Lease of the New Territories

The Second Anglo-Chinese War (1856-58) arose out of disputes over the
interpretation of the earlier treaties and over the boarding of a British
lorcha, the Arrow, by Chinese in search of suspected pirates. The Treaty
of Tientsin (Tianjin) in 1858, which ended the war, gave the British the
privilege of diplomatic representation in China. The first British envoy, Sir
Frederick Bruce, who had been the first Colonial Secretary in Hong
Kong, was fired on at Taku (Dagu) Bar on his way to Peking to present
his credentials, and hostilities were renewed from 1859-60.

Troops serving on this second expedition camped on Kowloon Peninsula,
as Hong Kong's earliest photographs show. Finding it healthy, they
wished to retain it as a military cantonment, with the result that Sir Harry
Parkes, Consul at Canton, secured from the Viceroy a lease of the
peninsula as far north as Boundary Street, including Stonecutters Island.
The Convention of Peking in 1860, which ended the hostilities, provided
for its outright cession.

Other European countries and Japan subsequently demanded concessions
from China, particularly after Germany, France and Russia rescued China
from the worst consequences of its defeat by Japan in 1895. In the
ensuing tension, Britain felt that efficient defence of Hong Kong harbour
demanded control of the land around it.

By a convention signed in Peking on June 9, 1898, respecting an extension
of Hong Kong territory, the New Territories - comprising the
area north of Kowloon up to the Shum Chun (Shenzhen) River, and 235
islands - was leased for 99 years. The move was directed against France
and Russia, not against China whose warships were allowed to use the
wharf at Kowloon City. There, Chinese authority was permitted to
continue 'except insofar as may be inconsistent with the military
requirements for the defence of Hong Kong'. However, an
order-in-council of December 27, 1899, revoked this clause and the

British unilaterally took over Kowloon City. There was some opposition
when the British took over the New Territories in April 1899, but this
eventually dissipated. The area was declared to be part of the overall
territory of Hong Kong but was administered separately from the urban
area.

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