Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [29]
Nonetheless, some designers maintain a presence in Hong Kong. They include New York–based Vivienne Tam (Click here), who trained in Hong Kong; celebrity couturier Barney Cheng, who sews luxurious gowns for the stars; Lulu Cheung (Click here), with her subtle, nature-inspired pieces; Ruby Li, a talented designer known for her edgy and feminine creations, who has plans to develop her brand in London; Ranee Kok (Click here), who turns to Chinese culture and art deco for her Ranee_K label; Cecilia Yau and her gowns; and Benjamin Lau, whose Madame Benjie line consists of structured pieces noted for their fine cutting. Blanc de Chine (Click here) designs mostly tailored outfits that fuse Chinese aesthetics with Western influences. And the brother-and-sister duo behind Daydream Nation (available at Harvey Nicols, GOD and IT) concoct spunky pieces with a hint of theatricality.
Some of the more popular local brands are the IT group, with its www.izzue.com hip casual-wear line and its 5cm line of easy coordinates and trendy streetwear. Shanghai Tang (Click here) has off-the-rack designs that turn cheongsams and Mandarin collar jackets on their heads. Initial’s 11 stores sell Japan-influenced multifunctional urbanwear for the young.
See Click here in the Shopping chapter for a rundown on clothes shopping in Hong Kong.
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TIMELINE
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4000–1500 BC
Small groups of Neolithic hunter-gatherers and fisherfolk settle in coastal areas; a handful of tantalising archaeological finds –
tools, pottery and other artefacts – are the only remnants left by these nomads.
214 BC
Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang conquers Nan Yue (present-day Guanxi, Guangdong and Fujian) after a long period of warring states. The inhabitants of Hong Kong come under greater cultural influence from the north.
11th–15th centuries
Hong Kong’s Five Clans – the Tang, the Hau, the Pang, the Liu and the Man –
settle in what is now the New Territories and build walled villages in the fertile plains and valleys.
1513
In an attempt to find a sea-trading route to China, Jorge Alvares, a Portuguese explorer, is the first European to visit the region, landing on Lintin Island, just to the west of Hong Kong Island.
1557
Portuguese navigators set up a base in Macau, and are followed by Dutch and then French traders. Regular trade begins between China and Europe.
1644
The Ming dynasty (1368–1644) is overthrown by the Qing dynasty, which reigns until 1911.
1683
Ships from the British East India Company begin to arrive, and by 1711 the company has established offices and warehouses in Guangzhou to trade for tea, silk and porcelain.
1757
An imperial edict limits Europeans to trade only via the cohong (local merchants’ guild) in Guangzhou; growing discontent with the trading system sets the stage for the First Opium War in 1840.
1773
Smuggle of opium to China skyrockets after the British East India Company monopolises production and export of Indian opium; addiction sweeps China like wildfire.
1799
Alarmed by the spread of addiction and the silver draining from the country to pay for opium, the Qing emperor issues an edict banning the trade of opium in China.
1841
British marines plant the Union flag on the western part of Hong Kong Island, claiming the land for the British Crown.
1842
China cedes Hong Kong Island to Great Britain; in a letter to Captain Elliot, Lord Palmerston calls Hong Kong ‘a barren island with hardly a house upon it!’ ‘[It] will never be a mart for trade…’
1856
Chinese soldiers board the British merchant schooner Arrow to search for pirates, sparking the Second Opium War; French troops support the British in this war, while Russia and the US lend naval support.
1894
Bubonic plague breaks out for the first time in Hong Kong, killing 2500 of mainly local Chinese and leading to a mass exodus from the territory; trade suffers badly as ships avoid the plague-infested