Hong Kong
Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is one of two special administrative regions in the People's Republic of China, along with Macau. Located in East Asia, the territory is bordered by the South China Sea to the south and by Mainland China to the north, and is bordered to the west by Macao, on the opposite bank of the Pearl River Delta. total 1104.4 km² divided between Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories.
Hong Kong's history spans several periods, dating back to the first semi-coastal settlements during the Neolithic period. Between 214 B.C. C. and 1842, it belonged to the Chinese Empire during which it was under the jurisdiction of different commanderies and counties, until its establishment as a British colony as a result of the first opium war that led to the signing of the Treaty of Nanking. The protectorate It was in force for more than a century and a half, a time in which the region underwent a significant transformation motivated primarily by the promotion of its infrastructure, population growth and foreign and industrial investment. It should be noted that In World War II, the Japanese occupied the territory until 1945, when the British Empire resumed control. However, in mid-1997 the definitive transfer of its sovereignty to China became effective, although due to the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has a higher level of autonomy than other regions of the country.
Unlike China, Hong Kong's political system incorporates the separation of powers and is headed by the chief executive who is elected by the Election Committee and later appointed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The economy is characterized by being free market and focused on the service sector, in addition to having one of the largest stock exchanges in the world in terms of market capitalization. Likewise, Hong Kong is home to several notable constructions and engineering works such as the Tsing Ma Suspension Bridge, the Hong Kong International Airport or the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. On the other hand, Hong Kong's culture is largely a hybrid between the Western influences of its historical past, and its traditional Chinese principles and elements, including the philosophy of feng shui, which is important in aspects such as structural design and land planning and the region.
Etymology
The term "He-Ong-Kong" was first used in 1780 referring to a small inlet located between Aberdeen Island and the south coast of Hong Kong Island, the area of which used to serve as a point of departure. contact between British sailors and local fishermen. While the provenance of the romanized name is unknown, it is assumed to be a phonetic representation of the Cantonese pronunciation hēung góng, whose English meaning is "fragrant port or "incense port". The word "fragrant" could refer to the sweet taste of the port's influx of water from the Pearl River, or the smell of the incense factories that line the north coast of Kowloon. Prior to the establishment of Victoria Harbour, frankincense was stored near Aberdeen Harbor for eventual export. Another theory as to the etymology of Hong Kong came from John Francis Davis, the territory's second colonial governor, and speculates that the name derives from "Hoong-keang"—"red stream"—referring to the reflection of the color of the ground over which a waterfall flowed on the island.
The simplified name Hong Kong was used consistently from 1810, although it was also spelled as a single word. The latter custom remained ingrained in society for more than a century, until 1926 when the government officially adopted the two-word term. However, some organizations founded during the early colonial days still maintain this name, such as the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels or Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
History
Prehistory and imperial period
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Hong Kong's oldest human settlements date back to the Neolithic period, some 6,000 years ago. Its first inhabitants were semicoastalers of the Yue tribes (in Chinese, 越; Sidney Lau, Yuet6 ) who emigrated from the mainland and introduced rice cultivation to the island. After consolidating their rule in China in 221 B.C. C., Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty conquered the regions occupied by the Yue, so Hong Kong was annexed to their territory in 214 BC. C.
The Qin dynasty organized its territories into commanderies—administrative divisions equivalent to contemporary provinces—such as Nanhai (in Chinese, 南海郡), which made up Hong Kong and Canton. Qin Shi Huang's death in 210 BC C. caused a series of revolts and insurrections throughout China, such as that of General Zhao Tuo in the south, where he established the kingdom of Nanyue (in Chinese, 南越) —the predecessor of Vietnam—, which had Panyu (in Chinese, 番禺区) as its capital. the 112 a. The Han dynasty conquered Nanyue. During the Jin dynasty and most of the Tang dynasty, Hong Kong belonged to Bao'an County (Chinese: 宝安区) and eventually Dongguan Prefecture (in Chinese, 东莞市) until the Ming dynasty. The oldest record of an event in Hong Kong is found in a stone inscription, located on a peninsula in Joss House Bay, and alludes to the construction of a stone pagoda on Tung Lung Chau Island, during the reign of the Song Emperor. Zhenzong—Northern Song dynasty—in 1012. The engraving dates from 1274, during the Southern Song dynasty under Emperor Duzong. Li Ying College was founded in about 1075, the first institution academic in Hong Kong of which there is a record.
The Southern Song dynasty briefly occupied the territory that is now Kowloon City until its conquest in 1279 by the Mongols, after the Battle of Yamen, who established the Yuan dynasty. The arrival of Chinese refugees led to a significant increase in the population of Hong Kong, which was ruled by five clans or families: Tang (in Chinese, 鄧), Hau (Chinese 候), Pang (Chinese 彭), Liu (Chinese 廖) and Man (Chinese 文). Until the decline of the Yuan in 1368, the island was occupied primarily by farmers, fishermen, and pirates—among whom was Cheung Po Tsai. During the Ming Dynasty, a period during which Hong Kong was ruled by Xin'an County (in Chinese, 新安縣), they arrived Several emigrants from nearby provinces moved to Kowloon. In 1513, the Portuguese explorer Jorge Álvares was the first European to visit the region. Finally some Portuguese merchants arrived in Hong Kong and established a commercial center called Tamão, in order to carry out trade with the southern region of China. Although there was some friction between Portugal and Hong Kong after the expulsion of the merchants in the 1520s, relations between the two territories were restored in 1549. Almost a decade later, in 1557, Portugal acquired a permanent lease for Macau.
In the mid-16th century 16th, during the Ming dynasty, isolationist Haijin policies came into effect. i>, which restricted maritime trade and coastal settlement. Later, the Qing government ordered the destruction of Hong Kong's coastal homes and crops in order to force the villagers from these areas to relocate to the mainland. As a result, an estimated 16,000 people changed their residence and most of Hong Kong was left vacant. In the years leading up to the colonial period, the Hakka became the predominant population group on the island.
Colonial era (1842-1997)
Background
In 1624, the Kangxi Emperor rescinded Haijin policies in order to once again allow foreigners into Chinese ports. The Qing government established the Canton System in 1757 to regulate trade operations more strictly, by limiting access to Canton to foreign, non-Russian vessels. Chinese tea became a commodity in high demand for the British Empire, whose interest in establishing a trade relationship with China became more apparent after from 1793, when he sent a diplomatic mission to China whose proposals, however, were rejected by the Qianlong Emperor. In return, the British exported manufactured goods and opium to China. Opium triggered a consumption crisis in the Asian country that the authorities sought to eradicate through the confiscation and destruction of the substance, and the suppression of the opium trade in 1839. This led to a British military response that resulted in the first opium war, a conflict that ended in 1842 with the defeat of the Qing and the cession of Hong Kong Island to British rule. On August 29 of that year, the Treaty of Nanking was signed, through which Hong Kong was constituted as a British colony.
Cession of Kowloon and Stonecutters Island
Hong Kong's new political situation brought numerous benefits to the island's public infrastructure, with the introduction of the first gas and electricity companies in 1862 and 1890 respectively, and the Peak Tram funicular in 1885 and the the Kowloon–Canton Railway, completed in 1910. However, piracy and diseases such as the bubonic plague, coupled with the hostility of some Qing polities towards the island, prevented the government from attracting merchants. Living conditions in Hong Kong improved after the Taiping Rebellion, in which wealthy Chinese fled the country's turbulence and settled in the British colony. Continuing disagreements and tensions between the UK and the Qing over the trafficking of Opium led to the Second Opium War, in which the Qing were again defeated and had to cede the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters Island to them in the Peking Convention of 1860. By the end of the war, Hong Kong had gone from being a Transient outpost to a notorious shopping mall. The rapid economic improvement during the 1850s attracted foreign investment, as potential interested parties became increasingly confident in the future of the territory.
