Timeline Hong Kong
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Hong
Kong is about 6 times the size of Washington DC.
(SSFC, 10/9/05, Par p.27)
About Hong Kong: www.allstays.com/content/all-about-hong-kong.htm
ICL: http://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/law/hk__indx.html
Hong Kong Home Page: http://www.csudh.edu/global_options/375Students-Sp96/HongKong/Default.htm
South China Morning Post: http://www.scmp.com/
USSD: http://www.state.gov/www/background_notes/hong_kong_0899_bgn.html
1600-1700 Hong
Kong, the name means fragrant harbor, was founded by British Naval
officers in the 17th century as a western trading post for tea.
(SFEC, 4/16/00, Z1 p.2)(SFC, 2/10/04, p.A22)
1832 Jardine Matheson was founded
as a trading house in Hong Kong.
(Econ, 6/30/07, SR p.13)
1838 Obscure oil paintings show a
sophisticated irrigation system on the Island.
(SFEC, 11/10/96, p.A18)
1839 Aug 23, The British captured
Hong Kong from China.
(MC, 8/23/02)
1841 Jan 20, The island of Hong
Kong was ceded to Great Britain from China as part of the concessions
from the Opium War. It became a capitalist bastion as opposed to the
rest of China. The British won the first Opium War and forced China to
open markets to foreign trade. Britain soon established a formal police
force commanded mostly by British officers. Hong Kong returned to
Chinese control in July 1997.
(WSJ, 10/26/95, p.A-1)(SFEC, 11/10/96, Par
p.14)(SFC, 3/11/97, p.A12)(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)(AP, 1/20/98)(HN,
1/20/99)(WSJ, 1/11/99, p.R49)(WSJ, 2/2/04, p.A12)
1841 Jan 26, Britain formally
occupied Hong Kong, which the Chinese had ceded to the British.
(AP, 1/26/98)
1842 Aug 29, Britain & China
signed the Treaty of Nanking and ended the Opium war. The Treaty of
Nanking opened the port of Shanghai to foreigners. The 1997 Chinese
film "The Opium War" was directed by Xie Jin. It was about the events
leading up to the Treaty of Nanking. The treaty of Nanking ceded Hong
Kong Island to Britain in perpetuity.
(AMNHDT, 5/98)(SFC, 5/20/98,
p.E3)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Nanjing)
1842 Jardine, Matheson & Co.,
founded in Canton in 1832, built the first substantial house and
established their head office on the recently acquired island of Hong
Kong. This began an era of increased prosperity and expansion.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardine_Matheson_Holdings)
1843 Apr 5, Queen Victoria
proclaimed Hong Kong a British crown colony.
(HN, 4/5/99)
1843 Jun 26, Hong Kong was
proclaimed a British Crown Colony. [see Apr 5]
(MC, 6/26/02)
1856-1858 The 2nd Anglo-Chinese Opium War.
(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)
1855-1910 History: Picturing Hong Kong: Photography
1855-1910.
http://www.askasia.org/frclasrm/readings/r000206.htm
1857 Cheong Ah Lum, the colony’s
foremost baker, so hated the Britons that he tried to poison 400 of the
most important gwailos with arsenic laced bread. No one died but many
got sick.
(SFEC, 11/10/96, p.A18)
1860 In the Convention of Peking
China ceded the Kowloon Peninsula to Britain for all time.
(SFC, 3/11/97, p.A12)(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)(SFC,
7/1/97, p.A8)
1861 The British firm Butterfield
& Swire began trading in Hong Kong and China.
(Econ, 6/30/07, SR p.13)
1865 Mar, Thomas Sutherland of
Scotland founded the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC)
to finance trade in the Far East. It established the Shanghai branch on
April 3, 1865.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_and_Shanghai_Banking_Corporation)
1888 A funicular railway,
cable-based with counter-balanced up and down cars, was built to ascend
Hong Kong's 1,300 foot Victoria Peak.
(SFC, 2/10/04, p.A22)
1892 Sun Yat-Sen (d.1925), Chinese
statesman and revolutionary leader, graduated from the Hong Kong School
of Medicine.
(HFA, '96, p.18)(AP, 6/22/97)(HNQ, 6/3/98)
1893 The Royal Hong Kong Police
set up a police training school for its British led force.
(WSJ, 2/2/04, p.A12)
1898 Jun 9, China leased Hong
Kong's New Territories to Britain for 99 years by a convention signed
in Peking, respecting an extension of Hong Kong territory, the New
Territories, comprising the area north of Kowloon up to the Shum Chun
(Shenzhen) River and 235 islands.
(www.info.gov.hk/yearbook/2003/english/chapter21/21_03.html)
1898 Jul 1, China leased the New
Territories and 235 adjacent islands to Britain on a 99-year lease.
(SFEC, 11/10/96, Par p.14)(SFC, 3/11/97,
p.A12)(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)
1918 Feb 26, Stands at the Hong
Kong Jockey Club collapsed and burned, killing 604.
(SC, 2/26/02)
1919 Hueng Chin, father of
filmmaker Charles Hueng, founded the Sun Yee On triad, a secret
criminal society.
(SFC, 2/18/98, p.A7)
1933 Wing Lung Bank was founded in
Hong Kong. It survived a forced relocation to Macau during the Japanese
occupation. In 2008 China Merchants Bank launched a takeover of Wing
Lung for $4.7 billion.
(Econ, 6/7/08, p.86)
1941 Dec 8, Japanese troops
occupied Hong Kong. [see Dec 18,19]
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)
1941 Dec 18, Japanese troops
landed on Hong Kong. [see Dec 8,19]
(MC, 12/18/01)
1941 Dec 19, Japanese landed on
Hong Kong and clashed with British troops.
(HN, 12/19/98)
1941 Dec 23, The Japanese occupied
Hong Kong.
(WUD, 1944, p.1683)
1941 Dec 25, Japan announced the
surrender of the British-Canadian garrison at Hong Kong. Major John
Crawford (d.1997) and some 1,975 Canadian soldiers were captured and
incarcerated at the Sham Shui Po prison camp at Kowloon for 44 months.
(G&M, 7/30/97, p.A24)(HN, 12/25/02)(AP, 12/25/07)
1945 Aug 14, Japanese occupation
of Hong Kong ended.
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)
1945 Aug 29, British liberated
Hong Kong from Japan.
(MC, 8/29/01)
1945 Sep 16, Japan surrendered
Hong Kong to Britain.
(HN, 9/16/98)
1945 Nov 8, A riverboat sank off
Hong Kong and 1,550 were killed.
(MC, 11/8/01)
c1945 Nadya Jacobova Moiseeva
(daughter of Jacob Moiseef) and John Henry McCann, a former officer
with Gen’l. Claire Chennault and the Flying Tigers, managed CAT
Airlines, formed by formed by former Flying Tiger pilots. The couple
had met and married in Shanghai in 1944.
(SFC, 12/2/97, p.A22)
1946 The Hong Kong airline Cathay
Pacific began operations with two DC3 planes.
(Econ, 12/23/06, p.96)
1949 Wang Din-shin, owner of the
Chinachem real estate empire centered in Shanghai, moved his family and
assets to Hong Kong. The business was later taken over by his son,
Teddy Wang Teh-huei.
(WSJ, 10/20/99, p.A23)
1949-50 Some 750,000 Chinese fled to Hong Kong as the
Communists took over the mainland.
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)
1955-1972 Jin Yong, founder and publisher of the Hong
Kong Ming Pao newspaper, authored a series of Kung Fu novels that ran
to 36 volumes.
(WSJ, 3/9/00, p.A24)
1959 The Ming Pao newspaper was
launched under editor Louis Cha, who doubled as popular novelist of
martial arts epics.
(WSJ, 4/21/97, p.A1)
1961 Feb 22, British Foreign Sec.
Douglas-Home said in a "Top Secret" letter to Defense Minister Harold
Watkinson that, "It must be fully obvious to the Americans that Hong
Kong is indefensible by conventional means and that in the event of a
Chinese attack, nuclear strikes against China would be the only
alternative to complete abandonment of the colony." The document was
made public in 2006.
