Hong Kong History:
Hong Kong has clearly become the territory of the Central Plains since the Qin Dynasty (the Central Plains refers to the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River centered on central Shaanxi and western Henan) until the defeat of the Qing Dynasty in the mid-19th century. Later, the territory was ceded and leased to Britain in batches, making it a British colony, and Hong Kong opened for port development. In September 1982, China and the United Kingdom implemented the issue of Hong Kong's future and signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, deciding that the People's Republic of China would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong on July 1, 1997. China is committed to implementing one country, two systems in Hong Kong. Hong Kong will maintain its capitalist system and original way of life, and enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign affairs and national defense. That is, "Hong Kong people govern Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy." After the Second World War, Hong Kong's economy and society developed rapidly, becoming not only one of the "Four Asian Tigers" but also one of the richest, most economically developed and highest-living areas in the world. Hong Kong is an important financial, service and shipping center in Asia. It is famous for its clean government, good public security, free economic system and perfect rule of law. Historical changes have transformed Hong Kong from a small fishing village with a population of only 5,000 people to an international metropolis known as the "Pearl of the Orient" today.
Historical evolution
The history of Hong Kong can be traced back to the Neolithic Age five thousand years ago. After Qin Shihuang unified China, he established three counties in the south: Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiangjun. Hong Kong was affiliated to Panyu County, Nanhai County. From then on, Hong Kong was placed under the jurisdiction of the central government. In the Han Dynasty, Hong Kong belonged to Boluo County, Nanhai County. In the sixth year of Xianhe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 331), Hong Kong was affiliated to Bao'an County, Dongguan County. During the Sui Dynasty, Hong Kong was affiliated to Bao'an County, Nanhai County, Guangzhou Prefecture. In the second year of Zhide (AD 757) of the Tang Dynasty, Bao'an County was changed to Dongguan County, and Hong Kong was still under Dongguan County. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, a large number of people from the mainland moved south to Hong Kong, which promoted Hong Kong's economic and cultural development. In the first year of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty (1573), Hong Kong was affiliated to Xin'an County. Hong Kong is an excellent deep-water port and was once known as one of the three largest natural seaports in the world. In the early years, the British saw the potential of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor to become an excellent port in East Asia and did not hesitate to use the Opium War to seize it from the Manchu Qing government. Seizing this place in order to develop its maritime trade in the Far East began the history of Hong Kong becoming a British colony. From 1842 to June 30, 1997, Hong Kong was a British colony. On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong returned to China. The three parts of Hong Kong (Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories) originated from three unequal treaties at different times. After the First Opium War in 1840, Britain forced the Qing government to sign the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 and cede Hong Kong Island. In 1856, the British and French forces launched the Second Opium War, forcing the Qing government to sign the Treaty of Beijing in 1860 and cede the Kowloon Peninsula, the area south of present-day Boundary Street. After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, the British forced the Qing government to sign the "Special Treaty on the Expansion of Hong Kong Boundary Sites" in 1898, forcibly leasing the New Territories for a period of 99 years, ending on June 30, 1997. The lease of the New Territories expanded the area of ??Hong Kong by as much as ten times.
Chronology of major historical events
January 26, 1841: After the First Opium War, the British occupied Hong Kong Island. Afterwards, the Qing government tried to regain it by force. Emperor Daoguang Many edicts were issued to this end, but the Qing Dynasty was never able to defend its territorial integrity. August 29, 1842: The Qing government signed the unequal Treaty of Nanjing with Britain, ceding Hong Kong Island to Britain. October 24, 1860: China and Britain signed the unequal Treaty of Beijing, ceding the area south of Boundary Street on the Kowloon Peninsula to Britain. June 9, 1898: The British forced the Qing government to sign the "Special Treaty to Expand the Boundary Site of Hong Kong" and leased the area north of Boundary Street on the Kowloon Peninsula and 262 nearby islands for a period of 99 years (ends on June 30, 1997) . December 25, 1941: During the Second World War, the Japanese army invaded Hong Kong. The British troops stationed in Hong Kong were unable to resist. The then Governor of Hong Kong, Yang Muqi, reluctantly announced his surrender. Hong Kong was occupied by Japan and began the "Japanese Occupation Period" of three years and eight months. September 15, 1945: After Japan's defeat, it signed a surrender document in Hong Kong and withdrew from Hong Kong. December 19, 1984: China and Britain signed a joint statement on Hong Kong, implementing the "one country, two systems" policy in Hong Kong after 1997.