Leasing of the New Territories
With the end of the first Sino-Japanese war in 1895, certain countries such as Germany, France and Russia —which intervened to support China— demanded the cession of their territory, which motivated the British to seek control of the region surrounding Hong Kong. As a result, in 1898 Great Britain signed a ninety-nine-year lease of the New Territories. Although a clause initially allowed the Chinese access to the Kowloon wharf, in December In 1899 the British authorities ordered its revocation and occupied the region in its entirety. Over the next five decades, the colony expanded further as its commercial activity increased. In 1911, the University of Hong Kong, the region's first institute of higher learning, was established, and in 1924 the University of Hong Kong began operations. Kai Tak International Airport. Notably, the colony avoided a prolonged economic slowdown after the Canton and Hong Kong strikes of 1925 and 1926.
At the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Governor Geoffry Northcote declared Hong Kong a neutral zone to safeguard its status as a free port. The colonial government prepared for a possible attack by evacuating all women and British children in 1940. The Imperial Japanese Army attacked Hong Kong on December 7, 1941, the same morning it attacked Pearl Harbor. Hong Kong was occupied by Japan for nearly four years before Britain retook control on August 30, 1945. During this period, commercial activity on the island ceased and food supplies as well as public services were interrupted. Several of its inhabitants moved to the Portuguese colony of Macao in search of better living conditions.
After the war, Hong Kong's population swelled with the arrival of Chinese immigrants fleeing the civil war, and refugees who crossed the border after the Chinese Communist Party took control of the country in 1949 This situation led to an increase in squatters in the region. On December 23, 1953, a vast fire caused the destruction of several buildings, for which the government decreed a public housing program whose first stage benefited 600,000 inhabitants and, in more recent years, houses more than 2.1 million of people in more than half a million apartments. During the 1950s, Hong Kong became the first industrialized economy of the four Asian tigers, motivated by the trade embargo imposed on China by the United Nations in 1951, as a consequence of the Korean War. With a rapidly growing population and the rise of both the textile manufacturing industry—which accounted for almost half the amount of exports in the 1960s—and tourism, the colonial government began reforms to improve infrastructure and public services.
Last decades of the colony
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In the 1970s, a couple of government initiatives stood out that have continued to be implemented since then. The first had to do with a program for the creation of settlements in the New Territories from 1972, the development of which favored Hong Kong's territorial planning, while the other consisted of the National Parks Decree in 1976, through which authorized the creation of country parks and special areas, which today cover approximately 40% of Hong Kong's land area. While the territory's competitiveness in manufacturing gradually declined due to rising labor and property costs, it became an economy based on the service sector. By the early 1990s, Hong Kong had been established as a world financial and shipping center.
The colony faced an uncertain future as the end of the British lease on the New Territories neared, and Governor Murray MacLehose raised the issue of Hong Kong's status with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in 1979. Another meeting with the The same purpose was made in 1982 between Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the country's authorities. Diplomatic negotiations with China resulted in the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, in which the United Kingdom agreed to transfer the colony in 1997 at the same time. that China would constitute it as a special administrative region with the preservation of the capitalist economic and political systems necessary for its development in the following five decades after the transfer. The impending operation provoked a wave of mass emigration of those who feared an erosion of civil rights, rule of law and quality of life; in fact, between 1987 and 1990 alone, 62,000 people left the territory. Hong Kong's final transfer to China occurred on July 1, 1997, after just over a century and a half of British rule.
2000s-present day
Immediately after the transfer, Hong Kong was severely affected by several crises. As a solution, the government used significant foreign reserves to maintain the Hong Kong dollar currency parity during the 1997 Asian financial crisis. However, the economic recovery was cut short by an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu and a housing surplus, followed by the 2003 SARS epidemic, during which the territory experienced the most severe economic slowdown in its history. In 1997, the right of residence applicable also for mainland Chinese residents was formalized. This measure allowed around 68,000 children to enter Hong Kong between 1997 and 1999. Similarly, in January 1998, the New Immigrant Services Steering Committee was established as well as the Employment and Guidance Center for the New Immigrants. Despite having very low crime rates, there have been some violent events, such as the so-called "Hello Kitty murder" that occurred in 2000.
Political discussions after the transfer of sovereignty have focused on the democratic development of the region and the central government's adherence to the principle of "one country, two systems." After the reversal of the democratic reforms of the last Legislative Council of the colonial era, in 1994, the local government tried unsuccessfully to enact national security laws in 2003, in accordance with Article 23 of the basic law, giving rise to a citizen mobilization that has been carried out since then every July 1 with different political and social interests. The decision of the central government to implement the pre-selection of the candidate before allowing the elections in 2014 of the Chief Executive caused a series of protests that became known as the Umbrella Revolution. Voter registration discrepancies and disqualification of elected lawmakers after the 2016 Legislative Council elections, coupled with national law enforcement at West Kowloon high-speed rail station and a proposed extradition law that would allow criminal suspects to be sent to China for trial have raised concerns about on the real autonomy of the region. On the other hand, the government tries not only to make Hong Kong one of the main financial centers in the world, but has since prioritized other areas such as investment in robotics, to compete with countries like Singapore or Japan.
Government and politics
Hong Kong was handed over from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China in 1997 and, thanks to the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the "one country, two systems" principle, its level of autonomy is much higher than the rest of the country In fact, its immigration policy is completely different from that of mainland China, whose citizens do not have the right of residence without restrictions. From there, it derived the basic law that establishes that the territory is a Special Administrative Region and delineates its system of government, although according to its Chapter VIII, the interpretation of this corresponds to the Standing Committee of the National Popular Assembly.
Unlike the rest of China, in Hong Kong there is a separation of powers, as stipulated in Chapter IV of the basic law, which falls on the Executive Council, the Legislative Council and the Judiciary. In the first case, the management is in charge of the chief executive, who is chosen by the Electoral Committee and later appointed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. Within this, is the Civil Service, a neutral body that implements policies and provides services to the government, whose servers are elected by meritocracy. The Legislative Council has seventy members, half elected by universal suffrage and the other by certain persons (physical or legal) from some stipulated sectors, and are directed by the president. On the other hand, the legal system is completely different from the existing scheme in mainland China, since that of Hong Kong is strongly influenced by English law and is organized in a hierarchical way from the Court of Final Appeal to the district courts —which include the Family Court—, passing through the Supreme Court, which is divided into the Court of Appeal and the Court of Pr first instance.
The implementation of the basic law, including how and when the promised universal suffrage should be applied, has been one of the biggest issues since the transfer of sovereignty. In 2002, the government proposed an anti-subversive bill under Article 23 the basic law, which called for the promulgation of laws prohibiting acts of treason and subversion against the Chinese government; however, the opposition was so fierce that it was eventually postponed. Debate between pro-Beijing groups, which often have the support of the executive branch, and pro-democracy characterizes Hong Kong's political scene, with the latter in favor of increase the pace of democratization in the region and the principle of "one man, one vote".
Foreign Relations
More than a hundred countries that maintain relations with China have diplomatic representation in the territory, although Hong Kong has no powers in foreign policy, since these fall on the government of Beijing. For this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China has a commissioner in Hong Kong who is in charge of affairs with foreign countries that concern it. In addition, the territory is a member of some international organizations such as the International Olympic Committee, the International Monetary Fund, the Forum for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or the World Trade Organization, but must be subscribed so that it appears in the registry as "Hong Kong, China", according to Article 152 of the basic law.
Its greater economic opening in relation to the rest of China and its efficient transport infrastructure make Hong Kong a very attractive place for the arrival of capital from abroad and for many countries to use it to re-export their products. In the same way, the region has a much more flexible immigration policy, which has helped it to be one of the main recipients of tourists from around the world.
Armed Forces
When Hong Kong was under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, the British Armed Forces were responsible for the defense of the region. Most of the personnel came from British territory, although the number of soldiers of Chinese descent began to increase after the end of World War II. The volunteer corps grew to a force of up to 1,200 men, which for many locals served as a military career in the British forces; many of them even received honors for their good and loyal service for at least fifteen years.
Following the handover of sovereignty to the PRC, the British army was replaced by a garrison of the People's Liberation Army, comprising land, sea and air factions, and under the command of the Central Military Commission. The law Basic law protects local civil powers from interference by the military, which is subject to regional rules. The Hong Kong Government is responsible for maintaining public order; however, it can ask the central administration for help in case of being unable to do so or due to a natural disaster. The Chinese government is also in charge of bearing the costs of maintaining its forces in Hong Kong.
