HONG KONG AND SOUTH : A BRIEF CHRONOLOGY (from various sources)

214 BCE established in the Northern delta and walled by Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE). Area becomes a center for industry and trade. Nauyue kings of Western Han dynasty rule there (206 BCE-24 CE; tomb in Guangzhou). By Tang Dynasty (618-907 CCE): Guangzhou is international port, controlling almost all of China's spice trade amid activities of maritime coast.

12th –15th C. Southern Sung (1127-1280) and Yuan Dynasties (1280-1363) Hakka (guest) peoples move southward and settle in marginal areas. Guangzhou less accessible to Southern Sung capital than other centers in Fukien.

1368-1644 Ming Dynasty: consolidation of Chinese Rule. Guangzhou continues to develop, particularly known for silk, crafts and trade. Local intellectuals explore culture. After 1431, however, China cuts off trade and contact with the world.

1513 Portuguese Jorge Alvares reaches mouth of the Pearl river on board a rented Burmese vessel and realizes he has located "Cathay" building upon a Portuguese route around Africa, India and . In 1517 Tomas Pires, ambassador from Portugal, arrives with fleet in Canton. After waiting two years, meets the emperor in Nanjing, but treaties fail in Beijing when the Emperor Chang Te dies. After further misunderstandings on land and a sea battle with the fleet, relations deteriorate. Pires and his mission die in prison.

1540 Portuguese settle at Liampo on the Pearl River and begin lucrative trade with the Japanese, whom they find by accident in 1542. Liampo sacked by Chinese in 1549 and Portuguese retreat to the island of Sanchuang. With negotiations, Portuguese gain annual visiting rights to Canton. 1555 settlement in Lampakkau, and in 1557, .

16th Century Macau grows to 5-6,000, about 15% Portuguese males; Chinese, unless Christian, may not spend the night there. The original coastal fishing Fukienese are joined by many Cantonese, although the city acts primarily as a trading post. Through it, sweet potatoes, peanuts (and their oil), green beans, chilis, pineapple, papaya and shrimp paste introduced from rest of the Portuguese empire; tea, tangerines, celery enter Europe.

1601 Dutch appear at Macau; enmities grow until Dutch fleet defeated in 1622 (many slaves liberated). 1635 Convention of Goa allows English into Portuguese ports ( Portuguese worry that Chinese will confuse them with the Dutch, but Chinese appear not to care at all). 1636-40 Portuguese trading empire collapses: Japanese expel most traders and eliminate Christian supporters; Malacca falls to the Dutch, etc. Macau remains the only residential European outpost for trade with China until 1841.

1644-1911 Qing dynasty; Manchus rule in Beijing. After 1685, China opened to foreign trade.

1757 Foreign trade restricted to Guangzhou. Coasts are cleared to control trade -- Hakka move inland. In 18th century Serious trade imbalance as Europeans pay for silk, tea and other goods with silver, while Chinese buy little. British find as a solution. Between 1729 and 1832, British sales of opium rise from 200 chests to 23,570 per year. By 1784 Americans and British compete for control of opium sales to China. Late 18th century: Triad societies emerge in opposition to Qing in South China; also involved with illicit activities.

2 1839-1842 Opium Wars: China tries to ban the trade and destroying all opium in Guangzhou. Britain wins the right to sell opium. claimed by Britain in 1841 and Guangzhou forced open.

1842 Treaty of Nanjing -- Hong Kong "legally" British. Population reaches 33,000 in 1850.

1847-1864 Hong Xiuquan develops an amalgam of social reform and Christianity in Guangzhou which will underpin the and his coronation as Emperor in Nanjing. Although most fighting is not in , many displaced Hakka are involved and there are bloody battles there in which 500,000-600,000 die. In the aftermath, emigration to the U.S. from this area intensifies.

1856-60 Second Opium War; ceded to Britain by Treaty of Peking, 1860. Foreigners enter Guangzhou for first time (by attack) in 1859. 1865 Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank formed.

1870 Population of South China reaches its highpoint.

1887 Macau given legal existence in a treaty which requires controls of the opium trade in both Hong Kong and Macau. But by 1890 Population of Hong Kong reaches 198,000, less than 5% non-Chinese.

1894-5 China loses war against . Other powers claim territorial concessions. 1898 Britain leases HK New Territories from China for 100 years -- 423 villages with 100,000 inhabitants.

1900-01 Boxer Uprising in China against Western powers, crushed by international force. Disturbances in HK.

1911 Manchu dynasty abolished. Republic proclaimed by southerner Sun Yat-Sen in 1912.

1912 HK University founded by South Asians. City Pop. 436,000. Kowloon-Guangzhou railroad opens. Various strikes in HK and Guangzhou show integration with Chinese changes.

1920 formed. Civil War begins by mid-20s 1930 HK Population reaches 840,000, 20,000 non-Chinese. Some social unrest, including 1925 general strike.

1932 Japanese occupy Manchuria beginning aggressive conquest through China. By 1938 Japanese take Guangzhou and set up puppet government in Nanjing after brutal massacre there. By 1940 HK Pop. 1.6 million,

1941 Japanese conquer the city in 1941, interning British and trying to divide local populations. Under harsh conditions, population drops to 600,000 by 1945. Despite discussion of alternatives, HK returns to British sovereignty in 1946 under Governor Mark Young.

1945-9 Communist party triumphs in . Trade closed between Guangdong and Hong Kong. Capital moves from Shanghai to Hong Kong. 1950 HK Population reaches 2,000,000.

