The Telegraph Reached Hong Kong in 1871

Nowadays, we take global and instant communication for granted. But until recently, this was not the case—far from it. Until the second half of the nineteenth century, communication between Hong Kong and London meant sending letters by sea or land, which could take months to be delivered.

This all changed in 1869 when a Scotsman, John Pender, established the China Submarine Telegraph Company to connect Hong Kong to his network of cable companies.

On May 19, 1871, work began to link Hong Kong to Cochin China, now known as Saigon, in present-day Vietnam; and from Cochin China, or Saigon, to Singapore. The operation was completed on June 11, 1871.

Incidentally, Telegraph Bay in Pok Fu Lam marks the place where the telegraph landed in Hong Kong.

In 1883, the cable was extended from Hong Kong to Shanghai. Then, in 1884, another cable was laid between Hong Kong and Singapore; and yet another linked Hong Kong to Macau.

From then onward, Hong Kong was connected to an ever-growing communication network.