Human rights and humanitarian work
Hong Kong, having different laws than the rest of China, is often perceived as a place with greater civil liberties, although in some situations full freedom does not yet exist. For example, freedom of assembly is restricted by the Public Order Ordinance, and the excessive use of police force at demonstrations has been criticized. Added to this are questions about the excessive powers of law enforcement and excessive covert surveillance, which some claim violates the right to privacy. Likewise, the lack of protection for homosexual communities is evident, due to the absence of a law against sexual discrimination, although there is no precept either. that criminalizes it per se. There are studies that consider the lack of some labor rights, especially because workers cannot freely associate or choose a union. On the other hand, Internet censorship is much more flexible in Hong Kong with respect to mainland China.
Humanitarian work directed at refugees or protection seekers is carried out in coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, although it does not provide financial assistance and the Hong Kong authorities require that refugees have a document of recognized and subject to investigation by the local immigration department. In 2014, in collaboration with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative program and the Oxford University Collaborating Center, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Disaster Preparedness and Response Institute, which trains the Hong Kong community in the event of natural disasters, whose scope can be both local and the entire Asia-Pacific region. In turn, the Hong Kong Red Cross operates as an autonomous section of the Chinese Red Cross and provides food and medical assistance, as well as support in the reconstruction of homes and buildings affected by disaster s. In 1995, the Crossroads Foundation was founded in Hong Kong, a charitable foundation that has donated various material goods to organizations with different needs in more than ninety countries. Other associations and charity projects in the territory include Box of Hope -which provides gifts to underprivileged children in Hong Kong and Asia during Christmas—; o Chi Heng Foundation —which cares for children affected in Hong Kong and the rest of China by AIDS— and Support! International Foundation —which provides educational programs to different communities in need in Seoul, Washington D.C., Singapore and Taiwan.
Territorial organization
Hong Kong has had a unitary system of government since 2000, when the only two municipal councils that functioned as local authorities were abolished. There is no formal definition as such about what is considered a city in the territory, which is administratively divided into eighteen geographical districts, each represented by a council that advises the central executive on matters within its constituency such as public infrastructure, community programs, cultural activities or environmental improvements. In total, there are around five hundred seats in the district councils —the number varies in each electoral call—, of which the majority are elected by popular vote and a quarter are appointed by the government, while a minority are ex officio. The Department of Home Affairs communicates government policies to the public through district offices. Hong Kong's districts are described below:
| District | Population (May 2020) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Territories | |||||||
| 1 | Islands | 183 000 | |||||
| 2 | Kwai Tsing | 487 200 | |||||
| 3 | North | 305 100 | |||||
| 4 | Sai Kung | 486 200 | |||||
| 5 | Sha Tin | 688 200 | |||||
| 6 | Tai Po | 313 000 | |||||
| 7 | Tsuen Wan | 316 400 | |||||
| 8 | Tuen Mun | 498 400 | |||||
| 9 | Yuen Long | 662 000 | |||||
| Kowloon | |||||||
| 10 | City of Kowloon | 404 200 | |||||
| 11 | Kwun Tong | 667 400 | |||||
| 12 | Sham Shui Po | 424 000 | |||||
| 13 | Wong Tai Sin | 403 000 | |||||
| 14 | Yau Tsim Mong | 306 800 | |||||
| Hong Kong Island | |||||||
| 15 | Central and West | 233 400 | |||||
| 16 | East | 525 100 | |||||
| 17 | South | 256 100 | |||||
| 18 | Wan Chai | 165 100 | |||||
 | |||||||
Geography
Hong Kong is located in East Asia surrounded by the South China Sea to the south and mainland China to the north, and covers an area of 1,104.4 km², of which 35 km² is made up of water. divided into 80.6 km² of Hong Kong Island, 46.9 km² of Kowloon and 976.9 km² of the New Territories. In turn, more than 250 islands are under its sovereignty. Located east of Macao, on the opposite shore of the Pearl River Delta, the territory has a coastal strip of 733 km and is separated from the Chinese city of Shenzhen by the river of the same name along a border of 33 km.
Because the terrain tends to be mountainous with very steep slopes, only about 25% of the area is urbanized, while 40% is devoted to national parks and nature reserves. The highest point of all Hong Kong is the Tai Mo Shan, which is located in the New Territories at 957 m above sea level, although similar peaks are also found outside the mainland, such as Lantau Peak on the island of the same name (934 m).. What's more, the lowlands only account for a fifth of the total area and, except for the alluvium located in Deep Bay, most of it is acid and not very fertile. Consequently, its cultivable area covers only 6% of the territory.
Climate
Because of its location south of the Tropic of Cancer, the administrative region has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen, Cwa). Its variations between wet and dry seasons are well marked, due to the existence in the first of a monsoon - which gives rise to hot and humid summers, and dry and colder winters - and to the atmospheric pressure of the adjacent landmass and the ocean surface. Likewise, Hong Kong is frequently hit by typhoons, They usually appear in the summer, so floods and landslides are recurrent during that period.
 Hong Kong average climate parameters (normal values: 1981-2010; extreme values: 1884-1939 and 1947-2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Ene. | Feb. | Mar. | Open up. | May. | Jun. | Jul. | Ago. | Sep. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Annual |
| Temp. max. abs. (°C) | 26.9 | 28.3 | 30.1 | 33.4 | 35.5 | 35.6 | 35.7 | 36.6 | 35.2 | 34.3 | 31.8 | 28.7 | 36.6 |
| Average temperature (°C) | 18.6 | 18.9 | 21.4 | 25 | 28.4 | 30.2 | 31.4 | 31.1 | 30.1 | 27.8 | 24.1 | 20.2 | 25.6 |
| Average temperature (°C) | 16.3 | 16.8 | 19.1 | 22.6 | 25.9 | 27.9 | 28.8 | 28.6 | 27.7 | 25.5 | 21.8 | 17.9 | 23.2 |
| Temp. medium (°C) | 14.5 | 15 | 17.2 | 20.8 | 24.1 | 26.2 | 26.8 | 26.6 | 25.8 | 23.7 | 19.8 | 15.9 | 21.4 |
| Temp. min. abs. (°C) | 0 | 2.4 | 4.8 | 9.9 | 15.4 | 19.2 | 21.7 | 21.6 | 18.4 | 13.5 | 6.5 | 4.3 | 0 |
| Total precipitation (mm) | 24.7 | 54.4 | 82.2 | 174.7 | 304.7 | 456.1 | 376.5 | 432.2 | 327.6 | 100.9 | 37.6 | 26.8 | 2398.4 |
| Precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 5.37 | 9.07 | 10.9 | 12 | 14.67 | 19.07 | 17.6 | 16.93 | 14.67 | 7.43 | 5.47 | 4.47 | 137.7 |
| Hours of sun | 143 | 94.2 | 90.8 | 101.7 | 140.4 | 146.1 | 212 | 188.9 | 172.3 | 193.9 | 180.1 | 172.2 | 1835.6 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 74 | 80 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 82 | 81 | 81 | 78 | 73 | 71 | 69 | 78.1 |
| Source: Hong Kong Observatory | |||||||||||||
Fauna and flora
Hong Kong has a wide variety of fauna including butterflies, dragonflies, freshwater fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, which together number more than a thousand species. Of these, more than half are birds, some of which have been introduced by humans and others are threatened. Some abundant species in the mangroves are crabs, gastropods and bivalves, mudfish and waterfowl such as the Platalea minor. More than 5,600 species can be found in the marine environment, among which are the horseshoe crab or the Chinese white dolphin. Some mammals that can be found in the region are the Pallas squirrel, the Chinese pangolin, the Indian muntiac and the boar.
Regarding the vegetation, there are around 3,300 species of vascular plants, mostly native to the region. The city has a herbarium that is managed by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation and is used in studies of taxonomy, ecology and conservation of Hong Kong flora, as well as an arboretum with several native specimens. Some typical Hong Kong plant species are Mikania, Rhododendron hongkongense, Camellia hongkongensis, Dendrobenthamia hongkongensis and Lysimachia alpestris. The predominant ecosystems in Hong Kong are mangrove forests, some of which were planted on salt pans, subtropical forests, and estuaries. Certain mangroves—such as Tai Tam Harbour, Lai Chi Wo Beach, and Pak Nai—are listed as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, which guarantees them protection as long as they are covered by the Outline Zoning Plans. Some reser natural routes are Tai Mo Shan Park, Kam Shan Country Park and Mai Po Marshes.
