During its brief time under British rule, Hong Kong has witnessed war, the rise and fall of empires, and has played a role in intrigues, big deals and diplomacy of global proportions. After 156 years of British rule, Hong Kong is again ruled by China. The change took place at midnight on June 30, 1997. Hong Kong is made up of a peninsula on the mainland of China and more than 230 islands. The main island is called Hong Kong Island and lies south of the peninsula.



Hong Kong Island became a British colony when it was ceded from China in 1842 under the Treaty of Nanking. The British used the ports on Hong Kong to export tea, silk, and porcelain to England. The Chinese Emperor did not like the British. He called them guailo, which means foreign devil, and attempted to keep the British separate from the Chinese. During this period, China accepted only silver bullion as payment for goods. At the start of the 19th century, the British realized that they could purchase silks and......

Join Now to view the rest of this term paper!
Members: Login to view this research paper.

Title: China
Approximate Word Count: 661
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)

With the Term Papers Lab Membership Pass, you get instant access to every essay on this site, including this essay on China, for as long as you remain a member.

Other essays sites charge almost $100 for a single term paper. At Term Papers Lab, you can get instant access to over 100,000 research papers for as little as $29.95!