Hong Kong today is known as an international metropolis where visitors flock to shop, eat and engage in high finance. But the history of the territory is really a maritime tale, defined by the city’s harbour, its enormous port, and its surrounding waters. Indeed one of the first mentions of Hong Kong can be found in an ancient maritime map that appeared in the Ming Dynasty gazetteer Yue Da Ji (The Big Record of Guangdong,《粵大記》) by Guo Fei (郭棐) which was published in the 24th year of Wanli (萬曆) (1596).
The map of Tai Hai Shan (大奚山) (today’s Lantau Island) in Yue Da Ji covers today’s Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories, as well as 235 outlying islands. Among these outlying islands, Lantau Island, known in Chinese as Tai Yu Shan (大嶼山) or previously Tai Hai Shan, is the largest. The next largest is Lamma Island (南丫島), previously known as Pok Liu Chau (博寮州).[1]
The Hong Kong region — which is positioned at 22° 8’ to 22° 35’ north, and 113° 49’ to 114° 31’ east, with a land area of about 1,100 square kilometers—is built on narrow coastal strips bordering hilly terrains that decline steeply into the sea. In between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula is the territory’s best-known landmark — Victoria Harbour, a deep and sheltered harbour providing safe anchorage to a multitude of seaborne traffic. Hong Kong’s strategic location and its Victoria Harbour have given the port an edge in developing into a world-class maritime hub.
We begin the story of this magnificent harbour and its nearby waters by diving deep into history to find out how the port evolved and transformed into what it is today.
Notes:
- [1]Cantonese romanisation and Hanyu Pinyin romanisation are used for local Chinese names and non-local Chinese names respectively.
