1967-1984 since 1997







Hong Kong 1984-1997


Administration . In July 1982, Edward Youde assumed governorship, and held on to it until 1986. He was succeeded by David Akers-Jones (acting governor, 1986-1987), David Wilson (1987-1992) and Chris Patten (1992-1997). In 1991, for the first time, members to the Legislative Council were chosen in direct election.

Hong Kong and China . The Chinese clampdown on the demonstrations on Tienanmen Square in 1989 triggered immediate demonstrations in support of the Tienanmen demonstrators in Hong Kong, and an increased anxiety regarding the turnover in 1997. In 1990 the PRC adopted the Hong Kong Basic Law, defining post-1997 Hong Kong as a Spedial Administrative Region within the PRC.
Governor Patten's interpretation of the functional constituencies (1995) resulted in a de-facto extension of the franchise, to which the PR China vehemently protested.

The Economy . From 1984 onward, the expansion of Hong Kong as a regional trade hub slowed down temporarily, then to pick up again. B.R. Mitchell gives Hong Kong's aggregate imports, in current value of 2000, as 223 billion HK $ in 1984, 276 billion HK $ in 1986, 642 billion HK $ in 1990, 1,046 billion HK $ in 1993 (IHS p.545). There was a certain degree of insecurity regarding Hong Kong's future on the side of Hong Kong's wealthy businessmen, some of whom thought of moving elsewhere. Another reason was the reemergence of Shanghai as a regional trade hub.

Social History . The British Nationality Act of 1981 defined the Hong Kong residents as British Dependency nationals, a nationality which could not be transmitted to their descendents if born after the transfer of 1997. From 1987 onward, 48,000 Hong Kong residents annually emigrated, to countries such as the U.S. and Canada (Wikipedia : HK in the 1980es).
The population of Hong Kong expanded 5.3 million in 1984 to 6.5 million in 1997 (Lahmeyer). In 1991 homosexuality was decriminalized.

Cultural History . Hong Kong athletes participated in the Summer Olympics of Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992. Kowloon Walled City Park was established in 1995.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Article 1980s in Hong Kong, Edward Youde, David Akers-Jones, David Wilson, Chris Patten, Legislative Council of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Basic Law, Demographics of Hong Kong, Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, Sino-British Joint Declaration, Kowloon Walled City, from Wikipedia
A Case of Self-Delusion. Part 1 : From Colonialism to Confusion, by Henry C.K. Liu
Catherine R. Schenk, Economic History of Hong Kong, from Economic History Encyclopedia
DOCUMENTS Hong Kong Administrators, from World Statesmen (B. Cahoon), scroll down for Hong Kong
Historical Population Statistics : Hong Kong, from Population Statistics (Jan Lahmeyer)
REFERENCE IHS : International Historical Statistics : Africa, Asia & Oceania 1750-2000, edited by B.R. Mitchell, Basingstoke : Palgrave MacMillan 4th ed. 2003 [G]
Frank Welsh, A Borrowed Place, The History of Hong Kong, NY : Kodansha 1993
Article : Dependent States : East Asia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1986 p.600, 1987 p.568, 1988 p.520, 1989 p.520, 1990 p.536, 1991 pp.520-521, 1992 p.493, 1993 pp.501-502, 1994 pp.501-502 [G]
Article : Hong Kong, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1985 p.698, 1986 p.695, 1987 p.664, 1988 p.616, 1989 p.617, 1990 p.632, 1991 p.617, 1992 p.616, 1993 p.624, 1994 p.625, 1995 p.625, 1996 p.625, 1997 p.623 [G]
Article : Hong Kong, in : Statesman's Year Book 1984-1985 pp.589-594, 1985-1986 pp.591-597, 1986-1987 pp.594-600, 1987-1988 pp.600-606, 1988-1989 pp.602-608, 1989-1990 pp.607-613, 1990-1991 pp.607-613, 1991-1992 pp.605-611, 1992-1993 pp.678-684, 1993-1994 pp.683-689, 1994-1995 pp.675-681, 1995-1996 pp.673-678, 1996-1997 pp.615-620 [G]
Article : China, Hong Kong, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1997-1998 pp.360-365 [G]
Article : Hong Kong, in : Americana Annual 1988 p.267, 1989 p.264, 1990 p.260, 1991 p.268, 1993 pp.267-268, 1994 p.268 [G]
Entry : Hong Kong, in : The Commonwealth Yearbook 1989 pp.444-454 [G]


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on June 8th 2007

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