Environment
Environmental pollution in Hong Kong is a serious problem that affects the ecology and quality of life of its inhabitants, and is caused by factors such as urban infrastructure, wastewater discharges and the high flow of tourists who visit the city every year. However, more than half of the smog that persists in Hong Kong comes from other areas of mainland China. Another problem has to do with the ecological deficit between its demand for resources and its biocapacity, that is, the supply of biologically productive land and sea. In 2013 it had an ecological footprint of 4.7 global hectares, one of the worst ecological deficits in the world according to reports from the World Wide Fund for Nature. Likewise, the loss of species as a consequence of population growth is another important impact on its biodiversity.
In 2016, the authorities released the Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, a document containing the strategies and planning necessary to ensure the sustainable development and conservation of Hong Kong's biodiversity. In addition, efforts to protect and conservation of local biodiversity have resulted in the establishment of the Hong Kong Wetland Park, which includes wildlife areas, the implementation of programs to reduce the impact of pollutants, sustainable architecture, biological wastewater treatment, the promotion of environmental education in institutions such as the Open University of Hong Kong, the creation of artificial reefs, the formulation and regulation of environmental legislation, such as the ban on seine fishing since 2012, and the execution of reforestation campaigns to improve biodiversity and ecological repopulation.
The Office of the Environment is the government body responsible for strategies and actions for the "improvement of air quality, waste management, energy conservation, biodiversity, and combating climate change", and has the support of the consulting firm Environmental Resources Management, specialized in environmental impact assessments and other related topics.
Economy
Hong Kong has a free market economy focused on the service sector, especially trade, finance and telecommunications; in fact, in 2019 it was ranked second in the Index of Economic Freedom, second only to Singapore. Under basic law, the territory can maintain its economic system independently from mainland China, including its own taxes, as well as its own currency, the Hong Kong dollar, whose value has been fixed to the US dollar since 1983 and is one of the most traded in the world. Its nominal GDP in 2021 was HKD 2.86 trillion (USD 364.58 billion), which gives a per capita income of HKD 386,983 (49 302 USD), much higher than the Chinese one of 64,644 RMB (9,882 USD) and somewhat above that of Macao, which is 350,445 MOP (43,024 USD). For this reason, the World Bank considers the region as a high-income location and, thanks to its rapid growth in the late 20th century, became known for be one of the four Asian tigers.
The Hong Kong stock exchange is one of the largest in the world, since in 2019 it closed with a market capitalization of 38 billion HKD (4.92 billion USD), in addition to being the first in the world by public offering of sale by getting 314.2 billion HKD (40.53 billion USD). Likewise, in November 2014 two collaborations were inaugurated with the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges to facilitate securities trading, but with the criteria and advantages of the Hong Kong system. This resulted in a capital flow between mainland China and the region of HKD 1 trillion in 2019, this is an inflow of HKD 1058.3 billion since its launch.
Traditionally, the government has passively participated in the economy considering that it should not intervene in any sector of the market, which should be sustained with its own resources. This theory, called positive non-interventionism —“positive non-interventionism”—, was developed during the 1970s and Philip Haddon-Cave, finance secretary at the time, commented: “Positive non -interventionism implies taking the perspective that it is normally useless and harmful for the growth rate of an economy, particularly [that of] an open economy, for the government to try to plan [to] the distribution of resources available to the private sector and [that] thwart the operation of market forces". All these measures led Milton Friedman to describe the entity as the greatest experiment in laissez faire capitalism worldwide. However, since the transfer of sovereignty to China, each time the government has had a greater interference, such as meddling in business, the establishment of a minimum wage, the expansion of public services or obstacles to the industrial sector. In fact, the public administration already has a weight of more than 20% of GDP, although it enjoys such high levels of productivity that it was ranked third in the Global Competitiveness Index of 2019.
Hong Kong began to emerge as a financial center in the 1990s, though it was hit hard during the 1997 Asian financial crisis and later by the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak. use of foreign reserves to keep the local currency stable relative to the dollar. However, the Great Recession hit Hong Kong in the second half of 2008, so the economy slowed down again—indeed, in the last fourth of that year, it fell more than 2%. Banking was the most affected sector and the stock market began to fall sharply —15% in September and 22% in October—, a situation that led to The following year the economy fell by more than 5%, although in 2010 the trend reversed radically after a rebound of almost 10%. Since then, the region has not suffered any economic recession again, except in 2019 and 2020, and it has been consolidating itself as one of the main financial centers worldwide; such is the case that in September 2020 the think tank Z/Yen placed it in fifth position, only behind New York, London, Shanghai and Tokyo, while the World Bank placed it in the fifth position. third place in the 2020 Ease of Doing Business Index.
Commerce is Hong Kong's main activity due to its weight in the economy, since in 2020 it moved HKD 8.19 billion (USD 1.06 billion), around triple its GDP. Of that number, HKD 4.27 billion (549.5 billion USD) correspond to imports and 3.93 billion HKD (505.45 billion USD) to exports, which make it one of the main commercial entities on the planet. Because agriculture and fishing are very scarce activities in the territory —representing barely 0.1% of GDP—, Hong Kong needs to import most products for human consumption and other perishable materials, as well as fuel and capital goods —both for internal use and for re-export. For its part, among its exports are electronic and telecommunications machinery, data processors, non-metallic mineral manufactures, or photographic equipment. In addition, Hong Kong has free trade agreements with Australia, Chile, Georgia, New Zealand, the EFTA and ASEAN, as well as with the rest of China, including Macao. On the other hand, the territory's balance of payments closed 2019 with a deficit of HKD 8.86 billion (USD 11.42 billion), while public external debt and private investment ended that year at HKD 13.03 billion (USD 1.68 billion). In addition, Hong Kong's foreign direct investment in 2018 was HKD 817.1 billion (USD 104.69 billion).
Other sectors include the cultural industry, medical and educational services, innovation and technology, testing and certification, and the environment. In 2009, the Hong Kong Creative Office was established, responsible for the development of design industries —especially multimedia, and graphic and visual design— as well as financing for local design projects and companies. On the other hand, the electronics industry has boomed to the point of positioning Hong Kong as one of the largest exporters of integrated circuits, computer accessories, video recording devices and mobile phones in the world. The territory is also one of the largest exporters of toys on the planet, whose industry is characterized by the development of products in collaboration with manufacturing companies foreign; Hong Kong's industrial parks are the Yuen Long Industrial Estate (in traditional Chinese, 元朗工業邨), the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate (in traditional Chinese, 將軍澳工業邨) and the Tai Po Industrial Estate (in traditional Chinese, 大埔工業邨). As of the 2010s, the The government has resumed interest in a new reindustrialization of its territory given the increase in production costs in mainland China.
Hong Kong ranked third in the world in 2019 with the number of people worth at least USD 1 billion, with an estimated one in seven citizens worth at least HKD 1 million (130,000 USD). However, in the region there is still very high inequality, since the Gini coefficient for per capita household income was 0.473 in 2016 and a poverty rate of 14.9% in 2018., in 2019 the consumer price index closed at 2.9%, increased by the cost of food, renting and buying apartments, and transportation.
Employment
Hong Kong's economically active population comprises 60.1% (67% men and 54.5% women) of its inhabitants, which is nearly four million people in total. Its unemployment rate in 2019 was 3.1%. The services sector is the one with the most employees, to highlight the public administration (1,119,800), finance, insurance, real estate and business services (848,100 people); sales and hospitality (565,100), transportation and communications (452,000), and commerce (376,600). In the last quarter of that year, the average working day lasted 45 hours a week. On the other hand, the number of underemployed people was 47,400, and they used to be people whose educational level was at most secondary education and the sector that had the most employees of this type was construction. Likewise, more than 350,000 foreigners are employed as domestic workers, almost half coming from Indonesia.
