The Handover of Hong Kong

The Handover of Hong Kong

This article relates to Ghost Girl, Banana

Ghost Girl, Banana takes place partly in Hong Kong in the summer of 1997, a setting intentionally chosen by the author for symbolic reasons, representing the inner conflict of the main character who is of Hong Kong descent but grew up in the UK, raised by her English father. This was the summer Hong Kong was "returned" to the rule of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from the British, who held the territory as a colony for 156 years.

British rule of Hong Kong began in 1842 after the First Opium War (one of a series of trade-related conflicts between Britain and China); Hong Kong Island was given to the British in a peace treaty signed by Queen Victoria and the Daoguang Emperor of China. In a treaty ending the Second Opium War in 1860, the British received the Kowloon Peninsula. Finally, in 1898, China leased the New Territories — the mainland area next to the peninsula along with 235 islands — to Britain for 99 years.

During colonization, a British governor ruled the territory, along with his appointed legislative and executive councils, and some areas were racially segregated. Criminal punishment was draconian, and in the mid-19th century, there was a curfew confining the locals to their homes at night.

In 1984, the United Kingdom and the PRC signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration that set the conditions for the transfer of Hong Kong. As part of this treaty, the Chinese government committed to ruling Hong Kong with a "one country, two systems" policy for fifty years. In other words, Hong Kong would become part of China, but maintain autonomy in managing most of its own governmental affairs.

The handover occurred on July 1, with a ceremony taking place the night before on June 30, attended by Prince Charles as Queen Elizabeth's envoy. The Hong Kong Free Press has a photo essay of the event, though it does not include images of Hong Kong residents protesting the handover in the streets.

In the years since, the PRC has been accused, with increasing fervor, of failing to uphold the spirit of the agreement by both residents of Hong Kong and the British government. Hong Kong activists have been demonstrating widely and vocally for democracy and individual rights and freedoms (i.e., speech and assembly) for years, most notably in 2019-2020 after the government floated a proposed amendment to allow those suspected of a crime to be extradited to mainland China.

Hong Kong currently has an ostensibly independent government, but is heavily controlled by special interest groups beholden to the PRC. In 2021, a resolution was passed limiting the proportion of representatives that could be voted into office by the people from about half to just 20 out of 90, with a largely pro-Beijing and government-appointed Elections Committee holding power over nominations.

Acquisition of Hong Kong by the British. Map by Vatnið (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Filed under People, Eras & Events

This "beyond the book article" relates to Ghost Girl, Banana. It originally ran in June 2023 and has been updated for the May 2025 paperback edition. Go to magazine.