Hong Kong was first developed at the peak of Britain's imperial age. With the industrial revolution, production in Britain grew dramatically. It seemed necessary to secure more colonies to provide raw materials and markets for Britain's goods.
香港開埠時，正是英國維多利亞帝國最鼎盛之時，工業革命後，英國生產力大大提高，需更多殖民地來提供生產原料，及承受英國本地的工業產品。