July 1, 1997: Hong Kong became a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. According to the Basic Law, Hong Kong retains its original economic, legal and social systems, which will remain unchanged for 50 years, and implements "one country, two systems". Except for defense and foreign affairs that are under the control of the central government, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region enjoys a high degree of autonomy. The Opium Destruction in Humen The Opium Destruction in Humen (June 1839) refers to the historical event in which the Chinese Qing Dynasty government appointed the Imperial Envoy Lin Zexu to intensively destroy opium in Humen, Guangdong. This incident later became the trigger for the First Opium War, leading the Qing government to sign the Treaty of Nanjing.
On June 3, 1839 (i.e., April 22, Jihai, the 19th year of Emperor Xuanzong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty), Lin Zexu ordered the public destruction of opium on Humen Beach, which ended on June 25, *** It took 23 days to destroy 19,187 boxes and 2,119 bags of opium, with a total weight of 2,376,254 kilograms. The ban on cigarettes in Humen became a historical event in the fight against drugs. June 3rd, the day when the cigarette smoking ban began in Humen, was designated as a non-holiday anti-smoking day during the Republic of China. The day after the cigarette smoking cessation ended, June 26, also happened to be the International Anti-Drug Day.
[Edit this paragraph] Background
Since the defeat of French Emperor Napoleon I and the Industrial Revolution, Britain has become an industrial power. In 1757, the British destroyed the Mughal Empire and brought India under colonial rule, which became British India. The British East India Company obtained the monopoly in India in 1773, produced opium in large quantities, and transported it to warehouses in Calcutta for export. When the British government and the Board of Directors of the British East India Company began trade with China, they did not support the trafficking of opium, believing that it was detrimental to the dignity of the country.
On August 23, 1833, the British Parliament passed the East India Company Reform Act, and the British Privy Council ordered the abolition of the British East India Company's trade patents and monopoly rights in China. The Taipan of the British East India Company was replaced by the Commercial Director in China. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom appointed Lord Lawlors as the first commercial director in Guangzhou, and appointed the last chief marshal of the British East India Company, James Davis (also translated as Davis, Davis, Davids) and G.B. Robertson. Jazz is the deputy.
The British had ordered Lu Laobei to take military action. On June 13, the 14th year of Daoguang's reign (July 15, 1834), shortly after Lu Laobei became the commercial director, he took a flight from Macau. He planned to forcefully break into Guangzhou and settle in Guangzhou, but he clashed with Lu Kun, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. Lu Kun ordered Lu Laobei and others to be deported back to Macau. Lu Laobei died of illness soon after returning to Macau. Desbi became the second commercial director in China.
Since the Qing government did not allow opium to be bought and sold on land, nor was it allowed to store opium in Macau, British businessmen set up an opium warehouse on a ship called the Yazhi Arsenal, anchored in Lingding Ocean to Taiwan. The surrounding sea area allowed opium smugglers to receive the goods and set up coupons, and with the coupons, they could withdraw money in Guangzhou. At that time, the British newspaper in Calcutta reported this
[Edit this paragraph] Smoking is banned nationwide
The anti-smoking faction headed by Qi Shan criticized Huang Juezi, blaming the smoking problem on other social problems for various reasons. Moreover, there were only a few officials who advocated a ban on smoking. Even Emperor Daoguang had tried it before he came to the throne. He was addicted to opium, and it was only after he woke up that he quit smoking, which made him hesitant about banning smoking. However, Lin Zexu had already banned smoking when he was the governor of Jiangsu and the governor of Huguang, and wiped out cigarette dealers and opium smokers. In view of Lin Zexu's success, Emperor Daoguang believed that banning smoking was not unfeasible, so Emperor Daoguang made up his mind to remove opium-smoking Prince Yidou of Qing and Fu Guogong Pu Xi from their titles, and also downgraded Xu Naiji of the Chiyan sect. Emperor Daoguang summoned Lin Zexu to Beijing. He summoned Lin Zexu every day for eight consecutive days to discuss the ban on smoking. On November 15, the 18th year of Daoguang (December 31, 1838), he appointed Lin Zexu as the imperial envoy to guard the country, and smoking was banned nationwide.
