Street Names and the History of Hong Kong Island

The German philosopher Emmanuel Kant once said that there were only two bodies of knowledge in the world, viz. history and geography.Both studies reflect on time and space, and one cannot be separated from the other. History has to be studied in the context of geography. The purpose of this paper is to use the names of streets on Hong Kong Island to provide a glimpse of the history of Hong Kong.Hong Kong represents the first time in modern history where a western power has officially ruled over a predominantly Han Chinese population.Prior to the colonization of Hong Kong, the Dutch occupied Taiwan (but only for 38 years and the rule was over the local aborigines). While Macao was occupied by the Portuguese much earlier, the occupation was not official. Macao was not declared a colony until after the first opium war, when the Portuguese took advantage of the weak Qing government to press their demands.