Hong Kong (pop. 7,340,000) is one of two special administrative regions of China. The other is Macau. Hong Kong lies on China’s southern coast, near the mouth of the Zhu Jiang (Pearl River). Hong Kong is a major port of Asia. It is also a center of finance, trade, and tourism. Hong Kong is Chinese for fragrant harbor.
Hong Kong covers a total area of 1,126 square miles (2,916 square kilometers), but only about 427 square miles (1,107 square kilometers) are land. Hong Kong consists of the island of Hong Kong; Lantau Island, Hong Kong’s largest island; about 260 other islands; and a peninsula attached to the mainland of China. The peninsula has two sections—the New Territories in the north and the Kowloon Peninsula in the south.
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Hong Kong had long existed at the edge of the Chinese Empire. The United Kingdom gained control of Hong Kong Island through treaty agreements in 1842, after it defeated China in the First Anglo-Chinese War (also called the First Opium War). In 1860, a treaty settlement after another trade war gave the United Kingdom control of the Kowloon Peninsula and tiny Stonecutters Island west of the peninsula. On July 1, 1898, China leased to the United Kingdom the rest of the islands and the land that became known as the New Territories. The lease was for 99 years. China demanded the return of the entire colony when the New Territories lease expired. China took control of Hong Kong on July 1, 1997.
The metropolis
The entire northern coast of Hong Kong Island, the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula, and the satellite cities in the New Territories form a major metropolitan area. The metropolis once consisted of individual cities called Victoria (on the northern part of Hong Kong Island) and Kowloon (on the southern Kowloon Peninsula). However, the old city boundaries are rarely recognized today. Under British control, Victoria, now known simply as Central, was Hong Kong’s capital. Today, Central is Hong Kong’s seat of government.
The Hong Kong metropolis is a center of business, commercial services, and tourism. High-rise commercial and residential buildings, modern hotel complexes, shopping malls, and small businesses line the narrow streets. Hong Kong has many modern skyscrapers that serve as headquarters for major banks and multinational corporations. The tallest buildings in Hong Kong include the International Commerce Centre, Two International Finance Centre, and Central Plaza. The towering Bank of China building was designed by the Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei. It stands at the eastern edge of Central. Hong Kong Disneyland, a theme park on Lantau Island, is a major tourist destination.
Many people live in crowded apartments in the Wan Chai area, east of Central. Many government buildings stand on filled-in land along the Wan Chai coast. A business center has sprung up around them. To the east of this center is the Japanese shopping district of Causeway Bay.
Victoria Harbour separates Hong Kong Island from the Kowloon Peninsula. Motor-vehicle tunnels run underneath the harbor. A network of motorways also links the metropolis to the major satellite cities and to the international airport on Lantau Island. The metropolitan area is well served by a public transportation network. A railway called the Peak Tram transports passengers between Central and the top of Tai Ping Shan (also called Victoria Peak), a mountain that rises to the southwest. In addition, a railroad runs through the New Territories and connects Kowloon with Guangzhou, China. Ferries, buses, and airlines also provide service between Kowloon and Guangzhou. In 2018, the 34-mile (55-km) Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge, was completed. The bridge crosses the Zhu Jiang (Pearl River) near its mouth, linking Hong Kong with cities east of the river.
People
On average, Hong Kong has about 15,750 people per square mile (6,080 per square kilometer) of land. But much of Hong Kong’s land is mountainous and uninhabitable. As a result, the population density varies widely. The metropolitan area of Hong Kong is among the world’s most crowded places.
Ancestry.
About 95 percent of the people of Hong Kong are Chinese. Most are immigrants from southern China or descendants of immigrants from that region. The relatively few non-Chinese residents of Hong Kong include people from Australia, Canada, Indonesia, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Languages.
Hong Kong has two official languages, Chinese and English. Most of Hong Kong’s people do not speak English well, though most have learned it as a foreign language at school. The majority of the population speaks Cantonese, a dialect of South China. Many younger people have also learned the Northern Chinese dialect, known as Mandarin in English and Putonghua in Chinese. It is the official language of China. Cantonese and Mandarin share the same written words but are different when spoken.
