English in Hong Kong

The legacy of the 18th- and 19th- century trade contacts between the British and the Chinese was the establishment of a British presence in Hong Kong (similar to the Portuguese presence in Macau not far away). In 1898 the British government leased the New Territories and Kowloon (parts of the mainland adjoining Hong Kong Island) from the then Chinese government for a period of 99 years. When this lease ran out these areas with Hong Kong itself were returned to the People’s Republic of China in which they form the Hong Kong Special Administrative region.

During the British period English was widespread in the city and was influenced by Cantonese (the local Chinese language) and Mandaring (the standard Chinese language of the Beijing area). With the withdrawal of the British English in everyday use declined but it is widely used in official and commerical dealings.

Hong Kong Island around 1840

Present-day Hong Kong

Literature on English in Hong Kong