Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China on 1 July 1997, when the Basic Law came into effect. The Basic Law sets out “one country, two systems”, “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong”, and a high degree of autonomy, and provides that the previous capitalist system and way of life shall remain unchanged for 50 years.
The Chief Executive is the head of the HKSAR and of its Government, chosen by the Election Committee and appointed by the Central People’s Government, and assisted by the Executive Council. The Legislative Council is the legislature. The Eighth Legislative Council has 90 members: 40 from the Election Committee, 30 from functional constituencies and 20 from geographical constituencies, serving from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2029.
Hong Kong has independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication. The Court of Final Appeal is the highest court. The court system also includes the High Court (Court of Appeal and Court of First Instance), the District Court, Magistrates’ Courts and other specialist courts. The Basic Law, promulgated in 1990, provides the constitutional framework for the post-handover system.
Independent statutory bodies are a key part of governance: the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) was set up in 1974 outside the civil service to combat corruption; the Hong Kong Monetary Authority was established in 1993 to run the linked exchange rate, supervise banks and manage foreign-exchange reserves.
Locally, Hong Kong is divided into 18 districts. The District Administration Scheme began in 1982, with a District Council in each district to help coordinate services and facilities at district level; the land-based non-institutional population of the 18 districts is about 7.4 million, ranging from roughly 160,600 (Wan Chai) to close to 687,300 (Sha Tin).
Official hard figures not yet recorded (all carry an explicit year): (1) Civil Service Bureau Master Pay Scale (MPS) establishment headcount and entry requirements by grade year by year; (2) HA, Airport Authority, URA and MTR statutory-body grade structures and establishment headcounts; (3) Legislative Council and District Council election results, Member attendance rates and Bill-passage counts; (4) Judiciary caseload disposal, waiting times and judicial establishment by court level. Deliberately left blank: day-to-day party dynamics, debate positions, views of unincorporated political groups and policy drafts not officially released are deliberately not cited.
No. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China, not a country — but the Basic Law gives it its own currency, customs territory, legal system and immigration regime, so the “special” is substantive.
The Hong Kong National Security Law has 66 articles in six chapters and covers four categories of offences: secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with foreign or external forces.
SAR 即 Special Administrative Region（特別行政區）。香港是中華人民共和國香港特別行政區，是國家之下的地方行政區域，直轄於中央人民政府。
SAR stands for Special Administrative Region. Hong Kong is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China — a local administrative region directly under the Central People’s Government.
The Chief Executive is returned by the Election Committee under the procedure in Annex I of the Basic Law, and is then appointed by the Central People’s Government — the local election is only half of the process.
Eighteen. Hong Kong is divided into Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, then into 18 districts — although the district-level administrative layer itself changed after 2024.
No. The nationality of Hong Kong residents is Chinese — Hong Kong is not a source of nationality. The HKSAR passport is a travel document, not a nationality.
Hong Kong assesses tax by year of assessment (1 April to 31 March). Return forms are usually issued around May–June, must be filed within about a month, and tax is typically payable in two instalments around January and April.
香港的法定貨幣是港元（Hong Kong Dollar，代碼 HKD，符號 HK$）。現鈔由香港金融管理局授權三家發鈔銀行發行，硬幣由金管局發行；港元與美元以聯繫匯率制度掛鈎，兌換保證區間 7.75 至 7.85。
The legal tender of Hong Kong is the Hong Kong dollar (code HKD, symbol HK$). Banknotes are issued by three note-issuing banks authorised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority; coins are issued by the HKMA. The Hong Kong dollar is linked to the US dollar through the Linked Exchange Rate System, with a convertibility zone of 7.75 to 7.85.
Hong Kong Time (HKT) is UTC+8, eight hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. Hong Kong does not observe daylight saving time, so it shares the same clock year-round with Beijing, Shanghai, Manila and Singapore.
Administratively Hong Kong is divided into 18 District Council districts. Four on Hong Kong Island: Central and Western, Wan Chai, Eastern, Southern. Five in Kowloon: Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong. Nine in the New Territories and Islands: Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, North, Tai Po, Sai Kung, Sha Tin, Kwai Tsing, Islands.
