<P> British Hong Kong denotes the period during which Hong Kong was governed as a colony and British Dependent Territory of the United Kingdom . Excluding the Japanese occupation during the Second World War , Hong Kong was under British rule from 1841 to 1997 . The colonial period began with the occupation of Hong Kong Island in 1841 during the First Opium War . The island was ceded by Qing China in the aftermath of the war in 1842 and established as a Crown colony in 1843 . The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 after the Second Opium War and was further extended when Britain obtained a 99 - year lease of the New Territories in 1898 . Although Hong Kong Island and Kowloon were ceded in perpetuity , the leased area , which comprised over 90 per cent of the territory , had such a vital role in the economy that Britain agreed to transfer the entire colony to China upon the expiration of that lease in 1997 . The transfer has been considered by many as marking the end of the British Empire . </P>
<P> British Hong Kong denotes the period during which Hong Kong was governed as a colony and British Dependent Territory of the United Kingdom . Excluding the Japanese occupation during the Second World War , Hong Kong was under British rule from 1841 to 1997 . The colonial period began with the occupation of Hong Kong Island in 1841 during the First Opium War . The island was ceded by Qing China in the aftermath of the war in 1842 and established as a Crown colony in 1843 . The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 after the Second Opium War and was further extended when Britain obtained a 99 - year lease of the New Territories in 1898 . Although Hong Kong Island and Kowloon were ceded in perpetuity , the leased area , which comprised over 90 per cent of the territory , had such a vital role in the economy that Britain agreed to transfer the entire colony to China upon the expiration of that lease in 1997 . The transfer has been considered by many as marking the end of the British Empire . </P>
when did the british take control of hong kong
when did the british take control of hong kong
1841
1841