Way of life
Urban life.
Almost all of Hong Kong’s people live in urban areas. Most urban dwellers live in Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, and the satellite cities.
Housing in Hong Kong’s urban areas varies sharply. Rents and land prices are high. Most wealthy people live in luxury apartment buildings. A small number live in houses with gardens.
Most middle- and low-income people occupy crowded high-rise apartment buildings, many of which were built by the government. Only about half of Hong Kong’s residents own their homes.
Rural life.
People in rural areas of Hong Kong live in small villages. A few raise crops and livestock. Most people who live in rural areas work in services or industries in the urban areas.
Some rural villages were settled more than 1,000 years ago. Traditional rural houses are made of brick or stone with tile roofs. Today, the majority of Hong Kong’s rural people live in low-rise buildings.
Food and clothing.
The people of Hong Kong eat large amounts of fresh vegetables, fish, poultry, pork, and beef. The staple food is rice, though wheat-based foods and cuisine from other countries are also widely available. In general, people wear the same type of clothing worn in Europe and North America. Some people wear Chinese-style clothing, especially during such holidays as Chinese New Year.
Religion.
The major religions in Hong Kong are Buddhism, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism. Muslims, Hindus, and Jews also live there.
Education.
All children are required by law to go to school for nine years—six years of elementary school and three of high school. Classes in elementary schools are taught in Chinese (Cantonese). Some high schools use Chinese, some use English, and others use both languages.
Hong Kong has a number of institutes of higher education. Its oldest university is the University of Hong Kong, which was founded in 1911.
Land and climate
The land.
Rugged mountains and rolling hills cover much of Hong Kong. The rocky, indented coastlines of Hong Kong’s islands and mainland provide many small harbors for fishing villages. Some mountains in the New Territories rise more than 3,000 feet (900 meters) above sea level. Tai Ping Shan on Hong Kong Island is 1,818 feet (554 meters) high.
Barren mountains separate the business districts of the Kowloon Peninsula from the New Territories. Only about 8 percent of the land in Hong Kong is suitable for farming. Throughout the New Territories, poultry farms and vegetable and flower fields lie crowded between areas of poor vegetation and rocky hillsides. The Sham Chun (or Shenzhen) River forms part of the border between Hong Kong and the neighboring Guangdong Province.
Much of Hong Kong’s harbor coastline has been filled in with earth to create new land. Hong Kong’s old airport, known as Kai Tak International Airport, was built on filled-in land in Kowloon Bay. To land at Kai Tak, airplanes had to come in for a landing over the densely populated Kowloon. In 1998, Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok on Lantau Island replaced Kai Tak. The new airport also was built partly on landfill.
Climate.
Hong Kong has hot, humid summers. The winters are cool and less humid. During the summer, temperatures reach 95 °F (35 °C) or higher. Winter temperatures seldom fall below 40 °F (4 °C).
Hong Kong receives about 87 inches (220 centimeters) of rainfall yearly. Most of the rain falls in summer and early fall and can cause floods and mud slides. Insufficient rainfall during the winter, along with other factors, contributes to water shortages. Hong Kong buys millions of gallons of water from Guangdong every year.
Economy
Hong Kong is a center of international trade, finance, and tourism. It is a free port—that is, it collects no import duties on goods brought in from elsewhere, except for a few goods such as alcohol and tobacco. Because there are few import duties, many products can be bought and sold more cheaply in Hong Kong than in most other parts of the world.
Hong Kong has efficient telecommunications and a highly educated labor force. Business firms of many countries maintain offices in Hong Kong from which they carry on business with China. Hong Kong’s economy is highly integrated with that of China.
Service industries.
Most workers are employed in service industries, especially wholesale and retail trade, foreign trade, and community, social, and personal services. Other important service industries include finance and real estate, restaurants and hotels, and transportation. Hong Kong is one of the world’s most important gold trading centers. Its many banks finance investments and trade with China, as well as housing and manufacturing in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is also a major international tourist destination.
Manufacturing.
