(Uncorrected OCR)
Abstract of thesis entitled 'The Opium Monopoly in Hong Kong, 1844 - 1887', submitted by CHEUNG TSUI PING, LUCY for the degree of MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY at the University of Hong Kong in SEPTEMBER, 1986.
The period between 1884 - 1887 was one of rapid consolidations following the establishment of Hong Kong
as a British Crown Colony. The British colonial administration and the local mercantile community began to establish a firm base for a major commodity - opium.
My thesis examines in detail the initiation and development of the monopoly/farm. This internal, small-
- scale retail sale of opium was handled by Chinese hongs.
The monopoly/farm was the colonial government's device to raise revenue through granting the right to the highest bidder to sell a certain amount of opium within Hong Kong. Although small in scale, the opium monopoly/farm had been a vital source of income to the colonial administration since its inception in 1844.�Besides being an important source of revenue indispensable to the smooth running of
a government, the monopoly/farm created social and economic repercussions within the Chinese communities in Hong Kong which brought about far-reaching results in the history
of the colony during its formative years. Moreover, the
opium monopoly/farm produced a number of wealthy Chinese businessmen in Hong Kong. Some of them, especially those in the 1870s and 1880s, were men of philanthropic disposition and they were socially involved in such a way that they became part of the channel of communication between the Hong Kong government and the Chinese communities.
ii / abstract / toc / History / Master / Master of Philosophy
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:HKU/oai:hub.hku.hk:10722/38879 |
Date | January 1986 |
Creators | Cheung, Tsui-ping, Lucy, 張翠屛 |
Publisher | The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) |
Source Sets | Hong Kong University Theses |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | PG_Thesis |
Source | http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B12324814 |
Rights | The author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patent rights) and the right to use in future works. |
Relation | HKU Theses Online (HKUTO) |
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