page_title: Hong Kong
section_title: Timeline of Hong Kong
hierarchical_section_title: Hong Kong / Timeline of Hong Kong
caption_attribution_description: English: Historical Urban Council of Hong Kong Armorial Bearings, granted by College of Arms in 1979. The council was abolished in 1999.
context_page_description: Hong Kong, officially The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of The People's Republic of China, is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the richest and most highly developed places in China and even the world. Hong Kong grew quickly in the decades after World War II. It is now a famous world class financial center.
  The population of Hong Kong is more than seven million. The economy has rapidly grown from a trading port to a very rich city. Hong Kong also has the world's largest number of skyscrapers.
  Hong Kong is divided into 3 main parts:
  Hong Kong Island
  Kowloon
  New Territories
  Hong Kong was a British colony from 1842 to 1997 because China lost the Second Opium War. After the handover, Hong Kong became a part of China but with a lot of autonomy.
  Hong Kong has its own constitution that is different from that of the People's Republic of China.
context_section_description: Here is a brief history of Hong Kong:
  Around 4000 BC
  Sea levels rose above 100 meters
  Around 3500 BC
  Ceramic forms decorated with a wide range of patterns
  Around 2000 BC
  Bronze weapons, knives, arrowheads & tools.
  Metal worked locally
  Around 500 BC
  Ancient Chinese writing developed
  221 BC
  People from Mainland China came to Hong Kong
  220 BC
  Coins from the Chinese Han period were used in Hong Kong
  1555
  A Portuguese named Jorge Álvares was the first European to reach Hong Kong
  1799
  China banned the drug trade in Hong Kong
  1800
  Opium became a huge business
  1839
  Lin Zexu was appointed Special Commissioner
  The First Opium war began
  1841
  Hong Kong was given to the British and became a dependent territory of United Kingdom
  Lord Palmerston wrote that Hong Kong was a barren island with only a few houses on it
   January 26, 1841
  The British flag was raised at Possession Point, on Hong Kong Island
  August 1841
  Sir Henry Pottinger became Hong Kong's first governor
  The Treaty of Nanjing was signed, ending the First Opium War
  1860
  China was defeated in the Second Opium War. Boundary Street and Stonecutter's Island were leased to Britain
  1888
  The Peak Tram started operating on Hong Kong Island
  1898
  Lantau Island and the New Territories were leased to the British for 99 years
  1900s
  Hong Kong became a refuge for exiles from China
  1920s-1930s
  Western dress began to come in fashion for the locals
  1933-1934
  Father Daniel Finn began excavations on Lamma Island
  1941
  Refugees fleeing the Chinese Communist Party came to Hong Kong
  December 8, 1941
  The Empire of Japan invaded Hong Kong
  December 25, 1941
  The British authorities surrendered Hong Kong to the Japanese Army
  August 1945
  Britain reclaimed its territory after Japan's surrender
  1949
  Double-decker buses were introduced to Hong Kong
  1950
  Hong Kong became a free port
  1953
  The Shek Kip Mei Estate was built, establishing the program of public housing
  1955
  A Han period tomb was discovered near Lei Cheng Uk
  1983
  The Hong Kong dollar was tied to the US dollar
  1984
  China and Britain signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration
  1990
  The Hong Kong Basic Law was confirmed
  1997
  Asia's financial crisis
  Archaeologists discovered 20 graves on the island of Ma Wa
  Tung Chee Wa elected as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong. Voting was conducted by 400 committees of an electoral college whose members are appointed by the Chinese Government.
  July 1, 1997
  Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of China for 50 years
  1998
  Hong Kong International Airport opened, replacing Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon
  June 2002
  Tung Chee Hwa was elected as Chief Executive for a second term.
  2003
  Citizens wanted a more democratic and republican system
  The SARS epidemic began
  March 10, 2005
  Tung Chee Hwa retired as chief executive because of health problems.
  June 16, 2005
  Donald Tsang Yam-kuen was elected unopposed as Chief Executive.
  March 2012
  Leung Chun Ying was elected as Chief Executive.
  2014
  People occupied the Central region to demand universal suffrage for the next chief executive election, to take place in 2017.
  2015
  The government voted against the universal suffrage demanded by the people.
  2016
  There were more protests in Mong Kok because the government voted against suffrage. Police had to use pepper spray and Tear gas on the people to get them to leave.
  2019
  Protestors in Hong Kong demonstrated against a new extradition law proposed by the government of mainland China.It was the largest protest in Hong Kong's history. According to Wikinews this law would allow Mainland China to extradite people living or visiting Hong Kong who may be fugitives. The people did not want this because the reputation of China had been damaged by allegations of torture, forced confessions and arbitrary detentions before, and it would just bring Hong Kong closer under China's control, even though Hong Kong have their own judicial system.
caption: The armorial bearings granted by the College of Arms, appointed by the British Sovereign, a part of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom.
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