View allAll Photos Tagged fathom
No contest really! I first saw the ladybird, and my brain couldn't fathom why it didn't look quite right... it appeared to be just floating in mid-air! Then as I got closer, I saw the shieldbug!! I love shieldbugs, and I love ladybirds... did feel for this one!
Always amazes me that the rostrum can pierce the beetle's elytra!!
Bras mort de Leval - Parc de l'Avesnois - France
"There's treasure to be found in the strangest places."
- Autobot salvage operative
-----------------------------------------
This was mostly just an experiment in seeing if I could make a boat transformer. Not especially refined, but I may revisit the idea one day.
self-portrait
Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:
Ding-dong.
Hark! now I hear them,—ding-dong, bell.
William Shakespeare
water texture by tigerstock
"There's treasure to be found in the strangest places."
- Autobot salvage operative
-----------------------------------------
This was mostly just an experiment in seeing if I could make a boat transformer. Not especially refined, but I may revisit the idea one day.
1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray in an excellent shade of Fathom Green (British Racing Green) at the 2017 Brisbane Hot Rod Show.
Samba de Maria Luiza - Tom Jobim ... il padre canta con la figlia :-)
alla fine lei dice: ancora!
e lui risponde: non parlare perché stiamo registrando
una chicca
Ariete (21 marzo - 19 aprile)
Una volta Mozart sfidò il suo amico Haydn a eseguire un brano per clavicembalo scritto da lui. Haydn ci provò ma a un certo punto dovette fermarsi perché la partitura prevedeva di suonare una nota al centro mentre la mano destra era impegnata da una parte della tastiera e la sinistra dall’altra. “Nessuno può riuscirci”, protestò Haydn. “Io sì”, disse Mozart ed eseguì il brano in modo impeccabile suonando la nota problematica con il naso. La prossima settimana, Ariete, prendi esempio da Mozart e preoccupati non solo degli estremi ma anche del centro.
Toro (20 aprile - 20 maggio)
Se hai mai pensato di andare a Bora Bora o a Pago Pago, potrebbe essere il momento giusto per farlo: sei in una fase di “doppia visione”, un periodo in cui la magia potrebbe nascere dalla ripetizione, dalla duplicazione e dall’imitazione. Per trarre il massimo vantaggio da questo dualismo dei ritmi cosmici, non fare le cose una sola volta. Due sono meglio. Il raddoppio ti rafforzerà.
Gemelli (21 maggio - 20 giugno)
The Onion, il mio giornale preferito, un po’ di tempo fa raccontava la storia di un gatto “libero pensatore” che fa i bisogni “fuori dalla cassetta”. Dato che anche tu sei in una fase di libero pensiero e comportamenti disinibiti, Gemelli, spero che ti dedicherai soprattutto a creare bellezza e felicità “fuori dalla cassetta”. Cambiando il modo in cui le cose sono sempre state fatte, ti capiterà di combinare un po’ di casino, ma anche quello alla lunga si rivelerà utile.
Cancro (21 giugno - 22 luglio)
Hai la sensazione di essere un impostore? Cominci a preoccuparti di non essere quello che dici di essere? Se è così, voglio ricordarti cos’è successo l’ultima volta che hai vissuto questi stati d’animo. Ti sei sentito supermotivato a dimostrare che sei quello che dici di essere. E l’effetto è stato meraviglioso, ricordi? Hai potuto individuare e sfruttare risorse alle quali non sapevi di poter accedere, ti sei liberato di qualche illusione e hai ribadito il tuo impegno a essere sempre rigorosamente autentico. Perché non fare il bis?
Leone (23 luglio - 22 agosto)
Sono un patito della compassione. L’empatia è uno dei miei feticci. Mi piace consolare gli afflitti, difendere i deboli e lottare per i diritti delle persone svantaggiate. Eppure c’è anche una parte di me pagana, libertaria e anarchica. Penso che ognuno debba comportarsi come vuole a patto di non procurare danni agli altri. In questo momento, Leone, sei nella fase “tutto si può fare” del tuo ciclo astrale, e la parte permissiva di me è passata in prima linea, ansiosa di incoraggiarti a rischiare il tutto per tutto, a superare ogni limite e a cercare di farla franca più che puoi. L’unica condizione è di non danneggiare nessuno, neanche te stesso.
Vergine (23 agosto - 22 settembre)
Gli incantatori di serpenti sono ancora molto frequenti in alcune città indiane. Muovendosi ritmicamente al suono di uno strumento simile al flauto, fanno oscillare un cobra eretto come se stesse danzando. Secondo la mia lettura dei presagi astrali, in questo momento hai la capacità di realizzare l’equivalente metaforico di questo trucco da illusionisti. È una di quelle rare volte in cui hai il potere di dirigere e perfino di controllare forze indomabili. Però devi stare attento. Avere questo potere non significa che puoi risparmiarti la preparazione e la disciplina.
Bilancia (23 settembre - 22 ottobre)
È arrivato il momento di pensare in modo comprensivo e non difensivo, di vedere le cose in modo futuristico e non didascalico, di sognare con fantasia e non con diplomazia. Devi smetterla di concentrarti su ogni puntino che entra nel tuo campo visivo e osservare i cicli a lungo termine della tua vita da una prospettiva più ampia. Cerca di essere un visionario intraprendente, Bilancia. Un nobile esploratore. Tessi insieme tutti i fili in un arazzo che riveli il quadro generale. Nella prossima fase della tua liberazione dovrai spogliarti delle preoccupazioni meschine e dei dettagli banali.
Scorpione (23 ottobre - 21 novembre)
La parola “mai” non è mai stata così irrilevante per te. Eventi che ti sono sempre sembrati improbabili sono entrati nel raggio delle tue possibilità. Personaggi esotici, che fino a poco tempo fa pensavi di poter incontrare solo in un romanzo, stanno diventando attori reali della tua vita. Intrecci che non avresti mai potuto prevedere si stanno insinuando nella tua trama. Perciò, aspettati un miracolo bizzarro nascosto sotto un travestimento facilmente smascherabile. E non sorprenderti se una visione paradisiaca si rivelerà in tutta la sua gloria. Il futuro non sta solo bussando alla tua porta, sta cercando di sfondarla.
Sagittario (22 novembre - 21 dicembre)
Lo scrittore del Sagittario Samuel Clemens è diventato famoso con il nome d’arte di Mark Twain. Ma prima ne ha provati altri, tra cui Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass, W. Epaminondas Adrastus Blab, Trismegistus e Sergeant Fathom. Dato che sei in una fase in cui sarebbe utile sperimentare vari aspetti della tua personalità, ti consiglio di inventarti qualche pseudonimo. Spero che almeno uno di questi sia eccentrico quanto Blab o Snodgrass. Un po’ di autoironia non ti farà male. Ti permetterà di esplorare i lati più estremi della tua identità in maniera produttiva, divertente e coraggiosa.
Capricorno (22 dicembre - 19 gennaio)
Non vivi in Iraq né in Sudan o in Congo, non devi fare otto chilometri a piedi tutti i giorni per andare a prendere l’acqua e non sei così affamato da dover mangiare i vermi e la corteccia degli alberi. Perciò i tuoi problemi non possono essere tanto gravi. La prima cosa che puoi fare per cominciare a sistemare le piccole cose che non vanno nella tua vita è provare un’ondata di gratitudine per tutto quello che hai e per quanto sei fortunato. La seconda è distogliere l’attenzione da te stesso e rivolgerla verso qualcuno che ha veramente bisogno di aiuto. Se porterai a termine questi due compiti, i tuoi dilemmi cominceranno a sciogliersi come per magia.
Acquario (20 gennaio - 18 febbraio)
C’è un fenomeno fastidioso che interferisce con ogni ricerca sulla reincarnazione: troppe persone sostengono di essere state geni o celebrità nelle loro vite precedenti. Un problema altrettanto increscioso è quello delle rivendicazioni multiple. Conosco ben tre persone che mi hanno assicurato di essere state Napoleone in una vita precedente. In realtà, quasi nessuno di quelli che stanno leggendo questo oroscopo è stato famoso in una qualsiasi delle sue incarnazioni passate. Ma c’è una cosa che vale la pena di notare: una percentuale sproporzionatamente alta di Acquari è stata una persona di grande fantasia. E nelle prossime settimane sarete al culmine delle vostre capacità di sfruttare la creatività che avevate in passato.
Pesci (19 febbraio - 20 marzo)
La settimana scorsa, quando ho spedito la mia newsletter, ho ricevuto il solito numero di risposte automatiche da persone che erano in vacanza. Quella di Lisa mi ha colpito particolarmente. “Non posso rispondere alla vostra email in questo momento”, diceva. “Sarò in meditazione fino al 1 giugno”. La mia prima reazione è stata d’invidia. “Vorrei avere anch’io il tempo e la forza di volontà di meditare ininterrottamente per 15 giorni!”, ho pensato. Mi sono immaginato libero dai soliti impegni e intento a meditare anche nel sonno. La mia seconda reazione è stata quella di raccontare di Lisa a voi Pesci. I prossimi giorni saranno il momento ideale per allontanarvi dal caos e cercare rifugio in una pacifica conversazione con l’eternità. Se non riuscite a farlo per una settimana, concedetevi almeno 48 ore di profondo e totale relax.
