The history of Hong Kong can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. /kloc-The discovery of Li Tomb in 0/955 proves that Hong Kong was inhabited as early as 2000 years ago.
During the Tang Dynasty, many China people lived in Castle Peak (Tuen Mun), which was a prosperous port at that time. There were also troops stationed in the Tang Dynasty to defend the entrance to the Pearl River. Foreign ships must pass through Castle Peak before they can transfer to Guangzhou.
In the Song Dynasty, an official named Deng was sent to Guangdong as an official. After passing through the castle peak, he likes this place very much. Therefore, after his term ended, he and his family settled in Jintian Valley and established a village called "Wei Bei". His descendants later established "Ji Qingwei".
Qing Qing soldiers 1 6 6 2 sent troops to the present New Territories and ordered villagers to braid their hair. During the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong has always occupied an important position in foreign trade, because Hong Kong and Guangzhou are as close as lips and teeth, and Guangzhou is the only commercial port open to the outside world in the Qing Dynasty.
In the later trade with China, Britain discovered the importance of Hong Kong and thought that if it could be set aside, it would be of great benefit to expand trade with China and other countries in the Far East. So 1 8 4 1 year, 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. Some fishermen live in Stanley, Datandu and Shipai Bay in the south of the island, and Agongyan and Shuijing Bay in the east. In other places, such as Huangniyong, Dengdizhou and Seven Sisters, there are some small village bays. At that time, there were about 3000 residents on the island.
the opium war
During Daoguang period of 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. In addition, the number of opium addicts in China has greatly increased. The Qing government was worried about this, worried about the constant leakage of silver in trade, worried that the social atmosphere was getting worse and worse, and had the intention of banning smoking.
1 8 3 9, 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 smoky soil and burn it at Humen Waterfront in Dongguan County, Guangdong Province. Lin Zexu also asked western businessmen not to import opium to China in the future. While China and Britain were wrestling, British soldiers shot and killed China villager Lin in Jianshazui Village, Jiulong Mountain, Baoan County, Guangdong Province.
Treaty of Nanjing
In the case of Enemy at the Gates, the Qing government did not dare to resist. 1 8 4 2 On August 29th, Ileb, a senior citizen of the Qing court, negotiated with the representative of the British side (Ishimoto). The two sides signed the treaty of nanking on the British "Gorgeous" moored on the Nanjing River.
Treaty of nanking is the first unequal treaty signed between China and the West in modern times. The treaty is divided into thirteen articles, the main contents of which include:
First, China and Britain will "reconcile" in the future. "Those who go to other countries will be protected by that country."
Second, China has opened "five-port trade" in Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai, and Britain can send official diplomatic representatives such as consuls and butlers in these five port cities.
China ceded Hong Kong, a coastal island in Bao 'an County, Guangdong Province, to Britain.
Four, China compensation British opium price of six million and two thousand.
Five, China to cancel the "bank" system, and pay Britain three million two thousand as the number of commercial debts.
Six, China compensation for British military spending twelve million two thousand.
Seven, "pay more than twenty-one million taels of silver, and pay six million taels at this time", and the remaining fifteen million taels will be delivered in installments in two days.
Eight, all British prisoners in China, all released.
9. All those who were imprisoned because of their contacts with the British or during the Opium War were also released.
Ten, agreed tariffs and provisions of the British goods, tax-free in a port according to law, that is, allowing China businessmen from all over China to pass through the tax road, without increasing taxes.
11. Parallel Chinese and English documents.
12. After China delivered the first batch of US$ 6.02 million, British troops withdrew from Nanking and Zhenjiang, and stopped obstructing the commerce in 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 didn't leave until China paid all 2,120 pieces of silver and actually opened five trading ports.
Thirteen, the treaty should be quickly submitted to the two emperors for approval, and change the contract.
Lease the new territories
1 8 9 8 is a very important year in the history of Hong Kong. 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 by 10 times.
1 8 9 8, the great powers tried to carve up China, and the Qing dynasty was corrupt and trampled upon, so the British government took the opportunity to ask the Qing court to lease the New Territories. On June 9th of that year, the British envoys to China Ping Nale and Li Hongzhang signed the "Sino-British Special Terms for Expanding the Hong Kong Border" in Beijing, and Britain acquired the New Territories in the name of lease for 9 9 years, which took effect in July of 1 year.
Ne W T E R I T O R E S (Ne W T E R I T O R E S) is a term coined by the British, which refers to the leased New Territories. Prior to this, these places belonged to the south of Xin 'an County, Guangdong Province, including outlying islands such as Daxing Mountain. The "Clause" stipulates that Britain has "complete management power" over the New Territories, but China can keep 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 Pingshan Heritage Trail, 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, and solemn shrine plaques make us feel the profound traditional humanistic atmosphere of Hong Kong.
Pingshan is one of the oldest areas in Hong Kong, and the Deng family, one of the five major families in the New Territories, settled here as early as 12 century. "Pingshan Heritage Trail" is the first heritage trail in Hong Kong, and the cultural relics displayed mainly belong to the Deng family. The Heritage Trail winds between Kengtou Village, Kengtou Village and Shangzhangwei, and is about one kilometer long. Many typical traditional buildings in China are connected in series to form a unique cultural corridor.
Along the road signs and inscriptions, we visited Cuixing Building (the only ancient pagoda in Hong Kong), Deng'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 achieved "internal modernization" or are surrounded by new buildings; However, the sections of ancient walls that could be seen at that time were mixed with the traditional door workshops between new buildings, constantly reminding the long history of the Deng family.
Behind the glazed tile roof, there are many TV antennas; Next to the carved beams and painted buildings 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, which "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 on the heritage trail, the deepest feeling of tourists is the "coexistence" of history and modernity. In fact, it also reflects the diversity of Hong Kong society.
"Being together" does not mean "living in harmony". In front of the pagoda in Cuixinglou, a gentleman who visited three years ago repeatedly called "the scenery is ruined". The three-story ancient tower that once stood in the open space has now been completely submerged by "modernization": on the one hand, the railway station is many times higher than it, and on the other hand, the newly opened flea market. Just like the embarrassment of all cultural relics in reality, "modern civilization" is also "eating away" this road of cultural relics. This makes us feel more worried after the vicissitudes of life.
The history of Hong Kong is not long, and 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 China traditional and western classical 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 of which have their own characteristics and themes. Apart from Pingshan Heritage Trail in Yuen Long, there are Longyuetou Heritage Trail in Fanling, New Territories, Heritage Trail in Central and Western District of Hong Kong Island and Zhongshan Historical Trail (connecting Dr. Sun Yat-sen's place of living and studying in Hong Kong).