Chronicle / 1870s
1870s — Hong Kong milestones
8 checked, dated milestones (1871 to 1879). Each entry carries the date, the fact and a primary official source; 8 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 · 1870 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。
1871 · 中西區（中環）
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens opens in full, Hong Kong's oldest park, renamed to its current name in 1975.
Memory Its forerunners included the Governor's garden and a botanical collection, making it Hong Kong's oldest park.
Background The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens opened in full in 1871, making it Hong Kong's oldest park; parts of it had earlier been the Governor's garden and a botanical collection. The park was officially renamed the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens in 1975. Combining the display of animals and plants with public recreation, it records the early introduction of landscaped gardens and living collections to Hong Kong, and it remains a well-known green space in the Central and Mid-levels area.
Source LCSD: Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens（Leisure and Cultural Services Department） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1872 · 上環（中西區）
Tung Wah Hospital opens, the first Chinese charitable hospital in Hong Kong and the forerunner of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.
Memory Founded by Chinese merchants to serve the poor mainly with Chinese medicine, Tung Wah later joined Kwong Wah and Tung Wah Eastern as the Tung Wah Group.
Background Tung Wah Hospital opened in 1872 as the first Chinese charitable hospital in Hong Kong and the forerunner of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals' charitable work. Founded by Chinese merchants and gentry, it served the poor mainly with Chinese medicine, taking on an important relief role when public medical care was not yet widespread. Tung Wah later joined Kwong Wah Hospital and Tung Wah Eastern Hospital to form the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, which continues today. The group confirms the hospital was founded in 1870 and opened in 1872.
Source Tung Wah Group of Hospitals: About Tung Wah Hospital（Tung Wah Group of Hospitals） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1874-02 · 香港
The Xun Huan Daily (Tsun Wan Yat Po) is founded in Hong Kong, an influential Chinese-language newspaper of the late Qing era.
Memory Edited by Wang Tao, one of Hong Kong's pioneering Chinese-language newspapers alongside Huazi and Zhongwai Xinbao.
Background The Xun Huan Daily, known in Cantonese as Tsun Wan Yat Po, was founded in Hong Kong in February 1874 and became one of the more influential Chinese-language newspapers of the late Qing period. Edited by Wang Tao, it stood alongside the Huazi Daily and the Zhongwai Xinbao as a representative of Hong Kong's pioneering Chinese press. Such papers gave the local Chinese community a channel to discuss public affairs and to spread new ideas and knowledge from China and overseas.
Source Hong Kong Memory: Xun Huan Ri Bao (Tsun Wan Yat Po)（Hong Kong Memory） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1875 · 中西區（中環堅道）
De La Salle brothers take over a school and rename it St Joseph's College in 1875, founding the first Catholic boys' school in Hong Kong.
Memory Its predecessor was St Saviour's College; the De La Salle Brothers took it over and renamed it St Joseph's in 1875, their first school in Hong Kong.
Background In 1875 the De La Salle Brothers took over St Saviour's College and renamed it St Joseph's College, founding the first Catholic boys' school in Hong Kong. Its predecessor was St Saviour's College, and the takeover marked the start of the Brothers' work in education in Hong Kong and laid the foundation for Catholic boys' schooling locally. The school stood in the Central district on Caine Road. It developed from a small mission college into a long-established secondary school, and its history is recorded in the college's own account.
Source St Joseph's College: School Profile (history)（St Joseph's College） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1875-04-16 · 鶴咀（南區）
Cape D'Aguilar Lighthouse, the first in Hong Kong, is commissioned on 16 April 1875.
Memory Originally Cape d'Aguilar; decommissioned in 1896 after Waglan opened, reopened on automation in 1975; declared monument 2006.
Background Cape D'Aguilar Lighthouse was commissioned on 16 April 1875 and was the first lighthouse in Hong Kong, originally named after Cape d'Aguilar. Its appearance was linked to the shipping needs of the nineteenth century, giving vessels a fixed point for navigation and warning. After Waglan Lighthouse opened in 1893, Cape D'Aguilar was decommissioned in 1896, and its apparatus was moved to Green Island in 1905. The lighthouse was reactivated on automation in 1975 and declared a monument in 2006.
Source Declared monuments in Hong Kong（Antiquities and Monuments Office） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1875-07-01 · 青洲（離島區）
Green Island Lighthouse is commissioned on 1 July 1875 to guide vessels entering Victoria Harbour from the west.
Memory A cylindrical granite tower with cross-shaped openings; a new tower was added in 1905; declared monument 2008.
Background Green Island Lighthouse was commissioned on 1 July 1875 to guide vessels entering Victoria Harbour from the west. Such lighthouses formed part of the harbour's system of aids to navigation. The old lighthouse is a cylindrical granite tower whose walls are pierced by cross-shaped openings that resemble the loopholes of a medieval fortress. A new tower was built beside it in 1905, and the two have stood together since. The old tower was declared a monument in 2008 and remains a landmark off the western approach.
Source Declared monuments in Hong Kong（Antiquities and Monuments Office） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1878 · 全港（保良局）
Po Leung Kuk is founded in 1878 to protect women and children, growing into one of Hong Kong's largest charitable organisations.
Memory Initially sheltering trafficked and orphaned women and children, it now runs over 300 service units across education, social, recreation and healthcare.
Background Po Leung Kuk was founded in 1878 under the motto "Protect the young, safeguard the innocent", initially sheltering women and children who had been trafficked or left without support. Over time it expanded its work across education, social services, recreation and healthcare, growing into one of Hong Kong's largest charitable organisations. Today it operates more than 300 service units and remains a major part of the city's charitable sector. Founded in response to concern over the trafficking of women and children, it has served the city for well over a century.
Source Po Leung Kuk: organization profile（Po Leung Kuk） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
1879
The Government Laboratory's history dates back to 1879, making it Hong Kong's earliest laboratory service.
Memory Traceable to the late nineteenth century, the Government Laboratory is Hong Kong's earliest analytical body, testing food and drugs.
Background In the late nineteenth century Hong Kong was a growing entrepôt, and rising population and trade drew attention to the quality and safety of food and drugs. The Government Laboratory's history can be traced back to 1879, making it Hong Kong's earliest laboratory service, which tested food and drugs. Its origins can be dated to that year, reflecting the government's need for specialist analytical work to provide a scientific basis for public health regulation. This analytical work supported the regulation of food and drugs sold in the growing city.
Source About the Government Laboratory（Government Laboratory） · official publication
Chinese original & citation →