(AP, 6/30/06)
1961-1971 Scotsman John Cowperthwaite, who arrived in
Hong Kong in 1945, served as Financial Secretary of the British colony.
Cowperthwaite died in 2006 at age 90.
(http://garysweeten.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_archive.html)(Econ,
11/25/06, p.80)
1967 The Chinese Cultural
Revolution briefly spilled over into Hong Kong with street riots.
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)
1967 In Hong Kong Television
Broadcasts Limited (TVB) received a rare license to operate by the
colonial government. In the 1970s Sir Run Run Shaw gained control. Its
film production ceased operations in 1985. In 1999 it sold its vast
library of films to a Malaysian firm.
(Econ, 5/24/08, p.88)
1971 Nov 28, The Anglican Bishop
of Hong Kong ordained the first two women as priests.
(HN,
11/28/98)(http://trushare.com/Mascall%20Women%20Priests.htm)
1971 Vincent Lo (b.1948) founded
the Shui On Group in Honk Kong with a family loan of $16,700. In 2005
Lo and his partners sold land in Manhattan and proceeded to purchase
the Bank of America Center in SF.
(SSFC, 1/1/06, p.J6)
1971-1982 Lord MacLehose (d.2000 at 82) served as the
governor of Hong Kong.
(SFC, 6/1/00, p.C20)
1972 Jan 9, The RMS Queen
Elizabeth, the world’s largest ocean liner, sank after a major fire in
Hong Kong harbor. It had been purchased by Tung Chao-yung at a
bankruptcy sale in Florida. He had hoped to turn it into a floating
school. Arson was blamed and it was scrapped.
(WSJ, 2/6/97,
p.B1)(www.ocean-liners.com/ships/queenelizabeth.asp)
1972 China, newly admitted to the
UN, said it wanted Hong Kong back.
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)
1973 Jul 20, Bruce Lee (b.1940),
[Lee Yuen Kam], American-born martial arts expert and film actor, died
in Hong Kong 3 weeks before the opening of his new film "Enter the
Dragon." He was born in San Francisco and raised in Hong Kong. In 2000
Davis Miller authored "The Tao of Bruce Lee, A Martial Arts Memoir."
(SFEC, 8/13/00, BR p.4)(SFC, 7/21/03,
p.D8)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee)
1973 The Hong Kong film "Enter the
Dragon" starred Sammo Hung and Bruce Lee (d.1973).
(SFEC, 7/12/98, DB p.54)(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1973 Peter Godber, a corrupt
police official, avoided punishment by fleeing to England. People
marched in protest.
(SFC, 5/5/00, p.A14)
1974 Lord MacLehose, the British
governor, set up the Independent Commission on Corruption (ICAC).
(SFC, 5/5/00, p.A14)
1975 Apr 25, The 1st Boeing
Jetfoil revenue service began between Hong Kong and Macao.
(SS,
4/25/02)(http://pdf.aiaa.org/preview/1979/PV1979_2017.pdf)
1975 Nov 5, The scrapped passenger
ship Queen Elizabeth rolled over and disgorged several tons of oil in
Hong Kong.
(www.cunard.co.uk)
1975 The Hong Kong film "Hand of
Death" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1975 The Hong Kong Museum of
History was established.
http://www.usd.gov.hk/hkmh/e-hkmoh/introduction.html
1975 Hong Kong established China’s
first reserve to protect migrating shore birds at Mai Poi.
(Econ, 12/20/08, p.67)
1977 The Hong Kong film
"Iron-Fisted Monk" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1977 The Hong Kong film "Mighty
Peking Man" starred Danny Lee. It was also called Goliathon or Colossus
of the Jungle.
(SFC, 4/23/99, p.C13)
1978 The Hong Kong film "Drunken
Master" with Jackie Chan was produced.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1978 The Hong Kong film "Enter the
Fat Dragon" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1978 The Hong Kong film "Master
Killer" was produced.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1978 The Hong Kong film "Warriors
Two" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1979 Mar, China Premier Deng
Xiaoping received Sir Murray McLehose, Gov. of Hong Kong (1971-1982).
McLehose raised the issue of the 1997 end of lease and Deng said Hong
Kong can rest at ease.
(SFC, 7/1/97,
p.A8)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer_of_the_sovereignty_of_Hong_Kong)
1979 Sep, British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher visited Beijing. Deng refused her request for
continued British administration of Hong Kong after 1997, but agreed to
open negotiations on handover.
(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)
1979 The Hong Kong film
"Knockabout" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1979 Sir Norman Foster, English
architect, designed the $815 million, 41-story Hong Kong and Shanghai
Bank headquarters in Hong Kong.
(WSJ, 5/14/97, p.B1)
1980 The Hong Kong film
"Encounters of the Spooky Kind" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1980 The film "Shaolin Temple" was
produced by a Hong Kong company about the Shaolin monks and their
unique martial arts style.
(WSJ, 10/23/96, p.A1)
1980 The Hong Kong film "Young
Master" was the directorial debut for Jackie Chan.
(SFC, 1/26/98, p.D2)
1982 The Hong Kong film "The Dead
and the Deadly" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1982 China and Britain began
negotiations on Hong Kong’s future.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer_of_the_sovereignty_of_Hong_Kong)
1983 Oct, Hong Kong pegged its
currency to the US dollar. Hong Kong adopted a currency board. The
board is a type fixed exchange rate system that requires currency in
circulation to be fully matched by the country’s foreign exchange
reserves. The Hong Kong dollar was pegged at 7.8 to the US dollar.
(SFC, 2/16/98, p.A10)(WSJ, 8/10/98, p.A10)(Econ,
6/30/07, SR p.10)
1983 The Hong Kong film "The
Prodigal Son" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1983 The Hong Kong film "Project
A" (Part I) starred Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.
(SFC,11/28/97, p.C18)(SFEC, 3/1/98, DB p.48)(SFEC,
4/11/99, Par p.18)
1983 The Hong Kong film "Warriors
of the Magic Mountain" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1983 The Hong Kong film "Winners
and Sinners" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1983 In Hong Kong Teddy Wang
Teh-huei, owner of Chinachem, was abducted by armed men and stuffed
into a refrigerator. He was released following an $11 million ransom.
(WSJ, 10/20/99, p.A23)
1984 Sep 19, Britain and China
completed a draft agreement on transferring Hong Kong from British to
Chinese rule by 1997.
(AP, 9/19/99)
1984 Dec 19, British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang signed an
accord to return Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty on Jul 1, 1997. China
pledged to grant Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy and permit it to
retain its capitalist system for 50 years.
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)(SFC, 7/1/97,
p.A8)
1984 The Hong Kong film "Wheels on
Meals" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1984 The trading firm Jardine,
Matheson & Co., in Hong Kong since 1842, shifted its legal domicile
to Bermuda.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardine_Matheson_Holdings)
1985 May 27, In a brief ceremony
in Beijing, representatives of Britain and China exchanged instruments
of ratification on the pact returning Hong Kong to the Chinese in 1997.
(AP, 5/27/97)
1985 The Hong Kong film "My Lucky
Stars" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1985 The Hong Kong film "Twinkle
Twinkle Lucky Stars" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1986 The Hong Kong film "Eastern
Condors" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1986 The Hong Kong film "North and
South Shaolin" starred Jet Li.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1986 The Hong Kong film "Rouge"
starred Anita Mui (d.2003 at age 40).
(SFC, 1/1/04, p.A23)
1986 The Hong Kong film "Shanghai
Express" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1987 Oct, The Hong Kong stock
market suffered a 46% decline in October.
(SFC,10/27/97, p.B2)
1987 The Hong Kong film "Dragons
Forever" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1988 Jun 15, Hong Kong announced a
clampdown on "boat people," saying newly arriving Vietnamese refugees
would be incarcerated and returned to Vietnam if they could not prove
that they had fled religious or political persecution.
(AP, 6/15/98)
1988 The Hong Kong film "Painted
Faces" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1988 The Hong Kong film "Paper
Marriage" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1988 Heung Wah Yim, the eldest son
of Heung Chin, was convicted of being the boss of the Sun Yee On triad,
but the conviction was overthrown on a technicality.
