A Concise History of Hong Kong

by John Mark Carroll

When the British occupied the tiny island of Hong Kong during the First Opium War, the Chinese empire was well into its decline, while Great Britain was already in the second decade of its legendary 'Imperial Century.' From this collision of empires arose a city that continues to intrigue observers. Melding Chinese and Western influences, Hong Kong has long defied easy categorization. John Carroll's engrossing and accessible narrative explores the remarkable history of Hong Kong from the early 1800s through the post-1997 handover, when this former colony became a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. The book explores Hong Kong as a place with a unique identity, yet also a crossroads where Chinese history, British colonial history, and world history intersect. Carroll concludes by exploring the legacies of colonial rule, the consequences of Hong Kong's reintegration with China, and significant developments and challenges since 1997.

Genres: History, China, Nonfiction, Asia, Academic, Politics

280 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2007

Reviews

[Joshua Fang · Rating 5 out of 5]

很不错的一本书，帮助读者对香港历史有一个高度概括地了解。坦率地说，九七后的历史不如《香港第一课》讲的清楚，但九七前——尤其是从六七暴动到九龙城寨的终结——是很有帮助的背景知识。
如果“杨慕琦计划”能成，则今日之香港绝非任人鱼肉之城。

[Hayward Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I picked up this book only because of the translation controversy. I have been reading books in more details than a "concise history", so I am not expecting much from this book. I am more interested in why a pro-PRC press is interested in offering a Chinese version.

Surprisingly this book is written with much more depth than i had thought. Granted, covering history of Hong Kong since 1841 in about 200 pages has to be nothing but "concise" as the title suggest. This book, however, is not a dull record of events after one another. It is logically organized in different periods, mostly focusing on the people, rather than the political changes in those periods. You can read analyses about the what kind of people live in HK and how they live their lives and what they think. This book includes lots of recent research results. The references are fairly recent. Many materials, backed by solid evidences, challenge the Chinese nationalist propaganda, that PRC has been tirelessly spreading in the past few decades.

It was fun reading this book. I couldn't put it down until I finished it the day after I started. Highly recommend it to anyone interested in Hong Kong history but haven't read any about it. I also find the bibliography helpful as I want to dig deeper on certain events, such as the HK in WWII and the 1967 riot.

Why is a pro-PRC press interested in owning the translation? It becomes clear that by omitting some of the most sensible comments towards the PRC and mistranslating some, especially its role in HK's democratic progress, the manipulated Chinese version can potentially be used as the nationalist propaganda against the recent sentiment that PRC is worse off governing than the highly missed British. This book paints British colonial government as a rational yet self-serving government not without mistakes. It also mentions the dark side in HK's golden era between the 70's and 1997. The imperialist British theme is consistent with the national education that the PRC controlled HK government tried to push to public school students last year.

[The.End.Notes 讀筆 · Rating 5 out of 5]

這是一本非常好看的書，我非常推薦給香港人以及想認識香港歷史的人閱讀。香港的歷史很值得被傳承，不應該被篡改。

這本書於2013年第一次翻譯成中文版時，因為部分針對中國政府的批評被中華書局刪減，使得作者高馬可非常不滿。這次蜂鳥出版重新出版時，保留了原著的全部內容，還加上了高馬可撰寫的新序，使這本《香港簡史》更貼近香港近年的經歷。

書中從1841年的香港講起，一直寫到2007年，提到殖民統治初期的香港社會、對華人的歧視、鼠疫、華人資產階級的崛起、辛亥革命、香港淪陷、六七暴動、社會福利和政制轉變、九七倒數以及九七之後的香港。

書中提到，英國人藉著《展拓香港界址專條》租得新界九十九年，大安旨意以為九十九年等於永久。之後新界與香港其他地區的結合變得愈來愈密切，然而八十年後，面對比一百年前強大得多的中國政府，英國已經無力要求修訂條約。每當書中提到這些錯失的機會，我都覺得很唏噓。不過，早期的香港對英國來說，只是用來與中國攪好關係的棋子而已。到後期，想為香港做點什麼已經沒有機會。

另外，書中提到一些香港街道和地名背後的人物，讓人對香港歷史有更深的認識。例如金鐘夏𢡱道，夏𢡱（Cecil Harcourt）原來是英國的海軍少將，在9月16日代表英國和中國，在中美兩國官員出席的儀式中接受日本投降。

總括來說，我非常推薦這本《香港簡史》。

[Jeremy Hung · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Indeed, to some observers Hong Kong was not being decolonized; rather, it was being recolonized, with the metropole simply shifting from London to Beijing."

