Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the First Opium War (1839-42). Originally confined to Hong Kong Island, the colony's boundaries were extended in stages to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and then the New Territories in 1898.

It was occupied by Japan during the Pacific War, after which the British resumed control until 1997, when China resumed sovereignty.

Let's take a look at some historic and iconic photos of Hong Kong.

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A woman who earns money by collecting rags and waste paper pulls a trolley against a background of flats all of which have washing hanging from their balconies, 1970.

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Scaffolding brought down by 'Typhoon Ruby' is caught by overhead tram power lines on Des Voeux Road West in Hong Kong, September 5, 1964.

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A waterfall in Hong Kong, 1960.

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Street scene with street cars passing each other in Hong Kong, 1960s.

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A busy street in downtown Victoria City, in the Central District of Hong Kong, 1955.

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A jewellery store on the Queen's Road in Hong Kong, 1955.

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The Aberdeen area of Hong Kong, 1955.

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A Gurkha guard raises the barrier at a border post in Sha Tan Kok between China and Hong Kong, 1949.

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A labourer in Hong Kong finds a way to transport a large amount of goods on foot, with the aid of a pole across his shoulders and some rope to tie up the goods, 1949.

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Bomb damage in the British territory of Hong Kong, wrought by a Japanese air raid, March 8, 1939.

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British sailors marching in a Hong Kong street in a show of power in the face of the Japanese invasion threat of Southern China, December 17, 1937.

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Fishermen working in waters off the coast of Hong Kong, 1930.

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Port buildings on The Peak, in Hong Kong harbour, 1930.

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The Zhong Shan Road on the Shanghai riverfront, looking towards the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (the large domed building). Running along the bank of the Huangpu River, this famous boulevard, also known as the Bund, houses many of the city's more European-style buildings, 1927.

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A Chinese junk, off Hong Kong. The training ship, the Tamar is in the background, 1920.

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Hong Kong harbour, looking towards Kowloon, 1910.

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Traffic and pedestrians on Queen's Road in Hong Kong, 1910.

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Hong Kong harbour, with the Peak rising in the background, 1910.

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Flags mark the border between Chinese and British territory on the railway bridge in Kowloon, 1910.

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A fisherman in a boat off Hong Kong, 1910.

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A classroom in a school in Hong Kong, 1910.

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Traffic and pedestrians on Bonham Street in Hong Kong, 1900.

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Hong Kong harbour as seen from the Peak, 1900.

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Vessels in Hong Kong and Kowloon Harbour, and the newly-completed dry dock, 1900.

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A group of opium smokers in Hong Kong, 1900.

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MacGregor Pier in Hong Kong after a typhoon, 1890.

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Chinese statesman Li Hong Zhang.

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British expatriates and Chinese Hong Kong residents celebrate Queen Victoria's Jubillee in the province, 1888.

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The Hong Kong Derby, the annual race meeting of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, takes place in the Happy Valley, Hong Kong, 1880.