Hong Kong follows the common law tradition, supplemented by statutes, with an independent judiciary. The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the constitutional document that defines Hong Kong’s autonomous powers, the fundamental rights and duties of residents, and the relationship between the Central Authorities and the HKSAR.
In 1842 the Treaty of Nanking ceded Hong Kong Island; in 1860 the Convention of Peking ceded the Kowloon Peninsula south of Boundary Street; in 1898 the Second Convention of Peking leased the New Territories for 99 years. On 1 July 1997 sovereignty returned to China, the HKSAR was established and the Basic Law came into force.
The HKSAR’s political structure follows the Basic Law: the Chief Executive is the head of the executive and leads the HKSAR Government; the Legislative Council enacts laws, approves public expenditure and monitors the administration; courts at all levels exercise judicial power independently. The three branches separate powers and check one another.
Civil-service grades and pay are administered by the Civil Service Bureau, which issues the Master Pay Scale and related pay scales each year and sets out the entry requirements and establishment of each grade. The government also publishes the total number of civil servants each year.
Fare adjustments for the MTR and franchised buses are approved through statutory procedures after review by the Transport and Logistics Bureau and Transport Department, while the Star Ferry and trams follow their own procedures. All fares and patronage figures are officially published.
Live politics, party dynamics, legislative debates and policy controversies involve competing viewpoints and real-time change without unified official hard data. The site records only government-press-release headlines and gazetted/LegCo official texts, so this area is left blank.
Brownfield mapping and land-use data are published by the Development Bureau, Planning Department and Lands Department. Reclamation history and area change are documented in planning and lands files, while small-house registration follows the Lands Department under statute — all official data.
Government charges fall into categories by department and statute: water charges are set by the Water Supplies Department, electricity tariffs by the two power companies under regulation, and public-hospital fees by the Hospital Authority under government policy — each with official schedules and adjustment records.
Since 1 July 1997 Hong Kong has been the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Sovereignty rests with China, but under the Basic Law it enjoys a high degree of autonomy, an independent judiciary and the common law.
Getting a Hong Kong driving licence involves tuition, test fees and licence charges, each set by official fee schedules and subject to adjustment; procedures and costs differ by vehicle class.
Hong Kong has multiple government funding and grant channels spanning research, education, innovation and investment promotion, each under a dedicated body with its own criteria. Specific quotas and amounts change with the budget; this site records the establishment of each programme, and current applications follow the latest fund announcements.
Government “market entry” generally means using the Exchange Fund or designated funds to buy listed assets to shore up confidence; it is a major policy act whose rationale and timing are not captured by a single statistic. This site provides official market-size data and leaves live policy commentary blank.
Whether an AI, streaming or online service works in Hong Kong, and when, depends on the provider’s regional policy and network arrangements — live and changing. This site gives official digital-governance and communications-regulation background; current availability follows each provider’s latest announcement and is not itemised.
Hong Kong runs a three-tier banking system: licensed banks (full banking business), restricted licence banks, and deposit-taking companies. The HKD is issued by three note-issuing banks under the linked exchange-rate convertibility undertakings, with the HKMA maintaining monetary stability and supervising banks.
Hong Kong’s Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) system began on 1 December 2000 as compulsory retirement saving; its regulator, the MPFA, was set up in September 1998. MPF is a mandated contributory model rare globally, distinct from welfare benefits such as CSSA and the Old Age Living Allowance.
By HKEX data, about 2,586 companies were listed in mid-2025, with a total market capitalisation of about HK$4.3 trillion. The sector mix is dominated by financials (around 28%), followed by industrials (18%), technology (12%) and real estate (10%), reflecting Hong Kong’s international financial-centre character.
Strictly, Hong Kong was not "founded by China" on a single day. It opened as a trading port under British colonial rule in 1841; on 1 July 1997 it became the Hong Kong SAR as China resumed sovereignty. So "founding" splits into two dates: the port opened in 1841, and the return was in 1997.
