There is little remaining evidence in today’s modern Hong Kong of the older China of walled villages and ancient temples.  The first Europeans to sail into the area were the Portuguese navigators whose voyages paved the way for the foundation of Macau, Portugal’s 16th-century port on the Cantonese coast.  By the late 17th century the lure of a flourishing trade with the Orient had also attracted the British, whose East India Company maintained a lively commerce throughout the area.  However, when opium was introduced to the area’s commerce, Sino-British relations rapidly deteriorated.  The famous “Opium Wars” that followed were settled by the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 which ceded Hong Kong to the British. Kowloon, the New Territories and adjacent islands were added later.  On July 1, 1997, the sovereignty of Hong Kong reverted to China.

Today Hong Kong is a modern city with offices, apartment blocks, and factories resting amidst the few remaining evidences of an older, more traditional China.  Yet for all its Western-style modernity, Hong Kong remains intrinsically a Chinese city-state.  It is bustling with world commerce, with hundreds of international banks, stock companies, and trading organizations.

Trip description furnished by Vantage Deluxe World Travel.  Visit them at VantageTravel.com.

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