British merchants began to settle in Hong Kong in 1821. After the first opium war, lasting from 1839-1842, Hong Kong was ceded to the British by the treaty of nanjing “By the Convention of 1898, the New Territories together with 235 islands were leased to Britain for 99 years from July 1, 1898.” 100 years of British rule left the Hong Kong populous ready to govern themselves and their laws. source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Hong-Kong/Cultural-life#ref11638
-Most common language spoken in Hong Kong is Cantonese, while the PRC speaks Mandarin in major cities(Beijing, Qingdao, etc). Along with Hong Kong being an international hub, Hong Kong is very diverse and has many foreign influences in terms of business, trade, and tourism. March 2019- government proposes bill to allow extradition to mainland China and protests began in June 2019.