Where Hong Kong became British
Right down Hollywood Road, towards Queen’s Road, you come across a little park. Nothing fancy or out of the ordinary, but this place marks a momentous change in history.
For nearly a century the entire Euro-Asian trade went through Portugese Macau. It was only in 1699 that first the British East India Company and later trading partnerships from other countries, were allowed to establish commercial settlements in Whampoa (downstream near Guangzhou).
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Address Opposite 238 Hollywood Road, Central | Public Transport MTR Island Line (blue), Sheung Wan Station Exit B, then about 8 minutes’ walk | Tip Right behind the entrance gate there is a showcase with old photos of Possession Point, as the hill was later called.
In China the British mainly bought silk, porcelain, and tea - that had become increasingly popular in Britain - but they had nothing to offer in return, as the Chinese showed no interest in their industrially manufactured goods. To remedy the dramatic trade deficit that developed over time, in 1730 the British began to ship opium from their Indian colony to China. Opium had been known as a medicine for some time in China, but soon corrupt Chinese officials began to enrich themselves through the opium trade and the drug was distributed widely. The more people in China became addicted, the more silver had to be traded for the drug, and thus the trade deficit turned around, until in 1799 the emperor banned the opium trade.
Following the ban, the British switched to smuggling opium and soon more countries joined them in the flourishing business. In March 1839, the emperor decided to stop the opium smuggling once and for all. Some 1,200 tons of opium were confiscated and burned in Whampoa, an incident that triggered the first Opium War. China had nothing to oppose the powerful British Navy with and was forced to pay compensation for the destroyed opium, open several ports for trade, and to cede Hong Kong as a base to the British. On January 26, 1841 a British naval force went ashore on Hong Kong Island. They planted the Union Jack on a small hill, the spot where the park is today, and declared Hong Kong a Crown colony.
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