the history of hong kong before the opium war

the history of hong kong can be traced back to the eastern Han dynasty. The discovery of Li Zhengwu's tomb in 1 9 5 5 can prove that Hong Kong was inhabited as early as 2,111 years ago.

During the Tang Dynasty, many China people lived in Castle Peak (Tuen Mun). Castle Peak was a prosperous port at that time. There are also troops stationed in the Tang Dynasty to defend the entrance of the Pearl River. Foreign ships must pass through Qingshan before they can be transferred to Guangzhou.

During the Song Dynasty, an official, Deng Fuxie, was sent to Guangdong to be an official. After passing through Qingshan, he liked this place very much. So, after his tenure, he and his family settled in Jintian Valley and established a village called "Beiwei". His descendants later established the "Jiqingwei".

in the Qing dynasty, the Qing soldiers sent troops to the present New Territories in 1 6 6 2, and ordered the villagers to braid their hair. During the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong always played an important role in foreign trade, because Hong Kong was as close as lips and teeth to Guangzhou, which was the only commercial port open to the outside world in the Qing Dynasty.

Britain discovered the importance of Hong Kong in its later trade with China, and thought that it would be of great benefit to expand its trade with China and other countries in the Far East if it could be possessed. Therefore, in 1 8 4 1, after the Opium War between China and Britain, the defeated Qing government in China was asked to cede Hong Kong.

Before the British occupation of Hong Kong, Hong Kong was basically a desert island, with some fishermen living in Stanley, Datandu and Shipai Bay in the south and Agongyan and Shuijing Bay in the east. In other places, such as Huangniyong, Dengdizhou and Seven Sisters, there were some small village bays. At that time, there were about 3,111 residents on the island.

Opium War

During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, Sino-British trade was in an unbalanced state. The British "East India Company" exported a large amount of opium to China, and the profits were amazing. Moreover, the number of opium addicts in China increased greatly. The Qing government was aware of this, worried about the continuous leakage of silver in trade, worried about the deteriorating social atmosphere, and had the intention of banning smoking.

In 21839, Lin Zexu was appointed as an imperial envoy and went to Guangzhou to ban smoking. After Lin Zexu arrived in Guangzhou, he ordered foreign businessmen to hand over the tobacco soil and burn it on the Humen waterfront in Dongguan County, Guangdong Province. Lin Zexu also asked western businessmen not to import opium into China in the future. While China and Britain were struggling, British soldiers shot and killed China villager Lin Weixi in Jianshazui Village, Jiulong Mountain, Baoan County, Guangdong Province.

treaty of nanking

In the case of Enemy at the Gates, the Qing government did not dare to resist. On August 29th, 1 8 4 2, the Qing court sent Senior Citizen Ileb to negotiate with the British representative (Ishimoto) Dianzha. The two sides signed "treaty of nanking" on the British ship "Gorgeous" anchored on the Nanjing River.

treaty of nanking is the first unequal treaty signed between China and the West in recent history. The treaty is divided into thirteen articles, and its main contents include:

First, China and Britain will "make peace" in the future, and "those who go to other countries will be protected by that country."

second, China opens five ports for trade with Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai, and Britain can send official diplomatic representatives such as consuls and stewards to be stationed in these five port cities.

Third, China ceded Hong Kong, a small coastal island in Bao 'an County, Guangdong Province, to Britain.

Fourth, China compensated the British opium price of six million and two thousand.

5. China canceled the "public travel" system and paid Britain three million and two million dollars as the amount owed by the business.

6. China compensated the British military for 12 million and two thousand dollars.

VII. "The above remuneration is set at the amount of silver, * * * twenty-one million taels, and at this time, six million taels of silver will be paid", and the remaining fifteen million taels will be delivered in installments in the future.

8. All British prisoners in China shall be released.

9. All those who were imprisoned for their connection with the British or for their connection with the British during the Opium War were also released.

11. The tariff has been agreed and it is stipulated that British goods will be allowed to be transported all over China by China businessmen after they have paid taxes in a certain port according to the law, and the tax will not be increased when they pass through the customs.

Xi. Chinese and English documents are parallel.

12. After China paid the first batch of six million and two thousand dollars, the British troops withdrew from Nanjing and Zhenjiang, and stopped obstructing the business of China provinces. At the same time, they withdrew from Zhenhai, the outer port of Ningbo. As for the British troops stationed in Zhoushan, Dinghai and Gulangyu, Xiamen, they did not withdraw until China paid off all 21 million and two hundred dollars and actually opened five ports for trade.

