1860 · 中西區（般咸道）
The precursor of Diocesan Girls' School, the "Yuet Zee Lau girls" institute, is founded in 1860, pioneering girls' education.
Memory Its forerunner, founded by missionaries, later moved to Jordan in Kowloon and is now a direct-subsidy English-medium school.
Background The precursor of Diocesan Girls' School, the "Yuet Zee Lau" girls' institute, was founded by missionaries in 1860 and pioneered girls' education in Hong Kong. In the nineteenth century, schooling for girls was far from common, and church-run schools were among the few routes to a formal education for women. Its establishment reflects the wider role of missionaries in the colony's early education. The school later moved to Jordan in Kowloon and is now a direct-subsidy English-medium school, and its founding year follows the school's own published overview.
Source Diocesan Girls' School: School Prospectus（Diocesan Girls' School） · official publication
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1860-10-24
The Convention of Peking is signed, ceding the Kowloon Peninsula south of Boundary Street to Britain.
Memory Signed after Anglo-French forces occupied Beijing, it ceded the southern Kowloon peninsula and added Tianjin as a treaty port, extending Hong Kong's territory to Kowloon.
Background The Convention of Peking was signed after Anglo-French forces occupied Beijing. Besides ceding the Kowloon Peninsula south of Boundary Street to Britain, it also opened Tianjin as an additional treaty port. Hong Kong's jurisdiction was thereby extended from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon, and the southern tip of the peninsula became part of British-ruled Hong Kong. The cession was an intermediate stage in the territory's expansion, coming after the cession of Hong Kong Island and before the later acquisition of the New Territories.
Source Hong Kong Yearbook 2021, Chapter 22: History（Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region） · official publication
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1861
Britain formally takes possession of the Kowloon Peninsula south of Boundary Street, extending Hong Kong's territory to Kowloon.
Memory The handover followed the 1860 Convention of Peking; the boundary was drawn along Boundary Street and the new territory was progressively opened up around Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok.
Background In 1861, Britain formally took possession of the Kowloon Peninsula south of Boundary Street, extending Hong Kong's territory to Kowloon. The handover followed the 1860 Convention of Peking; the boundary was drawn along Boundary Street, and the area around Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok was progressively opened up. The addition of Kowloon increased Hong Kong's land and population, and it laid the basis for the later expansion of the urban area into Kowloon. This was the first major enlargement of the territory since Hong Kong was founded.
Source Hong Kong Yearbook 2021, Chapter 22: History（Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region） · official publication
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1862 · 中西區（中環歌賦街／荷李活道）
The Central School is founded in 1862 as the first government school offering Western education to Chinese, later becoming Queen's College.
Memory Opened on Gough Street in 1862 under its first headmaster Dr Frederick Stewart, it was attended by Sun Yat-sen in 1884 and, after moving to Hollywood Road, was renamed Queen’s College in 1894.
Background The Central School was founded in 1862 as the first government school in Hong Kong to offer Western education to Chinese pupils. It opened on Gough Street under its first headmaster, Dr Frederick Stewart, and later moved to Hollywood Road. Sun Yat-sen attended the school in 1884, and in 1894 it was renamed Queen's College. As a government institution, it set a model for official schooling in the colony, and its founding year is recorded by the Antiquities and Monuments Office.
Source AMO: Central School (former Queen's College site)（Antiquities and Monuments Office） · official publication
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1862-06 · 中環（中西區）
The Hong Kong & China Gas Co. is established in June 1862, one of Hong Kong's oldest utilities.
Memory It began supplying gas to light Central from December 1864.
Background The Hong Kong and China Gas Company was established in June 1862, making it one of Hong Kong's oldest utilities. It began supplying gas to light Central in December 1864, becoming the first company in the city to introduce piped gas. Gas was initially used mainly for street and building lighting and later extended to industrial, commercial and domestic purposes as the city grew, laying early groundwork for Hong Kong's energy supply system and remaining a core utility to this day. The company's official history records only June 1862.