On May 1, 2011, a minimum wage of HKD 32.5 per hour came into force, although six years later it was increased to HKD 34.5. The minimum age for employment is thirteen years and up to fifteen years of age, the job offer is restricted to non-industrial sectors, and it is required to be in school and have the consent of the father, among other regulations. On the other hand, if a person is between fifteen and eighteen years old, even being legally under the age of age, he is allowed to work in other sectors and does not need the approval of his parent.
Tourism
Due to the significant economic impact of tourism — which brought in revenues of HKD 288.7 billion (USD 37.2 billion) in 2019, approximately 12.3% of GDP, as well as employing 575,500 people (14.9% of total employment) that same year—, the local government has prioritized the accessibility of the territory to visitors and tourists through actions such as the elimination of visas for 170 countries for a period of seven to 180 days, the implementation of the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) in 2003 to allow the entry of tourists from forty-nine mainland Chinese cities or the establishment of the Tourism Commission in 1999. In addition, there is a strategic collaboration of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) with certain industrial sectors —until 2018 it had twenty-one branches and representatives in six regions of the world. In 2016, this organization launched the campaign Best of all, it's in Hong Kong —“Lo mejor de todo, está en Hong Kong”— to promote tourist destinations in the region and, the following year, the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry was released, containing a series of strategies to position the territory as a "world-class, premier tourism destination." That same year the "quality tourist services" scheme began to be disseminated, through which the tourism council intends to improve the quality of service in shops, restaurants and accommodation sites.
Hong Kong received a total of 55,912,609 tourists in 2019, of which 32,160,250 had a single-day stay and 23,752,359 spent at least one night in the region. Most of the travelers came from mainland China in both cases, while foreign citizens who came to the place —and stayed at least one night— were 7,525,717 and came mainly from South Korea (780,141), the United States (761,025), the Philippines (729,981), Japan (660,883) and Taiwan (597,115), making it one of the most visited places by international tourists in the world. Likewise, Hong Kong was the second source of tourists from Macao —with which, since 2017, there has been a collaboration agreement supervised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China—, second only to mainland China. The Hong Kong Travel Industry Council is the government institution in charge of establishing codes of conduct and directives related to travel agencies and tourist guides and escorts.
Among the main tourist attractions are the Victoria Summit, Ocean Park and Disneyland parks, the Clock Tower, the Avenue of Stars and Lantau Island. It should be noted that in recent years eco-tourism has gained greater notoriety, through promotional campaigns for the Hong Kong Global Geopark, recognized by Unesco as part of its global network of geoparks, and the Hong Kong Wetland Park, as well as the dissemination of events such as the Symphony of Lights, an evening show that has been held in Victoria Harbor since 2004 and attracts 1.5 million visitors a year. On the other hand, the government gives high priority to business tourism; in fact, he allocated an investment fund to constantly attract events such as AsiaWorld–Expo and establish the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Hong Kong has a road network of at least 2,100 km, fully paved, through which more than 860,000 vehicles circulate. This system has some of the largest engineering works of its kind worldwide. worldwide, such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge, inaugurated in October 2018 and which crosses the entire Pearl River Delta. However, other means such as bicycles do not have such an extensive infrastructure; in fact, many areas are restricted for them. Likewise, more than 23,000 traffic accidents occur annually in the territory, in which citizens between the ages of 40 and 59 are the main victims.
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The region has a highly developed multimodal public transport system with the aim of facilitating mobility for the 13 million users who move daily in this way. The Mass Transit Railway company is in charge of the operation of the subway Hong Kong, which has eleven lines and is one of the most extensive metro systems in the world. Also, in September 2018 the first high-speed train service was inaugurated in the region, connecting it with the cities neighboring Shenzhen and Canton. On the other hand, the bus network, although it works as a public service, is managed by private companies, among which Kowloon Motor Bus stands out, which operates mainly in the interior of Kowloon and the New Territories, and Citybus, which does the same on Hong Kong Island; in the same way, Star Ferry operates lines as a water bus, although it is a more tourist-oriented service. Finally, it is worth mentioning that all modes of public transport can be purchased using the Octopus Card, which, although it is enabled to acquire other types of services, is mainly focused on this sector.
The port of Hong Kong is one of the largest terminals of its kind in the world for container traffic, second only to those of Shanghai, Singapore, Shenzhen, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Guangzhou and Busan. In 2019, by its infrastructures passed 161,252 vessels —25,388 by sea and 135,864 by river— with a total cargo of 18.3 million TEUs. Most of the vessels were Chinese-flagged, some 91,702, much higher than the 50,689 Hong Kong-flagged, while the main foreign countries whose vessels used its port were Panama (4,733), Singapore (2,752) and Liberia (2642).
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Hong Kong is served by two airports, Kai Tak International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport. The former began operations in the 1920s when the Abbot Aviation School was opened and was the main air terminal for the territory until its closure on July 6, 1998. Due to the growth of the city, during its last stages of operation it was known for having one of the most dangerous tracks in the world, being very close to urbanized areas. After the closure of Kai Tak, the Hong Kong International Airport was opened on the island of Chek Lap Kok, and in 2019 71.54 million passengers passed through it —which makes it the thirteenth in the world in that category and the third in passengers international—, as well as a total of 420,000 movements and ranked first in the world among airports for cargo traffic, managing 4.81 million tons. However, such ostentatious figures have led to the fact that the infrastructure is at the limit of its capacity, which has forced the government to build a new takeoff and landing strip to complement the two that currently operate. The main airlines in the region are Cathay Pacific —and its subsidiary Cathay Dragon—, Hong Kong Airlines and HK Express.
Media
In 2018 there were 4,196,061 fixed telephone lines and 19,901,856 mobiles, more than double its population. Likewise, around 85% of its inhabitants had Internet access, whose average download speed is 142.65 MB/s, one of the fastest on the entire planet. Added to this, the number of users with broadband amounts to 2,714,679, according to 2018 estimates. Although most of the telecommunications abroad from Hong Kong are carried out through submarine cables, it still maintains a certain dependence on mainland China in this regard, since several of its transmissions they circulate through a coaxial cable to Canton.
In the administrative region there are numerous local print media, such as South China Morning Post or The Standard in English, or Ming Pao in Chinese. In addition, there are eighteen television stations and three radio stations. On the other hand, unlike the continental territory —where there is a blockade of numerous web pages and applications commonly used in the West, such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, YouTube or WhatsApp—, Hong Kong enjoys much more lax internet restrictions.
Energy
The main fuels used for power generation in Hong Kong are coal, natural gas and nuclear power, the latter imported from the mainland. In recent years there has been a boom in investment in renewable energy, although its production continues to be relatively low in contrast to the use of hydrocarbons. Among the renewable energies used locally are biogas and biodiesel —which represent around 84.3% of the energy generated of this type—, solar and wind, which together contributed to the generation of 2,430 TJ in 2018. Solar energy is used mainly in meteorological stations, and both in obtaining solar hot water and in the structure of buildings. In turn, the first wind power plant for commercial use, on Lamma Island, was completed in 2006. Hong Kong does not have any oil refinery, so this resource is imported. In May 2018 its gasoline was the second most expensive in the world, only below Iceland.
Energy is used primarily for the generation of electricity —whose consumption increased from 144,172 TJ to 158,274 TJ between 2005 and 2015, which represents an increase of 9.8%— the transformation of coal and oil products, and obtaining liquefied petroleum gas. About 80% of the energy produced is mainly for commercial uses, and for the transportation industry. In 2018 the energy consumption was 38.7 GJ per capita. The increase in the population and the number of homes has led to an increase in energy consumption, which has increased by 2.4% to 2% between 2008 and 2018. The Department of Electrical and Mechanical Services is the public organization in charge of the administration of power in Hong Kong, while electric power management is handled by the Hongkong Electric Company and CLP Power Hong Kong Limited.
Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pob. | ±% |
| 1911 | 456 739 | - |
| 1931 | 840 473 | +84.0% |
| 1947 | 1 800 000 | +114.2% |
| 1961 | 3 209 500 | +78.3% |
| 1971 | 3 936 630 | +22.7% |
| 1981 | 5 109 812 | +29.8% |
| 1991 | 5 674 114 | +11.0% |
| 2001 | 6 708 389 | +18.2% |
| 2011 | 7 070 388 | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 7 401 500 | +4.7% |
| Source: Department of Statistics and Census | ||
In 2020, Hong Kong's population was 7,401,400, with a ratio of 1.1 men to women and is entirely urban. Likewise, the crude birth rate was 8.4 per 1,000 people and the fertility rate was around 1,125 births per 1,000 women, while the mortality rate was 7.9 per 1,000 people. On the other hand, the population has an average age of 45 years, and a life expectancy of 83 years, the seventh highest on the planet.
Ethnic groups and languages
According to the 2016 census, 95% of Hong Kong's citizens are of Chinese descent, primarily Taishanese, Chiu Chau, other Cantonese, as well as Hakka ethnicities. The remaining percentage is made up of populations that They come mostly from Southeast Asia, such as the Philippines (184,081 people) or Indonesia (153,299), and from the rest of the continent, such as those from India (36,462), Nepal (25,472) or Pakistan (18,094).. The white population has grown remarkably in the last decade — in 2006 there were 36,384 people and ten years later they rose to 58,209 — and it is made up mainly of citizens of the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.
The official languages of the territory are Chinese and English, although Cantonese, a variant of Chinese originating in Guangdong province, is the most widely spoken. For its part, English is the usual language of 4.3% of the population and 48.9% have it as a secondary, according to the results of the 2016 census. According to the same document, other dialects whose origin is in the country are spoken in Hong Kong, although in a minority. Regarding foreign languages, the most frequent are Indonesian, Tagalog and Japanese, although they are understandable by less than 3% of the population.
Religion
The majority of Hong Kong citizens claim no religious affiliation, identifying with agnosticism or atheism; indeed, a Gallup poll conducted at the turn of the previous century estimated that 64% of the inhabitants were in that situation, while another raised the figure to 80%.
Among believers, according to the 2018 International Religious Freedom Report conducted by the United States Department of State, there are about two million Buddhists and Taoists, and almost one million Christians, divided into 480,000 Protestants, 379,000 Catholics and 25,000 Mormons. There is also a small community of Jehovah's Witnesses with approximately 5,000 members. There is also a strong presence of Islam and Hinduism, with a community of at least 300,000 and 100,000 people, respectively, while 12,000 practice Sikhism and 2,500 Judaism. The basic law allows for freedom of worship, including Falun Gong, although some of its supporters have faced restrictions on entering Hong Kong, raising concerns about Chinese government meddling in affairs. insiders of the territory. Also, unlike in mainland China, in Hong Kong it is possible to freely choose the bishops in the Anglican and Catholic churches.
Education
Hong Kong's education system used to closely follow the British model, although other international systems also coexist. The government maintains the policy of educating in the mother tongue, in which the conversational predilection is Cantonese, while Chinese and English predominate in writing. In secondary schools, bilingual and trilingual proficiency is emphasized, depending on Mandarin its presence is increasing. In 2018, the Report of the International Program for Student Assessment listed the Hong Kong education system as one of the best in the world in the field of science, reading and mathematics, and in equality of results. The Office of Education is in charge of operating the public schools, as well as designing the educational system of the territory, which is made up of three voluntary years of kindergarten, followed by six years of primary education. compulsory, to later continue in secondary education, which in the previous model lasted up to five years — three compulsory years of basic education plus two voluntary years of higher education. Most of secondary education led until 2011 to the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examinations (Traditional Chinese: 香港中學會考) and then the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examinations (Traditional Chinese: 香港高級程度會考), discontinued in 2012. The new academic structure for secondary education began to be implemented in September 2009 and provides three years of basic education, plus another three of compulsory higher education. Under the new curriculum, there is only one final exam, known as the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (Traditional Chinese: 香港中學文憑).
The offer of schools in Hong Kong is very wide and ranges from public schools —the fewest— and subsidized through aid and concessions, to private ones. Within the latter, there are international institutions, where the criteria they are based more on the academic merits of the students, than on the economic investment necessary to be accepted. On the other hand, in September 1991 the Direct Subsidy Scheme program was implemented, which is responsible for improving the quality of teaching in private schools during the primary and secondary stages with measures that give schools more freedom in the use of their resources or when admitting students. During the 2019-2020 academic year, there are eighty schools that are under this modality.
Hong Kong has a wide network of universities, both public and private, of which the University of Hong Kong is the oldest, since it was founded in 1910. Competition among students to apply for degree places It is fierce, since places are limited, especially when the degree is only taught in some of the institutions. In addition, there are private higher education institutions that offer degree courses to those who have failed when applying to the university, in order to increase their educational quality and some may opt for a second opportunity to take the exam in case they have a good performance in the lower courses.
Health
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There are more than forty publicly owned hospitals and thirteen private hospitals in Hong Kong, although the interaction between the institutions of both systems is non-existent. However, both offer a wide range of medical services; in fact, some of the private ones are among the best in the world. There are medical schools in the territory located at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong, which have training agreements with the public sector. In addition, Hong Kong has developed its own postgraduate institutions, notably the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine which is gradually taking over responsibility for training graduates in the territory. Despite this, the region still needs to recruit staff. qualified abroad, having a ratio of 1.96 doctors per thousand inhabitants.
As of early 2011, concern has grown over the saturation of hospital neonatal wards by mainland Chinese mothers-to-be in an attempt to gain residency rights in Hong Kong and the benefits that come with it. entails. Consequently, numerous protests have been triggered by local pregnant women for the government to remedy the situation, as they find it increasingly difficult to find a bed to give birth and arrange appointments for routine check-ups. Hong Kong has 5.4 hospital beds for every thousand people. Likewise, the local press has also denounced on numerous occasions the frequency with which medical personnel make mistakes or cause accidents.
Culture
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The British presence in Hong Kong has marked the local culture which, although fundamentally Chinese, has been exposed to a greater Western influence than the rest of the country. The result is a cultural hybrid in which traditional Chinese values emphasize honor, family love and respect, which, along with education, are combined with progressive Western ideals, including economic freedom and the rule of law. Contemporary culture stems from immigrants originating from various regions of China who were influenced by British-style education, a distinct political system, and rapid development of the territory throughout the century XX. Most of these immigrants were fleeing poverty and war on the mainland, and the predilection for wealth is reflected in today's society of Hong Kong, which often associates success with a materialistic perception.
Hong Kong society is dominated by nuclear families, although multi-generational and extended families are also common. Their beliefs in spiritual concepts such as feng shui, mirrors with the symbol pa kua or the bad luck associated with the number four are some examples that have notable implications in everyday life.
Festivities and entertainment events
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The Hong Kong calendar contains several holidays that correspond to the so-called bank holidays, such as the lunar new year celebrated at the end of January or beginning of February and in which its inhabitants go to fairs of flowers; the anniversary of the birth of the soldier Che Kung, commemorated in the month of February and during which it is customary to visit his temple; the festival of spring lanterns in early March and whose name is due to the lights that they are placed as decorations in parks in Hong Kong to celebrate love, giving it a certain similarity to Valentine's Day; the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, celebrated during a week of the fourth lunar month of the Chinese calendar and which includes ceremonies, parades, and dances alluding to Taoism; the dragon boat carnival in mid-year, during which boat races are held in Victoria Harbour; and the mid-autumn festival in September, previously dedicated to to the harvest period in the region.
Other notable events include Arts Month, celebrated in March, which features exhibitions and art workshops as well as opera and ballet performances, among other cultural activities; Hong Kong Summer Fun, a program of summer consisting of musical events and during which there are promotions in stores; the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, which features international culinary and wine shows; and the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, which includes film, television, music and digital entertainment festivals.
Music, dance and theater
Cantopop or Cantonese pop is a genre of music that originated in Hong Kong during the 1970s, from the combination of shidaiqu —which mixes Chinese music with American jazz— from Shanghai., Cantonese opera and Western pop. Some singers such as Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung and Alan Tam enjoyed some popularity in the 1980s, thanks to the international broadcast of local films and programmes. However, it was not until the 1990s when cantopop had a bigger boom with the success of performers such as Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok and Leon Lai on the Asian popularity charts. Although cantopop has seen a decline in more recent years, it continues being a popular genre in Hong Kong, and some prominent representatives are Eason Chan, Joey Yung, Endy Chow and Twins.