The Challenge: “The Hollywood Gown” in golden age Hollywood was a time when there were gowns designed for film stars and movie rolls, by designers known worldwide. Designers such as Adrian, Edith Head, and Irene, were known for their film gowns. Fashion and the movies have been married since the first moving pictures. There were times when the gown made the film and made even bigger the starlet who wore it, catapulting her into the next big "it" girl. This challenge is to create the perfect “Hollywood Gown”. The gown has to be modern while also giving a nod to those famous Hollywood designers of yesteryear. The gown must be camera ready and starlet bound, it must look good from all angles and must provide that perfect “Hollywood publicity still”.
Since Old Hollywood glam is such a vast space to fathom, with regards to the stylings of Irene, Adrian and Edith, I kinda imagined a dream client coming into my abode and wanting the ultimate gown for her movie's premiere. The conversation goes:
"Starlet: I want a stand out gown that's photogenic on all angles.
Me: You choose between the two area's to bare, Upper meaning the bust, or lower meaning the legs?
Starlet: I want the Upper thing, but not a cleavage, but more of a see through thing, dramatic, and hide my lower with flowy tulle, like I'm floating, I want it big, I want it (puffs her cigarette), soo big, that no one can have a picture beside me...I alone shall be in each frame.
Me: Ok...I just might pull that off for you
Starlet: and oh, please do me a purse...a small one...for my ziggies...(puffs her cigarette again)"
So I made this sculptural top of hand cut satin, laminated to hold its form, and then encrusted with crystals, softened with bow details. The skirt is made of round tulle petals in 4 shades: nude, ecru, blush and tan that are individually hand stitched to create a billowy swirling effect on the skirt. The waist is singed by a gold faux crocodile skin belt with a solid rhinestone buckle. Accessories include a tiny jewel encrusted clutch, gold satin ribbon shoes, diamante earrings and bangles made from cutglass all done by me.
The last Sea Hag fell with a terrible cry. The battle to save the entirety of Caribdus was finally over. Her corpse hitted the turbulent ocean and bursted into a sickening blob of waterlogged meat and steaming sea spray. The last remaining wretched octopons still surviving also collapsed. Their octopus-skin melted away, revealing shriveled masaquani who screamed and died in a most disturbing manner. Moments after this horrible display, the storm broke and began to fade. As the heroes pick up their wounded, a pretty young girl appears from the mists on their ship. Anyone who has seen the Maiden recognizes Mara Mallus immediately, the Fourth Witch. She appears as she did at the end of her life, a nine year old girl dressed in a simple prisoner's gown. The bright smile on her young face overshadows the dreary garment. The ocean calms and a single ray of sun shines down upon the Devil's Cross. A light drizzle continues. Mara looks up into the shower and lets it wash over her face, feeling the warm rain.
"Your quest is almost complete. My sisters were vile creatures. I knew it even in life, but I was young and afraid. I am sorry I drew so many away from their homes and families in that other world-I was not myself in that shadowy form. I have the ability to return you to your own world if you would like to go. For an hour after I am gone, sail north from this place and dream of home and you will soon find yourself there. You are brave heroes. Your deeds will be told in the taverns of Caribdus for all time. They will curse my sisters and I. Pray say something kind for me if you've a notion. Now I must go and end this. I am not afraid. I have paid the price for my sins already and know that a better fate awaits me now. I wish you calm seas, friends."
Mara looked up at the rain one last time, smiling, then stepping into the sea, sinking like a stone, disappearing into the depths. As her small form vanishes into the darkness, the rain above stopped. The clouds parted, and the sun beats down upon the Flotsam sea for the first time in 13 years.
A rainbow rose in the north as Mara instructed. Hoshi and Kaede nodded at each other, knowing it was finally their time to say goodbye to the many friends they met here in Caribdus during this long adventure, while also honoring and remembering the fallen ones. Cerberuskos, Beatriz, Pete... With a hug, wiping up a tear after saying her farewells to Captain Recaredo, Mongrel, and Ramms. Both sisters set up a small boat, on the way to the portal that would send them both back to their world. As both sailed into the sun setting horizon, Hoshi set up some fireworks with her pyrotechnic abilities for a last goodbye.
