Hong Kong becomes a British Colony after First Opium War
1. The Hong Kong Colony
Hong Kong harbour from a hill above Causeway Bay. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Britons in the 19th century had created an enormous market for Chinese tea; however, they
were hard pressed to offer any British products that the Chinese were interested in exchanging.
This presented a very real problem until the British discovered a commodity that China did want:
opium.
Thanks to the poppy fields of India, the British had access to a vast supply of the narcotic, and
began to aggressively pursue the trade. The Chinese government, however, became alarmed
as opium addiction became widespread and the nation’s coffers were drained to pay for the
imported opium. Emperor Chia Ch’ing and his successor, Tao Kuang issued edicts banning the
opium trade throughout China, Whampoa and Macau.
The drug trade could scarcely be suppressed though, and a network of corrupt officials ensured
its ongoing success. In 1839, Lin Xexu, the governor of Hunan and a man known for his
integrity, faced off with the British garrison in Guangzhou. He surrounded the garrison, cutting
off the British food supply until they turned over their stockpile of more than 20,000 bales of
opium.
Captain Charles Elliot was British chief superintendent of trade at the time, and he responded
by promptly cutting off all trade with China while he waited for orders from London. Lord
Palmerston, the foreign secretary, sent off a force of 4000 men under the command of Rear
Admiral George Elliot. He tasked them with pressing the Chinese government into yielding to a
favourable trade agreement and providing reparations for the confiscated goods.
This sparked the beginning of the First Opium War, as the British forces first besieged
Guangzhou, then sailed north, blockading and occupying ports and cities along the Yangtze
River. When the British forces reached Shanghai and began to threaten Beijing, the Emperor
realized the very real danger to his capital. He quickly sent out an envoy to negotiate with the
British, offering Hong Kong Island in exchange for the British withdrawal from Northern China.
Ultimately, neither side truly agreed to all the terms of this offer, known as the Convention of
Chenpui, though the British did take control of Hong Kong in January of 1841, hoisting the
British flag at Possession Point. Hong Kong was, at the time, little more than a backwater. There
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2. were only around 20 tiny villages; however, its deep, sheltered harbour provided the British with
a distinct advantage in the region.
Captain Elliot saw the island as an ideal foothold for the British Empire from which they could
conduct their trade under complete British sovereignty. The British merchants in Guangzhou felt
differently, however. They saw the tiny, barren island as scarcely the sort of victory that the
British should have achieved. The following month, Captain Elliot took control of the Pearl River,
the Bogue Fort in Humen, and laid siege to Guangzhou, refusing to withdraw until he exacted
concessions from the merchants there.
Sir Henry Pottinger (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sir Henry Pottinger succeeded Captain Elliot six months later, and led a powerful force north,
seizing Amoy, Ningpo, Shanghai, and other strategic ports. With the British closing in on the
strategic city of Nanking, the Chinese were pressed into accepting the terms that the British
offered.
When the Treaty of Nanking was signed, five “treaty ports” were opened to the British. British
residents were free to establish themselves there, and foreign trade was allowed to thrive.
British nationals were exempt from Chinese laws, and the island of Hong Kong was officially
ceded to Britain “in perpetuity”. On June 26, 1843, Hong Kong officially became a Crown
Colony of the British Empire.
When Hong Kong became a British Colony, it was very easy for Britons to find work there since
visa and immigration procedures were almost non-existent. It became quite common for young
working class Britons to turn to Hong Kong for employment, especially during economic low
periods in England.
Interestingly enough, however, Britons never made up more than a small portion of Hong
Kong’s population. While the mark left on the culture and institutions of Hong Kong was
enormous, there were never a very large number of Britons there at any one time. This can be
seen on the census of 1865, which notes Hong Kong’s population at 125,504, of which only
2,000 or so were European or American.
Related Articles
History of Hong Kong
The British Crown Colony of Hong Kong
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