After Lin Zexu became the imperial minister, he aroused dissatisfaction among the Chiyan faction and the Manchu nobles. However, due to the imperial power of Emperor Daoguang, they did not dare to openly oppose it and had to obstruct it secretly. Qi Shan, the leader of the Chiyan faction, threatened and induced Lin Zexu. Later generations recorded the situation at that time:
Gong Zizhen was also worried about Lin Zexu's safety. He suggested that Lin Zexu lead a large number of soldiers and craftsmen so that if a war broke out, they could immediately fight back. He was more willing to go south with Lin Zexu, but Lin Zexu did not want him to get involved in the political whirlpool and declined Gong Zizhen's kindness.
Deng Tingzhen, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Yiliang, the governor of Guangdong, worked together to issue Emperor Daoguang's imperial edict, sealing opium dens, arresting cigarette dealers, and ordered the execution of Chinese cigarette dealer Feng Angang. Lin Zexu's biggest obstacles were William Jardine of Jardine Matheson and Lan Shilu Diandi of Baoshun Matheson.
In order to stop Lin Zexu, William Jardine returned to England and lobbied the government to take tough action against the Qing court. As soon as Lin Zexu learned that William Jardine, known as the "Iron-Headed Rat", had left, he happily expressed: "The Iron-Headed Rat, the cunning opium smuggling leader, fearing the wrath of the Celestial Empire, has returned to the land of smoke."
[Edit this paragraph] Blockade Thirteen Lines
On the twenty-fifth day of the first month of the nineteenth year of Daoguang (March 10, 1839), Lin Zexu officially arrived in Guangdong and received a nine-gun salute. All high-ranking Guangdong officials Come and greet. American businessman William Hind was also watching the ceremony nearby. He left important documents about Lin Zexu’s appearance: “He has a solemn demeanor, a rather stern expression, a fat figure, a thick black short mustache on his upper lip, and a long beard on his chin. He seems to be in his sixties. Around the age of 10. " Lin Zexu first visited Yuehua Academy and mentioned a couplet: "The sea embraces all rivers, and if you have tolerance, you will stand on a big wall, but if you don't have desire, you will be strong."
The opium and cigarette dealers thought that bribery would be enough to impress the newly arrived imperial ministers. However, Lin Zexu was different from previous officials and regarded money as nothing. He ordered all cigarette dealers to hand over all opium within three days, and They sign a contract stating that they will not sell opium in the future and guarantee: "In the future, ships will never dare to carry opium. If any opium is brought, once it is found out, the goods will be confiscated. The person will be punished and will be willing to admit his crime." A few cigarette dealers He surrendered and handed over the opium, but most of the tobacco dealers, including government servants and subordinate officials, did nothing to investigate. Lin Zexu then declared: "If the opium is not gone for a day, and this minister does not come back for a day, I swear to stay with this matter forever, and there will be no reason to stop." Lin Zexu did not pretend to be a subordinate official, and knew that the intellectuals and scholars were with him. The same front summoned 645 students from the three major academies, Yuexiu Academy, Yuehua Academy, and Yangcheng Academy, to take the "examination" at Gongyuan Academy. This time it was called an examination, but it was actually a questionnaire survey with four questions: "1. Names of opium distribution centers and operators; 2. Retailers; 3. Disadvantages of smoking bans in the past; 4. Methods to ban smoking." From then on, Lin Zexu mastered all cigarette smoking List of businessmen and corrupt officials.
During the period of the smoking ban, Lin Zexu wrote a note to Queen Victoria, asking the Queen to know that opium was harmful and that opium was not produced in places such as London, Scotland and Ireland, and citizens were strictly prohibited from smoking it. However, opium was grown and produced in India under its jurisdiction, and its citizens were allowed to trade opium in China. He asked the Queen to remove opium from India, and informed the Queen that China had passed the "Regulations on the Strict Prohibition of Opium and Smoking" to completely ban smoking, so that British citizens would give up the opium trade.
Foreign cigarette dealers thought that handing over a small amount of opium to Lin Zexu would be enough, so they resorted to delaying tactics, saying that they would consider the order in detail, set up a committee to make a report, and respond within seven days. Lin Zexu was very angry and ordered the cigarette dealers to hand over the opium on time, otherwise he would go to Thirteenth Bank at 10 o'clock the next day to judge the foreign cigarette dealers. American cigarette merchants expressed their willingness to follow Lin Zexu's instructions, but Lan Shilu Diandi stopped them. As a result, three days later, the cigarette dealer decided to symbolically hand over 1,037 boxes of opium. So Deng Tingzhen ordered the sealing of the Guangzhou coast and besieged Shisanhang. Lan Shilu Diandi tried to escape, but was captured alive by Deng Tingzhen.
