The most casual visitor to Hong Kong cannot help but notice just what a uniquely vibrant Asian city it's. Hong Kong is exciting, different, exotic and welcoming - all rolled into one. It may be basically Chinese (a good many residents are Cantonese) but a majority people speak English and just about all are engaged in type of commerce.For almost all visitors, Hong Kong can be a host to beauty and excitement and wonder at the time they arrive till the time they leave.Hong Kong is made up of three parts: Victoria Island and surrounding islands, Kowloon, found on the tip of your peninsula leading up to mainland China and therefore the other parts of the peninsula known as New Territories. Between Victoria Island and Kowloon could be top class harbor that placed Hong Kong in the spotlight just like an entry way into China.The principle beverage preferred by is tea within one form an additional and the only thing foods are usually with pots of steaming hot black, green or pu-erh tea. Hong Kong has over 13,000 restaurants and tea may possibly be the main beverage in just about each at least one.Tea one is the most rather than a beverage in Hong Kong - it's a life style ingrained in the very essence among the culture. Nevertheless are required to be noted that Hong Kong isn't a producer of tea, nor that could be very consumer of fine Chinese tea.Hong Kong however, played among the most important roles within the introduction of Chinese tea toward the west as a whole and Britain in particular, but this role was won during a very good price.Chinese Tea, Hong Kong additionally, the British EmpireDuring the 17th century Dutch and Portuguese traders introduced Chinese tea about the European mainland and British traders soon followed this trend.Tea imports grew slowly in great britan because of high taxes on what was considered an extravagant item and monopolistic trading practices of one's small number of importers particularly John and East India companies. Tea was so popular and demand am high, however that smuggling and adulteration of tea supplies became rampant.Eventually, enlightened tax policies and opening of the channels of distribution occurred, smuggling evaporated and all of the classes inside the English population increased the call for tea, Supplies increased dramatically and tea drinking has actually been portion of English culture until modern day.At the 19th century, China was the leading supplier in the direction of British through 1830 annual imports of Chinese tea into Britain amounted to 30 million pounds of tea or an average of 2 pounds of tea each and every citizen.In conjunction with its submit British society mainly because the most desirable beverage, tea was extremely important to British wealth as a consequence of tax revenues it generated also, the wealth provide to powerful British merchant companies.British TradeBy the midst of the 1800s Britain was considered the premier mercantile empire and British manufactured goods were sold and traded globally. Like a leader within the Industrial Revolution, Britain produced superior quality consumer goods that served as trading items through outposts strategically located around the globe.These outposts were established and supplied by the quite formidable British army and navy using what would get to be the key point of British Imperialism.As a result of imbalance of trade resulting from the increasing penetration of tea imports, Britain was anxious to be expanded do business with China to equalize trade and solve its balance of trade deficit. China was seen by most trade experts since the world's largest untapped market.Cultural Differences, the Call for Bullion and Opium WarsWhile Britain was anxious to trade using its way to manufactured goods, China had been not. More than a differing cultural view whereby merchants and traders were perceived as component to less caste sufficient reason for distrust. Foreign traders were particularly suspect. These traders were restricted of what goods put on sell and where they could sell them. High duties were imposed by China and traders were extremely limited to their business activities.Totally fact that China was basically a closed society as well as the result had been a Chinese demand that tea sales required payment in silver bullion in place of trade goods. Since Britain was lacking enough silver to meet up the requirements, a conflict arose. To get rid of this issue, Britain devised an aggressive strategy that included the importation of opium consequently outright warfare.So as to turnaround for the trade balance, the British imported increasing quantities of opium into China. Opium, an incredibly addictive drug stated in the Bengal region of India, was controlled by Britain resulting from the British annexation of Bengal in 1757.As more Chinese became addicts, the check of trade reversed. To pay ever rising wide variety of opium imports, silver started flowing from China into British coffers. Britain was still on the line however, because trade was still being conducted in mainland China from the command over china Emperor and bureaucracy.Inside of the late 1830s, to curb the damage a consequence of opium for the Chinese population, Chinese officials confiscated and destroyed many hundreds of chests of opium held in the English merchants' warehouses in Canton China. By reason of these events over the mainland, Britain required an offshore base of operations under British control and Hong Kong, arrived sleepy fishing village whose main export was salt, was the right candidate.Below the directives you try to by Queen Victoria, Britain sent a naval expeditionary squadron to China. This step appeared 1st Opium War (1839-42), which China, met with overwhelming military force and troops reinforced from India, lost.The Treaty of Nanking, which ended the war, forced china to open five ports to foreign commerce, abolish the cohong (state trading monopoly system that restricted imports), sharply limit how much customs duty they're charge, pay an indemnity of 21 million silver dollars, cede this isle of Hong Kong to The uk and grant don't just The united kindom, additionally , its allies, extraterritoriality, which made Westerners safe from Chinese law.Thanks to the First Opium War, Britain but not only opened have business dealings with China, but established a base of operations in Hong Kong could possibly remain island was returned to China in 1997.These terms affected more common people adversely. Unemployment increased substantially, specially in Canton where tea trading was really a major business. Smaller, locally owned industries, not able to compete contrary to the imported factory-manufactured piece goods, declined, depriving many peasant households associated with an important acquiring supplementary income. Taxes soared due to the fact government tried to raise sufficient funds to pay the bills the indemnity. Being opium continued to pour in the country, cellular phone addicts multiplied. Numerous lives were affected and they often ruined.To be the British foothold on Victoria Island and Kowloon was consolidated, the British sought to be expanded their advantageous position and fought another Opium War in 1856. Due to the overwhelming technological take advantage of the British china were defeated and were made to accept a humiliating peace.By means of the Treaty of Tientsin (1858) the Chinese opened new ports to trading and allowed foreigners with passports going contained in the interior. The remainder of the Hong Kong peninsula (the New Territories) was ceded to Britain and Christian's gained the legal right to spread their faith and hold property, thus being planned another options for western penetration. Us and Russia gained the same privileges in separate treaties.Notwithstanding the dislocation and tragedy on your mainland, Hong Kong grew and prospered within a capitalistic world. China continued to suffer under various war lords and revolution and remained one third world country until recently. Hong Kong however became a world center for trade and finance it's citizens prospered. Hong Kong remained under British rule until 1997 when it was returned together with mainland China.Hong Kong's prosperity continues until the modern even so it took its beging with the import and export of tea.