The Military history of Hong Kong is dated back to

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

conquest. As

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

is on the sea routes to the city of

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

, the territories of Hong Kong served as an outer

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

. Numerous amounts of pearl and salt are also located within the shores Hong Kong as well. Thus, there is a long history of

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

garrisoning the territory.

Imperial China

Qin conquered southern China in 214 BCE, followed by the establishment kingdom of Nanyue. However, there are neither historical records nor archaeological finding on

in Hong Kong during this period. The Empire of

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

conquered the kingdom of Nanyue in 111 BCE. The extensive shore in the territories of Hong Kong attracted the government office to build fields for the production of salt. It is believed that there was military presence to guard against this important mineral though there is little evidence about it. The Empire of Jin later rules the territories of Hong Kong. In 403, Lo Tun (盧循) occupies the city of

Pun Yue Panyu, alternately romanized as Punyu, is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. It was a separate county-level city before its incorporation into modern Guangzhou in 200 ...

, the present-day Guangzhou, and surrounding area. He led a fleet to attack Jin but deadly failed in 411. His followers occupied the

Lantau Island Lantau Island (also Lantao Island, Lan Tao) is the largest island in Hong Kong, located West of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, and is part of the New Territories. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands ...

. In 621, the Empire of Tang finished conquest the southern China. The empire built a military and naval base in Tuen Mun to ensure the safety of Guangzhou and the seas around Hong Kong. The navy of Tuen Mun pacified the water against

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

British force

Hong Kong has never had its own military forces because it has never been a sovereign state, except voluntary auxiliary force like The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers). All defence matters have been dependent on the state which controls Hong Kong. Before the British handover to PRC sovereignty, defence was provided by the British military, who stationed soldiers in barracks throughout Hong Kong, including the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong. Its finance was supported by the Hong Kong Government. During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Defence Force was the main element of garrison. The other Japanese military units stationed in Hong Kong from early 1942 were the small Hong Kong Artillery Force and the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

's Hong Kong Base Force, which formed part of the 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet.

PRC PLA

The People's Republic of China's State Council assumed sovereignty over Hong Kong on 1 July 1997 and stationed a garrison of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to manage its defence affairs. Although the garrison has little practical military value, the stationing of the PLA troops in Hong Kong is a significant symbol of the PRC government's assumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong. According to Hong Kong's Basic Law, military forces stationed in Hong Kong shall not interfere with local civil affairs; the Hong Kong Government shall remain responsible for the maintenance of public order. The Hong Kong Garrison, composed of ground, naval, and air forces, is under the command of the Chinese Central Military Commission. The garrison subsequently opened its barracks on Stonecutters Island and Stanley to the public to promote understanding and trust between the troops and residents.

References

External links

Hong Kong Museum of History website

* ttp://www.stanfordprojects.co.uk/index.html "Story of the Stanford family and the effect of the fall of Hong Kong in 1941."br>Basic Law Drafting History Online
-University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives
Historical Laws of Hong Kong Online
- University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives *Sidney C. H. Cheung

- Anti-British resistance movement in 1899 {{DEFAULTSORT:Military History Of Hong Kong Military of Hong Kong

Imperial China

British force

PRC PLA

References

Further reading

External links