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Made with "Piratas Salvajes" Backdrop from The Bearded Guy
Chucho's and Cerberusko's head from BeSpoke
Susanô the Phoenix from Rezz Room
Hoshi's clothes Nami Dress from *SK*
Coalition Sloop from Black Hole Systems Incorporated AKA BHSI
Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:
Ding-dong.
Hark! now I hear them — Ding-dong, bell.
On a typical languid Sunday afternoon we see Pan Am train 16R, (NS East Binghamton to East Deerfield manifest) at CPF385 tied down on the single main framed beneath the old two track B&M era signal bridge. Three tired veteran C40-9Ws all in the old pre-horsehead scheme are on the point of the 63 car train.
The old B&M isn't what it used to be and this train was parked nearly 7 hrs on what is now only a single main track. But no matter, this didn't so much as even delay a single other train.
From 1927 until 1969 Greenfield was headquarters for the Fitchburg Division and it's hard to fathom a thru freight would have been parked for minutes let alone hours here in sight of the Superintendent's office. My how times have changed...
Little did I or anyone know that in 2 1/2 weeks the line would be severed with the Hoosac Tunnel collapse and the railroad would begin scrambling to keep traffic moving over myriad detour routes and railfans would flock from all over to capture the unprecedented moves. But on this day it was just lonely and boring with nary another soul around.
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Sunday January 26, 2020
‘To fathom.’ The word suggests great depths, even a deep darkness of not knowing. ‘I keep looking for something,’ she writes, ‘but don’t know what...
-Etty Hillesum: A Life Transformed
by Patrick Woodhouse
Mysticism’, she wrote, ‘must rest on crystal clear honesty, can only come after things have been stripped down to their naked reality.’
-Etty Hillesum: A Life Transformed
by Patrick Woodhouse
And so, as the clamour of the fear rises, she cultivates an inner solitude; as the contagion of the fear spreads, she practises an inner detachment; as the cancer of the fear eats away the spirit of those around her, she is rigorously watchful against it in her own mind; as the cries of the fear become an awful cacophony, she learns to listen deeply to the silence of her own heart; as she faces up to and accepts what the fear points to – their inevitable end – she consciously nourishes a profound inner freedom. And at the heart of this rigorously disciplined inner life was her openness to the Mystery of the Divine experienced within her as vulnerable Presence.
-Etty Hillesum: A Life Transformed
by Patrick Woodhouse
In 2020 a severe rainstorm totaled a building that housed a popular restaurant on the strip at the tourist town of Long Beach, Washington.
After standing vacant for the remainder of 2020, the building finally showed signs of life last year.
Yesterday we noticed this seasonal art on the ground-floor windows. If the quality of the restaurant is as high as the designs, Long Beach can look forward to the opening of another good dining spot.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Hong kong)
Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory south to Mainland China and east to Macao in East Asia. With around 7.2 million Hong Kongers of various nationalities[note 2] in a territory of 1,104 km2, Hong Kong is the world's fourth most densely populated country or territory.
Hong Kong used to be a British colony with the perpetual cession of Hong Kong Island from the Qing Empire after the First Opium War (1839–42). The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and acquired a 99-year lease of the New Territories from 1898. Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during the Second World War until British control resumed in 1945. The Sino-British Joint Declaration signed between the United Kingdom and China in 1984 paved way for the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997, when it became a special administrative region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China with a high degree of autonomy.[15]
Under the principle of "one country, two systems",[16][17] Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic system from China. Except in military defence and foreign affairs, Hong Kong maintains its independent executive, legislative and judiciary powers.[18] In addition, Hong Kong develops relations directly with foreign states and international organisations in a broad range of "appropriate fields".[19] Hong Kong involves in international organizations, such as the WTO[20] and the APEC [21], actively and independently.
