By: Doug Ott

Hong Kong

The British defeated the Chinese in the Opium war

As part of the Treaty of Nanjing, the island of Hong Kong was given to the British

Opium war

When the British originally gained Hong Kong, it was a rocky and undeveloped island

There were also many conflict with western and eastern culture mixing

Colonial Hong Kong

Mainly a fishing village prior to European involvement

Where punished Chinese officials would be sent by the government

Little natural recourses

Colonial Hong Kong

Was built up by the British to be a central hub for their trading efforts

Hong Kong was a place for their ships to dock and unload their goods

British Trade

Japan attacked the island of Hong Kong the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 8 1941)

The Japanese occupied the island for a period of 3 years and 8 months until August 15, 1945

Japanese Occupation

During the Japanese occupation, the population dropped from 1.6 million to 600,000

Due to the 1949 communist takeover of China, the population boomed once again

Japanese Occupation

The 1950’s were a time of great growth for Hong Kong

Many large building were built for relocating businesses from other Chinese cities such as Shanghai

This was due to the Communist takeover of China in 1949

1950’s

In an effort to rebuild its economy, Hong Kong turned to manufacturing

One industry that benefited form the industrialization was the textile industry that grew a great deal

Industrialization-1960’s

The Quality of life in Hong Kong continued to rise during this time period

Also, the economy continued to grow with just about everything in Hong Kong

70’s and 80’s

After long talks that went on for years, the island of Hong Kong was finally agreed upon to be handed over on July 1, 1997

Many Chinese living in Hong Kong welcomed the new government

British Handover to China

Under British rule, Hong Kong had grown into a center of business and trade for the far east

Many people were not sure what to expect from the Chinese government

Hong Kong

Many business leaders were not sure what to think of the Chinese government’s takeover

The People’s Republic of China promised not to change the economy of Hong Kong for 50 years

Many were still not comfortable with this and moved elsewhere

Economy

Population of 7 Million

95 percent ethnic Chinese

Follows the policy of “One country, two systems”

Free Market Economy

Hong Kong Today

One of the world’s largest financial centers

Hong Kong Dollar- World’s ninth most traded currency

Official policy states that Hong Kong has a “High Degree of Autonomy”, except for military defense and foreign relations

Hong Kong Today

The EndBy: Doug Ott

Period 2Ms. Monterosso