In 1842, Hong Kong was considered by both the Chinese and British to be uninhabited, there were only a few thousand inhabitants when the island was seceded. [0]

In 1842, Hong Kong was considered by both the Chinese and British to be uninhabited, there were only a few thousand inhabitants when the island was seceded. [0] I know symbolically this is of great importance to the Chinese, but at the time it was an easy thing for the Emperor to give up given he was on the losing end of a war. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Island#British_colony https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Island#British_colon...