XIII. The treaty should be promptly submitted to the emperors of the two countries for approval and renewed.

Lease of the New Territories

1 8 9 8 is a very important year in the history of Hong Kong. In this year, the boundary of Hong Kong extended from North Kowloon to the banks of Shenzhen River in the north and Deep Bay in the west, which expanded the administrative area of Hong Kong tenfold.

in 21898, the great powers tried to carve up China, and the Qing dynasty was corrupt and trampled upon by others. The British government took the opportunity to ask the Qing court to lease the New Territories. On June 9th of that year, British envoys to China Binnale and Li Hongzhang signed the "Special Article for Sino-British Exhibition and Extension of Hong Kong Boundary" in Beijing, and Britain acquired the New Territories in the name of lease, which lasted for 9 9 years and took effect on July 1th.

The N e w T e r r i t o r i e s (N E W T E R I T O R E S) is a term developed by the British, which refers to the new leased territory. Before that, these places belonged to the southern part of Xin 'an County, Guangdong Province, including Daxing Mountain and other outlying islands. The "Article" stipulates that Britain has "full management power" in the New Territories, but China can preserve the Kowloon Walled City and the original pier.

In Hong Kong, you can not only feel the prosperity of modern cities, but also experience the vicissitudes of history. A few days ago, we came to the Pingshan Heritage Trail in Yuen Long, New Territories, which is located in the "outer suburb" of northwest Hong Kong, and "stayed in" the historical development stream of the indigenous people. The quaint blue bricks and gray tiles, exquisite carved beams and columns, solemn shrines and plaques have made us feel the deep traditional humanistic atmosphere of Hong Kong.

Pingshan is one of the oldest areas in Hong Kong, and one of the Deng family, one of the five major families in the New Territories, settled here as early as the 12nd century. As the first heritage trail in Hong Kong, "Pingshan Heritage Trail" shows the cultural relics mainly belonging to the Deng family. The Heritage Trail meanders between Kengtou Village, Kengtou Village and Shangzhangwei, with a length of about one kilometer. Many typical traditional buildings in China are connected in series to form a unique cultural corridor.

along the road signs and stone inscriptions, we visited Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda (the only ancient pagoda in Hong Kong), Tang's ancestral hall (one of the largest ancestral halls in Hong Kong), Shangzhangwei (the only ancient walled village in Pingshan), Jinting Library (specially built for the children in the village to prepare for the imperial examination), Hongsheng Palace, Yanghou Ancient Temple and other cultural products in turn.

The cultural relics here are the property of the Deng family, and many "modern" members of the Deng family still live in these ancestral houses. Key buildings have been well repaired, protected and managed; More old houses have realized "internal modernization" or are surrounded by new buildings; However, the sections of ancient walls that can be seen at that time, mixed with the traditional door workshops between new buildings, constantly remind the Deng family of its long history.

behind the glazed tile roof, there are many TV antennas; Closely adjacent to the carved beam painting building is the aluminum window air conditioner; Stone railings surround the faint ancient well, but a few meters away, it is the computer-controlled residential courtyard door that "opens" the "electric eye" day and night. History is so different from modern times that it is "close at hand". It is the traditional door gods and couplets posted on various doors that communicate history and modernity. Walking along the heritage trail, visitors feel the deepest point, which is the "coexistence" of history and modernity. In fact, it also reflects the diverse colors of Hong Kong society.

"being together" does not mean "living in harmony". In front of Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda, a gentleman who had been here three years ago repeatedly called "the scenery is ruined". The three-story ancient pagoda that stood on the open ground has now been completely submerged by "modernization": on one side, there is a railway station many times higher than it, and on the other side, there is a newly opened flea market. Just like the embarrassment encountered by all cultural relics in reality, "modern civilization" is also "nibbling" this cultural relic path. This makes us feel more worried after experiencing vicissitudes of life.

If the history of Hong Kong is not long, the historical sites are even more precious. At present, there are 77 declared monuments in Hong Kong. From ancient walled villages and traditional temples to traditional Chinese and classical western architecture. In some places where historical sites are concentrated, the government protects and manages them in the form of "heritage trails" for tourists to visit. It is understood that there are many heritage trails in various districts of Hong Kong, all with their own characteristics and themes. Apart from the Pingshan Heritage Trail in Yuen Long, there are also the lung yeuk tau heritage trail in Fanling, New Territories, the Heritage Trail in Central and Western District of Hong Kong Island and the Zhongshan Historical Trail (which "connects" the places where Dr. Sun Yat-sen lived and studied in Hong Kong) and so on.