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Hong Kong · History

From the 1841 flag to the 1997 handover

In 1841 a British minister dismissed Hong Kong as «a barren island with hardly a house upon it». This walk follows, from Sheung Wan to Central, how that rock became one of Asia's great cities: the Opium Wars and the Treaty of Nanking, the port of the Chinese merchants, colonial schools and prisons, the three years and eight months of Japanese occupation and the 1997 handover. All on foot, among trams, slopes and stairways.

  • 6 stops
  • 2.3 km
  • 2 h
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Granite colonnade of the Old Supreme Court, now the Court of Final Appeal, beside Statue Square

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Western MarketHong Kong's oldest surviving market building, in red brick with white stripes, in the district where the Chinese merchants settled.
  2. 2 Possession StreetThis was the shoreline where, in January 1841, the British raised their flag and took possession of the island.
  3. 3 PMQ, Sun Yat-sen's old schoolBeneath this design hub lie the foundations of the college that educated Hong Kong's Chinese elite.
  4. 4 Tai Kwun, the former Central Police StationPolice station, magistracy and prison for over a century and a half, now an arts and heritage centre.
  5. 5 St John's CathedralHong Kong's oldest Western church, the only freehold plot in the city and a Japanese club during the war.
  6. 6 Statue Square and the Old Supreme CourtA square that lost its statues in the war and a courthouse that served as Japanese military police headquarters and as the legislature.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

From the 1841 flag to the 1997 handover

Ground zero

The street where the British flag was raised in January 1841, now several blocks from the sea thanks to land reclamation.

Colonial brick and granite

An Edwardian market, a former police station turned arts centre and the oldest Anglican cathedral in the Far East.

History told soberly

From the Treaty of Nanking to «one country, two systems», with checked dates and without taking sides.

Keep exploring

More routes in Hong Kong

Back to Hong Kong
Mysteries & legendsGhosts, oaths and feng shui at dusk MixedFrom the Star Ferry to Temple Street: Hong Kong highlights

Itineraries

How many days do you have in Hong Kong?

We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.

1

Hong Kong in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

Hong Kong in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

Hong Kong in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary