Hongkong Hotels
Hotels in Hongkong are often required for tourists who require short term accommodation in the city. Some may want to see the culture, the history, the tourist attractions and society of the city. Some tourists may want to see the scenery and cultural attractions of the city. Numerous tourists may want to see the historic landmarks of the city. Some may want to see the famous landmarks of the city. Some tourists may want to see the landscapes of the city. Some tourists may want a hotel in the city for short term accommodation. They may want to stay at a large hotel or a small hotel. Some may want to stay at a luxury or cheap hotel. Some may want to stay at hotels that have access to good tourist attractions.
Hong Kong is a territory located on China's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south.
Beginning as a trading port, Hong Kong became a dependent territory of the United Kingdom in 1842, and remained so until the transfer of its sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997. Along with Macau, Hong Kong is one of two special administrative regions and is not considered part of mainland China. Under the "one country, two systems" policy, Hong Kong has a high degree of autonomy, is largely self-governing, and maintains a highly capitalist economy.
Renowned for its expansive skyline and natural setting, Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial capitals and a major business and cultural hub. Its identity as a cosmopolitan centre where east meets west is reflected in its cuisine, cinema, music and traditions, and although the population is predominantly Chinese, residents and expatriates of other ethnicities form a small but significant segment of society.
Hong Kong is located on China's south coast, 60 km east of Macau on the opposite side of the Pearl River Delta. It is surrounded by the South China Sea on the east, south, and west, and borders the city of Shenzhen in Guangdong Province to the north over the Sham Chun River. The territory's 1,104 km2 (426 sq mi) land area consists primarily of Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island, Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories as well as some 260 other islands.
As much of Hong Kong's terrain is hilly to mountainous with steep slopes, less than only 25% of the territory's landmass is developed, and about 40% of the remaining land area is reserved as country parks and nature reserves.Most of the territory's urban development exists on Kowloon peninsula, along the northern edge of Hong Kong Island and in scattered settlements throughout the New Territories. The highest elevation in the territory is at Tai Mo Shan, at a height of 958 metres (3,140 ft) above sea level. Hong Kong's long, irregular and curvaceous coastline also affords the territory with many bays, rivers and beaches.
Despite Hong Kong's reputation of being intensely urbanised, the territory has made much effort to promote a green environment, and recent growing public concern has prompted the severe restriction of further land reclamation from Victoria Harbour. Awareness of the environment is growing as Hong Kong suffers from increasing pollution compounded by its geography and tall buildings. Approximately 80% of the city's smog originates from other parts of the Pearl River Delta.
Human settlement in the area now known as Hong Kong dates back to the Paleolithic era[citation needed], but the name Hong Kong didn't appear on written record until the Treaty of Nanking of 1842. . The area's earliest recorded European visitor was Jorge Álvares, a Portuguese mariner who arrived in 1513.
In
1839 the refusal by Qing Dynasty authorities to import opium resulted in the First
Opium War between China and Britain. Hong Kong Island became occupied by British
forces in 1841, and was formally ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Nanking
at the end of the war. The British established a Crown Colony with the founding
of Victoria City the following year. In 1860, after China's defeat in the Second
Opium War, Kowloon Peninsula south of Boundary Street and Stonecutter's Island
were ceded to Britain under the Convention of Peking. In 1898 Britain obtained
a 99-year lease of Lantau Island and the adjacent northern lands, which became
known as the New Territories.
Hong Kong in the late nineteenth century was
a major trading post of the British Empire.
Japanese troops march along Queen's
Road following the British surrender in 1941
During the first half of the 20th century, Hong Kong was a free port, serving as an entrepôt of the British Empire. The British introduced an education system based on their own model, while the local Chinese population had little contact with the European community of wealthy tai-pans settled near Victoria Peak.
In conjunction with its military campaign in World War II, the Empire of Japan invaded Hong Kong on 8 December 1941. The Battle of Hong Kong ended with British and Canadian defenders surrendering control of the colony to Japan on 25 December. During the Japanese occupation, civilians suffered widespread food shortages, rationing, and hyper-inflation due to forced exchange of currency for military notes. Hong Kong lost more than half of its population in the period between the invasion and Japan's surrender in 1945, when the United Kingdom resumed control of the colony.
Hong Kong's population recovered quickly as a wave of mainland migrants arrived for refuge from the ongoing Chinese Civil War. With the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, more migrants fled to Hong Kong in fear of persecution by the Communist Party. Many corporations in Shanghai and Guangzhou also shifted their operations to Hong Kong. The colony became the sole place of contact between mainland China and the Western world, as the Chinese communist government increasingly isolated itself from outside influence.
As
textile and manufacturing industries grew with the help of population growth and
low cost of labour, Hong Kong rapidly industrialised, with its economy becoming
driven by exports, and living standards rising steadily. The construction of Shek
Kip Mei Estate in 1953 marked the beginning of the public housing estate program,
designed to cope with the huge influx of immigrants. Trade in Hong Kong accelerated
even further when Shenzhen, immediately north of Hong Kong, became a Special Economic
Zone of the PRC, and established Hong Kong as the main source of foreign investment
to the mainland. The later decades of the 20th century saw the economy shift from
textiles and manufacturing to mainly services-based, as the financial and banking
sectors became increasingly dominant.
Colonial flag of Hong Kong, used from
1959 to 1997
With the lease of the New Territories due to expire within two decades the governments of the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China discussed the issue of Hong Kong's sovereignty in the 1980s. In 1984 the two countries signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, agreeing to transfer sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997, and stipulating that Hong Kong would be governed as a special administrative region, retaining its laws and a high degree of autonomy for at least fifty years after the transfer. The Hong Kong Basic Law, which would serve as the constitutional document after the transfer, was ratified in 1990, and the transfer of sovereignty occurred at midnight on 1 July 1997, marked by a handover ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
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