Chronicle / 1840s
1840s — Hong Kong milestones
13 checked, dated milestones (1841-01-26 to 1849). Each entry carries the date, the fact and a primary official source; 13 of them also carry a hand-written English memory note or background paragraph.
中文原句、引用格式同背景聲明只有中文版：見香港大事記 · 1840 年代。 本頁唔會機翻任何中文內容；缺英文欄位嘅條目會照實標明。
1841-01-26
British naval forces land at Possession Point and raise the flag, marking the founding of Hong Kong.
Memory The landing site is near today’s Hollywood Road Park in Sheung Wan; on 20 January plenipotentiary Elliot had already proposed ceding Hong Kong Island under the Chuenpi Convention, which neither government recognised.
Background On 26 January 1841, British forces landed at Possession Point and raised the flag, marking the opening of Hong Kong Island as a port; the landing site corresponds to today's Hollywood Road Park in Sheung Wan. As early as 20 January, plenipotentiary Elliot had proposed ceding the island under the Chuenpi Convention, but neither government recognised that convention, so the occupation initially lacked a firm legal basis. This landing was the beginning of Britain's de facto occupation of Hong Kong Island, which was only confirmed later by a formal treaty.
Source Hong Kong Yearbook 2021, Chapter 22: History（Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1841-08-09
Hong Kong’s first prison is established.
Memory The early facility, a precursor of Victoria Prison in Central, later grew into today’s Correctional Services system.
Background On 9 August 1841, Hong Kong established its first prison. The early facility used the premises that preceded Victoria Prison, located in Central, and mainly held prisoners. It later expanded and evolved into the correctional system under the Correctional Services Department, showing that Hong Kong's penal system began to take shape in the earliest years of the colonial city and was continually adjusted as the city grew.
Source CSD history: early period（Correctional Services Department） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1842-08-29
The Treaty of Nanking is signed at Nanking, ending the First Opium War and ceding Hong Kong Island while opening treaty ports.
Memory Running to thirteen articles and signed by Pottinger for Britain and by Qiying and Ilibu for Qing China, it ceded Hong Kong Island in perpetuity — the legal starting point of the colony.
Background Signed at Nanking on 29 August 1842, the Treaty of Nanking ended the First Opium War; besides ceding Hong Kong Island, it opened several treaty ports to foreign trade. Running to thirteen articles, it was signed by Pottinger for Britain and by Qiying and Ilibu for Qing China, formally ceding Hong Kong Island to Britain. Unlike the earlier, unrecognised Chuenpi Convention, this treaty gave the colony its legal starting point and underpinned the colonial administration that followed.
Source Hong Kong Yearbook 2021, Chapter 22: History（Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1843-06-26 · 上環
Henry Pottinger becomes the first Governor of Hong Kong and proclaims Hong Kong Island a British colony.
Memory Pottinger served concurrently as plenipotentiary and governor; the colonial administration gradually expanded afterwards.
Background On 26 June 1843 Henry Pottinger became the first Governor of Hong Kong and proclaimed Hong Kong Island a British colony. He served concurrently as plenipotentiary and colonial governor, combining diplomatic and governing authority; soon after the Treaty of Nanking, the colonial government took shape starting around Sheung Wan and gradually expanded. The appointment marked the formal beginning of British colonial rule over Hong Kong and set the outline of the administration that would last for more than a century afterwards.
Source Hong Kong Chronicles: Overview and Chronology (c. 5000 BC–2017, over 6,500 events)（Hong Kong Chronicles Institute） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1844 · 中環（全港）
The first Police Ordinance comes into force in 1844, formally establishing the Hong Kong Police Force.
Memory It began with about 32 men; from 1845 Charles May modelled it on the Irish Constabulary, growing it to 171 and building stations at Central, Aberdeen and Stanley.
Background In 1844 the first Police Ordinance came into force, formally establishing the Hong Kong Police Force as a colonial police body. It began with only about 32 men; from 1845, after Charles May took charge, it grew to 171 officers and built police stations at Central, Aberdeen and Stanley. The Police Ordinance provided the legal basis for the force's powers and duties, making policing a statutory function of the government. The early force's small size and its deployment reflected the colonial government's reliance on policing to maintain order.
Source HK Police: The First Century（Hong Kong Police Force） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1844-02-28
The Hong Kong Charter is promulgated, establishing the colonial government structure headed by the Governor.
Memory The Hong Kong Charter established the colonial structure headed by the Governor, an early foundational document of Hong Kong's administration.
Background On 28 February 1844 the Hong Kong Charter was promulgated, establishing the colonial government structure headed by the Governor. The charter was a foundational document of Hong Kong's early administration, setting out the Governor's powers and the composition of the executive and legislative bodies and providing the basis for running the colony. At a time when governing institutions were still being formed in the new colony, the document fixed a political structure centred on the Governor and became the starting point for later constitutional development.
Source Hong Kong Yearbook 2021, Chapter 22: History（Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1844-05-01
The colonial police force is formally established by law, marking the beginning of the Hong Kong Police Force.
