香港的由來

Hong Kong's English name is derived from two Chinese characters, Heung and Gong ("fragrant harbour"). Originally this was only the name of a small settlement near Aberdeen, the main fishing and entry port for pre-colonial Hong Kong Island. Some historians suggest Hong Kong's Chinese name was inspired by its export of fragrant incense.

The explanation for Kowloon's name is even more romantic. In Chinese, the peninsula's name is Kow Lung ("Nine Dragons"). It is believed this dates back as far as eight centuries to Emperor Ping, one of two boy-emperors of the doomed Sung Dynasty whose court fled to Hong Kong. He is said to have counted eight mountains in the area, and decided to name it "Eight Dragons" based on the belief that a dragon inhabits every mountain. His tally was corrected by a quick-witted courtier who pointed out that as emperors were also believed to be dragons, there were nine dragons - Emperor Ping being the ninth.

The origins and historical validity of the legend are still widely debated. An ancient rock inscription, which lies in a small park, in Kowloon City, by the edge of Hong Kong's former International Airport, confirms the boy-emperor's traveling palace was in Hong Kong.