HONG KONG
Excerpts from Wikipedia.org
Hong Kong (香港), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being Macau. The territory lies on the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east, west and south. Beginning as a trading port in the 19th century, Hong Kong has developed into a leading financial centre.
Hong Kong was a crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1842 until the transfer of its sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997. The Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Hong Kong stipulate that Hong Kong operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2047, fifty years after the transfer. Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the Central People's Government is responsible for the territory's defense and foreign affairs, while Hong Kong Government maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, immigration policy, and delegates to international organizations and events.
History
The history of Hong Kong began as a coastal island geographically located in southern China. While pockets of settlements had taken place in the region with archaeological findings dating back thousands of years, regularly written records were not made until the engagement of Imperial China and the British Colony in the territory. Starting out as a fishing village, salt production site and trading ground, it would evolve into a military port of strategic importance and eventually an international financial centre that enjoys the world's 14th highest GDP (PPP) per capita, supporting 33% of the foreign capital flows into China.
Prehistoric Era: Archaeological findings suggest human activity in Hong Kong dates back over 30 000 years. stone tools of hong kong's pre-historic people during the old stone age have been excavated in Sai Kung in Wong Tei Tung. The stone tools found in Sai Kung was perhaps from a stone tools making ground.Religious carvings on outlying islands and coastal areas have also been found, possibly related to Che people in Neolithic. The latest findings dating from the Paleolithic suggest that Wong Tei Tung (黃地峒) is one of the most ancient settlements in Hong Kong.
Imperial China Era (221 BC - 1800s): The territory was incorporated into China during the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC), and the area was firmly consolidated under Nam Yuet (203 BC - 111 BC.) Archaeological evidence indicates that the population has increased since the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220). In the 1950s, the tomb at Lei Cheng Uk from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 – 220) was excavated and archaeologists began to investigate the possibility that salt production flourished in Hong Kong around 2000 years ago, although conclusive evidence has not been found.
Tai Po Hoi, the sea of Tai Po, was a major pearl hunting harbour in China since Han Dynasty. The activities peaked during the Southern Han (917 to 971) and continued till Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644)
During the Tang Dynasty, the Guangdong region flourished as an international trading center. The Tuen Mun region in what is now Hong Kong's New Territories served as a port, naval base, salt production centre and later, base for the exploitation of pearls. Lantau Island was also the salt production centre where the salt smugglers riots broke out against the government.
In 1276 during the Mongol invasion, the Southern Song Dynasty court moved to Fujian, then to Lantau Island and later to today's Kowloon City, but the child emperor, Zhao Bing, after being defeated in the Battle of Yamen, committed suicide by drowning with his officials. Tung Chung valley, named after a hero who gave up his life for the emperor, is believed to have been a base for the court. Hau Wong, an official of the emperor is still worshipped in Hong Kong today.
However, during the Mongol period, Hong Kong saw its first population boom as Chinese refugees entered the area. The main reason for them to enter Hong Kong was because of wars, famines and some groups even came here to find jobs. Five clans of Hau (Hou, 候), Tang (Deng, 鄧), Pang (Peng, 彭) and Liu (Liao, 廖) and Man (Wen, 文) were claimed to be the Puntis (本地人) from Guangdong, Fujian and Jiangxi in China. Despite the immigration and light development of agriculture, the area was hilly and relatively barren. People had to rely on salt, pearl and fishery trades to produce income. Some clans built walled villages to protect themselves from the threat of bandits, rival clans and wild animals. The famous Chinese pirate Cheung Po Tsai also had many legendary stories in Hong Kong.
The last dynasty in China, Qing Dynasty, would also be the last to come in contact with Hong Kong. As a military outpost and trading port, the Hong Kong territory would gain the attention of the world.
Colonial Hong Kong Era (1800s - 1930s): By the early 19th century, the British Empire trade was heavily dependent upon the importation of tea from China. While the British exported to China luxurious items like clocks and watches, there was an overwhelming imbalance between the trades. China developed a strong demand for silver, which was a difficult commodity to come by in large quantities for the British. The counterbalance of trades would come with illegal opium entering China. Lin Zexu would become the Chinese commissioner who voiced to Queen Victoria the Qing state's opposition to the unlawful opium trade. It resulted in the Opium Wars, which led to British victories over China and the cession of Hong Kong to the United Kingdom via the enactment of the new treaties.
Hongkongers
Hongkongers is a term given to people from Hong Kong. By definition the person does not have to be ethnically Chinese to be classified under this term, though they are the largest group in the population.
