East really meets West in this bustling modern city. Hong Kong is an epicure's delight offering not only the many diverse cuisines of China but also a Hong Kong version of gastronomic delights from every corner of the globe.
Hong Kong was occupied by the British in 1841 and used as a trans-shipping port for the purpose of delivering goods up the Pearl River to Canton and other coastal cities. The rock, as it was originally, was ceded in perpetuity by China the following year. Various adjacent lands were annexed not the least of which was the Kowloon peninsula north of Boundary Road, which was leased to the British for 99 years - expiring in 1977. Since the head (Hong Kong island) could not survive without the body (Kowloon peninsula) the British handed back all their holdings in Hong Kong when the lease expired.
There was much trepidation by the residents of Hong Kong, especially the expatriate community, regarding negative affects of the handover. Since 1997 Hong Kong has burgeoned as one of the world's leading economic centres. The Government recently handed back hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue to the people in various forms including tax cuts and reductions in utilities costs (land tax and power).
Hong Kong is a shopping mecca and attracts more than it's population in tourism each year.
Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.