page_title: History of Hong Kong under Imperial China
section_title: Qing dynasty (1644–1842)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Hong Kong under Imperial China / Qing dynasty (1644–1842)
context_page_description: The History of Hong Kong under Imperial China began in 214 BC during the Qin dynasty. The territory remained largely unoccupied until the later years of the Qing dynasty when Imperial China ceded the region to Great Britain under the 1842 Treaty of Nanking, whereupon Hong Kong became a British Colony.
context_section_description: From 1661 to 1669, the territory was affected by the Great Clearance, ordered by the Qing dynasty's Kangxi Emperor, which required the evacuation of the coastal areas of Guangdong. It is recorded that about 16,000 persons from Xin'an County were driven inland and 1,648 of those who left are said to have returned when the evacuation was rescinded in 1669. What is now the territory of Hong Kong became largely wasteland during the ban. 
  The Hakka people became the dominant group to occupy the territory, today they are integrated into the very fabric of Hong Kong with many traditional villages still in place in the New Territories. Hakka people are a distinct subgroup with their own distinct cuisine that comprises many traditional and famous dishes.
  Henry Pottinger made his way to Asia in 1841 to eventually become the first Governor of Hong Kong under British rule by 1842, thus ending the reign of Imperial China over Hong Kong.
caption: Map of Hong Kong and Macau, circa 1760
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