China

Hong Kong has the big city specials like smog, odour, 14 million elbows and an insane love of clatter. But it's also efficient, hushed and peaceful: the transport network is excellent, the shopping centres are sublime, and the temples and quiet corners of parks are contemplative oases.

Before the 20th century

Hong Kong has supported human life since at least the Stone Age. Until the British claimed it, the area was a neglected corner of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) empire inhabited by farmers, fishermen and pirates. The British took control of Hong Kong in 1841 following the Opium Wars. European trade with China had been taking place since the 16th century, but as European demand for tea and silk grew, the balance of trade became more and more unfavourable to Europeans, who were expected to pay in silver. In 1773, the British unloaded 70,000kg (155,000lb) of Bengal opium, and the Chinese taste for the 'foreign mud' grew exponentially. Alarmed at the drain of silver from the country and the increasing number of addicts, the emperor banned the drug trade. The Europeans, with the help of corrupt Chinese officials, managed to keep the trade in opium going until 1839 when the emperor again issued orders to stamp it out. British traders were forced to hand over their supplies of raw opium, which was then publicly burned.

The British sent an expeditionary force to China to exact reprisals, secure favourable trade arrangements and obtain use of some islands as a British base. The force blockaded Canton (now called Guangzhou) and a number of other ports, ultimately threatening Beijing. The British pressured the Chinese into ceding Hong Kong Island to them in perpetuity. Both sides ultimately repudiated the agreement, but Commodore Gordon Bremmer led a contingent of naval men ashore on 26 January 1841 and claimed the island for Britain. A series of conflicts followed, with the British backed by French, Russian and American interests. A combined British and French force invaded China in 1859, forcing the Chinese to agree to the Convention of Peking, which ceded the Kowloon Peninsula and nearby Stonecutters Island to the British. In 1898, the British also gained a 99-year lease on the New Territories, which they felt essential to protect their interests on Hong Kong Island.

Modern history

In the early 20th century Hong Kong began a gradual shift away from trade to manufacturing. This move was hastened by the civil war in China during the 1920s and by the Japanese invasion in the 1930s, when Chinese capitalists fled to the safer confines of the colony. When the US embargo on Chinese goods during the Korean War threatened to strangle the colony, it was forced to increase its manufacturing capacity and develop service industries, such as banking and insurance. Hong Kong's existence was threatened again when the Communists came to power in China in 1949 and during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Although the Chinese could have re-taken Hong Kong with ease, a precarious peace prevailed.

In December 1984, the British agreed to hand over the entire colony when the lease on the New Territories ran out in 1997, rather than hang on to a truncated colony consisting of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. The agreement theoretically allows Hong Kong to retain its pre-1997 social, economic and legal systems for at least 50 years after 1997. As the handover approached, controversies raged over the building of Hong Kong's expensive new airport and the amount of democracy the Chinese were willing to accept.

Recent history

Hong Kong suffered fallout from Asia's economic crises in the late 90s. In the years since, it has picked up fast and one of the world's great cities is booming once again. China's official policy with regard to Hong Kong is 'one country, two systems', and the common view is that as long as Hong Kong continues to make money (and little noise) its autonomy is assured. But a number of crucial interventions by Chinese authorities in Hong Kong's affairs have made it evident that there is not quite as much autonomy going on as the slogan suggests. Nevertheless, the European Commission has described Hong Kong as one of the freest societies in Asia.

In 2007 Sir Donald Tsang stood again for election as chief executive, and was elected with ease - the first not to stand unopposed. His contestant, prodemocracy activist Alan Leong, came a distant second, but at least there was a vote.

In 2009 Hong Kong's population passes seven million and the unemployment rate grows to almost 5% in the face of the world's worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. On June 4 150,000 attend a candle-lit vigil commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 1989 pro-democracy protests in Beijing.

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You'll need to be cashed up to play on one of Hong Kong's five golf courses - if you're not, try cycling, hiking or swimming. If you like fishing, there are plenty of people who'll take you out on a boat, or you can dip your rod in one of the city's reservoirs.

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Many prefer to visit Hong Kong during November and December when there are pleasant breezes, plenty of sunshine and comfortable temperatures. January and February are OK times to visit, but the temperature can drop to below 10°C (50°F). Warmer temperatures make March and April pleasant months to go, but in May the air becomes uncomfortably sticky and humid. Typhoons hit Hong Kong most years between about May and September, though the city is so well prepared it would need to be a very big storm to disrupt your travel too much.

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Transport

Getting there and away

Most international travellers arrive and depart via Hong Kong International Airport (www.hongkongairport.com). More than 60 airlines operate between Hong Kong and about 140 destinations worldwide. Competition keeps fares relatively low, and it's a great place to find discounted tickets. Travellers to and from mainland China can use ferry, road or rail links to Guangdong and points beyond. Hong Kong can be reached from Macau via ferry or helicopter.

Getting around

The Airport Express line of the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is the fastest, easiest and consequently the most expensive public route to/from Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, off the northern coast of Lantau. A gaggle of much cheaper buses connect the airport with Lantau, the New Territories, Kowloon and even Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong's public transport system is the envy of cities the world over. It's fast, easy to navigate, relatively inexpensive and ridiculously easy with the Octopus card payment system. From the moment you arrive you'll be wondering why more cities can't operate transport like Hong Kong. There are old harbour ferries and narrow trams, ultra modern trains and the world's longest escalator. If you can't get from A to B with style in Hong Kong, you're not trying.

Health & Legal Requirements

Dangers and annoyances

Hong Kong is extremely safe for visitors, both male and female. As you go further north in Kowloon and into the New Territories, the crime rate increases, but criminals would still rather target locals than visitors. However, it's unwise to flash valuables and you should remain alert at all times.

Despite the 1991 removal of criminal penalties for homosexual acts between those over 18 years of age, people remain fairly conservative about homosexuality, and circumspection on the street is advisable.