In the 1830s exported China massive amounts of tea to England which lead to a trade deficiency between the two countries. Englands solution to make up for the trade deficiency was to sell opium in China. This was for obvious reasons not seen as a popular trade policy by the Chinese who destroyed parts of the opium. It was a response to this destruction which started the first Opium war, and it was this war that lead to the occupation of Hong Kong in 1841. On the 26th of January was Hong Kong claimed as a British colony. The island area continued to be British until it was transferred back to China in June 1997. This event marked the end of the period of British colonization, and it also marked the beginning of a new period for Hong Kong. The transfer agreement from 1997 stipulated that Hong Kong should keep its capitalist economic system and the freedom for the people for at least 50 years after the transfer. The period since the transfer have, however, been characterized by conflicts and disagreements between Hong Kong and mainland China on how the area should be ruled.
Hong Kong then and now
No comments:
Post a Comment