Hong Kong, Here I Come

Hong Kong, or Hongkong, alternatively known as H.K. - its name means Fragrant Harbour, was a sleepy fishing village with  pirates' coves in the early days. A little island off the southern tip of China. 
The island was ceded to the British Empire after the First Opium War (1839-42), this followed by Kowloon Peninsula in1860. Then the New Territories were put under lease in 1898 (with a 99year term). The total area covers only around 426 square miles. The British also leased Lantau Island later in 1898, a much larger island than Hong Kong itself, but undeveloped.
The British officially established Hong Kong as a Crown Colony, and founded the City of Victoria on the north side of the island. 
When the Union Flag was raised over Possession Point in 1841, the population of Hong Kong island was about 7,450, mostly Tanka fishermen and Kakka (which means Guest People in Chinese). In the late 19th century, large number of Chinese emigrated from China to Hong Kong due to the Taiping Rebellion. Other events, such as floods, typhoons, and famine on mainland China also played a role in establishing Hong Kong as a place to escape the mayhem.
The establishment of the free port made Hong Kong a major port from the start, attracting people from China and Europe alike. 
In the early days, the society remained racially segregated. The Chinese population had little or no official governmental influence. By the late 19th century, a small number of the British-educated Chinese upper class were accepted their place in the Hong Kong hierarchy - Sir Kai Ho was an unofficial member of the legislative Council and Robert Hotung tried to welcome Chinese citizens to Hong Kong to establish their homes there after the fall of the Ching (Qing) Dynasty in 1911/12.
I, later, went to school with some of the Hotungs at HKU.
Hong Kong, like Shanghai, had undergone Japanese occupation form December 1941 to1945. Hong Kong suffered as much, if not more than Shanghai.
When I arrived in Hong Kong in February of 1949, Hong Kong had a population of a little over half a million.

The plane landed in Kowloon, where the runway jetted out into the ocean - a narrow strip in the midst of residential areas. We flew over roads, houses, shops, etc. The very skillful pilots set down the plane as smoothly as you could ask for. I understand there were never a mishap throughout the years. The pilots never missed the narrow landing strip. This "Inside The City" airport continued operating until many years later. Now, there is a huge state-of-the-art airport on Lantau Island.
We stepped outside the plane into bright sub-tropical sunshine.
Our heavy winter clothing felt cumbersome.
We took a taxi from the airport to our new home on Flower Market Street, Kowloon - to one of the apartments where my mother, the rest of the family, her uncles, and their families had settled a few months ago.
My first impressions of Kowloon left me almost speechless. We drove pass clean, well-maintained streets, where profusions of bright purplish-red flowers spilled over whitewashed walls that surround red-tiled roofed homes. The air was clear, the ocean was blue, the atmosphere was serene, and people around did not have "long faces".
We arrived at the apartment (we call it "flat") - sure, it was not the size of home that we were used to; sure, we had left China and our belongings behind; but, we reunited with our family.
I was looking forward to my new life.

Hong Kong population exploded to almost two million the next year.