Hong Kong Victoria Harbor is a rare natural deep-sea harbor. Waters total area of 22.8 square miles, width from 6.0 mile to 0.75 mile range, and average water depth of 40 feet can accommodate the 10,000-ton ocean liners. The harbor is situated within three Gulf and the two wind shelters that are prefect for the ocean liners to hide from the waves.

No one really noticed this natural beauty until British defeated the Chinese Army in the first Opium War in the Qing Dynasty. The Treaty of Nanjing was signed on August 29, 1842 and allowed the British merchants to have a free trade in five Chinese ports (Canton, Amoy, Foochow, Ningpo and Shanghai) and the cession of Hong Kong Island. In 1860, the colony was extended with the Kowloon peninsula and in 1898, the Second Convention of Peking further expanded the colony with the 99 year lease of the New Territories. Starting out as a fishing village, salt production site and trading ground, Hong Kong evolved into a military port of strategic importance and eventually an international financial center that enjoys the world's 6th highest GDP per capita, supporting 33% of the foreign capital flows into China under British Rule. It became the major trading powerhouse, an economic gateway to mainland China, and tourist attraction in Asia. Hong Kong has been called the "Pearl of the Orient" reputation, the world is the beautiful port city.

The British government transformed the Hong Kong Victoria Harbor from a fisherman's harbor to the world's busiest seaport since 1950s. Hong Kong set a record in its container throughput in 2007 by handling 23.9 million TEUs, maintaining its status as the largest container port serving southern China and one of the busiest ports in the world. Some 456,000 vessels arrived in and departed from Hong Kong during the year, carrying 243 million tonnes of cargo and about 25 million passengers, connecting to over 500 destinations around the world. Terminal 9 on Tsing Yi Island, for example, has 6 berths (6,363 linear feet) 22 quayside post-panamax cranes, and 50.8 ft water depth. It is big enough to handle the largest container ship, like M.V. Emma Maersk in the world. The mid-stream operation adds an additional berth capacity for Hong Kong. The average turnaround time for container vessels in Hong Kong is about 10 hours. For conventional vessels working in mid-stream at buoys or anchorages, it is 42 and 52 hours respectively.

The sovereignty of Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories was reverted back to China on July 1, 1997. Currently, it is designated as Special Administrative Region by the People's Republic of China.