New Territories refers to a region in Hong Kong, China. It comprises the area north of the Kowloon peninsula and south of the Sham Chun River which is the border between Hong Kong and Mainland China, as well as most of Hong Kong's outlying islands including Lantau Island, Lamma Island, Cheung Chau, and Peng Chau. The New Territories were leased from Qing China to Britain in 1898 for 99 years in the Second Convention of Peking (The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory). Its population in 2001 was 3,343,046.

History

Lease of New Territories

Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain in 1841 and Kowloon south of Boundary Street and Stonecutters Island in 1860. The colony of Hong Kong attracted large number of Chinese and Westerners to seek wealth in the city. Her population increased rapidly and the city became too crowded. The outbreak of bubonic plague in 1894 became a concern to Hong Kong Government. There was a need to expand the colony to accommodate more Chinese. First Sino-Japanese War proved Qing was incapable to defense herself. It became a threat to Victoria City and Victoria Harbour if any hostile force erected batteries on the hills of Kowloon.

In January 1898, Germany got a lease of Kiaochow as the results two German missinonaries were killed by bandits in Shantung. Russia demanded Port Arthur in Liaotung peninsula to the balance in March. France got Kwang-Chou-Wan in Kwangtung for similar reason in April.

These leases affect the interests of Britain in China and the security of Hong Kong. British made use of the clause of most favoured nation to demand for the extension of Kowloon to counter the influence of France at the south in June and Weihaiwei Germany and Russia at the north in July. Chinese officials stayed in the wall cities of Kowloon City and Waihaiwai.

The extension of Kowloon was named as New Territories. In modern usage, however, New Territories often exclude New Kowloon, which was leased out as part of the New Territories but is now an integral part of the Kowloon urban area.

British assumption of sovereignty

Although the Convention signed on the 9 June 1898 and became effective on 1 July, the British did not take New Territories immediately. During this period, there was no Hong Kong Governor at the moment and Wilsone Black acted as administrator. Steward Lockhart, the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong, was sent back from England to make a survey of New Territories before formal transfer. The new frontier at Sham Chun River suggested by Wilsone Black was found to be far from ideal in the survey. It excluded the major town of Sham Chun and the boundary would divided the town. There was no mountain range for natural border. Lockhard suggested moved the frontier to line of hills north of Sham Chun. The suggestion does not in favour of China and the Chinese official suggested the frontier to hill much south of Sham Chun River. Finally the boundary remained at the Sham Chun River and settled in March 1899.

The new Hong Kong Governor Henry Blake arrived in November 1898. The take over was chosen at 17 April 1899 and Tai Po was chosen as the administrative centre. However the transfer was not smooth and peaceful.

Before the takeover, in early April, the Captain Superintendent of Police Francis Henry May and some policemen erected a flagstaff and temporary headquarter at Tai Po and post the Governor's proclamation on the date of the takeover.

New town development

Much of the New Territories were and to a limited extent still are rural areas. Attempts at modernising the area were not extensive until the late 1970s, in which many new towns were built to accommodate the overspill from the urbanized areas of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Despite rapid development of the new towns which has resulted in a population of over 3 million, the Hong Kong Government confines built-up areas to a few areas and reserves large parts of the region as parkland.

Sovereignty transfer to PRC

As the expiration date of the lease neared in the 1980s, talks between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China led the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration (1984), in which the whole of Hong Kong would be returned, instead of only the New Territories. This is because Hong Kong's new airport, shipping ports, reservoirs and other vital installations were (and are) all in the New Territories. Had only the New Territories been returned to China, it would also have been difficult to accommodate those New Territories residents moving to the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island.