On December 19, 1984, Sino-British negotiation ended more than 150 years of British rule in Hong Kong, and outlined a roadmap for China to take over the city from July 1, 1997.
After the British defeated the Qing court in the First and Second Opium Wars in 1842 and 1860, Hong Kong and Kowloon were handed over to the British under the Treaty of Nanjing and the Treaty of Bejing.
In 1898, a treaty allowed Britain to lease Hong Kong for 99 years.