(SFC, 2/18/98, p.A7)
1989 Dec 12, Amid international
criticism, Britain forcibly removed 51 Vietnamese from Hong Kong and
returned them to their homeland.
(AP, 12/12/99)
1989 The Hong Kong film "Pedicab
Driver" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1990 The Hong Kong cop film "New
Kids in Town" was directed by Lau Kar Leung.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1990 China promulgated the Basic
Law, a mini-constitution for post-1997 Hong Kong. It granted any child
of a permanent resident the right to live in Hong Kong.
(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)(SFC, 4/29/99, p.D7)
1990 Apr 10, Teddy Wang Tei-huei
(57), Hong Kong real estate tycoon, was kidnapped for a 2nd time.
Abductors demanded $60 million. His wife Nina Wang paid a $34 million
installment, but it was too late. His body was never found. Wang was
declared legally dead in 1999.
(WSJ, 10/20/99, p.A23)(Econ, 7/3/04, p.52)
1990 Dec 14, In Hong Kong 10
Vietnamese boat people set fire to themselves to protest screening
policy that could prevent them from settling in the West.
(AP, 12/14/02)
1990-91 The Nung from Vietnam made their way to Hong
Kong as boat people.
(SFC, 6/18/97, p.A10)
1991 Nov 9, Police in Hong Kong
forcibly repatriated 59 Vietnamese boat people, carrying them onto a
transport plane.
(AP, 11/9/01)
1991 The Hong Kong murder mystery
film "Hong Kong Pretty Woman" was produced.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1991 The Hong Kong romantic comedy
film "Perfect Match" with Maggie Cheung was produced.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1991 The Hong Kong film "Swordsman
II" was directed by Ching Siu-tung.
(SFEC, 4/13/97, DB p.44)
1992 The Hong Kong film "The
Actress" was directed by Stanley Kwan. It was about the first Asian
silent film icon, Ruan Ling Yu, and starred Maggie Cheung.
(SFC, 1/9/98, p.D4)
1992 The Hong Kong film "Dead End
of Besiegers" contrasted Japanese and Chinese martial art techniques.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1992 The Hong Kong action comedy
film "Twin Dragons" starred Jackie Chan and Maggie Cheung and was
directed by Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam.
(SFC, 4/10/99, p.E1)
1992 Christopher Patten became the
28th British governor. He began electoral reforms that were denounced
by China. He served to 1997 and in 1998 published “East and West:
China, Power and the Future of Asia.”
(SFEC, 11/10/96, Parade p.14)(SFC, 7/1/97,
p.A8)(WSJ, 9/16/98, p.A20)
1992 A US Senate report linked the
Sun Yee On triad to criminal organizations in Canada, the Dominican
Republic, and 7 US cities including SF. The report stated that the
syndicate was in outright control of the entertainment industry in Hong
Kong. The book “Hong Kong Babylon” by Fredric Dannen describes the Hong
Kong movie industry.
(SFC, 2/18/98, p.A7)
1993 The film "Drunken Master II"
with Jackie Chan was produced.
(SFC,11/28/97, p.C18)
1993 The Hong Kong cop film
"Project S: Once a Cop" with Michelle Khan was produced.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1993 The lesbian assassin film
"Naked Killer" with Carrie Ng and Chingmy Yau was produced.
(SFC,11/28/97, p.C18)
1993 China set up a Preliminary
Working Committee (PWC) to shape the post-1997 Hong Kong administration.
(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)
1993 Anson Chan was named by Gov.
Chris Patton as the 1st Chinese person to run the civil service.
(SFC, 1/13/01, p.A14)
1994 The Hong Kong film "Ashes of
Time" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1994 The film "Chinese Torture
Chamber" was produced.
(SFC,11/28/97, p.C18)
1994 The Hong Kong film "Chungking
Express" was directed by Wong Kar-wai.
(SSFC, 10/19/03, p.C10)
1994 The Hong Kong murder mystery
film "Dream Killer" was produced.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1994 The Hong Kong film "Great
Conqueror’s Concubine, Part Two" with Gong Li and Rosamund Kwan was
produced.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1994 The film "Naked Killer" was
produced in Hong Kong. It featured nonstop sex and violence
(SFEC, 5/11/97, DB p.37)
1995 Sep 18, Pro-democracy
candidates won a sweeping victory in the last legislative election
under British rule. Democrats took 70% of the direct vote. China vowed
to disband the legislature.
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)
1995 Hong Kong, a weekly news
magazine was published by millionaire Jimmy Lai, a virulent critic of
China. 88% of Hong Kong's population speaks Cantonese. It is scheduled
to revert to Chinese control in 1997.
(WSJ, 10/26/95, p.A-1)
1995 The film "High Risk" with Jet
Li and Jackie Cheung was produced.
(SFC,11/28/97, p.C18)
1995 The Hong Kong film
"Thunderbolt" starred Sammo Hung.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1996 Mar, British Prime Minister
John Major visited Hong Kong and said that Britain will fight for the
1984 treaty to be respected by China.
(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)
1996 May 10, Riots broke out here
where more than 18,000 Vietnamese have been held in what amounts to
prison camps. The government is in the process of returning them to
Viet Nam from whence they fled as boat people.
(SFC, 5/11/96, p.A-10)
1996 May, The Hong Kong listed
Millennium Group, partly owned by the Tanuwidjaja family of Indonesia,
bought 25% of World Wide Golden Leaf, a tobacco company owned by Ted
Sioeng.
(WSJ, 1/13/98, p.A22)
1996 Jun 4, The financial leaders
have staked out their firm intention to retain monetary and
regulatory independence after reversion to Chinese control.
(WSJ, 6/4/96, p.A13)
1996 Nov 20, In Hong Kong a fire
raged in the 16-story Garley Building and 39 people died.
(SFC, 11/21/96, p.C3)(SFC, 11/22/96, p.A22)
1996 Nov, China formed a Selection
Committee to choose the first post-colonial chief executive and
provisional legislature in Hong Kong.
(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)
1996 Nov, Cambodian leader Hun Sen
and businessman Theng Bunma attended the wedding of Indonesian
businessman Ted Sioeng’s daughter Laureen and Subandi Tanuwidjaja.
(WSJ, 1/13/98, p.A22)
1996 Dec 11, A panel of 400
business leaders approved Tung Chee-hwa as the chief executive of the
semi-autonomous government when China recovers sovereignty on Jul 1,
1997.
(SFC, 12/11/96, p.C3)
1996 Dec 21, China’s rulers named
60 pro-Beijing stalwarts to a new interim legislature to replace the
panel elected in 1995.
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)
1996 The Hong Kong film "Beyond
Hypothermia" with Wu Chin Lin was produced.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1996 The Hong Kong film "Comrades,
Almost a Love Story" with Maggie Cheung was produced.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1996 The Hong Kong film "The Stunt
Woman" with Michelle Khan was produced.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1996 The Hong Kong film "Viva
Erotica," a satire on the porn industry, was directed by Derek Yee.
(SFC, 7/18/97, p.D7)
1996 China set up the Preparatory
Committee to replace the PWC and oversee the transition of Hong Kong in
line with the Basic Law and decisions of China’s parliament.
(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)
1997 Jan 16, Panama's Law No. 5
was passed and confirmed a deal in which Hutchison Whampoa, a Chinese
Hong Kong corporation, agreed to pay $22.5 million a year plus what one
Panamanian called "bucket loads of money" under the table.
(www.eagleforum.org/psr/1999/nov99/psrnov99.html)
1997 Feb 1, A Beijing-appointed
committee voted to repeal several key civil liberties laws.
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)
1997 Feb 23, China’s legislature
voted to dilute Hong Kong’s civil liberties laws.
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)
1997 Apr 9, The future government
unveiled plans to restrict political ties with foreigners, require
police approval for protests, allow political parties to be banned and
prohibit political groups from forming links with foreign organizations.
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)
1997 Apr 27, The Tsing Ma Bridge
that connects the mainland part of Hong Kong with the islet of Chek Lap
Kok was opened. It was hailed as the longest road-and-rail suspension
bridge in the world.
