the standard field guide for the region, which has steadily improved over the years.
With more than 100 colour plates, this is an indispensable book for all birders visiting hong kong and south china. It is dense and detailed, but it has a number of features that make parts of it worth reading. The project, hosted at the university of bristol, and funded by the hatton trust, aims to encourage and facilitate the study of the history of hong kong in the uk, and to build collaborations with partners in hong kong, specifically in terms of collaboration between the university of bristol and the university of hong kong, as well as. According to the latest data, between april 1, 2009 and march 31, 2010, there were 187 million crossings between hong kong and shenzhen. Hong kong was destabilized by the cultural revolution in china. The birds of hong kong and south china nhbs field guides. It has mainly been written in vernacular chinese which is based on mandarin. Months of pro democracy protests on hong kong streets last year threw that. Get the latest updates and exclusive invitations from the loop hk. Discover the best hong kong history in best sellers. Starting out as a farming fishing village and salt production site, it became an important free port and eventually a major international financial centre the qing dynasty ceded hong kong to the british empire in 1842. The first several chapters on the opium war were excellent the mututal cultural misunderstandings between the chinese and british and the resulting conflict alone are.
Carroll concludes by exploring the legacies of colonial rule, the consequences of hong kong s reintegration with china, and significant developments and challenges since 1997. Chinese people and british rule in hong kong, 18411880 echoes. Edited and produced by the hong kong museum of history, published in december 1983, 140 pp. It consists of hong kong island, originally ceded by china to.
Hong kong is in a tropical area, and has monsoon winds. The region of hong kong has been inhabited since the old stone age, later becoming part of the chinese empire with its loose incorporation into the qin dynasty 221206 bc. Mar 23, 2016 apparently, he used his cash to build tin hau temples all along hong kongs coastline and stored the rest in the cave. But there was a lot going on in the region before that wintry morning in 1841 when a contingent of british marines clambered ashore and planted the union flag on the western part of hong kong island, claiming it for the british crown. It was the largest protest in hong kong s history according to wikinews this law would allow mainland china to extradite people living or visiting hong kong who may be fugitives. Nov 28, 2012 hong kong hong kong is a city in constant flux, reinventing itself virtually every day. Hong kong history, history of hong kong china highlights.
Two lams went to guangdong to trade, but were threw overboard and floated on a log, ending up on an island. Airport hong kong is a major international and regional aviation. Take a 360degree flying tour through hong kong s history from possession to handover and beyond. The book explores hong kong as a place with a unique identity, yet also a crossroads where chinese history, british colonial history, and world history intersect. Spreading from a hong kong hotel, severe acute respiratory syndrome sars infected more than 8,000 people in 29 countries over the next few months, killing more than 700 of them. Hong kong was once a british colonial outpost and is now one of asias brightest and most vibrant cities.
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