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New Territories

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The New Territories (abbr. N.T. , Chinese : 新界) is one of the three areas of Hong Kong , alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula . It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it is the region described in the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory . According to that treaty, the territories comprise the mainland area north of Boundary Street on the Kowloon Peninsula and south of the Sham Chun River (which is the border between Hong Kong and Mainland China ), as well as over 200 outlying islands , including Lantau Island , Lamma Island , Cheung Chau , and Peng Chau in the territory of Hong Kong.

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32-769: Later, after New Kowloon was defined from the area between the Boundary Street and the Kowloon Ranges spanned from Lai Chi Kok to Lei Yue Mun , and the extension of the urban areas of Kowloon, New Kowloon was gradually urbanised and absorbed into Kowloon. The New Territories now comprises only the mainland north of the Kowloon Ranges and south of the Sham Chun River, as well as the Outlying Islands. It comprises an area of 952 square kilometres (368 sq mi). Nevertheless, New Kowloon has remained statutorily part of

64-467: A car for daily transport from then onwards. On 22 January 1918, May personally negotiated with the remaining member of a gang holed up in the "Siege of Gresson Street ", following a running gun battle through the streets of Wanchai in which five police officers were killed. In 1919, due to deteriorating health condition, May was relieved of his duty as the Governor. In 1891 May married Helena Barker,

96-637: Is common to refer to land lots in lot numbers as "New Kowloon Inland Lot number #". By the Convention of Peking in 1860, the territory of British-owned Kowloon was defined as area in Kowloon Peninsula south of a line which later became Boundary Street (known as Kowloon, inclusive of Stonecutter's Island ), which was ceded by the Qing Empire (Ch'ing Empire, Manchu Empire) to the United Kingdom under

128-649: Is technically in New Kowloon and not part of Kowloon as statutorily defined. In modern-day conversations, the term "New Kowloon" is now rarely heard in Hong Kong. New Kowloon is no longer regarded as part of the New Territories , but as a part of the Kowloon urban area beyond Boundary Street. Nevertheless, the legal definitions of Kowloon, New Kowloon and New Territories remain unchanged—New Kowloon has remained legally part of

160-719: The New Territories instead of Kowloon . On 1 July 1997, the territories on both sides of Boundary Street (ceded and leased respectively) were transferred to China , along with the rest of Hong Kong . However, the designation "New Kowloon" still has some legal implications. Almost all lands of Hong Kong are government land (known as crown land in Commonwealth countries and before 1997 in Hong Kong), while all crown leases (now known as government leases in Hong Kong) of New Kowloon and New Territories lands had been expired on 27 June 1997, but automatically extended up to 30 June 2047 due to

192-690: The Sino-British Joint Declaration . This renewal implies that, all privately owned land leases of New Kowloon, has to pay government rent ( crown rent in Commonwealth countries) as leases in the rest of the New Territories, and unlike the rest of the Kowloon. Most Kowloon land leases (Kowloon south of the Boundary Street) are not required to pay the government rent to the government, unless they are new leases, or are old leases having been renewed and such clauses have been inserted in

224-524: The British did not take over the New Territories immediately. During this period, there was no Hong Kong Governor and Wilsone Black acted as administrator. James Stewart Lockhart , the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong , was sent back from England to make a survey of New Territories before formal transfer. The survey found that the new frontier at Sham Chun River (Shenzhen river) suggested by Wilsone Black

256-415: The British made concessions to the indigenous inhabitants with regards to land use, land inheritance and marriage laws; the majority of which remained in place into the 1960s when polygamy was outlawed. Some of the concessions with regard to land use and inheritance remain in place in Hong Kong to this day and is a source of friction between indigenous inhabitants and other Hong Kong residents. Lord Lugard

288-854: The Convention. On the other hand, the territory north of Boundary Street (later known as New Kowloon) remained part of Qing Empire until it was leased as part of the New Territories to the UK in 1898 for 99 years under the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory (also known as the Second Convention of Peking ). The area of New Kowloon was defined in statutory law first in November 1900 (and referred to as such ) and again in December 1937 to increase land available for urban development. For most part