Source The Hong Kong and China Gas Company: Company History（The Hong Kong and China Gas Company） · official publication
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1863
The Hong Kong Government declares the silver dollar legal tender, establishing a silver standard.
Memory Before this, Mexican and Spanish silver dollars circulated locally; making the silver dollar the legal unit of account paved the way for a unified Hong Kong dollar.
Background In 1863 the Hong Kong Government declared the silver dollar legal tender, establishing a silver standard. Until then, Mexican, Spanish and other foreign silver dollars largely circulated in the market, leaving no common unit for settlement; adopting the silver dollar as the legal unit of account gave the local currency system a shared benchmark. This step laid the groundwork for a unified Hong Kong dollar. The official record specifies only the year 1863, without a verifiable month or day.
Source Milestones of monetary reform（Hong Kong Monetary Authority） · official publication
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1863
Hong Kong issues its first regal coins (denominations of one mil, one cent and ten cents), struck at the Royal Mint in London.
Memory Struck at the Royal Mint with Queen Victoria's portrait on the obverse, though Mexican dollars still dominated everyday trade.
Background In 1863 Hong Kong issued its first local coins bearing a reigning monarch's portrait, in denominations of one cent, ten cents and one mil, all struck at the Royal Mint in London. The obverse carried Queen Victoria's portrait, making them the territory's earliest local small-denomination coins. Yet everyday trade still ran largely on foreign silver such as Mexican dollars, so the coins played a relatively limited role. The HKMA records only the year of issue, without a verifiable month or day.
Source History and Evolution of Coins in Hong Kong（Hong Kong Monetary Authority） · official publication
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1863
Pok Fu Lam Reservoir is completed as Hong Kong’s first public reservoir, supplying the infant city.
Memory The first phase held only about 2 million gallons, initially enough for a few days’ supply; repeated expansions followed.
Background Pok Fu Lam Reservoir was completed in 1863 as Hong Kong's first public reservoir. Official records give only the year: construction began in 1860 and the reservoir was completed and put into service in 1863. Its first phase held only about 2 million gallons, initially enough for a few days' supply, and repeated expansions followed. It marked the beginning of Hong Kong's water supply, with later works gradually extended to support the young city's growth.
Source Waterworks milestones and heritage（Water Supplies Department） · official publication
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1863 · 紅磡（九龍城區）
The Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Company opens at Hok Yuen, Hung Hom, an early major dockyard.
Memory One of the largest dockyards in Asia, it was bombed by Allied forces in the war; the yard later moved to Tsing Yi and the Hung Hom site was redeveloped into Whampoa Estate, Hunghom Bay Centre and Whampoa Garden.
Background The Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Company opened at Hok Yuen in Hung Hom in 1863, becoming one of the colony's earliest major ship-repair and shipbuilding works. It grew into one of the largest dockyards in Asia and was bombed by Allied forces during the Second World War. After the war the yard's operations gradually moved to Tsing Yi, while the Hung Hom site was redeveloped in stages into Whampoa Estate, Hunghom Bay Centre and Whampoa Garden, turning an industrial area into housing.
Source Antiquities and Monuments Office: Starting Up in Hong Kong（Antiquities and Monuments Office） · official publication
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1863 · 大坑（灣仔區）
The Lin Fa Temple in Tai Hang is rebuilt to its current form in 1863, declared a monument in 2014.
Memory Featuring an octagonal front hall and a rear hall built over a rock, closely tied to the Tai Hang fire dragon dance (national intangible heritage since 2011).
Background The Lin Fa Temple in Tai Hang was rebuilt to its present form in 1863 and is dedicated to Guanyin; it was declared a monument in 2014. The original temple was first built in 1846, and the surviving building has an octagonal front hall and a main hall set over a rock. The temple is closely tied to the Tai Hang fire dragon dance, which was added to the national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2011. Its date is recorded by the Antiquities and Monuments Office.
Source AMO: Lin Fa Temple, Tai Hang (declared monument)（Antiquities and Monuments Office） · official publication
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1864 · 中環（中西區）
The Central Police Station, Magistracy and Victoria Prison are formally established together on the present site, forming the Central Police Station compound.
