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Chapter 21

History

Hong Kong has repeatedly re-invented itself through the centuries, adapting to change for survival. It has weathered many a storm, physically and socially, to emerge as a world city in Asia.

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.

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 4000 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