MPF savings generally cannot be withdrawn before the statutory conditions are met. Under the law, extraction is allowed for retirement at 65, early retirement (age 60 after termination of employment), permanent departure from Hong Kong, total incapacity, death, and small-balance accounts below a statutory threshold.
Incorporating a company in Hong Kong has two main statutory steps: register with the Companies Registry (submit incorporation form and articles of association) and receive the Certificate of Incorporation; then apply to the Business Registration Office and obtain a Business Registration Certificate.
Rates (and Government Rent) are a tax levied by the Rating and Valuation Department on properties. Owners/payers can pay via bank autopay (direct debit authorisation), online channels or Faster Payment System. To set up autopay you typically complete the direct debit authorisation section of the demand note and submit it to the bank or the RVD for approval.
The Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) is an immigration arrangement by the Hong Kong Immigration Department allowing eligible overseas and mainland professionals to apply to settle in Hong Kong through a points-based or achievement-based assessment, without needing a local job offer first. Current eligibility, scoring and procedures follow the Immigration Department.
Work-related entry to Hong Kong is handled by the Immigration Department and mainly covers the General Employment Policy (for overseas professionals), the Admission of Talents / imported-worker routes, etc. Applications generally require a sponsored local job offer; the employer and applicant must meet stated conditions such as qualifications, skills and remuneration thresholds.
Hong Kong does not have postal codes. Hongkong Post does not assign any postal or zip codes to local addresses. To post local mail you only need the address, locality and whether it is on Hong Kong Island, Kowloon or the New Territories — no postal code is required.
高等法院同終審法院法官稱「法官閣下」（My Lord / My Lady）；區域法院法官稱「法官閣下」（Your Honour）；裁判法院裁判官稱「裁判官閣下」（Your Worship）。
High Court and Court of Final Appeal judges are addressed as "My Lord" or "My Lady"; District Court judges as "Your Honour"; magistrates as "Your Worship".
Under the Registration of Persons Ordinance, residents aged 11 must register for an ID card; those aged 18 must carry it at all times and produce it when required by an authorised officer.
Hong Kong Fire Services Department firefighter positions are openly recruited with no gender restriction—both men and women may apply. Candidates who pass the fitness, education, and eyesight requirements, regardless of gender, can serve as frontline firefighters performing firefighting and rescue duties.
The Basic Law of the HKSAR has 160 articles in 9 chapters, plus 3 annexes. It is Hong Kong's constitutional law, setting out the systems and policies of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
"One country, two systems" is the Chinese government's basic policy for Hong Kong: Hong Kong is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China, which practices socialism, but Hong Kong maintains its previous capitalist system and way of life unchanged for 50 years.
The HKSAR regional flag is red with a white Bauhinia flower in the centre; the regional emblem also features the Bauhinia. The Bauhinia is a symbol of Hong Kong, and the red background echoes the red of the national flag of the People's Republic of China.
The national anthem of the HKSAR is "March of the Volunteers", the national anthem of the People's Republic of China. The National Anthem Ordinance requires the anthem to be played and sung on specified occasions, and publicly and intentionally insulting it is a criminal offence.
HKSAR permanent residents have the right of abode in Hong Kong, including the right to enter, not be subject to conditions of stay, and not be deported. Permanent resident status can be obtained by birth in Hong Kong, 7 years' ordinary residence, etc.
Under Article 158 of the Basic Law, the power of interpretation of the Basic Law is vested in the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. NPCSC interpretations are binding on Hong Kong courts, reflecting the Central Authorities' constitutional jurisdiction over Hong Kong.
相關年鑑年份 Yearbook years
延伸閱讀 Further reading
適合學術引用嘅參考文獻：官方出版物、政府報告、學術著作。每項附引用格式同研究價值說明。
法定文件 Legislation
《中華人民共和國香港特別行政區基本法》（1990 年公布，1997 年實施）。
Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC (promulgated 1990, effective 1997).
香港嘅憲制文件，研究政制嘅起點。
Hong Kong’s constitutional document; the starting point for any study of its government.
