The Union Jack Was Formally Raised at Possession Point

The streets of Hong Kong are packed with history. Anyone with a modicum of interest in the city's history knows that some streets literally tell the story of the city. In Kowloon, for instance, Boundary Street and Reclamation Street mark the former political and geographic borders, respectively, of the Peninsula of Kowloon.

Likewise, on Hong Kong Island, there is a street in Sheung Wan that bears an interesting name: Possession Street. But what was taken possession of here? The answer is simple: the entire island of Hong Kong.

After the Convention of Chuenpi had been drafted by British Plenipotentiary Charles Elliott and Chinese Imperial Commissioner Qishan, by which the Qing Dynasty would cede Hong Kong Island to the British Empire in perpetuity, Commodore Gordon Bremer, commander-in-chief of the British forces, was given the order to take possession of the island.

On January 26, 1841, he landed on the shores of what is now known as Possession Point. The Union Jack was formally raised under a feu de joie by the Royal Marines and a royal salute from the warships.

Today, successive land reclamation projects have pushed Possession Point inland—approximately 350 meters (1,150 feet) from the shoreline. Possession Street now marks the area where Commodore Bremer took possession of Hong Kong Island.