This major history of Hong Kong tells the remarkable story of how a cluster of remote fishing
villages grew into an icon of capitalism. The story began in 1842 with the founding of the
Crown Colony after the First Anglo-Chinese war-the original'Opium War'. As premier power
in Europe and an expansionist empire, Britain first created in Hong Kong a major naval
station and the principal base to open the Celestial Chinese Empire to trade. Working in
parallel with the locals, the British built it up to become a focus for investment in the region …