The name Hong Kong (‘Fragrant Harbour’) was
of Chinese origin
, but it was the British who applied the name to the entire island and subsequently to the colony.
When was Hong Kong named Hong Kong?
The simplified name Hong Kong was frequently used by
1810
. The name was also commonly written as the single word Hongkong until 1926, when the government officially adopted the two-word name.
Why is Hong Kong called 99 years?
The territories which were leased to the United Kingdom were originally governed by Xin’an County, Guangdong province. Claude MacDonald, the British representative during the convention, picked a 99-year
lease because he thought it was “as good as forever”
.
What was Hong Kong before British rule?
It’s divided into three main parts:
Hong Kong Island
, Kowloon and the New Territories. Hong Kong was a British colony from 1841 to 1941 and again from 1945 to 1997. In 1839 in the First Opium War, Britain invaded China and one its first acts was to occupy Hong Kong.
When did Britain get Hong Kong?
On
July 1, 1898
, Britain was granted an additional 99 years of rule over the Hong Kong colony under the Second Convention of Peking. Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese from 1941 to 1944 during World War II but remained in British hands throughout the various Chinese political upheavals of the 20th century.
Why is a 99 year lease not 100?
The law. Under the traditional common law doctrine, the 99-year term was not literal, but
merely an arbitrary time span beyond the life expectancy of any possible lessee (user) or lessor (owner)
.
Does China own Hong Kong?
Hong Kong exists as a Special Administrative Region controlled by The People’s Republic of China and
enjoys its own limited autonomy
as defined by the Basic Law. … The Hong Kong economy is characterized by low tax rates, free trade, and less government interference.
How did Hong Kong become rich?
In the 1950s, Hong Kong
transformed from a territory of entrepôt trade to one of industry and manufacturing
. The Chinese economic reform prompted manufacturers to relocate to China, leading Hong Kong to develop its commercial and financial industry.
Why did the British leave Hong Kong?
The Qing dynasty ceded Hong Kong to the British Empire in 1842 through the treaty of Nanjing,
ending the First Opium War
. … Britain also won the Second Opium War, forcing the Qing Empire to cede Kowloon in 1860, while leasing the New Territories for 99 years from 1898.
Was Japan ruled by British?
Japan was not formally colonized by Western powers
, but was a colonizer itself. It has, however, experienced formal semicolonial situations, and modern Japan was profoundly influenced by Western colonialism in wide-ranging ways.
How many countries did the British rule?
Today, the United Kingdom consists of
four constituent countries
, and it is responsible for three crown dependencies and fourteen overseas territories, although the legacy of the British Empire can still be seen, and it’s impact will be felt for centuries to come.
Did the British rule America?
British America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in the Americas
from 1607 to 1783
. … The Treaty of Paris (1783) ended the war, and Britain lost much of this territory to the newly formed United States.
Was Singapore a British colony?
The Colony of Singapore was a British Crown colony that existed from 1946 and succeeded by the State of Singapore in 1959. When the Empire of Japan surrendered to the Allies at the end of World War II, Singapore was returned to the British in 1945.
Is a 999 year lease as good as freehold?
A 999
year lease is effectively as good as freehold
, and there can even be some advantages to owning some properties this way, rather than under freehold (see below). … If a lease has less than 80 years left to run, it may make the property hard to sell, and it may even be difficult to remortgage.
How many years lease is good?
As a general rule of thumb, if the lease is
less than 90 years
you should almost certainly try to extend it because: Properties with shorter leases are less valuable than ones with long leases (this is particularly true if leases are below 80 years)