(SFC, 4/28/97, p.A12)
1997 Apr, Shops sold out of the
Tamagochi cyber pet in ten minutes on the first day of sale.
(SFC, 6/17/97, p.D2)
1997 May 9, In Hong Kong a
3-year-old boy became ill with the flu. He died May 21 and the flu was
identified as subtype H5N1, a bird flu.
(SFC, 2/26/01, p.A9)
1997 May 16, Fei Long (Fat Dragon)
was described as a local celebrity for his articles on prostitution on
Portland St., the heart of the red-light district. His columns have
been compiled as the “Fat Dragon Handbook.”
(WSJ, 5/16/97, p.A1)
1997 Jun 3, The “Pillar of Shame,”
a sculpture symbolizing oppression by Jans Galschiot of Denmark was
erected in Victoria Park, Honk Kong.
(SFC, 6/4/97, p.A11)
1997 Jun 5, China announced that
diplomat Ma Yuzhen would be its top civilian representative in Hong
Kong beginning July 1. Domestic affairs will be run by Hong Kong
residents but foreign affairs will be under the central government.
(SFC, 6/6/97, p.E3)
1997 Jun 9, The 1898 British lease
of Hong Kong's New Territories from China for 99 years expired.
(www.info.gov.hk/yearbook/2003/english/chapter21/21_03.html)
1997 Jun 14, The provisional
legislature voted to give police broad powers to ban even peaceful
demonstrations and to outlaw foreign donations to political parties.
(SFEC, 6/22/97, p.A14)
1997 Jun 27, China announced that
it would send 4,000 troops into Hong Kong six hours after the former
colony is handed over to Chinese control.
(SFC, 6/28/97, p.A1)
1997 Jun 30, In Hong Kong, the
Union Jack was lowered for the last time over Government House as
Britain prepared to hand the colony back to China after ruling it for
156 years. The 1st Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)
became the last British unit to leave Hong Kong.
(AP,
6/30/98)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_British_Army#1990-present)
1997 Jul 1, Hong Kong reverted to
Chinese rule after 156 years as a British colony. Britain relinquished
Hong Kong as a colonial territory, and China became master. Many rights
were guaranteed for 50 years under a Sino-British treaty.
(WSJ, 11/14/94, p.A9)(SFC, 5/30/96, p.A9)(AP, 7/1/98)
1997 Aug 2, Typhoon Victor struck
Hong Kong and one person was killed. The typhoon battered the
surrounding Guangdong province and at least 65 people were killed.
(SFEC, 8/3/97, p.A18)(SFC, 8/9/97, p.A12)
1997 Sep 27, In Hong Kong
lawmakers approved an election law that reduced the number of people
who could vote and increased the power of big business.
(SFC, 9/29/97, p.A12)
1997 Oct 8, Hong Kong leader Tung
Chee Hwa announced a goal to build 85,000 new housing units a year. The
plan failed and the property market soon began a steep drop.
(WSJ, 3/3/05, p.A11)
1997 Nov 14, The Hong Kong stock
market was down 30% over the last month.
(SFEC,11/16/97, p.A24)
1997 Dec 16, In Hong Kong it was
reported that 2 people died of an avian flu. It was the first known
instance of human infection. The flu came from chickens imported from
Guangdon province in China. The first case was reported in May.
(WSJ, 12/16/97, p.A1)(SFC,12/17/97, p.A2)
1997 Dec 29, In Hong Kong the
government planned to start killing over 1.4 million chickens to combat
the new strain of avian flu. Four people had already died of the
illness.
(SFC, 12/29/97, p.A1)(AP, 12/29/98)
1997 The Hong Kong film "The Day
the Sun Turned Cold" was directed by Yim Ho.
(SFC, 1/9/98, p.D4)
1997 The Hong Kong film "Eighteen
Springs" was directed by Ann Hui.
(SFC,11/12/97, p.E3)
1997 The Hong Kong film
"Hu-Du-Men" (Stage Door) was directed by Shu Kei.
(SFC, 1/9/98, p.D4)
1997 The film "The Soong Sisters"
was produced.
(SFC, 6/16/97, p.A8)
1997 The Hong Kong film "Summer
Snow" was directed by Ann Hui.
(SFC, 1/9/98, p.D4)
1997 Wong Kwan, real-estate
speculator, spent $70 million for the Genesis mansion overlooking the
city. This was the most money ever paid for a house.
(WSJ, 6/20/01, p.A15)
1998 Jan 12, The Peregrine finance
house collapsed due to a debt burden to an Indonesian cab company of
$260 million. It was founded less than 10 years ago by former members
of Citicorp’s Hong Kong securities team.
(SFC, 1/13/98, p.A1)(WSJ, 1/13/98, p.A22)
1998 Jan 30, It was reported that
real estate prices were diving down. Prices were reported down 25%
since August.
(SFC, 1/30/98, p.A1)
1998 May 24, Voters turned out in
record numbers for elections of a Legislative Council. They returned to
office pro-democracy politicians ousted by Beijing. Democrats won 13 of
60 seats in the legislature.
(SFC, 5/25/98, p.A1)(WSJ, 5/26/98, p.A1)
1998 Jun 22, Hong Kong suspended
government land sales to bolster prices and announced a stimulus
package to revive the economy.
(SFC, 6/23/98, p.A9)
1998 Jul 5, The 73-year-old Kai
Tak Airport closed after 73 years of operation.
(SFC, 3/18/98, p.A10)(SFEC, 7/5/98, p.A9)
1998 Jul 6, The new Hong Kong
Int’l. Airport at Chek Lap Kok welcomed its first commercial flight.
Pres. Clinton flew in here a week prior to the official opening. The
$20.6 billion project was built on reclaimed land off the northern
coast of Lantau island. Inefficient coordination led to chaos on the
1st day.
(SFEC, 7/5/98, p.A9,T3)(WSJ, 3/3/05, p.A11)
1998 cJul, Barrie Cook helped
found the Hong Kong Business Coalition on the Environment to push for a
cleaner Hong Kong. Pollution kept the skies gray regardless of the
weather.
(SFC, 7/16/99, p.D3)
1998 Nov 13, Near Hong Kong 2 oil
tankers collided and left a 6-mile oil slick near the Pearl River delta
that threatened the local rare pink dolphins.
(SFC, 11/21/98, p.A6)
1998 Nov, The Hong Kong freighter
ship Cheung Son (Chang Sheng), loaded with iron ore, was hijacked and
all 23 crewmen were lined up on deck and gunned down by pirates. In
1999 38 defendants went on trial in China on charges of murder, robbery
and possession of firearms and drugs.
(SFC, 7/7/99, p.C12)(SFC, 12/16/99, p.C9)
1998 Dec 5, Cheung Tze-keung, a
reputed Hong Kong crime boss known as Big Spender, was executed in
China. He had been convicted of kidnapping and arms trafficking.
(SFC, 12/5/98, p.A14)(SFC, 11/24/99, p.C4)
1998 The Hong Kong film "Ballistic
Kiss" was directed by Donie Yen. It was about the relationship between
a policewoman and a loner in Hong Kong.
(SFC, 6/15/98, p.D2)
1998 The Hong Kong film "Hero,"
with Takeshi Kaneshiro, was directed by Corey Yuen. It was a remake of
the 1974 Boxer of Shantung.
(SFC, 1/21/98, p.E5)
1998 The Japanese film "Mr. Nice
Guy" starred Jackie Chan and was directed by Sammo Hung.
(SFC, 3/20/98, p.D3)(SFEC, 4/11/99, Par p.18)
1998 The Hong Film "The
Replacement Killers" starred Chow Yun-Fat.
(SFEC, 2/1/98, DB p.33)
1998 The Hong Kong film "The Storm
Riders" starred Eking Chang, Aaron Kwok and Sonny Chiba. it was
directed by Andrew Lau.
(SFC, 9/2/98, p.E3)
1998 Hong Kong suffered a slump in
GDP of over 6% as did Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand.
(Econ, 11/22/08, p.51)
1999 Jan, An appeals court ruled
that the Basic Law of Hong Kong in regards to residency extends to
illegitimate children and children born before their parents acquired
Hong Kong residency.
