How did Hong Kong become a British colony?
In the early 1800s, the British had established a profitable opium trade in Asia. Most opium — a drug similar to heroin — came from Turkey and India, so the British imported it into Hong Kong before sailing home with it. Many British people, both rich and poor, enjoyed using the drug. The Manchu Imperial government (who ruled China at the time) forbid the British to import the drug into Hong Kong. The British simply ignored the wishes of the Chinese rulers. In 1839, the Chinese government found and destroyed a huge amount of opium that was going to be shipped to Britain. The British were furious, and they sent armies into many major towns near the Hong Kong area. This marked the start of The Opium Wars. Three years later, in 1842, the British forces had beaten the Chinese, so the Chinese agreed to the terms of the Treaty of Nanking. This treaty gave the island of Hong Kong to Britain “in perpetuity,” which means “forever.” Conflict between Britain and China continued, and in 1860, Br
