I was at the annual Hong Kong Society dinner last night – being reminded of how important Hong Kong remains and how much we all hope that the current troubles are resolved peacefully. I lived there forty years ago (gulp) when HK was still “British” and Aberdeen looked very different….(see the photo at the bottom). It will be interesting to see how everything goes – below I have given a very brief history of Hong Kong in order to try and understand more why we are where we are and what the future might hold and where it all might potentially be going….
Following the end of the first Opium War with China, the Treaty of Nanking in 1842 ceded Hong Kong to Britain in perpetuity. The second half of the 19th Century the western powers, Russia and Japan opening concessions in over 30 Chinese @treaty Ports@. Through an additional conflict in 1860 Hong Kong gained Kowloon and Stonecutters Island. In 1898 Britain acquired the New Territories on a 99 year lease.
On Christmas Day 1941, the British army surrendered Hong Kong to the Japanese. Following Japan’s surrender on August 14 1945 Britain reclaimed the territory. In 1984, the Joint Declaration signed by Britain and China agreed that the sovereignty of Hong Kong would revert back to China in 1997. From July 1, 1997,HK became a special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China.
Post 1997 Hong Kong remains a Capitalist economy, with its constitution enshrined in the ‘Basic Law’. The Beijing Government can be called on to interpret the Basic Law, which they did in the ‘right of abode’ cases. HK’s government (LEGCO) is largely appointed, not democratically elected. The Joint Declaration provides that HK’s lifestyle will remain unchanged for 50 years post 1997. the territory will enjoy a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs and China’s socialist system and policies will not be practiced in the SAR. Recent proposed changes to Article 23 aroused much discussion about individual freedom.
HK has a population of over 7 million, comprising local Chinese, second /third generation immigrants from ex-colonies such as India, foreign visitors and migrant workers from Indonesia, The Philippines and Thailand. The mix of influences is evident in the festivals and mix of Chinese/Western public holidays throughout the year.
What Happy Valley racecourse used to look like:
View of Aberdeen 40 years ago:
