Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know that when the British colonized Hong Kong, it was a lease with China allowing England to do whatever they want to it for a certain amount of time, which was over 100 years.
However, they never bought the island from China. I wonder why they decided to lease it instead of buying the island from China.
Also, China lost the opium war to England, and the deal was that if China loses, Hong Kong will belong to the British.
As I know, the British was using Hong Kong as a trading port for opium and other products to bring into China. When China saw what the opium was doing to the people, they wanted stop the import, but England refused which resulted in an opium war.
I wonder if Hong Kong has been given a same status like Singapore, can they survive?
Actually Hong Kong island and the Kowloon peninsula were given to the British permanently (or one could say seized by the British permanently), it was only the New Territories that were leased (the New Territories make up the majority of the territory of modern Hong Kong). The British and Chinese determined in the 1980s that it would be best to just return all British possessions.
I know that when the British colonized Hong Kong, it was a lease with China allowing England to do whatever they want to it for a certain amount of time, which was over 100 years.
However, they never bought the island from China. I wonder why they decided to lease it instead of buying the island from China.
Also, China lost the opium war to England, and the deal was that if China loses, Hong Kong will belong to the British.
As I know, the British was using Hong Kong as a trading port for opium and other products to bring into China. When China saw what the opium was doing to the people, they wanted stop the import, but England refused which resulted in an opium war.
I wonder if Hong Kong has been given a same status like Singapore, can they survive?
Hong Kong would easily survive if it were given the same status as Singapore.
The British didn't colonize Hong Kong. They basically took it from China, by force. They were stronger military, and than they made an agreement with China, that they'd have the land for 150 years...without being attacked from China. They made an agreement.
Unlike today where city-states are protected by international treaties, etc. Back then, people would just go to war with each other, and take the other's lands. I.E. the U.S. took the Philippines when they went to war with Spain. ENgland took Eritrea when they defeated the Italians. It goes on and on like that. You can't just take land, without a continued back and forth taking it back.
It probably just made sense to make a deal that profited all of those Brit citizens throughout their lifetimes, with the idea that they'd just give it back....and it so far off, it didn't make any difference to their personal purses, lives, etc.
Yes, HK can definitely survive as a city state (assuming later Chinese government is not hostile to it), but would not be remotely as wealthy and important as it is today if it were independent from China.
Of course if China resents it, and decides to do absolutely no business with HK or even sanctions it (like US to Cuba), then HK would have a very hard time.
Yes, HK can definitely survive as a city state (assuming later Chinese government is not hostile to it), but would not be remotely as wealthy and important as it is today if it were independent from China.
Of course if China resents it, and decides to do absolutely no business with HK or even sanctions it (like US to Cuba), then HK would have a very hard time.
This sounds about right, though I doubt the difference in wealth between Hong Kong in this hypothetical versus the current situation would really be that big especially in regards to median income. Perhaps on the very upper income brackets.
This sounds about right, though I doubt the difference in wealth between Hong Kong in this hypothetical versus the current situation would really be that big especially in regards to median income. Perhaps on the very upper income brackets.
Why do you doubt?
The UK had many former colonies, and why do you assume HK would be wealthy instead of as poor as New Delhi?
The whole financial capital/Asian tiger thing was because of the Chinese mainland market, not because of something spectacular the British did in HK.
Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula was ceded forever to the British in the Treaty of Nanking.
Thatcher originally wanted to keep Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, but realized HK cannot survive with New Territories being returned to China. Many HK people have moved to the New Territories by the 1980s and many factories and the power plants are located there. It is the largest part of HK and HK could not afford to lose it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by toby2016
I know that when the British colonized Hong Kong, it was a lease with China allowing England to do whatever they want to it for a certain amount of time, which was over 100 years.
However, they never bought the island from China. I wonder why they decided to lease it instead of buying the island from China.
Also, China lost the opium war to England, and the deal was that if China loses, Hong Kong will belong to the British.
As I know, the British was using Hong Kong as a trading port for opium and other products to bring into China. When China saw what the opium was doing to the people, they wanted stop the import, but England refused which resulted in an opium war.
I wonder if Hong Kong has been given a same status like Singapore, can they survive?
I was born in HK.
No. It is the other way round.
Mainland China becoming more capitalist and wealthy like HK.
To the HK people, Mainland China is like Singapore, becoming rich without democracy. The diffrence is Singapore is much much more cleaner than the cities in Mainland China.
Singapore relies on surrounding South East Asian countries for food, and has better food safety than the food in HK, which relies on the Mainland Chinese Food, well known in the world for their food safety.
Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula was ceded forever to the British in the Treaty of Nanking.
Thatcher originally wanted to keep Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, but realized HK cannot survive with New Territories being returned to China. Many HK people have moved to the New Territories by the 1980s and many factories and the power plants are located there. It is the largest part of HK and HK could not afford to lose it.
I was born in HK.
No. It is the other way round.
Mainland China becoming more capitalist and wealthy like HK.
To the HK people, Mainland China is like Singapore, becoming rich without democracy. The diffrence is Singapore is much much more cleaner than the cities in Mainland China.
Singapore relies on surrounding South East Asian countries for food, and has better food safety than the food in HK, which relies on the Mainland Chinese Food, well known in the world for their food safety.
Mainland China isn't like Singapore though. There are way more restrictions on business in mainland China.
It is clear to see Japan is decling rapidly when you look at Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea.
And Taiwan is behind Japan and the other 3 Asian dragons.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
