Hong Kong, 1898

This map shows that the British had already acquired Hong Kong Island in 1842 and the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860. However it needed far more room for water, housing, supplies and most importantly of all to be able to defend it from an increasingly chaotic mainland (The Boxer Rebellion would take place the following year for instance). The, already weakened, Chinese Empress Dowager agreed to a 99 year lease (for no rent) in 1898 - meaning that the lease would lapse in 1997. At the time few could envision what status China or Britain would enjoy nearly a century later!

Hong Kong | Maps of Hong Kong