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

章節細分，讀來不枯燥，是很好的瞭解香港97前歷史的讀本。

[Barack Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

192-A Concise History of Hong Kong-John Carroll-History-2007
Barack
2018/10/01
2020/06/14



-The Oriental Pearl Tower .

"A concise history of Hong Kong" (A concise history of Hong Kong), first published in Hong Kong in 2007. It explores the history of Hong Kong from the early 1800s to the handover in 1997.

High Mark (John Carroll). Received a PhD from Harvard University. He is currently a professor in the Department of History, University of Hong Kong. He is a Hong Kong historian, specializing in the study of modern Chinese history, Hong Kong history and Asian colonial history. Representative works: "Guangzhou Day: British Life and Death in China", "A Brief History of Hong Kong", "The Edge of Empire: Hong Kong's Chinese Elites and British Colonists", etc.

Part of the catalog
1. Hong Kong in the early days of colonial rule
2. Early colonial society
3. Colonialism and Nationalism
4. The years between the two wars
5. War and Revolution
6. New Hong Kong
7. Become a Hong Konger
8. Countdown to Seven
9. After 1997: Hong Kong in the post-colonial era

Some important events in Hong Kong
1. In 111 BC, the Nanyue Kingdom was destroyed by Emperor Wu of Han;
2. From the 1200s to the 1300s, more and more people moved to Hong Kong during the Yuan Dynasty;
3. From the 1600s to the 1800s, Hong Kong became more closely connected with other parts of China;
4. At the beginning of the 19th century, the pirate Zhang Baozi used Hong Kong Island as a base;
5. In 1834, Lloyd-Lord-urged the British to occupy Hong Kong Island;
6. In 1839, Lin Zexu vigorously banned opium, and the first Opium War broke out;
7. In 1841, Britain claimed the sovereignty of Hong Kong Island under the "Cross-nosed Covenant", and the law declared Hong Kong a free port;
8. In 1842, the Office of the British Commissioner of Commerce moved from Macau to Hong Kong, and the Treaty of Nanjing was signed;
9. In 1843, China and Britain exchanged contracts on the "Nanjing Treaty";
10. In 1844, Robert Martin, Secretary of the Colonial Treasury, urged the British government to abandon Hong Kong;
11. In 1847, the Wenwu Temple was completed;
12. In 1849, a gold mine was discovered in California, USA;
13. In the 1850s, Sino-British relations were troubled by the entry of British people into Guangzhou City;
14. From 1851 to 1864, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom rose;
15. In 1856, the Second Opium War began;
16. In 1857, five thousand Chinese left Hong Kong at the order of the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi Ye Mingchen ( ch ēn). The poisoned bread case of the Yusheng Office occurred and the British and French forces occupied Guangzhou;
17. In 1858, a large number of Chinese left Hong Kong, the "Tianjin Treaty" was signed, and 20,000 Chinese left Hong Kong;
18. In 1860, the "Beijing Treaty" was signed;
19. In 1861, the British occupied Kowloon in accordance with the "Beijing Treaty";
20. In 1862, the Central Academy was founded;
21. In 1864, the HSBC Bank was established;
22. In 1866, the regiment defense bureau was established;
23. In 1867, the "Infectious Diseases Ordinance" was passed;
24. In 1869, the Preparatory Committee of Donghua Hospital was established;
25. At the end of the 1870s, the custom of keeping maidservants caused controversy;
26. In 1882, Baoliang Bureau was formally established;
27. In 1884, shipyard workers protested against French aggression against China;
28. In 1887, the Hong Kong College of Western Medicine was founded to recruit Chinese;
29. In 1888, the Peak Tram was opened to traffic;
30. In 1889, the "Women and Children Protection Ordinance" replaced the "Infectious Diseases Ordinance";
31. In 1894, the plague broke out in Hong Kong;
32. In 1896, the Zhonghua Hall was established;
33. The 1898 "Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory" was signed, China You reformers Kang Wei fled to Hong Kong after the Hundred Days Reform failed to resist the British occupation of the residents of Kam Tin, New Territories;
34. In 1899, Britain officially occupied the New Territories;
35. In 1901, revolutionary Yang Quyun (qú) was assassinated by Qing court killers in Hong Kong;
36. In 1904, the top of the mountain was reserved for European residents;
37. In 1905, the boycott of American goods;
38. In 1908, in the boycott of Japanese goods, the British government ordered the banning of Hong Kong opium smoking houses;
39. In 1910, the Kowloon-Canton Railway was completed;
40. In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution broke out in China;
