By: Doug Ott Hong Kong
Dec 14, 2015
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