320-640: The Germans in Qingdao (Tsingtao) and the Russians in Port Arthur. Chinese officials stayed in the walled cities of Kowloon City and Weihaiwei. The extension of Kowloon was called the New Territories. The additional land was estimated to be 365 square miles (950 km) or 12 times the size of the existing Colonial Hong Kong at the time. Although the convention was signed on the 9 June 1898 and became effective on 1 July,

352-564: The Governor's proclamation of the takeover date. Fearing for their traditional land rights, in the Six-Day War of 1899 , a number of clans attempted to resist the British, mobilising clan militias that had been organised and armed to protect against longshore raids by pirates. The militia men attempted a frontal attack against the temporary police station in Tai Po that was the main British base but were beaten back by superior force of arms. An attempt by

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384-564: The Governorship of Hong Kong attended school. May received the 1st Honourman and Prizeman Classics and Modern Languages and B.A. in 1881. In 1881, May was appointed to a Hong Kong Cadetship after a competitive examination. In 1886, he became the Assistant Protector of Chinese and private secretary to Governor Sir William Des Vœux . He was also the private secretary to Acting Administrator Digby Barker from 1889 to 1891. May would hold

416-535: The New Territories instead of Kowloon. The New Territories were leased from Qing China by the United Kingdom in 1898 for 99 years in the Second Convention of Peking (The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory). Upon the expiry of the lease, sovereignty was transferred to the People's Republic of China in 1997, together with the Qing-ceded territories of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula. In 2021,

448-475: The area did not become fully committed until the late 1970s, when many new towns were built to accommodate the population growth from urbanised areas of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Despite rapid development of the new towns, which now accommodate a population of over 3 million, the Hong Kong Government confines built-up areas to a few areas and reserves large parts of the region as parkland . As

480-505: The boundary remain at the Sham Chun River. The new Hong Kong Governor, Henry Blake arrived in November 1898. The date for the takeover of the New Territories was fixed as 17 April 1899, and Tai Po was chosen as the administrative centre. The transfer was not smooth and peaceful. In early April 1899, Captain Superintendent of Police, Francis Henry May and some policemen erected a flagstaff and temporary headquarters at Tai Po and posted

512-473: The city became overcrowded. The outbreak of bubonic plague in 1894 became a concern to the Hong Kong Government . There was a need to expand the colony to accommodate its growing population. The Qing Dynasty 's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War had shown that it was incapable of defending itself. Victoria City and Victoria Harbour were vulnerable to any hostile forces launching attacks from

544-464: The clansmen at guerilla warfare was put down by the British near Lam Tsuen with over 500 Chinese men killed, and collapsed when British artillery was brought to bear on the walled villages of the clansmen. Most prominent of the villages in the resistance Kat Hing Wai , of the Tang clan , was symbolically disarmed, by having its main gates dismounted and removed. However, in order to prevent future resistance

576-506: The daughter and heiress of Acting Administrator Major-General Digby Barker of Clare Priory in Suffolk. They had four daughters, Stella, Phoebe, Iris and Dionne. Stella married General Philip de Fonblanque . Iris (Olivia Helena) married Edward Hamilton Johnston the Sanskritist in the early 1920s. He died at Clare Priory , Suffolk, England. He is buried at Clare, Suffolk . May Road ,

608-724: The entirety of the Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong districts, as well as the mainland portion of the Sham Shui Po District (i.e. excluding the Stonecutters Island ) and the northern portion of the Kowloon City District (portion to the north of Boundary Street/Prince Edward Road West, as well as reclaimed land including the Kai Tak Airport ). New Kowloon New Kowloon is an area in Hong Kong, bounded to

640-399: The expiry date of the lease neared in the 1980s, talks between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China led to the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration (1984), in which the whole of Hong Kong would be returned, instead of only the New Territories. The New Territories comprises nine districts each with their own District Council : According to the 2021 census ,

672-626: The hills of Kowloon. Alarmed by the encroachment of other European powers in China, Britain also feared for the security of Hong Kong. Using the most favoured nation clause that it had negotiated with Peking, the United Kingdom demanded the extension of Kowloon to counter the influence of France in southern China in June 1898. In July, it secured Weihaiwei in Shandong in the north as a base for operations against