41. In 1912, the Republic of China was established and the University of Hong Kong was formally established. Governor Mei Han was assassinated, and the colonial government prohibited the use of Chinese currency;
42. In 1913, Hong Kong Governor Mei Hanli passed the Education Law;
43. In 1914, Hong Kong sent Chinese workers to the Western Front during the First World War;
44. In 1917, the anti-storage movement;
45. In 1918, the Peak District Act prohibited non-Europeans from living in the Taiping Mountains, a fire broke out at the Happy Valley Racecourse, and epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis broke out;
46. In 1919, parts of Cheung Chau were reserved for vacations by British and American missionaries. Rice grabbing broke out. The May Fourth Movement in China led to a boycott in Hong Kong;
47. In 1920, machine workers went on strike;
48. In 1922, the seamen went on strike;
49. In 1925, the province and Hong Kong went on strike;
50. In 1926, Zhou Shouchen was appointed as the first Chinese member of the Council of Parliament;
51. In 1931, Japan invaded the three eastern provinces;
52. In 1936, the Municipal Council was established;
53. In 1937, Japan completely invaded China;
54. In 1938, Hong Kong declared its neutrality;
55. In 1941, Japanese assets in Hong Kong were frozen, the Japanese army invaded Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Governor Yang Muqi surrendered to Lieutenant Takashi Sakai;
56. In 1942, residents of the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands were arrested. The Japanese authorities announced that everyone without a place or job must leave Hong Kong. The Japanese authorities tried to use the Chinese People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Association to win over local social leaders. The National Government contacts the United Kingdom;
57. In 1944, the Hong Kong Planning Group was established in Britain to coordinate post-war recovery issues;
58. In 1945, the Colonial Ministry, the Hong Kong Planning Group and the Chinese Association considered implementing an administrative reform plan in Hong Kong. Rear Admiral Harcourt ( qu è) accepted the surrender of Japan on behalf of Britain and China, and the government removed economic control;
59. In 1946, the residence regulations on Cheung Chau and the Peak were abolished;
60. Yang Muqi announced the Hong Kong political reform plan;
61. In 1947, the British government approved the Yang Muqi plan "in principle" during the Chinese Civil War;
62. In 1948, the British government announced its intention to retain Hong Kong;
63. In 1949, in the "Amethyst" incident, local organizations made a complaint to Governor Grantham, the Hong Kong government promulgated the Emergency Public Safety Law, the People's Republic of China was established, tram strikes, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the United States were involved Disputes between China Airlines and Central Air Transport Company;
64. In 1950, the United States and the United Nations imposed an embargo on China during the Korean War, and the Hong Kong government restricted the immigration of mainland residents;
65. In 1952, after a condolence mission from Guangzhou was barred from entering the country, a riot broke out in Kowloon. The British cabinet planned to introduce administrative reforms in Hong Kong. Lord Littleton told the House of Commons that any major reforms were inappropriate;
66. In 1953, there was a big fire in the Shixiawei log house area;
67. In 1955, the passenger plane "Kashmir Princess" carrying Chinese officials and foreign journalists exploded after taking off from Kai Tak Airport;
68. In 1956, violent clashes broke out among pro-China and pro-Taiwan people;
69. In 1957, the United States reached a secret agreement with China;
70. In 1966, the fare increase of the Star Ferry caused a commotion;
71. In 1967, local leftists launched a riot;
72. In 1972, Huang Hua, the Chinese representative to the United Nations, said that the Chinese government would resolve Hong Kong’s political status when “conditions are ripe”. The landslide caused 250 deaths and the United Nations General Assembly removed Hong Kong from the list of colonies;
73. In 1974, the Independent Commission Against Corruption was established;
74. The 1975, a large number of Vietnamese refugees arriving, Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Hong Kong;
75. In 1977, thousands of police officers marched to the headquarters of the Police Service and the Independent Commission Against Corruption;
76. In 1979, Governor MacLehose visited Beijing;
77. In 1980, MacLehose announced the cancellation of the CCP policy;