Cantonese opera, which is derived from Chinese opera and includes martial arts, dance and acrobatics, is often performed at venues such as the Sunbeam Theater and the Ko Shan Theatre. His compositions are generally inspired by mythological elements of Chinese culture. It should be noted that Western classical music also has a strong presence in Hong Kong. Dissemination of these genres is primarily carried out by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the oldest of its kind in the territory, which frequently includes foreign musicians and directors in its repertoire. In turn, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra plays an important role in promoting traditional music in the community.
One of the best-known dances is the lion dance, performed in the Tang Dynasty and traditionally intended to bring "good luck for the Lunar New Year and scare away evil spirits." A variant of this dance, the fire lion, is performed during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Additionally, some public and private institutes offer music and dance courses and workshops in Hong Kong, such as the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Chinese Artists Association. In turn, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, whose objective is to promote the development of art, offers scholarships and both educational and administrative programs to support artists both locally and internationally. Some of his productions include the television series Artspiration, whose content covers artistic and cultural themes; and ArTour, to promote the work of young artists; the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards, and the Jockey Club New Arts Power arts festival, among others. Some performing arts companies in Hong Kong are the Chung Ying Theater Company and the Hong Kong Repertory Theater. It should be noted that the Hong Kong Ballet is "one of the most prestigious Asian classical ballet companies", renowned for its classical and contemporary ballet programs; and the Hong Kong Dance Company, a non-profit organization funded by the government, has obtained several awards since its foundation in the 1980s.
Literature
The first publication in Hong Kong dates back to 1874 in the Chinese newspaper Xunwan Ribao and is the work of Wang Tao. Since then, the content and style of Hong Kong literary works have adopted traits of Chinese literature, which are prevalent in contemporary times. Hong Kong's first literary magazine, Banlu, was published in 1928, and the first local literary society was established the following year.
Several modern Chinese vernacular publications in Hong Kong trace their origins to Chinese writers who fled communist and nationalist conflicts during the Chinese civil war. A significant number of Chinese intellectuals and artists moved to Hong Kong between 1927 and 1937, writing about the "barbaric" and "strange" practices of the southern Chinese communities, seeing themselves as outsiders among the Hong Kong population. Their works influenced contemporary literature and can be classified into three categories: newspaper editors, teaching authors such as Xu Dishan, and young radicals who challenged the traditional structures in Hong Kong literature and dealt with themes. controversial in his works. Among the latter is Eileen Chang.
After the establishment of the People's Republic of China and the consequent erection of the border wall with China in 1951, literary activity suffered a decline in Hong Kong. Authors with ideologies of the political right had the financial support of the US government, which gave rise to the so-called greenback culture. In turn, the works of writers from the political left coincided in dealing with issues related to class struggles and emphasizing the role of lower-class citizens who "are under the oppression of both the colonial government and local capitalists". In 1955 The first serialized novels of the wuxia genre emerged, the popularity of which is prevalent in Hong Kong society. Some authors of this genre are Jin Yong and Liang Yu Sheng. Also noteworthy are science fiction, history, and poetry publications, in which I Kuang, Tang Ren, and Wong Kwok-pun stand out. In addition to Chinese vernacular publications, there are publications in English by authors who have lived in Hong Kong, such as like Stewart Sloan, Nury Vittachi and Rebecca Bradley.
As for literary events, the Hong Kong International Literature Festival has been held since 2000, which includes conferences and writing workshops, and is attended by writers from various countries. There is also the Hong Kong Writers Circle. Hong Kong whose aim is "to create an environment in which writers develop their writing skills and knowledge of the publishing industry with the support of their peers".
Cinematography
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Hong Kong's first film production was Tou Shaoya, released in 1909 and produced by the Asia Film Company, a studio founded by the American Benjamin Brodsky, which in 1913 produced the silent short Zhuangzi Tests His Wife, directed by filmmaker Lai Man-Wai, who is considered the "father of Hong Kong cinema." The plot of the aforementioned short tells the experiences of the philosopher Zhuangzi when testing the loyalty of his wife after faking her death. It was the first Asian film to be shown in the United States. The success of the short led Man-Wai to found the Minxin Film Company in 1923.
The first sound films appeared in the early 1930s and contained dialogue in Cantonese. The Cantonese film industry boomed in Hong Kong in the mid-1930s, when up to thirty films were produced per year. year mainly by the Tianyi and Daguan studios. Until then, films were produced almost exclusively for export to other colonies, a business model that allowed the local industry to subsist. In the early 1940s, Hong Kong cinema became more important with the arrival of refugees foreigners, as well as being the main distribution center for Hollywood productions in the South Asian market. Until then, up to a hundred films were produced on average a year, although the vast majority were low-budget. Some actors from this era included Sit Gok-Sin and Ma Sze-Tseng. During World War II, while Hong Kong was occupied by Japan, films with military propaganda content were produced.
Since then, Hong Kong cinema has embraced various other genres such as low-budget martial arts films, in which actors such as Kwan Tak-hing and Bruce Lee excelled; melodramas, musicals derived from the Chinese opera, arthouse, action, and gangster or triad cinema. Some contemporary filmmakers include Lo Wei, John Woo, Dennis Chan, and Wong Kar-wai, while some notable actors include Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Chow Yun-Fat and Stephen Chow.
Science and technology
The Hong Kong government has made remarkable efforts to promote research and technology. In 1967, the Hong Kong Productivity Council was established, a multidisciplinary organization that provides consulting, technology and training services to companies to increase their competitiveness and productivity; and in 2014 the Commission for Innovation and Technology launched the Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities, which provides funding to universities to promote the creation of technology start-ups. there is the Center for Intellectual Property Services which “aims to provide assistance to local companies and inventors to protect their intellectual works through the registration of patents, trademarks and drawings”, as well as a grant program for patent applications. Another initiative is called TechMart, which offers research, investment and business innovation services. In recent years, emerging companies have had a significant boom thanks to the increase in incubation programs and startup accelerators developed through projects such as the park Cyberport business and the Hong Kong Science Park.
The main areas of scientific and technological development in Hong Kong are biotechnology, artificial intelligence, which includes information and communication technologies, software as a service, the Internet of things, robotics, and virtual and augmented reality—, smart cities and homes, and financial technologies. In addition to this, some achievements in this field include the development of financial technology platforms such as the FinTech Advisory Office by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the establishment of medical testing centers that work in collaboration with multinational pharmaceutical companies, the production of innovative facial recognition systems by companies such as SenseTime or the installation of digital architecture for the storage and management of information.
Hong Kong's technology sector is one of the most advanced in the world according to the Global Innovation Index. A significant part of scientific and research development comes from universities, which often appear in listings such as the QS World University Rankings or THE Academic University Rankings. Infrastructure has also made notable progress with the establishment of the Innovation and Technology Fund, which has enabled the creation of the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), the R&D Center of Auto Accessories Systems (APAS), the Hong Kong Textile and Garment Research Institute, the Hong Kong R&D Center for Logistics and Supply Chain, and the technology-focused Nano and Advanced Materials Institute Limited. environmental and sustainable development. Likewise, the Hong Kong Science Museum, located in Kowloon, has existed since 1991; and in 2017 the construction of the Lok Ma Chau Loop Innovation and Technology Park was announced, in coordination with the Shenzhen government.
Hong Kong has hosted numerous international conferences and events covering scientific and technological aspects, such as the RISE technology conference, the first edition of which took place in 2015, the 2018 International Conference on Science Technology and Management, the Hong Kong AI Summit, covering innovations in artificial intelligence, the Hong Kong Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition, and the 2018 International Summit on Human Genome Editing. Notable Hong Kong scientists have included Tak Wah Mak, discoverer of the receptor of T cells in 1983, Lai-Sang Young, who introduced the Markov method in 1998 to test for exponential lag correlation in Sinai billiards and other hyperbolic dynamical systems; Inez Fung, author of Intergovernmental Group evaluation reports of Experts on Climate Change; Vivian Wing-Wah Yam, winner of the 2011 L'Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Award for her work on innovation in solar energy, and Chen Guanrong, Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences and editor of International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos.