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704-577: The northern boundary of the area was defined by the 500 feet (152 metres) contour. In practice, nevertheless, both the areas to the south and to the north of Boundary Street (i.e. both Kowloon and New Kowloon), from the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east to Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Lai Chi Kok Bay in the west, are collectively known as "Kowloon". For example, a postal address in Kwun Tong will identify "Kowloon" as its regional destination, even though it

736-689: The office of Assistant Colonial Secretary in 1891 and Acting Colonial Treasurer in 1892. He was made a member of the Legislative Council in 1895. From 1893 to 1901, May was the Captain Superintendent of the Hong Kong Police Force , and Superintendent of Victoria Gaol and Fire Brigade between 1896 and 1902. He was appointed to the position of Colonial Secretary for Hong Kong in April 1902, serving until 21 January 1911, and as such

768-593: The population of the New Territories was 3,984,077, representing 53.7% of Hong Kong's total population. 90.4% of the residents of New Territories use Cantonese as their main language. 3.5% of its residents use English , 2.0% use Mandarin Chinese , and 2.3% of New Territories' residents use other Chinese dialects. 93.1% of the district's population is of Chinese descent. The largest ethnic minority groups are Filipinos (2.1%), Indonesians (1.8%), South Asians (1.1%), Mixed (0.8%) and Whites (0.7%). New Kowloon covers

800-416: The population of the New Territories was recorded at 3,984,077, with a population density of 4,140 per square kilometre (10,720/sq mi). Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain in 1842 and Kowloon south of Boundary Street and Stonecutters Island in 1860. The colony of Hong Kong attracted a large number of Chinese and Westerners to seek their fortune in the city. Its population increased rapidly and

832-525: The renewed lease contract. The land reclaimed from the Kowloon Bay water body, such as Kai Tak , are also referred as part of New Kowloon in land leases, although these lots do not appear to be included in the 1937 map. 22°20′03″N 114°11′14″E  /  22.3341°N 114.1871°E  / 22.3341; 114.1871 Francis Henry May Sir Francis Henry May GCMG KStJ (Chinese: 梅含理 ; 14 March 1860 – 6 February 1922)

864-566: The south by Boundary Street , and to the north by the ranges of the Eagle's Nest , Beacon Hill , Lion Rock , Tate's Cairn and Kowloon Peak . It covers the present-day Kwun Tong District and Wong Tai Sin District , and northern parts of the Sham Shui Po District and Kowloon City District . The name of this area is rarely used in day-to-day life. Areas that belong to New Kowloon are usually referred to as part of Kowloon. However, in land leases, it

896-419: Was Governor from 1907 to 1912, and he proposed the return of Weihaiwei to the Chinese government, in return for the ceding of the leased New Territories in perpetuity. The proposal was not received favourably, although if it had been acted on, Hong Kong might have remained forever in British hands. Much of the New Territories was, and to a limited extent still is, made up of rural areas. Attempts at modernising

928-468: Was a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of Fiji from 1911 to 1912 and Governor of Hong Kong from 1912 to 1918. May was born in Dublin , Ireland on 14 March 1860. He was the 4th son of Rt. Hon. George Augustus Chichester May , Lord Chief Justice of Ireland , and his wife Olivia Barrington. May was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Dublin , where a few of his predecessors to

960-476: Was appointed acting administrator of Hong Kong during transitions totalling almost a year between governors in 1903-1904 and 1907. In 1911, May was appointed Governor of Fiji and High Commissioner Western Pacific, a position he would hold until 1912. In 1912, May was appointed Governor of Hong Kong , a position he occupied in his own right until 1918. It was also his last post in the Colonial Service. May

992-473: Was far from ideal. It excluded the town of Shenzhen (Sham Chun), and the boundary would divide the town. There was no mountain range as a natural border. Lockhart suggested moving the frontier to the line of hills north of Shenzhen. This suggestion was not received favourably and the Chinese official suggested the frontier be moved to the hill much further south of the Sham Chun River. It was settled in March 1899 that

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1024-552: Was the only Governor of Hong Kong to be the target of an assassination attempt. He was fired upon near the General Post Office as he rode in a sedan chair after arriving from Fiji in July 1912. May was not injured; the bullet lodged in the sedan of his wife. The gunman, Li Hung-hung, had a grudge against May. Several years before, this former Police Superintendent had imprisoned Li's father, an undesirable mainland immigrant. May used

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