Hong Kong

史History & character

Hong Kong was a sparsely-populated cluster of fishing villages until 1841, when British forces seized Hong Kong Island during the First Opium War; it became a Crown Colony in 1842, expanded to include Kowloon (1860) and the New Territories on a 99-year lease (1898). The colony grew into one of the great Asian commercial entrepôts under British administration, and retained that role through Japanese occupation (1941–45), the Cold War, the manufacturing boom of the 1960s–80s, and the financial-services pivot of the 1990s and 2000s.

The 1997 handover transferred sovereignty to the People's Republic of China under the "one country, two systems" framework, with the SAR retaining its own legal system, currency, immigration, and customs regime. Hong Kong issues its own visas; mainland Chinese visas do not cover entry. The city remains a global financial centre, the world's busiest container-port-or-runner-up depending on the year, and Asia's most concentrated dining scene.

Geographically, the SAR packs extraordinary variety into a small area. Central and Tsim Sha Tsui's vertical financial districts; the temples and street food of Mong Kok; the colonial architecture of Sheung Wan; the wild beaches of Sai Kung; the working fishing village of Tai O on Lantau; the country parks that cover roughly 40% of the territory. The Mass Transit Railway is among the world's most efficient.