Gastronomy
In Hong Kong, considerable importance is attached to the freshness of the ingredients with which food is prepared, which is why it is common to find wet markets with poultry, fish and seafood. Typical dishes of the city predominate. Cantonese, British, and Southeast Asian cuisines such as rice congee, cha siu baau, roast pork, jerky, and fish balls, and desserts such as tartlet egg, mango pudding, put chai ko, dried squid strips, almond cookies and mooncake. Local versions of Western dishes are common, and can be found in restaurants called cha chaan teng. Some of these dishes are macaroni soup and French toast similar to French toast, which can be accompanied by Hong Kong-style milk tea, yuanyang, adzuki bean ice cream, soy milk or guarapo.
Hong Kong's diet consists of five meals a day: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and siu yeh, usually served between 9 p. m. and 4 a.m. m. For example, dim sum, a light Cantonese meal eaten with family and friends over lunch, is traditionally eaten at lunch as part of the yum cha .
The complex combinations of ingredients, the diversity of dishes and the gourmet experience of its many restaurants have earned Hong Kong a reputation as a “gourmet paradise”, “ World Food Fair" and "Culinary Capital of Asia". The Hong Kong Chefs Association, recognized by the World Association of Chef Societies, constantly holds culinary activities and competitions.
Architecture
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Before the colonial period, Chinese buildings were characterized by their suitability as defense sites for pirates and criminals. Some of these buildings have been preserved such as the Kat Hing Wai walled town outside Yuen Long and built primarily with blue brick walls; the Kowloon Walled City Park and the Hakka village of Lai Chi Wo. Taoist temples are also preserved, and the Tang Chung Ling ancestral hall decorated with wood carvings and polychrome plaster moldings.
During colonial times and up until World War I, Hong Kong's architectural designs of buildings adopted Victorian, Queen Anne, and Edwardian Baroque styles. The Royal Engineers —sappers of the British Army— designed and built most of the buildings in the territory, to highlight the Flagstaff House, based on the Queen's House in the Greenwich district, and the Central Police Station Barrack Block, inaugurated in 1846 and 1864, respectively. Colonial constructions from this period were generally characterized by the presence of pillars, high ceilings, wide verandas and, in some cases, their similarity to the structure of a military barracks. In turn, the houses followed a model similar to the country house, although with verandas and more sloping roofs. Some buildings designed in the Edwardian Baroque style are the Old Supreme Court Building and the main building of the University of Hong Kong, both built in the 1900s. Most of Hong Kong's oldest buildings are located on Garden Road, which connects the central district with the mid-level residential areas.
In the 1930s the most representative architectural styles were bare classicism, art deco and streamline moderne. Some examples of buildings with a bare classicist design are the Old Wan Chai Police Station (1932) and the Nurses Quarters of Queen Mary Hospital (1936). The China Light & The Power Building (1949) is an example of the Art Deco style, while the old Wan Chai Market Building (1937) and the Central Market (1939) adopted the streamline moderne design. >. Since the 1950s, Hong Kong architecture has followed the modernist model that prevails today and is present in buildings such as the Tang Lung Chau Market (1964), the former Government Headquarters (1957-1959) and the Jardine House (1972). Similarly, the high-tech style was booming in the 1970s and 1980s, a notable example being the HSBC Building (1986).
feng shui, an ancient Taoist philosophy that emphasizes the harmony of buildings with nature to “bring good fortune” and prosperity, is an aspect that significantly influences structural design and architecture. territorial planning of Hong Kong. This has helped the development of sustainable architecture, disseminated mainly by organizations such as the Hong Kong Green Building Council Limited, which promotes public and business awareness campaigns on the benefits of environmentally friendly architecture. Such is the case, for example, of the International Finance Center that is located in Victoria Harbor in order to allow the flow of water towards its skyscrapers —since feng shui associates masses of water with wealth—; or the Bank of China Tower, which is located next to a garden to maintain harmony with the nature of the place. It should be noted that, to reduce costs, it is common to use bamboo scaffolding attached by plastic strips during construction, designed and created by specialists known as taap pang.
Due to the scarcity of land available for construction, one of the government's priorities has been the greater use of land and the construction of high structures and skyscrapers — there are more than 7,600 skyscrapers, towers and tall buildings in Hong Kong —. Some of these buildings are the International Commerce Center —one of the tallest buildings in the world—, the Bank of China Tower, The Center, Central Plaza, the Cheung Kong Center, the exhibition and convention center, and the International Finance Center. This has had an impact on the design of public housing with compact rooms of up to 35 m², and the proliferation of slums. Hong Kong's cityscape is often considered the best in the world for beauty and skyscraper height, with the nearby mountains and Victoria Harbor complementing the buildings.
Some works have remarkable architectural and structural designs, such as the Tsing Ma suspension bridge, one of the longest in the world, which incorporates hundreds of sensors and has one of the best continuous dynamic instrumentation systems; the Hong Kong International Airport, one of the most advanced in the world and built on land that was previously a mountainous island; or the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge, the longest maritime construction in the world with a hundred mobility units urban. The Department of Architectural Services aims to provide assistance to infrastructure and construction projects in Hong Kong.
Art
There are numerous organizations in Hong Kong that carry out a wide variety of artistic activities. Local authorities, especially the Arts Development Council, constantly allocate funds for the promotion and development of art through groups or communities, educational courses and companies. Its art industry was one of the highest income in the world, to the level of London or New York, due to tax and government policies that allow duty-free trade, the absence of censorship in the artistic representation of sexuality or nudity —unlike other Asian regions— and the exclusivity of certain art collections. Some of its main artistic events are Art Basel, held for the first time in 2015 and in which hundreds of art galleries from various countries participate annually with collections, paintings, photographic exhibitions and university seminars; the Hong Kong Art Week, held in March of each year and during which various artistic activities are carried out in the region; Art Central, with a similar organization to Art Basel, but with a greater emphasis on oriental art; the Asia Contemporary Art Fair, the Affordable Art Fair, aimed at customers making their first art purchase; the Microwave International New Media Arts Festival, focused on new media art; and HKWalls, a street art festival.
Some artistic institutions and centers are the branches of Sotheby's, the first foreign auction house in Asia, and Christie's, which offers works of classical, modern and contemporary art. On the other hand, there are the White Cube and Gagosian galleries, the H Queen's Tower, the Pedder Building, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the South Island Cultural District, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Hong Kong City Hall, the West Kowloon Cultural District and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. In 2019, Hong Kong's first contemporary art museum, M+, will open its doors.
In more recent years, various independent art groups and communities have proliferated. Other artistic styles present in Hong Kong include penjing and graffiti—a variant of street art more widely disseminated by Tsang Tsou Choi and characterized by the depiction of calligraphy. Some notable Hong Kong contemporary art artists have included Nadim Abbas, Amy Cheung, Choi Yan-chi, Ming Fay, Lai Cheuk Wah Sarah, Tsang Tsou Choi and Eric Siu.
Sports
A variety of sports are played in Hong Kong including football, golf, horse racing, basketball, cricket, dragon boat racing and rugby. The vast majority of these have their own association, as well as multiple clubs, teams and practitioners. In 1996, Lee Lai-shan became the first Hong Kong athlete to win an Olympic medal in sailing at the Atlanta Olympics.
The Hong Kong Open Golf, first held in 1959 and part of the PGA European Tour since 2001, is the city's oldest professional sporting event. Despite the transfer to China in 1997, the basic law allows Hong Kong to participate autonomously in international competitions. Some events it participates in are Asian Games, East Asian Games, Summer and Winter Olympic Games, Hong Kong Sevens tournaments, BWF Super Series and Lunar New Year Cup, and the World Equestrian Games. Since 2007, and every two years, the Hong Kong Games have been held, where athletes from different disciplines and from each district of the city participate.
Established in 2004, the Hong Kong Sports Institute Limited is the government body responsible for the identification, analysis and development of athletes for participation in competitions in different disciplines, while the Major Sports Events Committee is in charge of supporting the authorities in the definition of policies and guidelines for the organization of sporting events in Hong Kong.