(SFC, 4/29/99, p.D7)
1999 Jan 29, The Hong Kong Court
of Final Appeals ruled that any mainland Chinese with at least one Hong
Kong parent had the right to live in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong
government appealed to China.
(SFC, 6/26/99, p.A16)
1999 Apr 29, China announced that
1.6 million people would be allowed to move to Hong Kong over the next
10-13 years.
(SFC, 4/29/99, p.D7)
1999 Jun 26, China's legislature
revised a Hong Kong ruling on immigration and reasserted its right to
decide issues that concern the mainland and Hong Kong. In Dec the high
court in Hong Kong affirmed the Chinese decision.
(SFC, 6/26/99, p.A16)(SFC, 12/4/99, p.A12)
1999 Aug 22, In Hong Kong a China
Airlines plane with over 300 passengers overturned while landing under
high winds from Typhoon [Tropical Storm] Sam. 3 people were killed and
211 injured of the 313 survivors.
(SFC, 8/23/99, p.A14)(AP, 8/22/04)
1999 Sep 16, In Hong Kong typhoon
York left one man dead and 466 injured.
(USAT, 9/17/99, p.13A)
1999 Oct 12, In Hong Kong it was
reported that a $2.6 billion Cyberport was to be developed beginning in
2001.
(SFC, 10/12/99, p.A10)
1999 Nov 1, In Hong Kong Disney
announced a new theme park. Hong Kong will put up $2.88 billion and
have a 57% stake.
(SFC, 11/2/99, p.A14)
1999 Dec 14, It was reported that
Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa had recently announced a $3.75
billion environmental crusade in an effort to reduce pollution. An 80%
reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions by 2005 was planned. Hong Kong's
yearly emissions for sulfur dioxide was 80,000 tons. Guangdong Province
on the Chinese mainland put out 630,000 tons.
(SFC, 12/14/99, p.A,12,14)
1999 The Hong Kong film "Expect
the Unexpected" starred Lau Ching Wan, Simon Yam and Ruby Wong. It was
directed by Patrick Yau.
(SFC, 11/19/99, p.C4)
1999 The Hong Kong film "Running
Out of Time" starred Andy Lau and Lau Ching Wan. It was directed by
Johnny To.
(SFC, 10/20/99, p.D3)
1999 Hutchinson Whampoa of Hong
Kong sold Orange, its 2G telecoms operator to Germany’s Mannesmann for
some $20 billion. The company was controlled by Li Ka-shing, Asia’s
richest man. The money from the sale of Orange was put into 3G
mobile-phone services.
(Econ, 1/8/05, p.58)
2000 Mar 6, The Stock Exchange of
Hong Kong Limited, Hong Kong Futures Exchange Limited together with
Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited merged under a single
exchange HKEX. In June Hong Kong sold shares in its combined stock
exchange and clearing house to the public. In 2007 HKEX bought back a
stake of almost 6%.
(Econ, 9/15/07,
p.93)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Exchanges_and_Clearing)
2000 Aug 2, Chinese immigrants set
fire to the lobby of the immigration center in frustration over
residency permits. The Hong Kong announced the immediate deportation of
1,000 mainlanders the next day.
(SFC, 8/4/00, p.A16)
2000 Sep 6, Two top officials of
Hong Kong Univ. resigned after it was found that they and an advisor
had pressured a prominent pollster to suppress surveys critical of Tung
Chee-hwa.
(SFC, 9/6/00, p.A10)
2000 Sep 10, Elections were held.
Democrats gained seats in the legislative council but most seats were
filled with pro-Beijing and big-business candidates.
(WSJ, 9/12/00, p.A1)
2000 Sep, Dredging for a new
Disney theme park left some $3.5 million worth of fish dead in Penny’s
Bay.
(SFC, 1/23/01, p.A12)
2000 Richard Li, chairman of PCCW,
took over Hong Kong Telecom with help from his father Francis Leung.
(Econ, 7/15/06, p.61)
2001 Apr 8, It was reported that
foot-and-mouth disease was endemic in Asia and that 3,282 cases were
confirmed in Hong Kong over the past year.
(SSFC, 4/8/01, p.C3)
2001 May 8, In Hong Kong AOL Time
Warner sponsored a business conference attended by Pres. Jiang Zemin of
China and Bill Clinton. Followers of Falun Gong were barred from
entering Hong Kong.
(SFC, 5/9/01, p.A16)
2001 May 10, At the Fortune Global
Forum Bill Clinton urged that China be admitted to the WTO.
(SFC, 5/11/01, p.D8)
2001 May 18, In Hong Kong
officials ordered the slaughter of some 1.2 million chickens and other
poultry to halt the deadly avian flu virus.
(SFC, 5/19/01, p.A12)
2001 Anson Chan, the chief
secretary for administration, resigned.
(SFC, 1/13/01, p.A14)
2001 Lam Sai-wing, Hong Kong
jeweler, opened his doors to a glittering golden bathroom complete with
two 24-carat solid gold toilets. The company earned two places in the
Guinness World Records by constructing the world's "most expensive
bathroom," and "most expensive toilet," made almost exclusively out of
gold.
(http://tinyurl.com/5urw7t)(WSJ, 7/7/08, p.A1)
2002 Feb 28, In Hong Kong Tung
Chee-hwa won a 2nd term after a nomination period expired with
challengers.
(SFC, 3/1/02, p.A17)
2002 Apr 12, In Hong Kong police
began expelling an estimated 4,300 mainland-born Chinese, who were
refused the right of residence.
(SFC, 4/13/02, p.A11)
2002 May 25, A Taiwanese China
Airlines Boeing 747 airliner bound for Hong Kong crashed into the sea
and 225 people were killed.
(SSFC, 5/26/02, p.A12)(SFC, 5/27/02, p.A7)(AP,
5/25/03)
2002 Jul 7, In Hong Kong tens of
thousands of civil servants staged a huge street protest against a
government plan to pass a law that would cut their pay by up to 4.42
percent.
(Reuters, 7/7/02)
2002 Dec 1, Martin Lee, Hong
Kong's pre-eminent champion of democracy, stepped down as leader of the
territory's most popular political party.
(Reuters, 12/1/02)
2002 Dec 15, Tens of thousands of
Hong Kong people took part in one of the territory's biggest marches in
years, denouncing plans for an anti-subversion law they fear will erode
freedom and civil liberties.
(Reuters, 12/15/02)
2003 Mar 19, Doctors in Hong Kong
reportedly identified the deadly pneumonia virus as belonging to the
paramyxoviridae family. The severe acute respiratory illness (SARS) had
killed at least 11 people and left hundreds ill. The outbreak is
believed to have began in southern China in November. Later reports
held that it could be a coronavirus, part of a group that cause the
common cold. Many people treated with corticosteroids later developed
an irreversible bone disease called avascular necrosis. By July 12,
2003, SARS killed 812 people worldwide.
(SFC, 3/15/03, p.A8)(SFC, 1/19/02, p.A4)(WSJ,
4/3/03, p.B1)(WSJ, 12/23/03, p.A1)
2003 Mar 31, Hong Kong authorities
quarantined more than 200 other residents in an apartment block in an
effort to contain the SARS virus.
(AP, 3/31/03)
2003 Apr 1, In Hong Kong Leslie
Cheung, Chinese pop singer and movie star, jumped to his death at the
Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
(NW, 3/17/03, p.58)
2003 Apr 19, Hong Kong reported 12
SARS patients died in a single day. Malaysia banned workers from
Vietnam, which considered sealing its border with China due to the
disease.
(AP, 4/19/03)
2003 May 5, Hong Kong reported
three more SARS deaths, for a total of 187, and 8 new infections. In
Singapore SARS has killed 26 of the 203 people infected, a fatality
rate of 12.8 percent, more than double the global average.
(AP, 5/5/03)
2003 Jun 23, The World Health
Organization removed Hong Kong from its list of SARS-infected areas.
(AP, 6/23/03)
2003 Jun 29, Hong Kong and China
signed a free-trade agreement, the Closer Economic Partnership
Agreement (CEPA).