Hong Kong is one of the world's most significant financial centres, with the highest Financial Development Index score and consistently ranks as the world's most competitive and freest economic entity.[22][23] As the world's 8th largest trading entity,[24] its legal tender, the Hong Kong dollar, is the world's 13th most traded currency.[25] As the world's most visited city,[26][27] Hong Kong's tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised by competitive simple taxation and supported by its independent judiciary system.[28] Even with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, it suffers from severe income inequality.[29]
Nicknamed "Pearl of the Orient", Hong Kong is renowned for its deep natural harbour, which boasts the world's fifth busiest port with ready access by cargo ships, and its impressive skyline, with the most skyscrapers in the world.[30][31] It has a very high Human Development Index ranking and the world's longest life expectancy.[32][33] Over 90% of the population makes use of well-developed public transportation.[34][35] Seasonal air pollution with origins from neighbouring industrial areas of Mainland China, which adopts loose emissions standards, has resulted in a high level of atmospheric particulates in winter.[36][37][38]
Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Prehistory
2.2 Imperial China
2.3 British Crown Colony: 1842–1941
2.4 Japanese occupation: 1941–45
2.5 Resumption of British rule and industrialisation: 1945–97
2.6 Handover and Special Administrative Region status
3 Governance
3.1 Structure of government
3.2 Electoral and political reforms
3.3 Legal system and judiciary
3.4 Foreign relations
3.5 Human rights
3.6 Regions and districts
3.7 Military
4 Geography and climate
5 Economy
5.1 Financial centre
5.2 International trading
5.3 Tourism and expatriation
5.4 Policy
5.5 Infrastructure
6 Demographics
6.1 Languages
6.2 Religion
6.3 Personal income
6.4 Education
6.5 Health
7 Culture
7.1 Sports
7.2 Architecture
7.3 Cityscape
7.4 Symbols
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
10.1 Citations
10.2 Sources
11 Further reading
12 External links
Etymology
Hong Kong was officially recorded in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking to encompass the entirety of the island.[39]
The source of the romanised name "Hong Kong" is not known, but it is generally believed to be an early imprecise phonetic rendering of the pronunciation in spoken Cantonese 香港 (Cantonese Yale: Hēung Góng), which means "Fragrant Harbour" or "Incense Harbour".[13][14][40] Before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour (Chinese: 香港仔; Cantonese Yale: Hēunggóng jái), literally means "Little Hong Kong"—between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was an initial point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen.[41]
Another theory is that the name would have been taken from Hong Kong's early inhabitants, the Tankas (水上人); it is equally probable that romanisation was done with a faithful execution of their speeches, i.e. hōng, not hēung in Cantonese.[42] Detailed and accurate romanisation systems for Cantonese were available and in use at the time.[43]
Fragrance may refer to the sweet taste of the harbour's fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River or to the incense from factories lining the coast of northern Kowloon. The incense was stored near Aberdeen Harbour for export before Hong Kong developed Victoria Harbour.[40]
The name had often been written as the single word Hongkong until the government adopted the current form in 1926.[44] Nevertheless, a number of century-old institutions still retain the single-word form, such as the Hongkong Post, Hongkong Electric and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
As of 1997, its official name is the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China". This is the official title as mentioned in the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Hong Kong Government's website;[45] however, "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" and "Hong Kong" are widely accepted.
Hong Kong has carried many nicknames. The most famous among those is the "Pearl of the Orient", which reflected the impressive nightscape of the city's light decorations on the skyscrapers along both sides of the Victoria Harbour. The territory is also known as "Asia's World City".
History
Main articles: History of Hong Kong and History of China
Prehistory
Main article: Prehistoric Hong Kong
Archaeological studies support human presence in the Chek Lap Kok area (now Hong Kong International Airport) from 35,000 to 39,000 years ago and on Sai Kung Peninsula from 6,000 years ago.[46][47][48]
Wong Tei Tung and Three Fathoms Cove are the earliest sites of human habitation in Hong Kong during the Paleolithic Period. It is believed that the Three Fathom Cove was a river-valley settlement and Wong Tei Tung was a lithic manufacturing site. Excavated Neolithic artefacts suggested cultural differences from the Longshan culture of northern China and settlement by the Che people, prior to the migration of the Baiyue to Hong Kong.[49][50] Eight petroglyphs, which dated to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BC – 1066 BC) in China, were discovered on the surrounding islands.[51]
Imperial China
Main article: History of Hong Kong under Imperial China
In 214 BC, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a centralised China, conquered the Baiyue tribes in Jiaozhi (modern-day Liangguang region and Vietnam) and incorporated the area of Hong Kong into his imperial China for the first time. Hong Kong proper was assigned to the Nanhai commandery (modern-day Nanhai District), near the commandery's capital city Panyu.[52][53][54]
After a brief period of centralisation and collapse of the Qin dynasty, the area of Hong Kong was consolidated under the Kingdom of Nanyue, founded by general Zhao Tuo in 204 BC.[55] When Nanyue lost the Han-Nanyue War in 111 BC, Hong Kong came under the Jiaozhi commandery of the Han dynasty. Archaeological evidence indicates an increase of population and flourish of salt production. The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb on the Kowloon Peninsula is believed to have been built as a burial site during the Han dynasty.[56]
From the Han dynasty to the early Tang dynasty, Hong Kong was a part of Bao'an County. In the Tang dynasty, modern-day Guangzhou (Canton) flourished as an international trading centre. In 736, the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang established a military stronghold in Tuen Mun to strengthen defence of the coastal area.[57] The nearby Lantau Island was a salt production centre and salt smuggler riots occasionally broke out against the government. In c. 1075, The first village school, Li Ying College, was established around 1075 AD in modern-day New Territories by the Northern Song dynasty.[58] During their war against the Mongols, the imperial court of Southern Song was briefly stationed at modern-day Kowloon City (the Sung Wong Toi site) before their ultimate defeat by the Mongols at the Battle of Yamen in 1279.[59] The Mongols then established their dynastic court and governed Hong Kong for 97 years.