The commercial director at the time was Charles Elliot. As soon as he heard that Shisanhang was besieged, he immediately rushed from Macau to Guangzhou. Yilu saw that all thirteen rows were guarded, so he broke in with his sword. The guard had to let him go, but he would not be allowed to come out. Lin Zexu ordered all Chinese in the Thirteenth Line to move out, cut off communication, and cut off water and food. There were 350 foreigners in the thirteen rows, so they had to cook, wash, make beds, clean lamps, carry water, milk cows, and do household chores that they usually didn't have to do at all.
On February 11 (March 25, 1839), Yilu surrendered and was willing to meet with any official. The prefect of Guangzhou met with him, but Yilu did not show up. Lin Zexu gave Yilu an ultimatum - "Four Draft Instructions to Foreign Businessmen to Deliver Opium and Soil as Quickly as possible", denounced Yilu, and Yilu finally obeyed Lin Zexu's order at six o'clock in the morning on February 14th (March 28, 1839). Submitted to Lin Zexu "Yi Lu complied with the order to submit a report of 20,283 boxes of cigarettes"; from Lin Zexu's arrival in Guangzhou on March 10 to March 28 when Yi Lu was forced to agree to hand over all the opium, the total amount of ***18 days.
However, Yilu had some backup plans. He did not allow foreign cigarette dealers to hand over the opium directly to Lin Zexu. Instead, he handed it over to him first and then handed over the opium "in the name of Her Majesty the Queen of Britain's Government". The interest and freight charges are 1*** 20,238 boxes of opium. The commercial conflict turned into a conflict between the two empires of China and Britain.
After the incident of blocking the Thirteenth Line was included in the Treaty of Nanjing, it was used as an excuse to demand compensation of 6 million yuan.
The treaty reads: "4. Because the Qing imperial envoy Da Xian and others forced the British consuls and citizens to stay in Guangdong Province in February of the 19th year of Daoguang's reign, and threatened them with death, and demanded opium to redeem their lives. Today, the emperor The original price will be compensated with 6 million yuan in foreign currency."
The process of cigarette destruction
Exhibition of the cigarette destruction scene in Humen (in the Lin Zexu Ancestral Hall, Fuzhou) February 16, the 19th year of Daoguang's reign ( April 10, 1839), Lin Zexu, Deng Tingzhen and Guangdong Customs Supervisor Yu Kun arrived in Humen by boat, and together with Guangdong Navy Admiral Guan Tianpei inspected and accepted the opium. The cigarette seller paid the cigarettes at Sha Kok and issued the receipt on the Louisa. Lin Zexu also suggested that if you surrender a box of opium, you will be rewarded with five pounds of tea.
American and Dutch cigarette dealers promised never to sell opium again, but their laws were broken. The opium was transported away during the payment of cigarettes, and the payment of cigarettes was delayed for various reasons. Lin Zexu took advantage of his plan and extended the time of blocking the Thirteenth Line. Yilu had no choice but to pay all the cigarettes. On March 19 (May 12, 1839), the cigarette collection was completed, 1,600 drug addicts and cigarette dealers were arrested, and 461,526 taels of tobacco cream and 40,000 cigarette guns were confiscated. Two thousand seven hundred and forty-one rods, two hundred and twelve smoking pots. On the sixth day of April (May 18, 1839), the cigarette seller completed the collection of cigarettes and collected 19,187 boxes and 2,19 bags. On April 11 (May 23, 1839), British traders such as Lan Shilu and Diandi were expelled. The next day, Yilu also evacuated the thirteen British merchants to Macau.
Lin Zexu originally wanted to transport the opium back to the capital and destroy it, but the censor Deng Ying thought it would be better to destroy it on the spot to prevent the opium from being secretly replaced. Emperor Daoguang agreed. Lin Zexu decided to publicly destroy opium in Humen. Next, Lin Zexu had to find a way to destroy opium. Lin Zexu once used the traditional opium destruction method of "smoking soil mixed with tung oil and incineration", but the residue of the opium would seep into the ground, and drug addicts would still get 20/10 of it by digging for soil. So Lin Zexu found the second method, "seawater immersion method".