78. In 1981, the British Parliament passed the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act;
79. In 1981, Deng Xiaoping told former British Prime Minister Heath that Hong Kong would become a special administrative region after 1997 and be governed by Hong Kong people. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher arrived in Beijing to discuss with Deng Xiaoping about the future of Hong Kong after 1997;
80. In 1983, Deng Xiaoping announced that China would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997. The Sino-British talks hit the rocks. China declared that if an agreement was not reached on the return of Hong Kong's sovereignty to China before September 1984, it would unilaterally announce a plan to withdraw Hong Kong;
81. In 1984, a taxi driver riot occurred in Mong Kok. The Chinese government invited senior members of the Executive Council to visit Beijing to formulate laws for the implementation of indirect elections for the Legislative Council in 1985. The Hong Kong government issued a policy document "White Paper on Representative Government: The Role of Representative Government in Hong Kong" Further development", Mrs. Thatcher and Zhao Ziyang signed the "Sino-British Joint Declaration" in Beijing;
82. In 1985, the "Joint Declaration" exchanged approvals, the Basic Law Drafting Committee was established, the Basic Law Advisory Committee was established, and the Legislative Council held its first indirect election;
83. In 1986, Hong Kong joined the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Queen Elizabeth II visited Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and Governor Youde died in Beijing;
84. In 1987, the Hong Kong government announced that the Kowloon Walled City would be demolished before 1997, and Wilson arrived in Hong Kong as the Governor;
85. In 1988, the Hong Kong government issued a policy document "White Paper: The Future Development of Representative Government", announcing that direct elections to the Legislative Council were late in 1991. The permanent office of the Sino-British Liaison Group was opened in Hong Kong. Two of the 57 seats in the Legislative Council Sixteen seats were elected by indirect elections, and Governor Wilson Wilson visited Beijing;
86. In 1989, the second draft of the Basic Law was promulgated, Hu Yaobang passed away, and the Chinese government declared Beijing-martial law. Official members of the Executive and Legislative Councils demanded that half of the seats in the legislature before 1997 be directly elected, and more than one million Hong Kong people In protest against the Tiananmen Square incident, the government warned Hong Kong people not to interfere in mainland politics. The British government rejected the request of the Executive and Legislative Councils to grant 3.25 million British passport holders the right of abode in the UK. The Hong Kong government refused to request political asylum in Hong Kong. Chinese swimmer Yang Yang’s request for repatriation, Governor Wilson Wilson announced the port and airport development strategy plan, the public consultation on the second draft of the Basic Law ended, and the British government announced the issuance of British national passports with the right of abode to 50,000 families ；
87. In 1990, Governor Wilson Wilson visited Beijing. Officials from Britain and China reached a secret agreement on the structure of the Legislative Council. The first draft of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance was announced. The Hong Kong government announced direct elections to the Legislative Council in 1991 and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights. The final draft of the Regulation was announced. The Chinese government officially approved the Basic Law. The Hong Kong government insisted that the new airport plan does not need to be approved by the United Kingdom or the Chinese government. The British Secretary of State for Hong Kong affairs, Lord Kathanes, visited Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government announced that it would build a new building with public funds. The first phase of the airport project began with the application for British citizenship under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act;
88. The 1991, Governor Wilson to Beijing to discuss with Chinese officials count the new airport plan, the British Foreign Secretary Douglas HURD reach to Beijing to discuss the new airport project with Chinese officials, "the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance" promulgated, Governor Wilson to London Discuss the issue of the new airport with Prime Minister Ma Zhuoan and other senior officials.

