Hong Kong under Imperial Rule, 1912-1941

Abstract

Hong Kong under Imperial Rule studies the administration of Hong Kong during the thirty years between the Chinese revolution of 1911 and the Japanese invasion of 1941, by means of an examination of the records of the Hong Kong administration and its relationship with the Colonial Office in London. Ministers in London attempted to impose moral reforms upon the colony, such as the end of licensed prostitution, and the abolition of the Chinese custom of selling young girls into domestic servitude, but little was achieved in the face of local opposition and the marked lack of enthusiasm shown by the Governor and his officials. Hong Kong also resisted all attempts to close down its highly profitable opium monopoly, in spite of the fact that the British government had signed an international agreement in 1912 to suppress official sales of opium.