The new city which arose in the 1840s became an important point of exchange between China and the West — for goods, migrants and ideas.

By the end of the 19th century, Hong Kong was already one of the most important ports in the region.

Hong Kong saw many historic firsts for China or the West: the first Chinese girls’ school, the first Chinese newspaper, the first Chinese film, the world’s first woman priest in the Anglican Communion. Many reformers and revolutionaries of 19th-century China drew their inspiration from this city between East and West.