Beginning in the 1980’s, most of Hong Kong’s manufacturing facilities relocated to China. However, Hong Kong remains a control center for China’s global trade network. Hong Kong’s investments in China employ millions of workers in manufacturing. Within Hong Kong itself, the main manufacturing activities involve clothing and textiles, printing and publishing, and the production of food and beverages.
Agriculture and fishing.
Agriculture is a minor economic activity in Hong Kong. The region depends heavily on imports for its food. Hong Kong maintains a significant fishing fleet that catches bream, lizardfish, squid, and other seafood. Because of a high demand for fresh fish, fisheries raise both saltwater and freshwater fish in the New Territories.
Government
The foundation of Hong Kong’s government is the Basic Law, which became effective on July 1, 1997, when Hong Kong was transferred from British to Chinese rule. The Basic Law upholds the principle of “one country, two systems.” This principle gives Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy (self-rule) as a special administrative region of China.
A chief executive heads the government of Hong Kong and serves a five-year term. A committee of about 1,500 members elects the chief executive. The election committee consists of citizens from various social and economic levels and members of several government bodies. The Executive Council helps carry out government operations. The chief executive chooses the Executive Council members.
The Legislative Council is Hong Kong’s lawmaking body. The council has 90 members, who serve four-year terms. The people of Hong Kong directly elect 20 members of the council. The election committee elects 40 members, and members of professional and other interest groups, called functional constituencies, elect 30 council members.
China’s National People’s Congress has the authority to approve Hong Kong’s laws and appointments of government officials. According to the Basic Law, Hong Kong may elect deputies to the Congress.
History
Early days.
People have lived in what is now Hong Kong since ancient times. The area came under Chinese control about 220 B.C. Until the A.D. 1800’s, it consisted of small fishing and farming villages. Pirates used Hong Kong as a land base.
British control.
During the 1800’s, the United Kingdom sought to establish trade and diplomatic relations with the Chinese Empire. However, the Chinese government kept tight control over trade. British merchants had begun bringing opium into China, but the Chinese government outlawed the importation of the drug. Opium smuggling continued, however, and in 1839, the issue led to the First Anglo-Chinese War between China and the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom won the war and took control of the island of Hong Kong as part of the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842.
In 1860, as part of the settlement of further trade disputes after another war with China, the United Kingdom gained control of the tip of the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters Island. In 1898, China leased the New Territories and a number of smaller islands to the United Kingdom for 99 years. During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Hong Kong served as a port for British trade with China.
In the early 1900’s, a wave of immigration from China greatly increased Hong Kong’s population. In 1912, Chinese revolutionaries led by Sun Yat-sen overthrew China’s Manchu (Qing) dynasty and established the Republic of China. The uprising caused many Chinese people to flee to Hong Kong. In 1937, Japan invaded China and, once again, large numbers of Chinese fled to Hong Kong. But from 1941 to 1945, during World War II, Hong Kong came under Japanese occupation. During that time, many Chinese returned to China.
In 1949, Communists took control of mainland China, and many Chinese people moved to Hong Kong. Although Hong Kong continued to serve mainly British interests, it also provided a safe haven for Chinese dissidents. The Chinese Communist government never formally recognized the United Kingdom’s control of Hong Kong. However, it did not actively oppose British rule because it valued Hong Kong’s connections to the outside world.
During the Cold War, a period of great tension between Communist and non-Communist nations, the United States imposed trade embargoes (restrictions) on China. As a result, Hong Kong could no longer survive as a port that primarily serviced Chinese trade. In the 1950’s, Hong Kong began to develop into a center of trade and finance for countries throughout the world. It also began to develop many industries.
In 1962, a threat of widespread starvation in China set off another wave of Chinese immigration to Hong Kong. In the late 1960’s, some of Hong Kong’s Chinese residents held violent demonstrations against British control. But the Chinese government did not try to take control of Hong Kong, and the riots ended.
In the late 1970’s and the 1980’s, following the Vietnam War (1957-1975), thousands of Vietnamese fled to Hong Kong. Also at that time, the United States lifted trade embargoes against China, allowing Hong Kong to resume its role as a center for Chinese trade. In the 1980’s, Hong Kong began to transfer its manufacturing to China.