The method of seawater immersion is to dig two pools on the seaside, pave the bottom of the pool with stones, and nail boards around to prevent opium leakage, and then dig a ditch. Pour the salt water into the ditch and flow into the pool. Then cut the tobacco soil into four pieces, drop it into salt water, soak it for half a day, and then add lime. The lime will boil when it meets water and the tobacco soil will dissolve. Each staff member took a wooden rake and kept stirring in the pool to ensure that the smoke was completely dissolved into the water. When the tide goes out, the pool water is sent out to the ocean, and the bottom of the pool is washed with clean water, leaving no trace behind.
The diary of that day also said: "The opium is digested within a day and released into the ocean, so that the aquatic tribe can temporarily migrate in advance to avoid its poison."
April 22 (June 1839) On March 3), the opium eradication officially started in Humen. A ceremony was erected in Humen, with a long yellow silk banner hanging in front of it. A letter was written, "The Imperial Envoy is ordered to investigate and handle the affairs of Guangdong Haikou. The Minister of Control of the Land and Water Battalions, the Governor-General's Hall", and the senior officials of Guangdong All officials were present. Since the cigarette burning was open to the public and it was around the Dragon Boat Festival, people went to Humen Shoal one after another. In addition, foreign businessmen, consuls, foreign journalists, missionaries, etc. who did not traffic in opium made a special trip from Macau or other places to visit, and none of them were British to protest against the Qing government's oppression of British property.
Among them were American businessman C.W. King and his family who did not sell opium, missionary Pi Zhiwen, merchant ship captain Bian Xun and other ten people. They did not believe that Lin Zexu had the means to completely destroy all the opium, so he went there. Come for field research. Lin Zexu simply let them enter the pool and let the foreign observers directly see in detail the methods of destroying cigarettes and explain them along the way. After watching the whole process and repeated inspections, they were all convinced and took off their hats to pay tribute to Lin Zexu. Afterwards, the missionary Pi Zhiwen recorded in the "China Series" where he served:
In addition, "Macau Monthly", "Quarterly Review", "Singapore Free Press", "Guangzhou Times" and other foreign countries All newspapers and newspapers published large-scale reports on the opium ban in Humen, and received support and affirmation from foreigners who had nothing to do with the opium trade. In Britain, prices also increased due to the incident, especially for rice, silk and silver.
The Macao and Portuguese governments were also very cooperative in the ban on opium. All Portuguese businessmen promised not to traffic in opium and welcomed Lin Zexu to come to investigate and deal with it in person. Lin Zexu then issued a statement that not only could Portuguese merchants trade normally, but they would also be protected when trading with China and would never be bullied.
From April 22 to May 10 (June 20, 1839), the Communist Party destroyed 2,376,250 kilograms of opium, a small amount of which was transported Make samples in the capital and then destroy them.
Hong Kong's return information;
Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
Origin of the name: Hong Kong, meaning "fragrant harbor", probably related to the island's long ago The manufacture of sandalwood is related to the aroma emitted by incense candles.
The full name is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which is one of the two special administrative regions of the Republic of China. It consists of Hong Kong Island located at the Pearl River Estuary, the South China Sea, the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories area connected to mainland China, and 235 nearby small islands. The sea area to the north of Dongpingzhou in the northeast and across the Shenzhen River in the north is Shenzhen City in Guangdong Province; south of the waters is the Wanshan Islands in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province. Hong Kong has always been Chinese territory, but it was ceded and leased to the United Kingdom in batches by the Qing government from 1842 to 1898. On July 1, 1997, the overall sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to the Republic of China.
According to the "Sino-British Joint Declaration" signed by China and the United Kingdom, the Government of the People's Republic of China promises to implement the policy of "one country, two systems"; within 50 years of the transfer of sovereignty, the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China will The socialist economic system will not be implemented in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign affairs and defense.
Historical background:
In 1842, the Qing government signed the unequal Treaty of Nanjing with the United Kingdom and ceded Hong Kong Island to the United Kingdom.
In 1860, the Treaty of Beijing was signed, ceding the Kowloon Peninsula to Britain.
In 1896, the British forced the Qing government to make another treaty, leasing the area north of Boundary Street on the Kowloon Peninsula and nearby islands for 99 years. During World War II, it was occupied by Japan.
In 1945, Japan surrendered and was reoccupied by the British.
In 1984, China and Britain signed a joint declaration on Hong Kong.
In 1997, Hong Kong returned to China and implemented "one country, two systems" and "a high degree of autonomy."
These are all the information about Hong Kong, which is pretty good.