The History of Hong Kong
The History of Hong Kong starts in the Stone Age. The
territory comes under the Chinese Empire under the Han dynasty. (206 BC to 200
CE). The name Hong Kong means Fragrant Harbour.
Hong Kong is known to the World for Bruce Lee and the British left it. Many
might be feeling how Hong Kong will be after the British left. This is because
mainland China has advanced a lot. It is no longer the notion of the 80’s All
Chinese want to go and live there.
My introduction to Hong Kong was the cartoon I saw as a
kid in the 80’s: Hong Kong Phooey.
The Chinese had Hong Kong for about 2000 years.
The
First contact of the British with China
The first contact of the British with China was Lord
MacCartney’s mission to China. So who was this ambassador? History can help us
understand foreign policy at the present.
He was the statesman for an old Scottish-Irish family.
That’s why you got a Mac or Mac. He studied in Trinity College and got his MA
in 1759 CE. He proved himself by going to Russia and making an alliance with Catherine the Great.
All
in the Family
King Philip, father of Present King Charles (Great
Britain) is related to Catherine the Great of Russia.
In short how King Philip felt about his family in
Russian Imperial:
"I
would like to go to Russia very much, although the bastards murdered half my
family,"
To read the details, since this is not the topic
of this post.
McCartney Mission
The mission
began in 1793 for a possible trade with China, whilst they came to India in the
1600s. The British always came for trade. The Indians did not foresee but China withstood
all attempts. Let's not dive further.
The goals of this mission:
·
Establishment of New ports in China
·
Establishment of a new Embassy in Peking (Beijing).
The British had made earlier unsuccessful attempts by
John Newberry.
He was not the first European since Marco Polo had
visited China centuries earlier. Ultimately McCartney met with his ‘gifts ’ or
samples with the Chinese Emperor.
The Kowtow Problem
Kowtow’ is the Chinese system of bowing down before the
Emperor and elders. McCartney did kowtow improperly but this was not the reason
he was turned down by Emperor Qianlong. The Reply of the Emperor to King George
is given in this article.
The Emperor writes a poem:
“Formerly Portugal presented tribute, now England is
paying homage.
They have traveled further than Shu Hai ➚ and Heng-zhang ➚;
My ancestors’ virtue must have reached their distant
lands.
Though their tribute is nothing special, my heart approves
sincerely.
Curios and their ingenious devices I do not prize.
Though what they bring is meager, in my kindness to men
from far away I make generous recompense -
Wanting to preserve my good health and power”
This sums up the Chinese Response to Europe and the West
to this day. Indians might express joy in this victory since both China and
India are in the East. The Easterners have some things in common: Respect for
family, parents, traditions, and the almighty. A simple life with family and
friends made with honest income. (that was traditionally). Details of the
failure of the mission are in this article explained.
The
Opium Wars
The imbalance of trade between the British and Chinese
led Britain to export Opium to China causing addiction in Chinese society.
Three wars were fought for it. The British wanted to sell drugs (in modern
terms) to Chinese people. The Imperial
Chinese government resisted it and made a treaty in 1841. That is ceding Hong Kong to the British along
with fishing villages.
In this scene: The Government and the majority of people
had the same religion and the same side. Unlike India, which had a Mughal
Government and the majority of people were of different races and religions
from the government. These loopholes were taken advantage of by the British. No
wonder the British are so interested in writing about the history and sociology
of a country.
Hong Kong stayed as part of the British Empire from
1841 to 1997. A period of 156 years
until China had two systems in one country.
The British showed it wanted to establish trade and
then rule or rather it wanted to establish a system of “Enlightenment” with the
world.
Every educated person wears similar clothes and has
similar beliefs: Atheism or Semi Atheism.
India screaming Hindutva and Ram‘s Empire. In reality,
they implement modified British Law. Why? The answer is not known. It is for
the common public of India to ask. The only person from India who did not bow
to Western Powers was Netaji Subash Chandra Bose and that is why the British
still wanted him after the independence of India. Rested of the leaders reached
a partial “Samjhota” or full understanding as well as implementation of the British
Law.
Defeat
is not only by battle or physical strength but real defeat is of culture and
beliefs.
Modern
Hong Kong
People around the world know Hong Kong for Bruce Lee,
the martial arts legend who established a brand of the East in Hollywood.
People
in Hong Kong (racially)
The people in Hong Kong are homogenous and are composed
of the following races:
·
Chinese-92 %
·
Filipino-2.5 %
·
Indonesian-2.1%
·
White-10%
·
Indian subcontinent -11 %
Conclusion
Hong Kong is home to diverse cultures, races, and religions
all living peacefully. This post just
goes into the history of how Hong Kong started. Sure there is much deeper to
history but that is beyond the scope of this post. In the next post, we will
discover modern Hong Kong, what to see, and where to go. Please follow our blog
and Facebook blog. Currently, Hong Kong is part of China which popularized the
martial art of Kung Fu. A diverse culture such as Hong Kong deserves to be
visited and experienced. Recommended for tours and cultural travel.
Travel Advisor –Indica Travels.
References
https://china.usc.edu/emperor-qianlong-letter-george-iii-1793
https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/opium-wars-china
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/britain-agrees-to-return-hong-kong-to-china
https://www.chinasage.info/macartney-embassy.htm
0 comments:
Post a Comment