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There's no doubt about it...
I miss my gear.
I went out last weekend without my D300 and the 35mm 1.8 lens that's pretty much always affixed to it and I felt naked... I felt like I was missing something... it was an odd feeling really.
It'll be a while before I can go on 'Soul-Patrol' and bring back some shots to share with you.
I gotta feeling that everything's gonna work out just fine.
Being a 'cameraless person' has kind of led me to do some deep thinking about what photography means to me... 'my' photography... what it's meant to me in the past... maybe what it's always meant to me...
Photography has been nothing short of a journey for me... I've done it for so many reasons... I've thought about it in different ways... but it's one thing that's always been a part of my life.
In college I shot medium format film... all black and white... using a Mamiya 645 and a Mamiya C330 twin lens reflex camera... the finest film camera I've ever owned.
I picked up a 35mm Minolta 7700 in Japan when I was a student there.
I've loaded my own 35mm film and developed it and printed it in my own darkroom, a bathroom with a towel shoved under the door... my first digital camera was a Sony Mavica... a 2 megapixel deal where you used 3.5" floppy disks to store your images.
I've taken some cool shots with it and a range of point and shoot cameras.
The Nikon D70 was my first DSLR... and it was kind of a dog... I didn't like the color rendition... the tiny screen on the back sucked... and sometimes it just wouldn't shoot a frame if it didn't think it was right.
I hated that.
The camera and I fought really... it said 'no' and I said 'go.'
It always won.
But when I got my hands on a Nikon D300... that's when everything caught fire.
Nothing before could ever come close to comparing to what that camera and I could do together.
Like everyone I've used photography to document the moments in my life that I thought were worth documenting.
I rarely share those pictures.
If my photography had a theme in the beginning... it was that there was beauty everywhere.
I tried to take pictures that showed that.
Just having the camera in my hand made me look for beautiful things to shoot.
Color and light caught my eye.
This picture was one of the first shots I took with my D300 and it's color rendition was spot on.
It's my favorite color picture I've ever taken I think... at least in my top five.
The D300 is the first camera I've ever shot with that saw color like I did... SOOC even.
And it captured the intricacies of the light that attracted me to photograph things.
That excited me... to have a camera that saw it the way I did, without any adjustment or processing.
It gave me images that were to me much more real than anything I'd ever produced with any other camera, film or digital.
I fell in love with that D300.
I wanted every piece of glass that Nikon made.
I shot something like 1.4 million frames with that camera.
Most of them not even noteworthy.
But every once in a while... every thousand shots or so things would line up just right.
I'd be staring at a shot that took my breath away.
Color and light were the focus of my personal photographic drive.
2010 was a terrible and painful year in my life.
My world was shattered and my soul took a grave hit.
Sometimes I'm suprised that I survived it.
My photographs from that time were introsepective and they got darker.
Those images helped me to deal with what turned out to be the greatest crisis in my life.
I made it through that crisis and towards the end of 2010 I was looking forward to living a new life.
The future was looking good.
I was much more open to the world.
I began to explore it and myself... looking for my place in it all I suppose.
My excitement for life and living returned and you can see it in the images that I posted... there was this 'transition' where I went from documenting the beauty of the world as I saw it, to examining myself and my place in it.
I shot some self portraits... and though they were of little artistic merit, they had a pretty profound effect on me.
It was like I was looking at a stranger when I looked at those pictures... only a 'stranger that I knew intimately' if you can understand that.
Something deep inside of me was bubbling to the surface because of it.
By April of 2011 I'd seen much of myself, my life and my surroundings portrayed in images that I shot.
Then something made me turn the camera on other people.
I began to shoot strangers.
I started shooting people on the street.
The effect on my soul was immediate, it was deep and it was broad.
It was real.
I witnessed this 'revolution in my soul' and I couldn't begin to detail it here... but it was nothing short of a revolution.
It changed me as a human being.
It opened my eyes to a world of reality that either I'd never seen before or that I just didn't notice.
I connected powerfully and meaningfully with that world through the lens.
The future is a book unwritten I'm sure.
But in my personal journey through life with a camera... I was certain that in the 'now', on my own photographic journey, that I'd found my destination.
This was where it all came together.
This was where I belonged.
It's a place where the world, the camera and I exist in this perfect harmony.
As if it was everything that was ever supposed to be.
I am certain that I'll have another camera in my hands soon.
But in the meantime, I've really enjoyed, and profited immensely from examining what it all means, what it's all meant to me.