(AP, 6/29/03)(Econ, 6/30/07, SR p.11)
2003 Jul 1, In Hong Kong the
"Article 23" measures targeting crimes against the state drew hundreds
of thousands of people into the streets in a protest that overshadowed
the 6th anniversary of the handover of the territory from Britain to
China.
(AP, 7/1/03)(WSJ, 7/2/03, p.A8)
2003 Jul 4, Tung Chee-hwa, Hong
Kong's leader, withdrew parts of an anti-subversion bill that triggered
massive street protests.
(AP, 7/5/03)
2003 Jul 10, In Hong Kong a
double-decker bus collided with a truck and plunged off a bridge,
killing 21 people and injuring 20 more.
(AP, 7/10/03)
2003 Sep 5, In Hong Kong Tung
Chee-hwa withdrew his governments controversial "Article 23" internal
security bill.
(Econ, 9/13/03, p.36)
2003 Nov 2, In Hong Kong Robert
Kissel, a Merrill Lynch investment banker, was killed. Nancy Kissel was
soon accused of drugging her husband with a milkshake laced with
sedatives before fatally beating him on the head with a metal ornament.
In 2005 Kissel testified that the day her 40-year-old husband died, he
told her he was divorcing her and taking their three children. She said
that during an argument, he hit her with a baseball bat and she struck
him with a metal statue with human figurines on it. In 2007 Joe
McGinniss authored “Never Enough,” a non-fiction account of the crime.
(AP, 6/8/05)(AP, 8/4/05)(WSJ, 12/27/07, p.D7)
2003 Nov 23, Hong Kong residents
voted in elections seen as a showdown between pro-Beijing politicians
and democratic candidates. Voters turned out in record numbers to hand
the territory's top pro-Beijing party a stunning defeat in local
elections.
(AP, 11/23/03)(AP, 11/24/03)
2003 Dec 30, Anita Mui (40), Canto
pop diva and film actress, died in Hong Kong of cervical cancer.
(SFC, 1/1/04, p.A23)(SFC, 1/10/04, p.D3)
2003 Tung Che-hwa, head of Hong
Kong, asked Allan Zeman, a Canadian entrepreneur, to take over the
operation of Ocean Park, a failing amusement park. Zeman had already
transformed warehouses into a popular drinking district called Lan Kwai
Fong. By 2007 Zeman managed to revive Ocean Park as the local Disney
theme park declined.
(Econ, 10/20/07, p.88)
2004 Jan 1, Hong Kong began a de
facto free-trade agreement with mainland China.
(SFC, 10/15/05, p.C1)
2004 Jan 21, Hong Kong officials
reported that Avian influenza was detected near 2 chicken farms. 5
people in Vietnam had already died from the recent outbreak.
(SFC, 1/22/04, p.A3)
2004 Feb 9, Culturecom Holdings
Ltd. of Hong Kong unveiled a DVD player and word-processing device
built with chips developed by Chinese computer scientist Chu Bong-foo.
Chu found a way to put Asia characters in position to command binary
code.
(WSJ, 2/9/04, p.A1)
2004 Apr 6, China issued a major
ruling on how Hong Kong chooses its leaders, saying the territory must
submit proposed political reforms to Beijing for approval.
(AP, 4/6/04)
2004 Apr 11, Thousands of Hong
Kong residents demanded full democracy and called on their unpopular
leader to quit as they marched past Beijing's representative office.
(AP, 4/11/04)
2004 Apr 26, Mainland China dealt
a crushing blow to Hong Kong's hopes for full democracy, when its most
powerful legislative panel ruled the territory won't have direct
elections for its next leader in 2007 or for all its lawmakers in 2008.
(AP, 4/26/04)
2004 Jun 4, In Hong Kong tens of
thousands of residents rallied on the 15th anniversary of the bloody
Tiananmen Square crackdown.
(AP, 6/5/04)
2004 Jul 1, Hundreds of thousands
of people marched in Hong Kong to demand democratic rights from China.
(AP, 7/1/05)
2004 Aug 24, Hong Kong announced
the official end to nearly 6 years of deflation.
(WSJ, 8/24/04, p.A10)
2004 Sep 12, People in Hong Kong
turned out in large numbers for a legislative election, many venting
anger at their leaders and hoping to hand pro-democracy opposition
politicians unprecedented clout in the Chinese territory. Pro-democracy
opposition figures gained more clout in Hong Kong's legislature with
three new seats, but they fell short of expectations.
(AP, 9/12/04)(AP, 9/13/04)
2004 China and Hong Kong entered
into a Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The phased
agreement eliminated tariffs on Hong Kong exports and by 2005 created
29,000 jobs in Hong Kong.
(WSJ, 10/19/05, p.A11)
2004 Hong Kong-based Ruyan, which
means "like smoking," introduced the world's first electronic
cigarette. It patented its ultrasonic atomizing technology, in which
nicotine is dissolved in a cartridge containing propylene glycol, the
liquid that is vaporized in smoke machines in nightclubs or theaters
and is commonly used as a solvent in food.
(AP, 2/2809)
2005 Jan 1, Hong Kong was forecast
for 4.7% annual GDP growth with a population at 7.1 million and GDP per
head at $22,970.
(Econ, 1/8/05, p.90)
2005 Mar 10, Hong Kong's leader
said he tendered his resignation because of failing health and
repeatedly denied speculation China pushed him out in a bid to tighten
its grip on the former British colony.
(AP, 3/10/05)
2005 Mar 12, Donald Tsang, career
bureaucrat, took office as interim leader of Hong Kong.
(SSFC, 3/13/05, p.A16)
2005 May 18, Hong Kong said it
would place a cap on its currency's exchange rate to the U.S dollar,
but an official denied that the move signaled China would soon revalue
its currency.
(AP, 5/18/05)
2005 Jun 15, Veteran civil servant
Donald Tsang effectively won Hong Kong's leadership race, filing papers
that showed he had the solid backing of an election committee that
picks the Chinese territory's leaders.
(AP, 6/15/05)
2005 Jun 21, China appointed
Donald Tsang as Hong Kong's new leader for the next 2 years. The
veteran civil servant expressed confidence the territory will become
more democratic.
(AP, 6/21/05)
2005 Jul 21, Hong Kong said it
would maintain its 21-year-old peg to the US dollar.
(Econ, 8/6/05, p.60)
2005 Aug 24, A Hong Kong judge
ruled that laws against gay sex, including one that demands a life
sentence for men under 21 who engage in sodomy, are unconstitutional
and discriminatory.
(AP, 8/24/05)
2005 Sep 1, A Hong Kong jury
convicted Nancy Kissel of murdering her wealthy investment banker
husband in Nov, 2003, by drugging him with a milkshake laced with
sedatives and beating him to death in their luxury apartment. She
received a mandatory life sentence.
(AP, 9/1/05)
2005 Sep 12, The new Hong Kong
Disneyland theme park on Lantau Island opened. Zeng Qinghong, China’s
vice-president, presided over opening ceremonies.
(SSFC, 9/18/05, p.C2)(Econ, 9/17/05, p.44)
2005 Sep 23, The newly opened Hong
Kong Disneyland said it prefers that its 5,000 workers not unionize as
activists described tough work conditions at the park such as long
hours, harsh turnarounds and lack of breaks.
(AP, 9/23/05)
2005 Sep 25, A group of
pro-democracy lawmakers from Hong Kong crossed into mainland China for
the first time since being barred for criticizing Beijing after the
Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989. They put their case for electoral
reform directly to a Chinese communist leader for the first time, but
complained that they were rebuffed.
(Reuters, 9/25/05)(AFP, 9/25/05)
2005 Sep 27, A research team from
Hong Kong reported that the horseshoe bat is the source of the SARS
virus. A 2nd team from China, Australia and the US reported similar
findings 2 days later. The syndrome 1st appeared in China in 2002 and
killed 774 people worldwide.
(SFC, 9/30/05, p.A12)
2005 Oct 14, A trade delegation of
some 300 Chinese officials and business executives visited SF for the
1st Hong Kong-Guangdong Business Conference USA.