From the mid-Tang dynasty to the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Hong Kong was a part of Dongguan County. During the Ming dynasty, the area was transferred to Xin'an County. The indigenous inhabitants at that time consisted of several ethnicities such as Punti, Hakka, Tanka and Hoklo.
European discovery
The earliest European visitor on record was Jorge Álvares, a Portuguese explorer, who arrived in 1513.[60][61] Having established a trading post in a site they called "Tamão" in Hong Kong waters, Portuguese merchants commenced with regular trading in southern China. Subsequent military clashes between China and Portugal, however, led to the expulsion of all Portuguese merchants from southern China.
Since the 14th century, the Ming court had enforced the maritime prohibition laws that strictly forbade all private maritime activities in order to prevent contact with foreigners by sea.[62] When the Manchu Qing dynasty took over China, Hong Kong was directly affected by the Great Clearance decree of the Kangxi Emperor, who ordered the evacuation of coastal areas of Guangdong from 1661 to 1669. Over 16,000 inhabitants of Xin'an County including those in Hong Kong were forced to migrate inland; only 1,648 of those who had evacuated subsequently returned.[63][64]
British Crown Colony: 1842–1941
A painter at work. John Thomson. Hong Kong, 1871. The Wellcome Collection, London
Main articles: British Hong Kong and History of Hong Kong (1800s–1930s)
In 1839, threats by the imperial court of Qing to sanction opium imports caused diplomatic friction with the British Empire. Tensions escalated into the First Opium War. The Qing admitted defeat when British forces captured Hong Kong Island on 20 January 1841. The island was initially ceded under the Convention of Chuenpi as part of a ceasefire agreement between Captain Charles Elliot and Governor Qishan. A dispute between high-ranking officials of both countries, however, led to the failure of the treaty's ratification. On 29 August 1842, Hong Kong Island was formally ceded in perpetuity to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Treaty of Nanking.[65] The British officially established a Crown colony and founded the City of Victoria in the following year.[66]
The population of Hong Kong Island was 7,450 when the Union Flag raised over Possession Point on 26 January 1841. It mostly consisted of Tanka fishermen and Hakka charcoal burners, whose settlements scattered along several coastal hamlets. In the 1850s, a large number of Chinese immigrants crossed the then-free border to escape from the Taiping Rebellion. Other natural disasters, such as flooding, typhoons and famine in mainland China would play a role in establishing Hong Kong as a place for safe shelter.[67][68]
Further conflicts over the opium trade between Britain and Qing quickly escalated into the Second Opium War. Following the Anglo-French victory, the Crown Colony was expanded to include Kowloon Peninsula (south of Boundary Street) and Stonecutter's Island, both of which were ceded to the British in perpetuity under the Convention of Beijing in 1860.
In 1898, Britain obtained a 99-year lease from Qing under the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, in which Hong Kong obtained a 99-year lease of Lantau Island, the area north of Boundary Street in Kowloon up to Shenzhen River and over 200 other outlying islands.[69][70][71]
Hong Kong soon became a major entrepôt thanks to its free port status, attracting new immigrants to settle from both China and Europe. The society, however, remained racially segregated and polarised under early British colonial policies. Despite the rise of a British-educated Chinese upper-class by the late-19th century, race laws such as the Peak Reservation Ordinance prevented ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong from acquiring houses in reserved areas such as Victoria Peak. At this time, the majority of the Chinese population in Hong Kong had no political representation in the British colonial government. The British governors did rely, however, on a small number of Chinese elites, including Sir Kai Ho and Robert Hotung, who served as ambassadors and mediators between the government and local population.
File:1937 Hong Kong VP8.webmPlay media
Hong Kong filmed in 1937
In 1904, the United Kingdom established the world's first border and immigration control; all residents of Hong Kong were given citizenship as Citizens of United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKC).
