FREE ESSAY ON THE COLONIZATION OF CHINA

THE COLONIZATION OF CHINA

The Colonization of Hong Kong
Colonization from large economic powers brought disease and death to the indigenous
population and wealth and power to their conquers. Many civilizations were crushed under
the rule of European Superpowers though Hong Kong was the exception. The colonization of
Hong Kong made the British wealthy and the indigenous population also reaped the benefits
of their newfound wealth
The insisted that China should trade with the rest of the world in the 1800's. The
Chinese were very reluctant to do so and as a consequence they only left one port open to
trade with the Western world, Guangzhou, the Capital of Guandong. The high prices
instigated by the Chinese leaders, the Qing, gold and silver were the only goods China
would accept. This lead to draconian treatment of the Qing by the British traders. The
official trade monopoly was know as Cohong. Even though the British government and
traders were enraged by this embargo they still continued to trade with the Chinese none
the less. Increasingly the greedy want for gold and silver by the Qing was barely reached
by the British traders. Indian opium became more lucrative as a commodity and the British
who ruled over India at the time, started to trade with Opium, even though Opiates were
illegal. Opium is an extremely addictive and popular drug that was used by millions of
Chinese. As corruption and addiction became prevalent, silver and gold stores slowly but
surely drained. The Chinese Emperor Daoguang tried to stop Opium trade by instigating
trade laws and hired various commissioners to reinforce them against the Chinese and
British traders. In March 1839 Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu was assigned to destroy
1400 tons of opium. Lin blockaded the British traders in their compounds and the Opium
was destroyed by the Chinese troops. Theses actions gave the British they opportunity
they had been looking for, a reason to declare war on China. In June 1840 a British fleet
arrived in Guangzhou demanding repayment for the lost opium. Meanwhile another fleet
moved towards Tianjing and threatened the Capital, Beijing. The Emperor immediately
dismissed Commissioner Lin and instated a new commissioner Qishan. Qishan capitulated to
the British demands and signed the Convention of Quanbi, which in January 1841 handed
Hong Kong over to the British, as well as a substantial compensation for the lost opium.
Opium trade then continued in Guangzhou bringing huge financial gain to the British
Empire. The Chinese were under the false belief that by signing the Quanbi Convention
that all hostilities would end. This would prove to be a grave mistake. Both the Chinese
and British Empire later revoked the Convention. The Chinese believed that the British
Empire received far too much gain from the Convention. The British government believed
they received too little. In the August of 1841 the British fleet embarked on yet another
voyage to the north of China. The British fleet successfully sacked and destroyed number
of northern cities and villages. This latest expedition forced the Qing to concede and
sign the Treaty of Nanjing; this was the first stage of the British acquisition of Hong
Kong. 
The British acquired Hong Kong in three stages, the first, Hong Kong Island was signed
over to the British in the Nanjing Treaty. His Majesty the Emperor of China agrees that
British subjects, with their families and establishments, shall be allowed to reside, for
the purpose of carrying out Mercantile pursuits, without molestation or restraint at the
Cities of Canton (Guangzhou), Amoy (Xiamen), Foochow-fu (Fuzhou), Ningpo (Ningbo) and
Shanghai, and Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, etc., will appoint Superintendents
or Consul Officers, to reside at each of the above mentioned cities or town to be the
medium of communication between the Chinese authorities and said Merchants....-A select
article from the Treaty of Nanjing. The provisions of the Nanjing Treaty made it clear
that it was the Western desire to potentially vast markets in China, and not opium, that
was the real reason for the unequal treaties imposed on China by the British after the
Treaty of Nanjing. Opium was a convenient excuse. 
Hong Kong Island was too small for the British's liking. Soon landings were made at
Kowloon Peninsula after a Chinese attack on British Merchant vessel. War again broke out
but British forces soon occupied Guangzhou. In 1860 Allied British and French troops
numbering some 25,000 occupied Beijing. Kowloon Peninsula was temporarily leased to house
British troops but eventually it was perpetually leased. The Treaty of Beijing handed
Kowloon Peninsula over to the British. 
In 1898 the British were musing whether to extend their territories in China. Other
nations such as Russia and France had also leased land for colonization. The British
decided if they were to permanently keep more of China other nations would also. The
British decided to hand back Hong Kong and Kowloon Peninsula to China in exactly 100
years, in the year 1997. 
The British rule of Hong Kong was for the most part, fair and just. Hong Kong was not
plundered or disease ridden, rather used as a prosperous trade route between China, the
Dutch East Indies, India and Japan. Hong Kong was ruled with British laws and soon after
English became the official language. As trade increased so did the population who lived
in a safe and prosperous environment. In the 20th Century as conditions in China worsened
hundreds of Chinese tried to escape the oppression and drudgery of China by going to Hong
Kong. At first many were let into Hong Kong but as the refugees increased Hong Kong
closed its gates. But this did not hinder many as Chinese tried to swim from mainland
China to Hong Kong. British rule in Hong Kong was one of few exceptions in the usual
terror reign of colonising powers. But could the cost of taking Hong Kong from the
Chinese be accounted for?
Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mackerras C 1994.... IMPERIALISM, COLONIALISM & NATIONALISM IN EAST ASIA Longman
Australia Melbourne
Blare W 1992...HISTORY OF HONG KONG Rawling UK Coventrys
ELECTRONIC REASOURCES
World Book Encyclopedia 1999, History of Hong Kong
World Book Encyclopedia 1999, History of British Empire
WEB SITES
http://www.history.com/
http://ibm.com/worldbook/