Only the "New Territories" part was leased. The original treaties had Hong Kong Island and parts of modern day Kowloon ceded. The Brits were in a pickle when 19

Only the "New Territories" part was leased. The original treaties had Hong Kong Island and parts of modern day Kowloon ceded. The Brits were in a pickle when 1997 arrived because they couldn't realistically return only the leased parts without causing massive chaos, and China was threatening to take back the whole thing by force.