[Sharon Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keyword: History of Hong Kong, Political, Social, Economic Development, Hong Kong under world history context

Caroll's book on history of Hong Kong has been a popular source for layman to get to know more about Hong Kong's past. It is a comprehensive account of Hong Kong's precolonial history to post-1997, which includes political, economic and social development of the city. Furthermore, Caroll has placed Hong Kong under the context of world history, which allows not only allows better understanding of the various decisions made by the various parties, but also provide further insight of the recent developments in the city.

1. Colonial Rule in Hong Kong

To many in Hong Kong, British rule has different meanings. For Beijing and their supporters, the colonial rule is a period of shame and humiliation, while for their dissidents, it symbolizes the prosperity and progress of the city that might never return. In this book, Caroll has taken a more neutral stance towards the rights and wrongs of the colonial government (and of course, the British government who supervised the operation of the colony). He acknowledges that Hong Kong has built its success based on the infrastructure and system that the British has established, but also points out that many of Hong Kong's current problems have rooted from British rule as well.

1.1 Socio-economic Development: Racial Discrimination

In the early years of colonial period, the British has incorporated racial discriminatory policies into their ruling agenda. Part of the reason is to maintain the superior status of the European community, but the main part is due to distrust between the expatriates and local Chinese community, especially after the E Sing Bakery Incident. Even after the local Chinese have gradually become a main contributor to the local economy, such discriminatory policies were not eradicated until 1970s.

The impact of racial discrimination is more far-reaching than what it looks like at that time. As most expatriates maintained superior positions in the colony, most of them stayed away from the local Chinese community, which made up the majority of the population. However, most of the senior government positions were occupied by the expatriates. As a result, during the early colonial period, most governors have not respond directly to people's wishes, albeit to the lobbying of expatriates and local Chinese elites. Though the later governors were more willing to respond to local's needs, such governance style has remained until today as most senior officials were former members of the colonial government.

1.2 Socio-economic Development: Social Welfare and Over-emphasis on Commerce

As Caroll stated, the British government had been reluctant to spend resources on Hong Kong, hence the government seldom provide for the security of its Chinese subject during the early colonial period. Most of the time, the government relied on social welfare groups and religious organizations to provide social security for the local Chinese. On the other hand, as most Chinese were refugees to escape from the turbulent situation from Mainland China, they have not place much complaint against the colonial government as Hong Kong is relatively much more stable and safe compared to situation in China.

As Chinese entrepreneurs assumed a larger role in the local economy, the colonial government has placed higher reliance on them to rule the local Chinese. Some of these people has indeed prompted the colonial government to invest more on education, hospital and social welfare. But it is not until 1970s to 1980s, partly because of the failure to guard Hong Kong from Japanese invasion during WWII, as well as the concept of "welfare state" gradually became prominent in Britain, the colonial government became willing to invest more on social welfare.

The practice of relying on local elites and businessmen for policy advice remains in the HKSAR government, as they are a major stakeholder in the local economy. However, as the business sector has their own agenda, their interests usually contradict with the local majority, which not only result in socio-economic problems such as income inequality, but also stagnation in democratization in Hong Kong.

