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Victoria Harbour

EngvarB from July 2014Ports and harbours of Hong KongTourist attractions in Hong KongVictoria Harbour
歌連臣上尉繪製的維多利亞港地形圖 Victoria Harbour drawn by Thomas Bernard Collinson, 1845
歌連臣上尉繪製的維多利亞港地形圖 Victoria Harbour drawn by Thomas Bernard Collinson, 1845

Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony in 1841 and its subsequent development as a trading centre. Throughout its history, the harbour has seen numerous reclamation projects undertaken on both shores, many of which have caused controversy in recent years. Environmental concerns have been expressed about the effects of these expansions, in terms of water quality and loss of natural habitat. It has also been proposed that benefits of land reclamation may be less than the effects of decreased harbour width, affecting the number of vessels passing through the harbour. Nonetheless Victoria Harbour still retains its founding role as a port for thousands of international vessels each year. The harbour is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. Lying in the middle of the territory's dense urban region, the harbour is the site of annual fireworks displays and its promenades are used as gathering places for residents and also tourists.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Victoria Harbour (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Victoria Harbour
Expo Drive East, Hong Kong Island Wan Chai (Wan Chai District)

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N 22.287752777778 ° E 114.17361944444 °
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香港會展直升機場 Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Heliport

Expo Drive East
Hong Kong Island, Wan Chai (Wan Chai District)
Hong Kong, China
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歌連臣上尉繪製的維多利亞港地形圖 Victoria Harbour drawn by Thomas Bernard Collinson, 1845
歌連臣上尉繪製的維多利亞港地形圖 Victoria Harbour drawn by Thomas Bernard Collinson, 1845
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Battle of Kowloon
Battle of Kowloon

The Battle of Kowloon (Chinese: 九龍海戰) was a skirmish between British and Chinese vessels off the Kowloon Peninsula, China, on 4 September 1839, located in Hong Kong, although Kowloon was then part of the Guangdong province. The skirmish was the first armed conflict of the First Opium War and occurred when British boats opened fire on Chinese war junks enforcing a food sales embargo on the British community. The ban was ordered after a Chinese man died in a drunken brawl with British sailors at Tsim Sha Tsui. The Chinese authorities did not consider the punishment to be sufficient as meted out by British officials, so they suspended food supplies in an attempt to force the British to turn over the culprit. Captain Charles Elliot was the chief superintendent of British trade in China, and he sailed to Kowloon in the cutter Louisa for food supplies during the embargo, accompanied by the schooner Pearl and a pinnace from HMS Volage. They encountered three Chinese junks, and Elliot sent interpreter Karl Gutzlaff with demands to allow the supply of provisions. He finally delivered an ultimatum after several hours of correspondence: the junks would be sunk if supplies were not received. The stated time period expired with no results, so the British opened fire on the junks, which returned fire with support from the on-shore fort. The larger junks pursued the British boats which were sailing away after running low on ammunition, but the British re-engaged the ships after replenishing their ammunition, and the Chinese retreated to their former position, ending the clash in a stalemate.