The return to Chinese rule.
With the United Kingdom’s lease of the New Territories set to expire in 1997, China and the United Kingdom began planning the transfer of Hong Kong back to China. Negotiations began in 1979, and an agreement was signed in 1984.
The agreement stated that, on July 1, 1997, Hong Kong would become a special administrative region (SAR) of China. China declared the relationship would be that of “one country, two systems.” Under the terms of the agreement, Hong Kong would be allowed to maintain its free-enterprise economy within China’s government-controlled economic system for at least 50 years. Hong Kong would also be allowed a high degree of autonomy in domestic matters. Hong Kong’s foreign affairs and defense, however, would be handled by China. The agreement passed into law, called the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR, in 1990. The Basic Law became Hong Kong’s constitution on July 1, 1997.
After the signing of the agreement, economic cooperation between Hong Kong and China increased. Hong Kong industrialists moved more manufacturing activities to China to take advantage of inexpensive labor available there. Much employment in Hong Kong shifted from low-cost manufacturing to service industries. This trend continued into the early 2000’s.
In 2014, Hong Kong pro-democracy activists held an unofficial referendum in which participants called for an open nominating process for chief executive elections scheduled for 2017. The Chinese government rejected their calls for open nominations, saying that nominees for the position would be approved by a government committee. The government’s actions touched off weeks of protests. Although police cleared the protest sites, pro-democracy activists continued their calls for open nominations. In 2017, the election committee chose Carrie Lam, who had the support of the Chinese government, to serve as chief executive. She became the first woman to head Hong Kong’s government.
In November, Hong Kong held elections for its 18 district councils. Although the councils deal mainly with such local matters as parks and roads, more than 70 percent of Hong Kong’s registered voters turned out for the election. Pro-democracy candidates won a sweeping victory. The vote was viewed as an expression of wide popular support for the pro-democracy movement.
In early 2020, Hong Kong faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous experience with outbreaks of other coronaviruses helped the government and the population respond rapidly and effectively, and limited the spread of COVID-19 in the region. In 2022, however, Hong Kong experienced a strong spike in cases from variants of the virus that were more contagious.
Pro-democracy demonstrations erupted again in May 2020, when China’s legislature approved a proposed law targeting antigovernment protesters. The Standing Committee of the legislature later passed the law, bypassing Hong Kong’s legislature. The law went into effect on July 1.
The new security law forbade activity promoting secession (formal withdrawal), subversion (overthrow), terrorism, and foreign interference in Hong Kong. These activities were broadly defined to include actions that had occurred during earlier protests, such as waving flags that called for independence, and interfering with subway operations. The new law allowed the trials of people accused of breaking the law to take place in mainland China. Those convicted faced sentences of several years to life in prison. The new law also allowed China’s national security agencies to formally establish bases in the city. The Chinese government claimed such a law was needed to protect national security. Critics in Hong Kong and abroad insisted that the legislation weakened Hong Kong’s autonomy.
In November, the Standing Committee passed a resolution allowing the executive branch of Hong Kong’s city government to dismiss any politician it views as a threat to national security. City officials immediately dismissed four elected pro-democracy members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council. The remaining pro-democracy members resigned in protest.
In March 2021, China’s legislature and Standing Committee passed laws that altered Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, beginning with the election held in December 2021. The changes increased the Legislative Council from 70 to 90 members and reduced the number of members directly elected by the people of Hong Kong from 35 to 20. Under the new provisions, the election committee that selects Hong Kong’s chief executive chooses 40 members of the legislature, and the members of the functional constituencies choose the other 30. Both these groups are generally supportive of the policies of the Chinese government in Beijing. China also authorized the establishment of a committee to review the qualifications and “patriotism” of all candidates for office. No one may run for election without the committee’s approval.
In 2022, the election committee chose John Lee to become Hong Kong’s next chief executive, and he took office on July 1. Lee had served as secretary of security from 2017 to 2021 and as chief secretary of administration, the second highest administrative post in Hong Kong, in 2021 and 2022.
