Hong Kong is known today as a bustling metropolis and a financial hub in Asia. However, before it became a global city, Hong Kong was a small and relatively unknown island off the coast of southern China. Despite its humble beginnings, Hong Kong played a significant role in the geopolitics of Asia in the 17th century, long before the Opium War.

The history of Hong Kong can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) when Che Kung, a military commander, escorted Prince Ping, the last emperor of the Song dynasty, to safety during the Mongolian invasion. At that time, it was primarily a fishing village with a small population. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Hong Kong was part of the Bao'an County, which was located in what is now Shenzhen.

It wasn't until the 17th century that Hong Kong began to attract attention from foreign powers. The British were interested in expanding their economic influence in Asia and saw an opportunity to do so by conquering the Portuguese and the Dutch. Taking a page from the latter two countries on expanding their economic scope, the British monopoly East India Company greatly benefitted from the sumptuous profits from trading silk, Chinese ceramics, tea, and opium in the only permitted port of Canton (now Guangzhou).

The British were not content with trading only in Canton, however. They began to scout for other suitable places for more business trades, and one of which was Hong Kong. There were mixed opinions about its potential for future development, with some skeptical about whether the island would bring long term benefits, whilst others were worried it did not worth the huge investment and would possibly deteriorate the British Empire’s relation with China. Despite the mixed opinions, the natural harbor of Hong Kong spoke for itself. The deep-water harbor surrounded by mountains as shields from typhoons won over all skepticism, not to mention proximity to China for trades was the biggest consideration. The British corporates like Jardine and Matheson also paid great contributions to convince the Royals to set up base in Hong Kong in order to continue their opium businesses with China.

In 1839, tensions between the British and the Chinese reached a boiling point, leading to the start of the First Opium War...