I have no doubt at all that when the time is right and I've got a new camera to shoot with that I will take some incredible and meaningful pictures.
The time I've had to abstain from capturing those moments...
That time has only made me appreciate everything about 'my' photography more...
On such a deeper level.
I so look forward to hearing the sound of that shutter again.
I will savor the moment, the light, the reality around me and my ability to capture it like never before.
The moment will never be taken for granted by me again.
Every moment will mean something.
Looking back, I can see from the images that I've created how my life has changed.
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Latin name: Branta sandivensis - Hawaiian Geese or Ne-ne
Taken on our trip to Pensthorpe Nature Reserve in Norfolk.
This is a species of goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The official bird of the state of Hawaiʻi, the nene is exclusively found in the wild on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, Molokai, and Hawaiʻi.
The Hawaiian name nēnē comes from its soft call. The specific name sandvicensis refers to the Sandwich Islands, an old name for the Hawaiian Islands.
It is thought that the nene evolved from the Canada goose (Branta canadensis), which most likely arrived on the Hawaiian islands about 500,000 years ago, shortly after the island of Hawaiʻi was formed. This ancestor is the progenitor of the nene as well as the prehistoric Giant Hawaiʻi goose and nēnē-nui (Branta hylobadistes). The nēnē-nui was larger than the nene, varied from flightless to flighted depending on the individual, and inhabited the island of Maui. Similar fossil geese found on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi may be of the same species. The Giant Hawaiʻi goose was restricted to the island of Hawaiʻi and measured 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in length with a mass of 8.6 kg (19 lb), making it more than four times larger than the nene. It is believed that the herbivorous Giant Hawaiʻi goose occupied the same ecological niche as the goose-like ducks known as moa-nalo, which were not present on the Big Island. Based on mitochondrial DNA found in fossils, all Hawaiian geese, living and dead, are closely related to the giant Canada goose (B. c. maxima) and dusky Canada goose (B. c. occidentalis).
Did you know: Its strong toes have much reduced webbing, an adaptation to the lava flows on which it breeds.
Taken with my Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5.6-6.3 Di VC USD A011 Lens and framed in Photoshop.
Better viewed in light box - click on the image or press 'L' on your keyboard.
Sony Alpha 77V, Tamron SP AF XR DI 28-75mm 2.8 @ 75mm, f: 3,5, t: 1/80 s ISO 400
Develeoped in LR CC
PGB Photographer & Creative - © Philip Romeyn - Phillostar Gone Ballistic 2021 - Photo may not be edited from its original form. Commercial use is prohibited without contacting me.
Done in Ai, Finalized in Photoshop
The Backward Smiler: Reflectionbound
"It smiles with you, then before you... then without you."
In the dim light of antique mirrors and still water, The Backward Smiler waits—not behind you, but within you. Its skin gleams like tarnished chrome, featureless until you give it something to mimic. The image in the reflection is always too perfect at first… and then, far too wrong.
It mimics your body. Your posture.
Then it smiles too early.
Then it smiles too wide.
And before you know it… it’s no longer you.
In this form, Reflectionbound, The Backward Smiler doesn't just mimic you—it stretches beyond you. Its smile splits into something anatomical and unnatural, tearing at the "boundary" between what is flesh and what is memory. The surface of the mirror becomes liquid-like, a gateway into itself, as if the reflection is trying to pull you in.
Lore:
Some say this is not one creature, but a sentient network of haunted mirrors, all sharing a single consciousness—the first mirror that ever reflected human fear. This form, seen in the reflection here, is its true shape—not bound by anatomy, but by mimicry itself.
Children say if you stare too long into a mirror at night and force a smile, you’ll start to feel it smile back with muscles you don’t control.
Phenomena & Warnings:
Smile Lag: Your reflection will smile before you do.
Face Tension: Prolonged staring may cause the feeling of your skin pulling inward toward the mirror.
Reflection Mismatch: Victims report seeing themselves continue to move for 2–3 seconds after turning away.
How to Banish It (Temporarily):
Speak your full name backward three times.
Do not cover the mirror—break the gaze instead.
If its smile begins to stretch, never return to that mirror again.
*** Nếu là tình yêu , xin đừng ràng buộc . Dù là tình yêu , cũng đừng kỳ vọng . Hãy để tình yêu đó tự do . Bởi tự do và thanh thản là hai yếu tố quan trọng để làm nên hạnh phúc !. :)
Pistachio nuts, dry roasted, without salt added
Source: Nutrient data for this listing was provided by USDA SR-21. Each "~" indicates a missing or incomplete value.