1.3 Socio-political Development: Construction of Local Identity

The British has not cultivated much sense of loyalty to the British flag during their rule in Hong Kong. Rather, they have tried to develop a sense of unique Chineseness in their Chinese subjects that are different from the Mainland China. Following advises from Chinese elites, the British has emphasized on traditional Chinese values in school curricular, mainly to avoid local people from identifying with Chinese nationalism and patriotism that are prevalent during the 20th Century.
Coupled with the economic success during the 70s to 80s, Hong Kong Chinese started to feel that they are a distinct group of Chinese that were different from their counterparts in the Mainland. In addition, as the British has not request any political loyalty from the local Chinese, many Hong Kongers found hard to accept patriotic practices and ideals as the Mainland Chinese does. The identification of local Chinese as "Hong Kongers", which represents different values from the Mainland, became one of the main factor for the Mainland-Hong Kong Conflict in recent years.

2. Hong Kong under the Sino-British Relationship

Hong Kong's economic success has been mainly due to its unique status as a British colony with close proximity to the Chinese Mainland. For China, the city had been the major point of trade and foreign exchange, as well as the window to the outside world. It has also been a place that allowed various political activities from Mainland China and other countries. For Britain, Hong Kong has initially been acquired for its natural deep-water harbour to serve for trade and military purpose. It was also a base for the British to manage their strategic and trade interest in East Asia. Hence, Hong Kong's fate was tied closely to the changes in China and Sino-British relationship, and Hong Kong government had put great effort into maintaining balance between the China and Britain.

More important than economy, Hong Kong's political development was even more of a sensitive issue between China and Britain. After WWII, the colonial government believed that the failure to defend Hong Kong mainly due to distrusting the local Chinese, hence had wanted to push for more political representation of the Chinese community in the Legislative Council. However, worrying that such movement would provoke the PRC government, the reform was not supported by the British government. The 1967 disturbance by the local leftists had also convinced the colonial government that more representation in the government might make Hong Kong vulnerable to influence from Communist China. However, the tension had not been high until the Sino-British negotiation regarding Hong Kong's future political status started in the late 1980s. The Sino-British Joint Declaration had been signed under distrust between both governments. Furthermore, as many of Hong Kong's population had came to the city after PRC establishment, the majority of the city's people had preferred to British rule, especially after the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989. To comfort the local people, on one hand, the CCP had made promises to uphold the "One Country, Two System" principle and let the city rule by its own people. But on the other hand, the CCP had a fundamental distrust towards Hong Kong, especially many Hong Kongers (and prodemocratic leaders) had sided with demonstrators in the 1989 democracy movement. Such distrust had resulted in CCP restricting control of Hong Kong's political, economic and social spectrum over the years, which aroused worries and anxiety of the local of loss of freedom and rule of law that they had been enjoying in the past. The fundamental distrust between the CCP and local people had been the main reason behind the conflicts and controversy of every Mainland-related issue in the city.

Starting from 2012, Hong Kong had been undergoing series of movements to protest against CCP's interference with local politics and urging for democratization promised by CCP. Though Hong Kong and China had experienced much changes recent years, the conflict had been rooted in the colonial history of the city. It is only through reading the history, that one could understand the events happening in Hong Kong.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

HHKB: Happy Hacking Keyboard History of Hong Kong Book
The above is a true name of a mechanical keyboard, and seeing 'h' and 'k' so many times in the title, I could not avoid the reference :P

This was an interesting study on the history of Hong Kong

Not the best HK book I have read, but a good one!

4.0/5

[Yuki Kudo · Rating 5 out of 5]

持平公正之論，最後就是被豆瓣刪條目。強烈推薦

[Ramakanth Domada · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far I found history books, especially those related to China, quite tedious after a while as they are filled with numerous dates, hard to pronounce places, and names of people. However, this book is different and very interesting for anyone who likes to understand the broader context and motives of different parties. The writing effectively intertwined the Hong Kong's history with world events. The narrative felt like a logical discussion than a typical listing of events. I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in colonial history and East Asian history topics. I wish this book had more pictures of old Hong Kong.

