Hong Kong — books & literature

The story of Hong Kong

Long before it was a global financial hub, the area now called Hong Kong was home to fishing and farming communities under successive Chinese dynasties, valued for its deep, sheltered harbour. That harbour drew British interest during the 19th-century opium trade: Britain occupied Hong Kong Island in 1841 and formalised the cession in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking, later adding the Kowloon Peninsula (1860) and a 99-year lease on the New Territories (1898). Under British rule Hong Kong grew from a trading outpost into a manufacturing and then financial powerhouse, interrupted only by a harsh Japanese occupation during the Second World War (1941-1945). On 1 July 1997, sovereignty returned to China under the "One Country, Two Systems" framework, preserving Hong Kong's own legal system, currency, and border controls for at least 50 years. Today Hong Kong remains one of the world's leading financial centres and a dense meeting point of Cantonese, British, and international culture, still finding its balance within that framework.

Timeline — key moments

1. 1841

   Britain occupies Hong Kong Island during the First Opium War.

2. 1842

   Treaty of Nanking formally cedes Hong Kong Island to Britain.

3. 1860

   Kowloon Peninsula ceded to Britain under the Convention of Peking.

4. 1898

   Britain leases the New Territories for 99 years.

5. 1941-1945

   Japanese occupation during the Second World War.

6. circa 1960s-1980s

   Rapid industrialisation and rise as a global financial and trading hub.

7. 1997

   Handover to China on 1 July under "One Country, Two Systems".

8. 2020

   National Security Law enacted, reshaping the territory's legal and political landscape.

Top 10 things to know about Hong Kong

1. Hong Kong is one of the most densely built cities in the world, with an exceptional concentration of skyscrapers.
2. Victoria Harbour is one of the world's best-known natural deep-water harbours.
3. Hong Kong operates under "One Country, Two Systems" , its own legal system, currency, and border controls separate from mainland China.
4. Cantonese is the dominant spoken language; English and Chinese are both official.
5. The Star Ferry has crossed Victoria Harbour since 1888, one of the world's oldest continuously run ferry services.
6. Hong Kong's tram network (the "Ding Ding"), running since 1904, is among the oldest tram systems still operating.
7. Hong Kong International Airport is one of the busiest cargo airports in the world.
8. Dim sum and the "yum cha" (tea-drinking) tradition are central to daily Hong Kong life.
9. Hong Kong is a major centre of the global film and Cantopop music industries.
10. The name "Hong Kong" comes from Cantonese "Heung Gong", meaning "fragrant harbour".

Famous people from Hong Kong

Say it in Hong Kong's language

Did you know?

• ★Hong Kong has one of the highest numbers of skyscrapers of any city in the world.
• ★The name "Hong Kong" comes from Cantonese words meaning "fragrant harbour".
• ★Hong Kong's double-decker tram system has run continuously since 1904.

Hong Kong culture

• Dim sum and "yum cha" tea-house brunches are a cornerstone of everyday social life.
• Cantopop, a Cantonese-language pop music genre, made Hong Kong a major regional entertainment hub in the 1980s-90s.
• Lunar New Year is celebrated with fireworks over Victoria Harbour and lion dances.
• Traditional Chinese temples such as Wong Tai Sin sit alongside colonial-era British architecture across the city.

Why read Hong Kong's books

Hong Kong's literary life spans wuxia epics that captivated generations of Chinese readers, essays and fiction shaped by its colonial and post-handover identity, and a thriving contemporary press. Its books shelf reflects that layered, East-meets-West story.