(SFC, 10/15/05, p.C1)
2005 Oct 27, In Honk Kong the IPO
of China Construction Bank raised $8 billion from foreign investors for
a 12% stake. Ahead of the float CCB sold a 9% stake to Bank of America
and a 5.1% stake to Temasek, a Singapore investment agency.
(Econ, 10/29/05, p.71)
2005 Dec 4, Tens of thousands of
protesters marched through the streets of Hong Kong to pressure the
government to speed up political reforms that would allow voters to
pick the territory's leader and entire legislature.
(AP, 12/04/05)
2005 Dec 11, About 4,000
anti-globalization activists some carrying a giant spider and others
wheeling statues of emaciated people marched in the first mass protest
against the World Trade Organization's summit in Hong Kong.
(AP, 12/11/05)
2005 Dec 12, Trade ministers
gathered in Hong Kong to work on a deal to open markets and boost the
global economy, with the EU quickly under fire for its refusal to cut
farm subsidies further.
(AP, 12/12/05)
2005 Dec 13, A 6-day ministerial
meeting of the WTO opened in Hong Kong.
(Econ, 12/24/05, p.97)
2005 Dec 17, In Hong Kong hundreds
of protesters wielding bamboo sticks broke through police lines and
tried to storm the convention center hosting global trade talks.
Security forces scattered the crowd with tear gas. Police said 41
people were injured and 900 were detained.
(AP, 12/17/05)
2005 Dec 18, In Hong Kong World
Trade Organization negotiators approved a draft agreement requiring
wealthy nations to end farm export subsidies by 2013, a support system
that poor nations say puts them at a competitive disadvantage. The
agreement required approval by all 149 WTO members.
(AP, 12/18/05)(SFC, 12/19/05, p.A3)
2005 Dec 19, US Federal
prosecutors said MSC Ship Management of Hong Kong had agreed to pay
$10.5 million to settle a pollution case.
(WSJ, 12/20/05, p.A1)
2006 Jan 31, In Egypt 14 tourists
from Hong Kong were killed and 30 wounded when their bus spun off the
road along the Red Sea coast in one of the deadliest crashes involving
foreign nationals in recent years.
(AP, 1/31/06)
2006 Feb 22, Pope Benedict XVI
named 15 new cardinals, including John Paul II's longtime private
secretary and prelates from Boston and Hong Kong, adding his first
installment to the elite group of churchmen who will elect his
successor.
(AP, 2/22/06)
2006 Feb 23, China warned Hong
Kong’s new Cardinal Joseph Zen that he should avoid mixing religion and
politics.
(WSJ, 2/24/06, p.A4)
2006 Apr 29, In Hong Kong while
riding a bus Elvis Ho asked Roger Chan to lower his voice while talking
on his cellphone. Chan proceeded to berate Ho for nearly 6 minutes and
the encounter was captured on video camera by another passenger, Jon
Fong. The video became famous as “Bus Uncle.” Some phrases in the
video, such as “I’ve got pressure” and “It’s not over,” quickly became
part of Hong Kong’s lexicon.
(WSJ, 6/6/06, p.A1)
2006 Jun 8, It was reported that
pollution in Hong Kong is worse than Los Angeles, the most polluted
city in the United States, and claims around 2,000 lives a year.
(AFP, 6/8/06)
2006 Jul 1, Thousands chanted
slogans and marched through Hong Kong's streets in a pro-democracy
protest, while a pro-Beijing parade also drew a big crowd to mark the
ninth anniversary of the former British colony's return to Chinese rule.
(AP, 7/1/06)
2006 Jul 10, Francis Leung bought
a 23% stake in PCCW, Hong Kong’s incumbent telecoms company, held by
his son and PCCW chairman Richard Li. This move prevented a foreign
takeover of PCCW.
(Econ, 7/15/06, p.61)
2006 Jul 12, Hong Kong's supreme
court struck down a ruling that allowed police to carry out
controversial government wiretaps, a move activists hailed as a victory
for freedoms in the Chinese city.
(AFP, 7/12/06)
2006 Aug 6, Hong Kong's
legislature passed a law regulating phone tapping and other
surveillance measures, a move critics fear will curtail civil liberties
in the former British colony now ruled by China.
(AP, 8/6/06)
2007 Jan 6, Hong Kong reported
that a wild bird found a few days earlier had tested positive for the
H5N1 strain of bird flu.
(WSJ, 1/8/07, p.A5)
2007 Jan 30, In Hong Kong Cheng
Siwei, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress, told the Financial Times in an interview: "There is a bubble
going on. Investors should be concerned about the risks." He said 70%
of the domestically traded companies were worthless and should be
delisted.
(Econ, 2/10/07, p.81)(http://tinyurl.com/2ubmjk)
2007 Jan, A 67% stake in
Hutchinson Essar, India’s 4th largest mobile operator, was put up for
sale by Hutchinson Telecom, which in turn was controlled by Li
Ka-shing, Hong Kong’s richest tycoon. The other 33% was owned by Essar,
an Indian steel and oil refining group controlled by the Ruia family.
(Econ, 1/13/07, p.59)
2007 Feb 26, The SEC sued Blue
Bottle, a Hong Kong firm, alleging they hacked into computer systems to
get corporate news releases early and traded on that information,
making a profit of $2.7 million.
(Econ, 3/10/07, p.71)
2007 Mar 17, Two cargo ships
collided in the East China Sea, killing at least eight people. The
collision occurred off Zhejiang province between a cargo ship from
China and a Hong Kong-registered vessel. The Hong Kong ship, with 29
crew aboard, sank immediately.
(AP, 3/19/07)
2007 Mar 25, Incumbent Donald
Tsang trounced his challenger in Hong Kong's first contested leadership
race since it returned to Chinese rule, but the losing candidate said
the vote was rigged and demanded greater democracy. Tsang beat
pro-democracy lawmaker Alan Leong 649-123 in the vote by an election
committee loaded with tycoons and other elites.
(AP, 3/25/07)(AP, 3/26/07)
2007 Apr 3, Nina Wang (69), Asia's
richest woman, died in Hong Kong after reports she had been battling
cancer, leaving unanswered questions over her estimated $4.2 billion
(2.1 billion pound) fortune. Wang successfully battled her
father-in-law for a multi-billion dollar estate left by her late
husband Teddy Wang, a property tycoon who vanished in 1990. Wang left
her $4 billion fortune to Chan Chun-chuen, a master of feng shui in a
will dated Oct. 16, 2006.
(Reuters, 4/4/07)(AP, 4/20/07)(Econ, 4/21/07, p.78)
2007 May 1, Kenneth John Freeman
(44), a bodybuilder and computer expert from Benton County, Washington,
was arrested in Hong Kong. Freeman, who fled the US 13 months earlier,
was accused of raping his daughter and posting a video of the attack.
(www.usmarshals.gov/news/chron/2007/050207.htm)
2007 May 7, Hong Kong newspapers
reported that an unidentified animal illness has spread in two southern
Chinese cities, infecting at least 1,300 pigs and killing more than
300. The diseased pigs began dying in Gaoyao and Yunfu in Guangdong
province following Chinese New Year celebrations in February. The
illness, which killed at least 300 pigs, was soon identified as a
strain of blue ear disease. Blue ear disease, also called porcine
reproductive and respiratory syndrome, was first identified in the
United States in 1987.
(AP, 5/8/07)(SFC, 5/8/07, p.A17)(AP, 5/10/07)
2007 Aug 8, Ma Lik (55), the
leader of Hong Kong's leading pro-Beijing political party, DAB, died of
complications from colon cancer.
(AP, 8/8/07)
2007 Aug 29, Hong Kong police
arrested two men accused of trying to smuggle more than 7,000 live pet
turtles to mainland China.
(AP, 8/31/07)
2007 Aug 21, China’s government
announced that mainland citizens would be allowed to invest in Hong
Kong. State media reported that a test run of traffic controls to clear
Beijing's smoggy skies for next year's Olympic Games successfully
improved air quality. Media also reported that China will execute
people who sabotage the electricity supply, reversing recent steps to
rein in widespread use of the death penalty.
(Econ, 10/6/07, p.86)(http://tinyurl.com/2ugksh)(AP,
8/21/07)
2007 Sep 10, Kenneth John Freeman
(44), an American man accused of raping his daughter and posting the
videos on the Internet, agreed to be extradited from Hong Kong to the
United States.