Hong Kong continued to experience modest growth during the first half of the 20th century. The University of Hong Kong was established in 1911 as the territory's first higher education institute. While there had been an exodus of 60,000 residents for fear of a German attack on the British colony during the First World War, Hong Kong remained unscathed. Its population increased from 530,000 in 1916 to 725,000 in 1925 and reached 1.6 million by 1941.[72]
In 1925, Cecil Clementi became the 17th Governor of Hong Kong. Fluent in Cantonese and without a need for translator, Clementi introduced the first ethnic Chinese, Shouson Chow, into the Executive Council as an unofficial member. Under Clementi's tenure, Kai Tak Airport entered operation as RAF Kai Tak and several aviation clubs. In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out when the Japanese Empire expanded its territories from northeastern China into the mainland proper. To safeguard Hong Kong as a freeport, Governor Geoffry Northcote declared the Crown Colony as a neutral zone.
Japanese occupation: 1941–45
Main article: Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Cenotaph in Hong Kong commemorates those who died in service in the First World War and the Second World War.[73]
As part of its military campaign in Southeast Asia during Second World War, the Japanese army moved south from Guangzhou of mainland China and attacked Hong Kong in on 8 December 1941.[74] Crossing the border at Shenzhen River on 8 December, the Battle of Hong Kong lasted for 18 days when British and Canadian forces held onto Hong Kong Island. Unable to defend against intensifying Japanese air and land bombardments, they eventually surrendered control of Hong Kong on 25 December 1941. The Governor of Hong Kong was captured and taken as a prisoner of war. This day is regarded by the locals as "Black Christmas".[75]
During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Japanese army committed atrocities against civilians and POWs, such as the St. Stephen's College massacre. Local residents also suffered widespread food shortages, limited rationing and hyper-inflation arising from the forced exchange of currency from Hong Kong dollars to Japanese military banknotes. The initial ratio of 2:1 was gradually devalued to 4:1 and ownership of Hong Kong dollars was declared illegal and punishable by harsh torture. Due to starvation and forced deportation for slave labour to mainland China, the population of Hong Kong had dwindled from 1.6 million in 1941 to 600,000 in 1945, when the United Kingdom resumed control of the colony on 2 September 1945.[76]
Resumption of British rule and industrialisation: 1945–97
Main articles: British Hong Kong, 1950s in Hong Kong, 1960s in Hong Kong, 1970s in Hong Kong, 1980s in Hong Kong, and 1990s in Hong Kong
Flag of British Hong Kong from 1959 to 1997
Hong Kong's population recovered quickly after the war, as a wave of skilled migrants from the Republic of China moved in to seek refuge from the Chinese Civil War. When the Communist Party eventually took full control of mainland China in 1949, even more skilled migrants fled across the open border for fear of persecution.[69] Many newcomers, especially those who had been based in the major port cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou, established corporations and small- to medium-sized businesses and shifted their base operations to British Hong Kong.[69] The establishment of a socialist state in China (People's Republic of China) on 1 October 1949 caused the British colonial government to reconsider Hong Kong's open border to mainland China. In 1951, a boundary zone was demarked as a buffer zone against potential military attacks from communist China. Border posts along the north of Hong Kong began operation in 1953 to regulate the movement of people and goods into and out of the territory.
Stamp with portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953
In the 1950s, Hong Kong became the first of the Four Asian Tiger economies under rapid industrialisation driven by textile exports, manufacturing industries and re-exports of goods to China. As the population grew, with labour costs remaining low, living standards began to rise steadily.[77] The construction of the Shek Kip Mei Estate in 1953 marked the beginning of the public housing estate programme to provide shelter for the less privileged and to cope with the influx of immigrants.
Under Sir Murray MacLehose, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (1971–82), a series of reforms improved the public services, environment, housing, welfare, education and infrastructure of Hong Kong. MacLehose was British Hong Kong's longest-serving governor and, by the end of his tenure, had become one of the most popular and well-known figures in the Crown Colony. MacLehose laid the foundation for Hong Kong to establish itself as a key global city in the 1980s and early 1990s.
