Military history of Hong Kong

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this article. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Military history of Hong Kong" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This article is part of a series on the
History of Hong Kong
Timeline
Prehistoric Imperial  (221 BC – 1800s) Bao'an County and Xin'an County British Hong Kong (1841–1941, 1945–1997) Colonial  (1800s–1930s) Convention of Chuenpi Treaty of Nanking Convention of Peking Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory Japanese occupation (1941–1945)   (1940s) 1950s 1960s (1967 riots) 1970s 1980s 1990s Retrocession to China Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (since 1997) 2000s 2010s 2020s 2019–20 protests COVID-19 pandemic National security law (2020, 2024) 2021 electoral reform
By topic
Aviation Bus Culture Economy Education Geography Politics Technical standards
History of China / of the United Kingdom Hong Kong portal
v t e

The Military history of Hong Kong dates back to the Qin conquest. As Hong Kong is on the sea routes to the city of Guangzhou, the territories of Hong Kong served as an outer port. Amounts of pearl and salt are also located within the shores of Hong Kong as well. Thus, there is a long history of military and navy garrisoning the territory.

Qin conquered southern China in 214 BCE, followed by the establishment kingdom of Nanyue. However, there are neither historical records nor archaeological finding on military in Hong Kong during this period.

The Empire of Han conquered the kingdom of Nanyue in 111 BCE. The extensive shore in the territories of Hong Kong attracted the government office to build fields for the production of salt. It is believed that there was military presence to guard against this important mineral though there is little evidence about it.

The Empire of Jin later rules the territories of Hong Kong. In 403, Lo Tun (盧循) occupies the city of Pun Yue, the present-day Guangzhou, and surrounding area. He led a fleet to attack Jin but deadly failed in 411. His followers occupied the Lantau Island.

In 621, the Empire of Tang finished conquest the southern China. The empire built a military and naval base in Tuen Mun to ensure the safety of Guangzhou and the seas around Hong Kong. The navy of Tuen Mun pacified the water against pirates.

Hong Kong has never had its own military forces because it has never been a sovereign state, except voluntary auxiliary force like The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers). All defence matters have been dependent on the state which controls Hong Kong. Before the British handover to PRC sovereignty, defence was provided by the British military, who stationed soldiers in barracks throughout Hong Kong, including the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong. Its finance was supported by the Hong Kong Government.

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Defence Force was the main element of garrison. The other Japanese military units stationed in Hong Kong from early 1942 were the small Hong Kong Artillery Force and the Imperial Japanese Navy's Hong Kong Base Force, which formed part of the 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet.^[1]

The People's Republic of China's State Council assumed sovereignty over Hong Kong on 1 July 1997 and stationed a garrison of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to manage its defence affairs. Although the garrison has little practical military value, the stationing of the PLA troops in Hong Kong is a significant symbol of the PRC government's assumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong.

According to Hong Kong's Basic Law, military forces stationed in Hong Kong shall not interfere with local civil affairs; the Hong Kong Government shall remain responsible for the maintenance of public order. The Hong Kong Garrison, composed of ground, naval, and air forces, is under the command of the Chinese Central Military Commission. The garrison subsequently opened its barracks on Stonecutters Island and Stanley to the public to promote understanding and trust between the troops and residents.

• Linda Butenhoff: Social movements and political reform in Hong Kong, Westport, Conn. [u.a.] : Praeger 1999, ISBN 0-275-96293-8

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Military history of Hong Kong.

• Hong Kong Museum of History website
• A speech script on history of Hong Kong
• Bibliography of Hong Kong Archaeology on the University of Hong Kong website
• "Story of the Stanford family and the effect of the fall of Hong Kong in 1941."
• Basic Law Drafting History Online -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives
• Historical Laws of Hong Kong Online - University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives
• Sidney C. H. Cheung, Martyrs, Mystery and Memory Behind the Colonial Shift - Anti-British resistance movement in 1899