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For many years, the popular version of history was that Hong Kong was a “barren rock” devoid of people when the British arrived. In fact, archaeology now shows that scattered primitive clans had settled by the seaside on Hong Kong Island and the New Territories six millennia ago. Their diet was not politically correct by today’s standards: bone fragments show they liked to eat dolphin.

When marauding Mongols drive the Song dynasty emperor’s family out of the imperial capital of Kaifeng, one princess escapes to the walled village of Kam Tin in the New Territories, where she marries into the powerful Tang clan.

In a decisive move during the First Opium War between China and Britain, Captain Charles Elliot of the British Royal Navy lands on Hong Kong Island and plants the Union Jack on January 25. The 8,000-odd locals seem to take it in their stride, but China and Britain continue to fight over other Chinese trading cities. The 1842 Treaty of Nanking cedes Hong Kong Island to Britain.

The good times are rolling in Hong Kong, where the population has now swelled to more than 86,000. The island is becoming cramped, however, and after a series of further skirmishes between Britain and China, the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutter’s Island are ceded to Britain.

Britain digs in, turning Hong Kong into a mighty fort. Lyemun at the eastern end of the island bristles with guns and the world’s first wire-guided torpedo. Breathing space and water supplies are assured when on July 1, the 99-year lease of the New Territories is signed in Peking.

Hong Kong has guns galore defending the sea, but the Japanese come by land. They have little trouble breaching the aptly named Gin Drinkers Line – a motley string of pillboxes. Hong Kong is surrendered two days before Christmas, beginning a brutal three-year occupation.

The territory’s economic miracle begins to unfold, as incoming refugees from China provide an eager workforce, and British rule keeps things on an even keel. Hong Kong’s transformation into a manufacturing centre begins.

The Sino-British Joint Declaration is promulgated, after years of secret talks between Margaret Thatcher and Deng Xiaoping. Deng coins the phrase “one country, two systems” to quell fears.

Handover night on 30 June is widely regarded as an anticlimax after years of anticipation. The media focuses on soggy Union Jacks, last governor Chris Patten’s tears, Prince Charles and his yacht, and Jiang Zemin’s triumphant toast. The following dawn sees armoured cars rolling across the border.

Asia’s economic “tigers” are humbled as years of living on borrowed money finally take their toll. Hong Kong is not as badly hit as some countries, but the financial crisis bites nonetheless.