A sky view of Hong Kong Island
An aerial view of the northern shore of Hong Kong Island in 1986
To resolve traffic congestion and to provide a more reliable means of crossing the Victoria Harbour, a rapid transit railway system (metro), the MTR, was planned from the 1970s onwards. The Island Line (Hong Kong Island), Kwun Tong Line (Kowloon Peninsula and East Kowloon) and Tsuen Wan Line (Kowloon and urban New Territories) opened in the early 1980s.[78]
In 1983, the Hong Kong dollar left its 16:1 peg with the Pound sterling and switched to the current US-HK Dollar peg. Hong Kong's competitiveness in manufacturing gradually declined due to rising labour and property costs, as well as new development in southern China under the Open Door Policy introduced in 1978 which opened up China to foreign business. Nevertheless, towards the early 1990s, Hong Kong had established itself as a global financial centre along with London and New York City, a regional hub for logistics and freight, one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia and the world's exemplar of Laissez-faire market policy.[79]
The Hong Kong question
In 1971, the Republic of China (Taiwan)'s permanent seat on the United Nations was transferred to the People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong's status as a recognised colony became terminated in 1972 under the request of PRC. Facing the uncertain future of Hong Kong and expiry of land lease of New Territories beyond 1997, Governor MacLehose raised the question in the late 1970s.
The British Nationality Act 1981 reclassified Hong Kong into a British Dependent Territory amid the reorganisation of global territories of the British Empire. All residents of Hong Kong became British Dependent Territory Citizens (BDTC). Diplomatic negotiations began with China and eventually concluded with the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. Both countries agreed to transfer Hong Kong's sovereignty to China on 1 July 1997, when Hong Kong would remain autonomous as a special administrative region and be able to retain its free-market economy, British common law through the Hong Kong Basic Law, independent representation in international organisations (e.g. WTO and WHO), treaty arrangements and policy-making except foreign diplomacy and military defence.
It stipulated that Hong Kong would retain its laws and be guaranteed a high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years after the transfer. The Hong Kong Basic Law, based on English law, would serve as the constitutional document after the transfer. It was ratified in 1990.[69] The expiry of the 1898 lease on the New Territories in 1997 created problems for business contracts, property leases and confidence among foreign investors.
Handover and Special Administrative Region status
Main articles: Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong and 2000s in Hong Kong
Transfer of sovereignty
Golden Bauhinia Square
On 1 July 1997, the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China took place, officially marking the end of Hong Kong's 156 years under British colonial governance. As the largest remaining colony of the United Kingdom, the loss of Hong Kong effectively represented the end of the British Empire. This transfer of sovereignty made Hong Kong the first special administrative region of China. Tung Chee-Hwa, a pro-Beijing business tycoon, was elected Hong Kong's first Chief Executive by a selected electorate of 800 in a televised programme.
Structure of government
Hong Kong's current structure of governance inherits from the British model of colonial administration set up in the 1850s. The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration states that "Hong Kong should enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all areas except defence and foreign affairs" with reference to the underlying principle of one country, two systems.[note 3] This Declaration stipulates that Hong Kong maintains her capitalist economic system and guarantees the rights and freedoms of her people for at least 50 years after the 1997 handover. [note 4] Such guarantees are enshrined in the Hong Kong's Basic Law, the territory's constitutional document, which outlines the system of governance after 1997, albeit subject to interpretation by China's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC).[95][96]
Hong Kong's most senior leader, Chief Executive, is elected by a committee of 1,200 selected members (600 in 1997) and nominally appointed by the Government of China. The primary pillars of government are the Executive Council, Legislative Council, civil service and Judiciary.
Policy-making is initially discussed in the Executive Council, presided by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, before passing to the Legislative Council for bill adoption. The Executive Council consists of 30 official/unofficial members appointed by the Chief Executive and one member among them acts as the convenor.[97][98]
The Legislative Council, set up in 1843, debates policies and motions before voting to adopt or rejecting bills. It has 70 members (originally 60) and 40 (originally 30) among them are directly elected by universal suffrage; the other 30 members are "functional constituencies" (indirectly) elected by a smaller electorate of corporate bodies or representatives of stipulated economic sectors as defined by the government. The Legislative Council is chaired by a president who acts as the speaker.[99][100]
In 1997, seating of the Legislative Council (also public services and election franchises) of Hong Kong modelled on the British system: Urban Council (Hong Kong and Kowloon) and District Council (New Territories and Outlying Islands). In 1999, this system has been reformed into 18 directly elected District Offices across 5 Legislative Council constituencies: Hong Kong Island (East/West), Kowloon and New Territories (East/West); the remaining outlying islands are divided across the aforementioned regions.
Hong Kong's Civil Service, created by the British colonial government, is a politically neutral body that implements government policies and provides public services. Senior civil servants are appointed based on meritocracy. The territory's police, firefighting and customs forces, as well as clerical officers across various government departments, make up the civil service.[101][102]