ENG-1999 — Page 494

CHAPTER 23

History

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HONG KONG became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on July 1, 1997. The Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed between China and Britain on December 19, 1984, provides that Hong Kong's lifestyle will remain unchanged for 50 years after 1997. Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs, and China's socialist system and policies will not be practised in the SAR.

In recent years, Hong Kong's relationship with the Mainland has strengthened- not only in terms of business ties but also in the extent of government contacts and the flow of people. This close relationship is the product of culture, location and history.

Hong Kong's history has been one of material and social improvement: the expansion of cities and towns by cutting into hillsides; reclaiming land from the sea; and the building of homes, schools, hospitals and other public facilities to meet the demands of the growing population.

Archaeological Background

Archaeological studies in Hong Kong began in the 1920s and have uncovered evidence of ancient human activities at many sites along the winding shoreline, testifying to events spanning more than 6 000 years. The interpretation of these events is still a matter of academic discussion. Archaeologically, Hong Kong is but a tiny part of the far greater cultural sphere of South China, itself as yet imperfectly known. Despite suggestions that local prehistoric cultures developed out of incursions from North China or South-East Asia, a growing number of scholars believe that the prehistoric cultures within the South China region evolved locally, independent of any major outside influences. There is little dispute, on the other hand, that these earliest periods, from the close of the fourth millennium BC, must be seen within the framework of a changing environment in which sea levels rose from depths of 100 metres below the present-inexorably submerging vast tracts of coastal plain and establishing a basically modern shoreline and ecology to which human groups had to adapt if they were not to perish.

The stone tools, pottery and other artefacts relied on for an insight into the lives of Hong Kong's ancient inhabitants, are for the most part preserved in coastal deposits. This pattern of coastal settlement points to a strong maritime orientation and an economy geared to the exploitation of marine resources. However, it would be unwise to over-emphasise this point, since the discovery of archaeological remains is influenced by many factors governing their survival. For example, the erosion of the