Memory Established under the Police Ordinance with British and local officers, it handled law and order.
Background The Hong Kong police force was formally established in 1844 under the Police Ordinance, marking the start of the Hong Kong Police Force. At the outset it was made up of British and local officers and was responsible for law and order. Before its creation there was no single police body set up by law in the colony. Once the force was established, the duties of keeping order and enforcing the law were gradually concentrated in one legally constituted body, which became the foundation of the present-day force.
Source Hong Kong Police history: the first hundred years（Hong Kong Police Force） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1845
Hong Kong introduces the jury system under the Ordinance for the Regulation of Jurors and Juries, following English criminal-justice tradition.
Memory Article 86 of the Basic Law preserves the principle of trial by jury; today juries hear serious criminal cases in the Court of First Instance of the High Court.
Background Hong Kong introduced the jury system in 1845 through the Ordinance for the Regulation of Jurors and Juries, following the English criminal-justice tradition of having citizens decide verdicts. The system has continued since, and Article 86 of the Basic Law preserves the principle of trial by jury. Today, juries still determine verdicts in serious criminal cases tried in the Court of First Instance of the High Court, keeping lay participation in the courts and remaining a distinctive feature of Hong Kong's legal system.
Source Law Reform Commission: criteria for serving as jurors（Law Reform Commission of Hong Kong） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1846
The Oriental Bank issues the first Hong Kong banknotes, the earliest paper money in Hong Kong.
Memory The Oriental Bank was an early British bank active across the Far East; its silver-backed notes began the local practice of banks issuing their own currency.
Background In 1846 the Oriental Bank issued Hong Kong's first banknotes, the earliest paper money in the territory. An early British bank active across the Far East, it opened in Hong Kong in 1845 and issued notes the following year, backed by the silver dollar. This began the local practice of banks issuing their own currency, gradually extending Hong Kong's money supply from coins to paper notes. The HKMA records the date by year, and the Hong Kong Museum of History likewise treats 1846 as the start of local banknotes.
Source History of Note-issuing Banks in Hong Kong（Hong Kong Monetary Authority） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1846-11-25
The Kowloon Walled City is completed as a Qing garrison stronghold.
Memory The walled enclave covered about 6.5 acres on the site of today’s Kowloon Walled City Park; it was demolished in the 1990s and replaced by a park.
Background The Kowloon Walled City was built between 25 November 1846 and 31 May 1847 as a Qing garrison stronghold. Covering about 6.5 acres on the site of today's Kowloon Walled City Park, it served a military purpose on the Kowloon frontier. After Hong Kong was ceded and the New Territories leased, its status became unusual. The enclave was finally demolished in the 1990s, and the site was turned into the Kowloon Walled City Park of today.
Source Kowloon Walled City Park history（Leisure and Cultural Services Department） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1847 · 上環（中西區）
The Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan is estimated to have been completed between 1847 and 1862, one of the most important surviving temples in Hong Kong, honouring Man Cheong and Kwan Tai.
Memory Raised by Chinese merchants and gentry, it long served as a venue for settling disputes within the Chinese community and is now managed by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.
Background The Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan is estimated to have been completed between 1847 and 1862. Dedicated to Man Cheong, the god of literature, and Kwan Tai, it is one of the most important surviving temples in Hong Kong. Raised with funds from Chinese merchants and gentry, it long served as a place for arbitration and discussion within the Chinese community, mediating at a time when that community had no formal representative body. The Antiquities Advisory Board notes construction in 1847 and an added office in 1862; the temple is now managed by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.
Source Antiquities and Monuments Office: Man Mo Temple (Declared Monument)（Antiquities and Monuments Office） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1848
Hong Kong experiences its first major epidemic, causing many deaths and prompting the government to address public health.
Memory With poor sanitation in the early colonial years, the epidemic pushed the government to address public health and water supply.
Background In 1848 Hong Kong suffered its first major epidemic, causing many deaths; the exact month and day cannot be verified. Sanitation in the early colonial years was poor, with overcrowding and inadequate drainage and water supply, allowing the disease to spread rapidly. The outbreak prompted the government to address public health and water-supply problems, leading to the gradual introduction of related sanitary and waterworks measures and reflecting how the early colonial administration responded to disease and the urban environment.
Source Hong Kong Chronicles: Overview and Chronology (c. 5000 BC–2017, over 6,500 events)（Hong Kong Chronicles Institute） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1849 · 中西區（中環花園道）
St John's Cathedral is completed in 1849, the oldest standing Christian church in Hong Kong, declared a monument in 1996.
Memory Begun in 1845 and completed in 1849, it stands on freehold land granted to the church by the colonial government.
Background St John's Cathedral was completed in 1849 and is the oldest standing Christian church in Hong Kong; it was declared a monument in 1996. Begun in 1845, it stands on freehold land granted to the church by the colonial government, an arrangement that was uncommon in Hong Kong, where land is generally held on lease. The cathedral represents early religious architecture in Central and reflects the role of the church in local society during the early years of the colony.
Source AMO: St John's Cathedral (declared monument)（Antiquities and Monuments Office） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