Memory Comprising the Central Police Station, the former Magistracy and Victoria Prison — the prison declared a monument in 1995 — the compound reopened as Tai Kwun in 2018 after revitalisation.
Background The Central Police Station, Magistracy and Victoria Prison were formally established together on the present site in 1864, forming the Central Police Station compound. Bringing policing, adjudication and imprisonment into one block, the group of buildings reflected the colonial government's arrangement of a governing core in Central. Victoria Prison was declared a monument in 1995, and after revitalisation the compound reopened in 2018 under the name Tai Kwun, opening the historic site to the public.
Source Commissioner for Heritage, Development Bureau: Central Police Station Compound（Development Bureau） · official publication
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1865-03-03 · 中環（香港上海滙豐銀行）
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation is founded in Hong Kong, later the city's largest note-issuing bank.
Memory HSBC and Standard Chartered have long dominated note issue in Hong Kong; one of the original head offices in 1865 was in Hong Kong.
Background Banking expanded in Hong Kong as trade with China grew in the nineteenth century. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation was founded in Hong Kong on 3 March 1865 and later grew into the city's largest registered bank and a major note-issuing bank. HSBC and Standard Chartered have long dominated the issuing of banknotes in Hong Kong. One of its original head offices was established in Hong Kong in 1865, reflecting the city's position in regional trade and finance and its role as a base for banking in Asia.
Source HSBC history: established in Hong Kong in 1865（HSBC） · official publication
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1866
The Hong Kong Mint opens at Sugar Street in Causeway Bay, minting local silver coins from five cents to one dollar, but closes about two years later amid production and circulation difficulties.
Memory Sited near Sugar Street in Causeway Bay, the mint could not sustain itself amid silver outflow and high running costs, and soon ceased production.
Background In 1866 the Hong Kong Mint opened at Sugar Street in Causeway Bay, striking local silver coins from five cents to one dollar for the first time. Unable to sustain itself amid silver outflow and high running costs, it closed about two years later, and local minting could not be maintained for long. Afterwards Hong Kong's coins were mostly struck abroad, reflecting how the colonial currency system remained constrained by silver flows and cost. The HKMA records the opening only by year, without a verifiable month or day.
Source History and Evolution of Coins in Hong Kong（Hong Kong Monetary Authority） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1868 · 維多利亞城（全港）
The Hong Kong Fire Brigade is established in 1868, with Charles May as its Superintendent.
Memory It began with 62 firemen plus some 100 Chinese volunteers; emergency ambulance service started in 1919.
Background On 9 May 1868 the Hong Kong Fire Brigade was formally established by notice in the Gazette, with Charles May serving as its Superintendent. It began with 62 regular firefighters, supported by about 100 Chinese volunteer firemen. Created to respond to fire risks in the growing colonial city, it marked the start of organised firefighting in Hong Kong. From 1919 the brigade also provided emergency ambulance services alongside its firefighting duties, and its role gradually expanded into the fire and ambulance services of today.
Source HK Fire Services Department: History（Hong Kong Fire Services Department） · official publication
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1869
The Suez Canal opens, greatly shortening the Europe-Asia voyage and boosting Hong Kong's entrepôt trade.
Memory Opened in November 1869, the canal spared ships the voyage around the Cape of Good Hope, making Hong Kong a key port of call on the Europe–Asia run.
Background In 1869, the Suez Canal opened, greatly shortening the Europe-Asia voyage and boosting Hong Kong's entrepôt trade. The canal opened in November 1869, sparing ships the voyage around the Cape of Good Hope, making Hong Kong a key port of call on the Europe-Asia run and boosting entrepôt and ship-supply business. The shorter route increased cargo and passenger traffic between Europe and East Asia, and Hong Kong's role as a port of call was strengthened as a result. The canal made the long sea route between Europe and Asia far quicker than before.
Source Hong Kong Yearbook 2021, Chapter 22: History（Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region） · official publication
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