HISTORY
The military conquest of South China, by the north, during the Qin (221-207 BC) and Han (206 BC-220 AD) dynasties must have brought increasing numbers of Han settlers into the region and exerted a variety of influences on the indigenous populations. These events are testified to by the discovery, in excavations, of coins of the Qin and Han periods. But the outstanding monument to this turbulent period must undoubtedly be the fine brick-built tomb uncovered at Lei Cheng Uk in 1955 with its fine array of typical Han tomb furniture, dateable from the early to middle Eastern Han period.
Archaeological remains from later historic periods are at present still poorly known. Recent work has thrown a welcome light on one aspect of life in the Hong Kong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), through a study of the dome-shaped lime kilns which are an almost ubiquitous feature of the territory's beaches. Lime, a valuable commodity useful for caulking and protecting wooden boats against marine organisms, waterproofing containers, dressing the acid soils of agricultural fields and building, among other pur- poses, clearly played an important role in the economy of the period.
Strong traditions link Hong Kong with the events surrounding the Mongol incursions and the concluding chapters of the Song Dynasty in the 13th century AD. The Sung Wong Toi inscription, now relocated near the entrance to the Hong Kong International Airport; the Song Inscription on the grounds of the Tin Hau temple at Joss House Bay; caches of Song coins from Shek Pik, Mai Po, and recently, Kellett Island; and celadons of Song type from various sites, especially Nim Shue Wan and Shek Pik on Lantau Island, date from this period.
Recent archaeological studies are beginning to throw fresh light on events in Hong Kong during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. These include an analysis of considerable quantities of Ming blue and white porcelain collected in recent years from a site at Penny's Bay, Lantau. The results suggest that this porcelain is very fine quality export ware of the kind which found its way to the courts of Southeast Asia and the West, and dates from the first few decades of the 16th century AD. The excavation of the Qing period fort on Tung Lung Island has already revealed fascinating details of the internal arrangements of the fortification and the everyday utensils of a remote garrison during the final stages of Imperial China.
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A Place from Which to Trade
In its early days, the territory was regarded as an uninviting prospect for settlement. A population of about 3 650 was scattered over 20 villages and hamlets, and 2 000 fishermen lived on board their boats in the harbour. Its mountainous terrain deficient in fertile land and water, Hong Kong possessed only one natural asset, a fine and sheltered anchorage. Largely the reason for the British presence which began in the 1840s, Victoria Harbour was strategically located on the trade routes of the Far East, and was soon to become the hub of a burgeoning entrepôt trade with China.
Hong Kong's development into a commercial centre began with its founding as a settlement under the British flag in 1841. At the end of the 18th century, the British dominated the foreign trade at Canton (Guangzhou) but found conditions unsatisfactory, mainly because of the conflicting viewpoints of two quite dissimilar civilisations.
The Chinese regarded themselves as the only civilised people and foreigners trading at Canton were subject to residential and other restrictions. Confined to the factory area, they
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