Percent Daily Values (%DV) are for adults or children aged 4 or older, and are based on a 2,000 calorie reference diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower based on your individual needs.
Nutrition Data's Opinion, Completeness Score™, Fullness Factor™, Rating, Estimated Glycemic Load (eGL), and Better Choices Substitutions™ are editorial opinions of NutritionData.com, given without warranty, and are not intended to replace the advice of a nutritionist or health-care professional. Nutrition Data's opinions and ratings are based on weighted averages of the nutrient densities of those nutrients for which the FDA has established Daily Values, and do not consider other nutrients that may be important to your health or take into account your individual needs. Consequently, Nutrition Data's higher-rated foods may not necessarily be healthier for you than lower-rated ones. All foods, regardless of their rating, have the potential to play an important role in your diet.
The Amino Acid Score has not been corrected for digestibility, which could reduce its value.
A friend of mine was lucky to meet this girl. Seems she's shoeless in tights quite often and really doesn't care about it! There's another shot when she returned later that day, still without shoes - such a cool girl she must be! Hope he will be lucky in future to get some more shots of her...!
“There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion, even by the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made.”
― Edgar Allan Poe, The Masque of the Red Death
Peñafrancia Tours and Travel Transport 186
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Operator: Peñafrancia Tours and Travel Transport Inc.
Fleet No.: 186
Type of Service: Tourist Transport Service
Route: Naga City to any point in Luzon
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ENGINE
Maker: Hyundai Motor Company
Model: D6CC
CHASSIS
Maker: Hyundai Motor Company
Model: KMJKJ18****
COACH
Coachbuilder: Hyundai Motor Company
Model: Universe Space Luxury
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captured at Bicol Isarog TSI EDSA Cubao Terminal, Quezon City
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NOTE: Errors may be evident with this description. Corrections will be done once verified.
120920180913
Ogunquit, Maine
Hasselblad 500 C/M, Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8 C T*, Fuji Velvia 50
“Under the thinning fog the surf curled and creamed, almost without sound, like a thought trying to form itself on the edge of consciousness.” ~ Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep
Cet été, j'ai suivi un cours de pâtisserie donné par ma cousine. En collaboration avec une amie de ma soeur qui tient une boutique de gâteaux sans gluten.
Je n'ai pas pu participer, le matin, à la partie où les autres ont fait des fleurs en sucre, donc mon gâteau est plus simple.
C'était une expérience géniale et délicieuse
Le gâteau de ma nièce (plus élaboré : elle a fait les roses) est au premier plan
Last summer, I have followed a cooking lesson about cakes without gluten. It was given by my cousin and a friend of my sister. The first one teaches and the second sells breads or pastry without gluten.
I was not at the morning lesson, about sugar flowers, then my cake is very simple. But it was a delicious and great experiment
In the foreground, my eldest niece's cake, more elaborate : she has made the roses and the decoration
©All rights reserved. The use without my written permission is illegal
Seja feliz
Com seu país
Seja feliz
Sem raiz
Seja feliz
Com seu irmão
Seja feliz
Sem razão
Tão longa a estrada
Tão longa a sina
Tão curta a vida
Tão largo o céu
Tão largo o mar
Tão curta a vida
Curta a vida
Seja legal
Com seu amor
Seja legal
Sem pudor
Seja gentil
Com sua figura
Seja gentil
Sem frescura
Tão longa a estrada
Tão longa a sina
Tão curta a vida
Tão largo o céu
Tão largo o mar
Tão curta a vida
Curta a vida
Without a calendar I would still know the month by the return of the Junco, White-throated Sparrow and its cousins in October.
PGB Photographer & Creative - © Philip Romeyn - Phillostar Gone Ballistic 2021 - Photo may not be edited from its original form. Commercial use is prohibited without contacting me.
Without a health and safety sign the veils between worlds seemed to have grown thin and even ragged around the demonic clawed gateways. I had no idea that this was in existence til I stumbled into the empty room. All of the apparitions were well behaved and posed nicely for these rushed mobile phone images.
I have been feeling out of this world ill and these bright painted darkly lit mobile phone images have been an unusual joy to edit.
PHH Sykes 2022
phhsykes@gmail.com
Legends Nightclub and Bar
www.oldtownpubco.com/our-bars/legends-bar-edinburgh/
Rock has been housed in 71 Cowgate since the dawn of time.
