History of Hong Kong - 香港史

About History of Hong Kong - 香港史

(粵語)

香港史有文字可以追到東漢嘅李鄭屋古墓，裏面刻有『大吉蕃禺』同『大治曆』呢幾隻吉利字句。而考古發現重可以追到史前舊石器時代。不過香港地方有好多字記低，都係十九世紀中，香港開埠之後嘅事。有信史嘅考古發現，多數係由唐朝開始。

香港考古發現散布響全香港，顯示唔同時代香港都係人活躍嘅地方。

(中文)

香港歷史始於超過公元前3萬年的舊石器時代於華南及中南半島一帶活動的百越族，其後被秦朝征服後方踏入信史的開端，但地處華南一隅的偏遠荒蕪邊陲，一直人口稀少並只有漁業及少量農業活動，在1841年香港開埠前於歷史舞台上的影響微乎其微；自割讓與大英帝國並成為自由港後，方發展為東南亞與中國之間的重要轉口港。1949年中華人民共和國成立至改革開放前，東南亞與中國內地的貿易全部停止，香港逐漸由貿易港口轉型成工商製造業城市，其後成為東亞首屈一指、與新加坡並駕齊驅的國際金融中心。

繼1841年於《南京條約》取得香港島後，英國再於1860年的《北京條約》及1898年的《展拓香港界址專條》分別取得九龍半島及租借新界99年。以上所有地區在成為英國殖民地之前，完全沒有所謂的「香港」概念，直至開埠後，港英政府方將此等地區正式命名為「香港」，並漸由漁村發展成城鎮。1984年，中华人民共和国與英國簽訂《中英聯合聲明》並制定香港基本法，承諾實行一國兩制高度自治並自1997年7月1日起保障香港五十年不變，英國將香港主權移交中華人民共和國。

香港之歷史，正是物質和社會進步之寫照；政府開山填海，拓展市鎮，又興建房屋、學校、醫院和其他公共設施，以應付香港人口不斷增加之各種需求。

(English)

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 (221–206 BC). Starting out as a farming fishing village and salt production site, it became an important free port and eventually a major international financial center.

The Qing dynasty ceded Hong Kong to the British Empire in 1842 through the treaty of Nanjing, ending the First Opium War. Hong Kong then became a British crown colony. Britain also won the Second Opium War, forcing the Qing Empire to cede Kowloon in 1860, while leasing the New Territories for 99 years from 1898.

Japan occupied Hong Kong from 1941 to 1945 during World War II. By the end of the war in 1945, Hong Kong had been liberated by joint British and Chinese troops and returned to British rule. Hong Kong greatly increased its population from refugees from Mainland China, particularly during the Korean War and the Great Leap Forward. In the 1950s, Hong Kong transformed from a territory of entrepôt trade to one of industry and manufacturing. The Chinese economic reform prompted manufacturers to relocate to China, leading Hong Kong to develop its commercial and financial industry.

In 1984, the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which incited a wave of emigration from Hong Kong. The Handover of Hong Kong on 1 July 1997, returned Hong Kong to Chinese rule, and it adopted the Hong Kong Basic Law.

In the 21st century, Hong Kong has continued to enjoy success as a financial centre. However, civil unrest, dissatisfaction with the government and Chinese influence, in general, has been a central issue. The planned implementation of Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 caused great controversy and a massive demonstration on 1 July 2003, causing the bill to be shelved. Citizens expressed displeasure at their electoral system, culminating in the 2014 Hong Kong protests. In 2019, the proposed Hong Kong extradition bill was seen as another step taken by the Chinese Communist Party to undermine Hong Kong's Rule of Law, instigating a new wave of protests. In 2020, the National People's Congress passed the Hong Kong national security law to restore stability in the territory. The new law was highly scrutinized by the pro-democracy faction and provoked further political pessimism among the city's populace.