Abstract

Imperial Hongkong

Hong Kong, China, is a symbol. In a sense, it sums up the relations between the imperialists and China during the past eighty years. The rugged, steep-sided Island of Hongkong, thirty square miles in area was taken from China by Great Britain as a result of the First Opium War. Eighteen years later, at the close of the Second Opium War, a strip of territory on the neighboring mainland--Kowloon, was also seized by the British. Between Hongkong and Kowloon lies one of the finest and most beautiful harbors in the world, deep, spacious, completely surrounded by high hills. Although the Island of Hongkong is rough and inaccessible, the British have done wonders with its limited possibilities. Docks and warehouses are ample and modern. The British city has fine buildings, wide, clean streets, excellent hotels, a good water system, a first-class street car and ferry service.