Han Chinese residents of Hong Kong generally refer to themselves as Hèung Góng Yàhn (香港人; Cantonese Yale: Hèung Góng Yàhn), literally "Hong Kong people". Outside Hong Kong, this group may be referred to as Hong Kong Chinese (香港華人).
Non-Han-Chinese individuals born in the area are technically classified as Hong Kong people, though they may choose to be identified by their original heritage instead. But there is also a name to group all the people from Hong Kong, it is known as Hong Kongers; it has been used in many local and overseas press. Recently, the word Hongkongese is also found and is getting more popular to describe the unique local culture of Hong Kong or to refer to Hongkongers. Most Hong Kong Chinese have ancestral roots from Guangdong Province and Yangtze River Delta; these two main Chinese groups have mixed with each other. A very few Hong Konger Chinese have partial european ancestry.
Some China mainlanders find it offensive that Hong Kong people call themselves Hong Kong people, since it sounds like Hong Kong is not a part of China. The word Hongkongers distinguish themselves from Chinese, and is common to see Chinese internet users to find this offensive. While it is relatively common in China that people identify themselves by where they come from.
Demographics
Hong Kong's population increased sharply throughout the 1990s, reaching 6.99 million in 2006. About 95% of Hong Kong's population is of Chinese descent, the majority of which are Cantonese or from ethnic groups such as Hakka and Teochew. Cantonese, a Chinese language originating from Guangdong province to the north of Hong Kong, is Hong Kong's de-facto official dialect. English is also an official language widely spoken by more than 38% of the population. According to the 1996 Hong Kong Government by-census, some 3.1% regard English as their 'usual' language with 34.9% claiming to speak English as 'another' language. Signs displaying both Chinese and English are common throughout the territory. Since the 1997 handover, new groups of mainland Chinese immigrants have arrived. The usage of Mandarin, the official dialect of People's Republic of China and Republic of China (Taiwan), has also increased. The integration with mainland economy led to a demand in Mandarin speakers.
The remaining 5% of the population is composed of non-ethnic Chinese forming a highly visible group despite their smaller numbers. A South Asian population comprised of Indians, Pakistanis and Nepalese are found. Vietnamese refugees have become permanent residents. Approximately 140,000 Filipinos live and work in Hong Kong with the majority as foreign domestic helpers. An increasing number of domestic workers also originate from Indonesia.
Chinese |
2001 Number | % of Total | 2006 Number | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 6,364,439 | 94.9% | 6,522,148 | 95.0% |
| Filipino | 142,556 | 2.1% | 112,453 | 1.6% |
| Indonesian | 50,494 | 0.8% | 87,840 | 1.3% |
| Caucasian | 46,584 | 0.7% | 36,384 | 0.5% |
| Indian | 18,543 | 0.3% | 20,444 | 0.3% |
| Nepalese | 12,564 | 0.2% | 15,950 | 0.2% |
| Japanese | 14,180 | 0.2% | 13,189 | 0.2% |
| Thai | 14,342 | 0.2% | 11,900 | 0.2% |
| Pakistani | 11,017 | 0.2% | 11,111 | 0.2% |
| Other Asian | 12,835 | 0.2% | 12,663 | 0.2% |
| Others | 20,835 | 0.3% | 20,264 | 0.3% |
| Total | 6,708,389 | 100.0% | 6,864,346 | 100.0% |
There are also a number of Europeans, Americans, Australians, Canadians, Japanese, and Koreans working in Hong Kong's commercial and financial sector.
* Americans in Hong Kong
* Canadians in Hong Kong
* Japanese in Hong Kong
* Koreans in Hong Kong
* South Asians in Hong Kong
* Vietnamese in Hong Kong
* Filipinos in Hong Kong
Cuisine of Hong Kong
The cuisine in Hong Kong can best be described as a Chinese, specifically Cantonese, style cuisine with extensive influences from Western cuisine, due to Hong Kong's long history of being a melting pot of eastern and western cultures. From the roadside stalls to the most upscale restaurants, Hong Kong provides an unlimited variety in every class. Complex combinations and international gourmet expertise have given Hong Kong the reputable labels of "Gourmet Paradise" and "World's Fair of Food"
Dim sum is the name for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea. Dishes may include meat, seafood, and vegetables, as well as desserts and fruit. The items are usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate. Yum cha (literally "tea drinking") is the term used to describe the dining session, especially in contemporary Cantonese.
Dim Sum