(AP, 9/10/07)
2007 Oct 7, Thousands of people
marched through Hong Kong's streets to demand the right to pick their
city's leader and legislature and hoisted yellow umbrellas to form the
year 2012, their target year for full democracy.
(AP, 10/7/07)
2007 Oct 8, One of the rarest gems
in the world, a flawless blue diamond, sold for US$7.98 million (3.91
million pounds) at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong, making it the most
expensive gemstone in the world, per carat, sold at auction.
(Reuters, 10/8/07)
2007 Oct 16,
A study in Hong Kong reportedly found that Lupeol, a compound in
fruits like mangoes, grapes and strawberries, appears to be effective
in killing and curbing the spread of cancer cells in the head and neck.
(Reuters, 10/16/07)
2007 Nov 6, Chinese e-commerce
portal Alibaba.com soared in its debut on the Hong Kong stock market.
It opened at $3.86 and closed at $5.09.
(AP, 11/6/07)(SFC, 11/7/07, p.C1)
2007 Nov 19, It was reported that
Chinese regulators in recent weeks have ordered commercial banks to
freeze lending through the end of the year. PM Wen Jiabao acknowledged
that vast amounts of currency were flowing out of China through illegal
channels. This followed the recent arrest of To Ling (43), a Hong Kong
resident, whose black market foreign exchange business handled
transactions worth more than $1 million a day.
(WSJ, 11/19/07, p.A1)(Econ, 11/24/07, p.78)
2007 Dec 2, Two outspoken
political veterans faced off in one of Hong Kong's most keenly watched
legislative elections. Pro-democracy candidate Anson Chan, a hugely
popular former government official, won a seat in Hong Kong's
legislature, a win she hailed as a victory for democracy in the
southern Chinese territory. Her closest opponent, former security chief
Regina Ip, who had the backing of Beijing-allied parties, received
137,550, or 42.7% of votes.
(AP, 12/2/07)(AP, 12/3/07)
2007 Dec 29, China said Hong Kong
will be allowed to directly elect its leader in 2017 and all of its
lawmakers by 2020 at the earliest, an announcement that sparked
protests by pro-democracy activists who sought an earlier date.
(AP, 12/29/07)
2007 Dec, The 1,588-foot-tall
Int’l. Commerce Center, the tallest in Hong Kong and the 3rd tallest in
the world, opened for business on the Kowloon side of the city.
(WSJ, 12/5/07, p.B1)
2007 Anthony Hedley of the Univ.
of Hong Kong calculated that bad air in Hong Kong causes 1,600 deaths a
year.
(Econ, 6/30/07, SR p.11)
2008 Feb 5, Ching Cheong (58), a
Hong Kong journalist charged with spying for Taiwan, was released from
prison in mainland China after being detained for nearly three years.
(AP, 2/5/08)
2008 Feb 6, The US SEC settled
with David Li, head of the Bank of East Asia, charges of insider
trading regarding last year’s acquisition of Down Jones by News Corp.
Michael Leung, another Hong Kong tycoon, and his family also settled
for $8.1 million in disgorged profits and a similar amount in fines.
(Econ, 2/9/08, p.83)
2008 Mar 22, Eighteen Ukrainian
sailors were missing after their tug boat sank off the Hong Kong coast
following a collision with a cargo ship. 7 people were rescued.
(Reuters, 3/23/08)
2008 Apr 9, Oasis Hong Kong
Airlines cancelled all flights and went into liquidation as a result of
high fuel costs.
(SFC, 4/10/08, p.C4)
2008 Apr 13, In Hong Kong the
historical epic "The Warlords" dominated the Hong Kong Film Awards
scooping 8 gongs including best film and best actor in martial arts
star Jet Li.
(AP, 4/13/08)
2008 Apr 30, The Olympic torch
returned to Chinese soil after a turbulent 20-nation tour, landing in
the bustling financial capital of Hong Kong where officials deported at
least seven activists before the flame's arrival.
(AP, 4/30/08)
2008 May 1, In Hong Kong 18 people
were killed and at least 44 injured when a coach taking elderly local
residents to a religious ceremony overturned.
(AP, 5/1/08)
2008 Jun 7, In Hong Kong a routine
inspection found chickens infected with H5N1 bird flu in a poultry
market. Authorities slaughtered 2,700 birds and banned live poultry
imports from China.
(WSJ, 6/9/08, p.A12)
2008 Jun 11, Hong Kong officials
found bird-flu virus at three more food markets and ordered the
slaughter of some 3,500 birds at retail outlets.
(WSJ, 6/12/08, p.A13)
2008 Aug 22, Hong Kong issued its
highest storm warning in five years as Typhoon Nuri brought
hurricane-force winds and heavy rain, halting trade on financial
markets and shutting down most of the city.
(AP, 8/22/08)
2008 Sep 7, Hong Kong's
pro-democracy politicians lost several legislative seats in elections,
but held onto their veto power over major legislation as they push for
greater political freedoms in the Chinese territory. Democratic parties
won 23 of 60 legislative seats in the voting, down from their previous
26.
(AP, 9/8/08)
2008 Sep 21, Hong Kong authorities
said they found traces of melamine in a batch of Chinese-made Nestle
commercial milk. The next day they forced Nestle to recall the milk
line.
(WSJ, 9/23/08, p.A22)
2008 Oct 5, Hong Kong said it
found two Cadbury chocolate products contained considerably more of the
industrial chemical melamine than the city's legal limit in a growing
scandal over Chinese tainted food. China attempted to contain the
fallout from the tainted milk scandal, announcing a new survey of dairy
products showed no traces of melamine and promising to subsidize
farmers hit by the scare.
(AP, 10/5/08)(AFP, 10/5/08)
2008 Nov 12, Hong Kong officials
said they had found elevated levels of melamine in fish feed from
China’s Fuzhou Haima Feed Co.
(WSJ, 11/13/08, p.A13)
2008 Nov 14, Thailand former PM
Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman, who married in 1976, divorced at the
Thai consul general's office in Hong Kong. A political observer
suggested the divorce could have been aimed at protecting the family's
considerable assets, which are mostly held in Pojaman's name.
(AP, 11/15/08)
2008 Dec 9, Hong Kong health
authorities said more than 80,000 chickens will be slaughtered after
bird flu was found on a poultry farm, the first outbreak at a farm here
in nearly six years.
(AFP, 12/9/08)
2008 Dec 11, Hong Kong's
government confirmed that the deadly H5N1 virus was found at a poultry
farm, the first outbreak on a farm here in nearly six years.
(AP, 12/11/08)
2009 Jan 5, In Hong Kong a new
survey said one in five residents is considering leaving the city
because of its dire air quality, raising fears over the financial hub's
competitiveness.
(AFP, 1/5/09)
2009 Jan 15, In Hong Kong Grace
Mugabe (43), the wife of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, struck a
photographer in the face repeatedly as her bodyguard grabbed him when
he was trying to snap photos of her leaving the five-star Kowloon
Shangri-la Hotel. She was later granted diplomatic immunity from
prosecution over her alleged assault of the British journalist.
(AFP, 3/22/09)(http://tinyurl.com/clw9hb)
2009 Feb 12, Hong Kong's High
Court quashed the conviction of Australian Kevin Egan, one of the
city's most high-profile lawyers, who had been jailed for leaking the
identity of a protected witness to a journalist.
(AFP, 2/12/09)
2009 Mar 15, Thirty three
pro-democracy legislators from Hong Kong crossed to Macao to confront
the local government over banned visitors. 5 were immediately returned
over “security reasons” and the rest were allowed to deliver a letter
of protest.
(Econ, 3/21/09, p.43)
2009 In Hong Kong 15 families
controlled corporate assets worth 84% of GDP.
(Econ, 2/14/09, p.88)
2047 Hong Kong’s status as a
special administrative Region of China was scheduled to expire. Freedom
of the press and free expression were guaranteed during this period.
(SFC, 9/11/00, p.A12)
Go to http://www.timelinesdb.com
Subject = Hong Kong
End of file.