[Brian Hull · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3.5. It's a history book, entirely about the city of Hong Kong. So, it doesn't exactly scream "read me" when you sit down at the end of a long day. That said, I live in Hong Kong and I think it is important to understand the history of the places you live and the people you live with. To that end, this is the best there is. I took a solid swing at Steve Tsang's book and one other. Tsang's is too boring and the other too dated and, well, not really a history book. Even still, Carroll's book is getting dated and you'll likely skim the last chapter. You'll want to add a book on the last 6 or 7 years. I plan to read "Vigil" to round out the last few years of Hong Kong history.

All this to say, if you are looking for a Hong Kong history book, this will do. While Carroll, on occasion, gets a little lost in the details they're easily skimmed and in the end you get a pretty good history book.

[Jackie Mo Mo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good brief introduction of Hong Kong history from the time of being colonialized to post-colonialized. John M. Carroll has expressed the wideness and deepness of his knowledge well. However, I don't really like the way of the translation.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating whirlwind history of Hong Kong. Incredibly helpful to contextualize the present situation.

[Owen Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

填補了香港歷史教育的遺漏。

[Ning · Rating 3 out of 5]

一邊看一邊查閱資料，有些事件時間上有些誤差。不過總體來說，本書還是可以幫助讀者快速了解從鴉片戰爭到21世紀初的香港。希望可以從歷任港督和特區行政長官的任期時間線維度來講一講不同時期的政制改革和優劣等。

[Qian · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book in English that I have completely read. And the first book I have marked in Goodread. Cause the book item has been canceled in Douban.

[R. Koliloedjoer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read to learn more about HK

[Helios. · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Hongkonger, I rarely ask myself what defines my identity. Yet, this book made me realize that Hongkongers have often existed in a sort of “second-class” status: we serve as a bridge for external powers, without ever truly controlling our own destiny. The book highlights how many of our cherished values—free speech, the rule of law, and education—were not originally shaped or demanded by us. Instead, they were imposed by the British colonial government to uphold its own interests.

This realization stirred mixed emotions. On one hand, these values are integral to our identity; on the other, they were never fully our own to begin with. For generations, Hong Kong’s future has been dictated by external forces—first Britain and now China—leaving us feeling perpetually “in between.” Even though these values define us, there remains an unsettling sense that we’ve always been the intermediary rather than the one in control.

The 1997 handover further underscores this point. It wasn’t merely a transfer of sovereignty; it was a pivotal moment for Hongkongers to question who truly governs us and, more importantly, what defines us.

Reading this book was both inspiring and bittersweet. It reminded me how fragile Hong Kong’s identity is and how crucial it is to remember our historical roots, especially in these turbulent times. Our identity isn’t static; it evolves as we navigate ongoing challenges. And in moments of uncertainty, understanding our past is what equips us to move forward with resilience.

[Lordoftaipo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could it have resulted differently? Perhaps our air of despondency is a necessary outcome that nobody anticipated, yet one whose traces had been exhibited in one way or another. Dwarfing the metropolis beneath the Guangdong backwaters is one; imposing some historical twaddles on the status of the colony is another. You see, in ‘97, China promised to hold on to the Two-Systems flummery, never the Joint Declaration. Its first ambassador to the United Nations got its two ceded lands across Pearl River removed from the list of colonies. To presume clemency is submitting oneself to a badly written farce. Sad ending, for sure; but who to blame though will be forever unresolved. You aren’t going to hark back to each and every event, and draw a shoddy connection among the incomplete dots. Forward looking isn’t our strength either. As a populace of émigrés, our forebears ran from the dark. Since haze thickens where we are, emigration is understandable. This time, the newcomers who will take your place aren’t going to look like you, dress like you, or speak like you. Every era has its fad, and every fad has its maturity date.

[Todd Ewing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is a very strong history book of the city. The only deficit, is that it is, of course, dated. It ends about 2007 and thus it cannot speak to the death of Hong Kong and the betrayal of the CCP of its treaty obligations. It does create a good balance between historical events and cultural developments, not soft soaping the racism and ugliness of early British colonial rule. Sometimes, it is easy to forget the harsh history in light of the prosperity of the last fifty years and the failure of British policy to move the area closer to Democracy, which may or may not have changed what happened in the last decade. Lift a candle to Wong and Lai.

