Stonecutters Island
Lao Chongguang was considered an eminent official, as he had scored impressively high on the jinshi, the imperial examination. On October 7, 1859, Lao Chongguang was appointed governor general of Liangguang. In March 1860, Lao met with Harry Smith Parkes, the British consul in Guangzhou, and leased Kowloon and Stonecutters Island to the United Kingdom.