Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • A city and administrative region of southeast China on the coast southeast of Guangzhou, including Hong Kong Island and adjacent areas. Hong Kong Island was occupied by the British during the Opium War (1839–1842) and ceded to them by the Treaty of Nanking (1842). Other portions of the colony were acquired in 1860 and in 1898 by a 99-year lease. Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. It is a major port and a center of international commerce and banking.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A coastal administrative region in south-east China, formerly a British colony, currently a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun formerly a Crown Colony on the coast of southern China in Guangdong province; leased by China to Britain in 1842 and returned in 1997; one of the world's leading commercial centers

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Cantonese 香港 (Hēunggóng).

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Examples

  • Life is lived at a slower pace here and the insight the island offers into nature and traditional ways of life is not to be missed.8 Natural wondersSai Kung is known as Hong Kong's back garden, consisting of a vast area of exotic landforms, parkland and marine habitat.

    Top 10 things to do in Hong Kong 2011

  • In this regard, after the formation of the third-term Hong Kong government in July 2007, the government issued the "Green Paper on Constitutional Development" to consult the public on the models, roadmap and timetable for implementing universal suffrage.

    Hong Kong Is Making Progress Toward Democracy 2009

  • We will strive to forge consensus within the community on the two electoral methods for 2012 within the tenure of the current-term Hong Kong government, so as to roll forward Hong Kong's democracy to a midway point in 2012 and pave the way for implementing universal suffrage for the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council in 2017 and 2020, respectively.

    Hong Kong Is Making Progress Toward Democracy 2009

  • The third-term Hong Kong government, led by Chief Executive Donald Tsang, has made substantive progress in rolling forward democracy by attaining the timetable for implementing universal suffrage for the election of the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council.

    Hong Kong Is Making Progress Toward Democracy 2009

  • You can hardly mention the word Hong Kong these days without a student bringing up the lurid sex scandal involving Edison Chen and some notable female Hong Kong Stars.

    Sex and Hypocrisy -- the Edison Chen Scandal 2008

  • The first time it came up, I asked my boss, "How do I call Hong Kong?"

    March 22nd, 2006 2006

  • Hong Kong is Chinese territory but has its own currency and a Western-style legal system and often is used as a site for mainland companies to interact with foreign investors.

    ABC News: Top Stories 2011

  • Hong Kong is Chinese territory but has its own currency and a Western-style legal system and often is used as a site for mainland companies to interact with foreign investors.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2011

  • Hong Kong is Chinese territory but has its own currency and a Western-style legal system and often is used as a site for mainland companies to interact with foreign investors.

    World Bank issues its 1st yuan bonds in Hong Kong - Yahoo! Finance 2011

  • Hong Kong is Chinese territory but has its own currency and a Western-style legal system and often is used as a site for mainland companies to interact with foreign investors.

    World Bank issues its 1st yuan bonds in Hong Kong - Yahoo! Finance 2011

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