[Kevin_Raccoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

#豆瓣已删条目# 在香港生活好几年了，读完后对香港有趣的乱世边陲气质及其对identity的影响有了更深理解。非常有意思的是，国共内战后殖民地政府为了应对和抵消内地和台湾的激进民族主义思潮，开始在教育开始中强调中国文化，进一步塑造了独立于特定政权的抽象的中国人认同。如作者所说“他们可以自认为文化上的中国人，却不用去接受PRC政权”，这里的identity是模糊的、流动的、复合的。100多年来北边历经大清、广州政府、北洋政府、南京政府、乌托邦运动的前30年和改革开放，几十公里之外不停上演乱世风云，这个小小殖民地却能保持稳定，发挥华人世界避风港和中西资金信息桥梁作用，不断在和北边的互动中调整站位，“活在火山边上”慢慢积累繁荣。

[古 张 · Rating 5 out of 5]

基本上大事小事都提到了，還真是簡史。

[François Chateaubriand · Rating 5 out of 5]

客观公正的一本香港史，概述1841到21世纪初的香港历史脉络。总体来讲1997前的历史写的更详细，1997后的事件则显得有些粗枝大叶。希望作者未来有机会再版的话可以补充一些近期发生的事情，毕竟近期发生了这么多事情……

[江近 · Rating 5 out of 5]

補標 21 年看過的這一本，瞭解香港歷史。當時在豆瓣「借標」的評論是「其實豆瓣完全不用 ban，兩岸應當增進瞭解，然後總是覺得香港問題是情緒問題和 nonsense」。香港人都是祖上從大陸逃難到港島（東南亞華人也是），所以對大陸素來沒有太多情感聯結。雖然 20 世紀早期 華人在港也是飽受歧視，但回歸前英國設計了香港的民主制度（作為對大陸的掣肘），而造就了香港的後來。

[Bilegjargal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great summary of Hong Kong's nuanced history, with heavy emphasis on the mindsets that came to integrate with one another and create this anomalous city.

[Sheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

很客观的论述，不无端攻击中共，亦不为英人、港人讳。从第七章开始尤为可贵。对于长年伴虎而行的香港人，非常能感同身受。

[Kalani Scarrott · Rating 4 out of 5]

“patriotic prostitutes” wasn’t a term i’d ever thought i’d hear

[shizhiku]

2-7

[Amos Tai · Rating 5 out of 5]

一路以嚟對香港歷史嘅認識，主要都係建基於中小學時期嘅社會、EPA同中史科，同埋網上面好多零碎嘅雜文。港大歷史學家 #高馬可 呢本 #香港簡史，即著名嘅 #AConciseHistoryOfHongKong 嘅中譯本，令我可以有個概括但全面嘅宏觀認知，明白多咗呢個屋企、所謂「國際大都會」、全球三大金融中心之一係點嚟、點走到今時今日。「開埠」至今百幾年嚟，香港從來都喺國際大國博弈裡面佔一席位（亦可以話係一隻重要嘅棋）；反之，香港歷史裡頭好多重大嘅轉折點，都係應唔同嘅國際大事而生，一戰、二戰、內戰、韓戰、越戰，全都有分改變香港嘅歷史軌跡。睇完難免有啲感慨，但亦期待繼續見證「這個由香港人書寫的故事仍將會日復日、年復年的永遠延續下去」。

[Justin Wu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carroll provided a brief outline of Hong Kong's history under the British Empire. Sometimes the stories he mentioned look ambiguous as they are often not cited, but he did well in explaining the social atmosphere before the war period, a time often neglected by historians. The part on post-war reform looks weak, as events such as the Young Plan or the 1967 riot are not really discussed in details. Overall, it is a good read for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of Hong Kong, especially from British occupation up to World War II.