1950s Public housing program begins after riots in Kowloon, 1953, while China fights U.S. in Korean War and various fires in squatter settlements around the city in areas like Shep Kip Mei. 1956 disturbances in HK as well. 1950s New life in HK film industry through Mandarin production and stars who have left Shanghai and other areas. Cantonese films also grow. HK industry grows as well in textiles, plastics and other areas. 3

1960 Population of Hong Kong reaches 3,000,000, strong flow from Guangdong. Hong Kong taking shape as production center rather than entrepot for trade. China suffers from famine and other results of failed Five- Year Plan in years of Natural Disasters. Up to 20 million people die.

1966-7 Riots in Hong Kong and beginnings of Cultural Revolution in China to ensure Maoism without opposition. First HK riots (1966) caused by social conditions and government distance; Cultural Revolution in China fuels 1967 events and repercussions in Macau as well. British government begins to take stronger interest in housing, transportation and related issues.

1968 Broadcast television arrives in HK, replacing cable that has been there for nearly a decade.

1973 U.S. Recognizes Mainland China; first New Town completed in HK.

1970s Cantonese cinema replaces Mandarin, fuelded by New Wave Directors from television.

1974-6 of Four comes to power in China. Chiang Kai-Shek dies. Zhou En-Lai dies. Mao Ze-Dong dies. By 1978 Deng Xiao-ping takes control in China; foreign tourists admitted and capitalist growth reconsidered. HK squatters estimated at 600,000.

1982 Shenzen Special Economic Zone opened. HK population tops 5 million. 57% of Guangzhou's exports go through HK and Macau. 7,000,000 live in Guangzhou and 8 surrounding counties; 2.05 live in the city; half have relatives or other connections abroad. Total population of Guangdong above 60,000,000 (2000).

1982-4 China and Britain discuss future of Hong Kong. Treaty signed 1984.; Hong Kong elects first Legislative Council in Hong Kong.

1989 Tienanmen Square massacre in Beijing: concern with future of Hong Kong expressed in political activism and economic constriction as well as emigration and resettlement in , the U.S and . Britain offers passports to some.

1990s Government begins plan to privatize housing in estates, encouraging people to buy their apartments even as private property market becomes on of the most expensive in the world.

1996 -97 Chinese delegates elect Shanghai-born Tung Chee Wa as New Chief executive; many Chinese in civil service will retain their roles.

1997 Hong Kong becomes part of China. Citizenship and condition of non-Chinese (including 20,000 South Asians) in limbo. HK Special Administrative Region (SAR) status expires in 2047.

1997-9 Series of economic and social problems hit Hong Kong including both regional economic collapse, which hits Hong Kong lenders and local problems such as tourism slump, avian flu, and governance dilemmas amid Asian crisis. 1999 Macau rejoins China.

2000+ Increased discussion of Development. Cities like surpass HK in population (2005 estimates range from 2 million formal citizens to 10 million, including illegals). Other cities like and emerge as manufacturing centers, passing HK and Guangzhou, which booms as a capital despite restrictions from the state. Cities compete in various forms of social, cultural and 4 physical development while building new infrastructures.

2000+ Hong Kong recovers economically, although wary of influence of Shanghai. Government warns of problems of criticizing mainland.

2002/3 HK controversies erupt over immigrants and family reunification, over right of appeal and decision- making by China.

2003 SARS moves to HK from mainland causing quarantine of the city and serious economic losses. On July 1, 500,000 march against proposed law on sedition that threatens HK freedom of speech.

2004-5 Tung Chee-Wah resigns on March 10, 2005. He is replaced in June by Donald Tsang, career civil servant and Chief Secretary for Administration, after an extremely limited election. Development of many issues of civil society including marches in Fall 2005 in favor of increasing direct election.

2005 Popular unrest around slow plans to increase electoral franchise spills into streets (December), followed by international protests at WTO meetings in Hong Kong. On Mainland, world’s largest shopping mall under construction near Dongguan; other major commercial facilities dot region.

2006 Macau begins ambitious building campaign, increasing surface area by 15%. Multiple new with Las Vegas investment (Wynn, Venetian); Macau receives 70% of all tax revenue from casinos/tourism.

2006 Following December uprisings in Northern Guangdong, new disturbances by peasants near Panlong in South River Delta lead to police intervention and death of one girl. Villagers feel cheated that land they thought was going to a Beijing- highway has been allocated to a chemical factory.

2007-8 New Elections for Chief Executive – Donald Tsang reelected although Beijing is surprised by presence of an opponent. Protests for universal suffrage and widespread concern over heritage issues – destruction of central pier or other local areas of interest.

2007-11 Mainland presence strong in HK despite concerns over pollution and adulterated foods and goods. HK hosts equestrian events for Olympic Games (08); East Asian Games (2009). Expansion of airport and rail connections to China as part of massive West Kowloon project.

2009-10 HK STATS (HK Report 2009) Pop, 7,003,700 (1,290,000 HK island). Density 4680 per km sq rising to 53,l00/km szq in Kwun . 2.1 million live in public housing estates. AGE: Median age 40.7 Under 15 12.5% Over 65 12.8% NATIONALITIES: Predominantly Chinese 95% Others Indonesia, 147,880 Canada 19,840 140,710 Nepal 18,220 28,050 Pakistan 16, 910 USA 26,660 14,440 India 24,200 Australia 13, 040 Others 103,00 RELIGION: Buddhists and Taoists make up the vast majority. Other estimates Christians 670,000; Muslims 220,000; Hindus 40,000; Sikhs 10,000; Jews 3,000. EMPLOYMENT SECTORS: Imports/wholesale/hospitality 1,149,000 (33%);Public Administration, social services 879,000 (25%); FIRE 638,700 (18%); transport/communication 5 414,500 (12%); Construction 256,700 (8%); Manufacturing 133,300 (4%). Unemploymennt 5.4% Average wage $11342/month ($1400USD)