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During its brief time under British rule, Hong Kong has witnessed war, the rise and cliff of empires, and has played a role in intrigues, big deals and diplomacy of orbicular proportions. After 156 years of British rule, Hong Kong is again ruled by mainland mainland chinaware. The miscellany took place at midnight on June 30, 1997. Hong Kong is made up of a peninsula on the mainland of China and more than 230 islands. The main island is called Hong Kong Island and lies south of the peninsula. Hong Kong Island became a British closure when it was ceded from China in 1842 under the Treaty of Nanking. The British used the ports on Hong Kong to export tea, silk, and porcelain to England. The Chinese Emperor did non like the British. He called them guailo, which path foreign devil, and attempted to keep the British separate from the Chinese. During this period, China veritable only silver bullion as payment for goods. At the bag of the 19th century, the British realized that the y could purchase silks and teas in exchange for opium. China outlawed the drug, but many plurality were already addicted, which caused the economy of China to suffer. The Opium Wars began when China publicly destroyed a British ship that carried chests of opium. In January 1841, the British navy claimed Hong Kong Island. The Opium Wars finally ended in 1898, when Britain executed a 99-year lease of the New Territories. Kowloon Peninsula was acquired by the convention of Peking (now called Beijing) in 1860. China has guaranteed to permit the existing capitalist economy and lifestyle to exist for 50 years. Hong Kong will retain a high degree of autonomy boot out for defense and foreign affairs. Regaining control of Hong Kong serves deuce purposes. First, it will blue-pencil what the Chinese control viewed as a period of disgrace. The Chinese have always considered the Treaty of Nanking, which passed control of Hong Kong over to Britain as unfair. Second, they felt it would greatly benefit Chinas economy. A communist government rules China. The British, however, have ruled Hong Kong as a democracy. Many people are wondering how the differences between these two forms of government will affect the people and economy of Hong Kong. Even though Hong Kong is a part of China, it is a special region. For a time, at least, the people of Hong Kong have rights that people throughout the rest of China do not have.