Legends
71 Cowgate
Edinburgh
EH1 1JW
Marble, on the wall of a church, (outside), in Chiavari, ( Genova).
It was under a glass . so the photo is not very clear
Something not automotive based for a change...
In this world of constant connectivity and continuous updates that we have surrounded ourselves with, it's sometimes hard to truly be alone for a while.
Are we really alone without internet?
© All rights reserved. Use without permission is illegal.
2019 08 08
Hell♥' Girls, Friends, L♥vers!!!
Many kisses from me in this day!!! Lovely Hugs for AllYou!!!! What are you doing to do today? What do you think about my shot?? Thanks for yours cute comments on my photos, I l♥ve you So Much!!!! Kisses!!!! If you like this photo leave a (cute :) comment!!!! :* ♥♥♥
I spotted Charlie and her boyfriend walking across the road and I loved her style so without hesitation ran over to say hello and ask for her picture. I wanted to shot the image under the bridge in Camden as there was some amazing light falling in a natural and diffused way.
Charlie was super excited immediately and told me she runs a fashion blog and goes out weekly to do the same sort of thing as I was doing - I think she was thrilled to be asked instead of being the one asking this time! I asked her not to smile and she told her boyfriend to tun around as he makes her smile - which was super sweet!
A lovely encounter and a joy to meet. I was really pleased with the shot despite having no reflector, shooting in jpg medium by mistake and having a general off day.
To see more of my portraits sand keep up to date follow me on Facebook at my [UrbanScot] Photography page.
Inspired to take portraits of strangers? Check out the wonderful work of the other contributors to the 100 Strangers Group on flickr!
© 2010 RESilU | Please don't use this image without my explicit permission.
___________________________________________________________________________
In walking the spiral
moving 'I inwardly
and can feel 'with all your senses
The center of my being
In walking the spiral
I leave the old
and lay it in the column
Mother Earth's womb
In walking the spiral
I recognize the life
and to begin to weave
what will emerge anew
___________________________________________________________________________
Both the single spiral and the double helix are among the most sacred symbols of Neolithic Europe. They appear on megalithic monuments such as stone circles, temples, burial mounds, loose stones, menhirs - across the continent and the British Isles.
Spiral "oculi" - these are double coils, which have a similarity with the eyes, come mainly from places like the threshold stones from New Grange in Ireland and the temple of al Tarxien, Malta. Similar double coils also feature the Ionic columns of classical Greece.
The "spiral maze" is a commonly used symbol that occurs in all of Europe, from Finland to Cornwall and from Crete to Chartres. Also in northern South America it is present. Spirals placed the snake keeper of the Sumerian temple dar.
The spiral is connected with the idea of death and rebirth, with entry into the mysterious depths of the earth, the encroachment until his heart and leaving the womb in the same way. Sacred dances have imitated this movement, and therefore so use many folk dances, dating from pagan times, the spiral line, move on to the dancers.
"Spiral labyrinth" pattern in churches were taken over by older cult places about which they were built. Labyrinths are not mazes spiral - there is only one way into it, to the center and out again. Not just a cycle, but a journey inward and a return to the outside.
Today we think of the maze only we get lost. In reality it is a InitiationWay - and on the inward journey, it is easier to run than in a maze - even if it seems to be only one way.
Spirals have to do with snakes, with the blood flow, are ecdysis and symbol for instauration. Humans have always been fascinated by the moulting of snakes, it was said that the snake never die, they renew themselves constantly.
In our world we are talking about levels, increase of stairs, up, up ... The spiral stands for cycles, but not as "plain-repeat", but the circle and the development is along the spiral.
Everything is cyclical, but nothing is as it was.
Whoever you are......
No matter how lonely
The world offers itself to your imagination
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZOW8ZuLG2o&hl=en-GB&gl=SG
Everybody's looking for a something
One thing that makes it all complete
When you've found that special thing....
You're flying without wings
© All rights reserved Anna Kwa. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission
A pair of Class 153s seen passing through Llansamlet with the 1W62. 11.05 hrs Milford Haven to Manchester Piccadilly (Photo By Steve Powell)
Without a GE engine anywhere in sight, CSX marches the ethanol cans across the Hoosier State, ironically, through the cut cornfields.
Seen here, train B841 (Decatur, IL, DREI run-through to Sewaren, NJ, ethanol loads) does the honors near Cromwell, Indiana on CSX's former B&O Garrett Sub.
All rights reserved, no use without license
++++++ From Wikipedia +++++++
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.
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]
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