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| Boilerpipe Text | Handover of Hong Kong
Part of the
decolonisation of Asia
Date
1 July 1997
; 28 years ago
Time
00:00 (
HKT
,
UTC+08:00
)
Location
Hong Kong
Participants
China
Jiang Zemin
Li Peng
Tung Chee-hwa
United Kingdom
Charles, Prince of Wales
Tony Blair
Chris Patten
Handover of Hong Kong
Return of Hong Kong
Traditional Chinese
香港回歸
Simplified Chinese
香港回归
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
Xiānggǎng Huíguī
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization
Hēung góng wùih gwāi
Jyutping
Hoeng1 gong2 wui4 gwai1
Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong
Traditional Chinese
香港主權移交
Simplified Chinese
香港主权移交
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
Xiānggǎng Zhǔquán Yíjiāo
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization
Hēung góng jyú kyùhn yìh gāau
Jyutping
Hoeng1 gong2 zyu2 kyun4 ji4 gaau1
The
handover
of
Hong Kong
from the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
to the
People's Republic of China
occurred at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of
British rule
, dating back to the cession of
Hong Kong Island
in
1841
during the
First Opium War
.
Hong Kong was a colony within the
British Empire
from 1841, except during the
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
from 1941 to 1945. Its territory expanded after the
First Opium War
with the addition of the
Kowloon Peninsula
and
Stonecutters Island
in 1860 and the
New Territories
in 1898 under a
99-year lease
. The 1984
Sino–British Joint Declaration
set the terms of the 1997 handover, under which China pledged to uphold "
one country, two systems
" for 50 years. Hong Kong became China's first
special administrative region
, followed by
Macau
in
1999 under similar arrangements
. With a population of about 6.5 million in 1997, Hong Kong made up 97 percent of the population of all the
British Dependent Territories
and was Britain's last major colony.
Its handover marked the end of British colonial prestige in the Asia-Pacific region where it had never recovered from the
Second World War
, which included events such as the
sinking of
Prince of Wales
and
Repulse
, the
Fall of Hong Kong
itself and the
Fall of Singapore
, as well as the subsequent
Suez Crisis
, the
Malaya Emergency
and
Aden Emergency
after the war. The transfer, which was marked by
a handover ceremony
attended by
Charles III
(then as
Prince of Wales
) and broadcast around the world, is often considered to mark the definitive end of the
British Empire
.
Influence from the
Chinese Communist Party
(CCP)-led
central government
in Hong Kong expanded significantly during the 2020s, roughly two decades after the handover. The
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests
prompted the introduction of the
2020 Hong Kong national security law
and the
2021 Hong Kong electoral changes
. These measures drew criticism from the British government, which declared that China was in a "state of ongoing non-compliance" with the Joint Declaration. Hong Kong is now widely regarded as being under tight control of the Chinese government, with its autonomy largely symbolic.
[
1
]
Following the end of the
Second World War
, both the
Kuomintang
and the
Chinese Communist Party
(CCP) proposed "(China) to recover Hong Kong"
[
2
]
[
3
]
[
4
]
(
Chinese
:
中國收回香港
,
Yue Chinese
:
中國收返香港
),
[
5
]
[
6
]
[
7
]
[
8
]
[
9
]
[
10
]
[
excessive citations
]
which had since been the common descriptive statement in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan until the mid-1990s.
[
11
]
"
Reunification of Hong Kong
"
[
12
]
(
Chinese
:
香港回歸
) was used by a minority of pro-Beijing politicians, lawyers and newspapers during Sino-British negotiations in 1983 and 1984,
[
13
]
and gradually became mainstream in Hong Kong by early 1997 at the latest. A similar phrase "return of Hong Kong to the motherland" (
Chinese
:
香港回歸祖國
) is also often used by Hong Kong and Chinese officials. Nevertheless, "Handover of Hong Kong" is still mainly used in the English-speaking world.
"Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong" (
Chinese
:
香港主權移交
) is another description frequently used by Hong Kong officials
[
14
]
[
15
]
and the media, as well as non-locals
[
16
]
and academics,
[
11
]
which is not recognized by the Chinese Government.
[
17
]
Beijing claims neither the
Qing dynasty
exercised sovereignty over Hong Kong after ceding it, nor the British therefore did, and hence the transfer of sovereignty to China from Britain is not logically possible.
[
18
]
[
19
]
[
17
]
[
20
]
As no consensus was reached on the sovereignty transfer, the Chinese stated "to recover the Hong Kong area" (
Chinese
:
收回香港地區
) and "to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong" (
Chinese
:
對香港恢復行使主權
) in the
Sino-British Joint Declaration
, while the British declared "(to) restore Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China" (
Chinese
:
將香港交還給中華人民共和國
).
[
21
]
Britain acquired
Hong Kong Island
in 1842, the
Kowloon Peninsula
in 1860, and the lease of the
New Territories
in 1898.
By the 1820s and 1830s, the British had conquered parts of India and had intentions of growing cotton in these lands to offset the amount of cotton they were buying from America.
[
citation needed
]
When this endeavour failed, the British realised they could grow poppies at an incredible rate. These poppies could then be turned into opium, which the Chinese highly desired, but their laws prohibited. So the British plan was to grow poppies in India, convert it into opium, smuggle the opium into China and trade it for tea, and sell the tea back in Britain. The illegal opium trade was highly successful, and the drug was very profitably smuggled into China in extremely large volumes.
[
22
]
The United Kingdom obtained control over portions of Hong Kong's territory through three treaties concluded with
Qing China
after the
Opium Wars
:
1842
Treaty of Nanking
:
Hong Kong Island
ceded in perpetuity
[
23
]
1860
Convention of Peking
:
Kowloon Peninsula
and
Stonecutter's Island
additionally ceded
[
23
]
1898
Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory
: the
New Territories
and
outlying islands
leased for 99 years until 1997
[
23
]
Despite the finite nature of the New Territories lease, this portion of the colony was developed just as rapidly as, and became highly integrated with, the rest of Hong Kong. As the end of the lease approached, and by the time of serious negotiations over the future status of Hong Kong in the 1980s, it was thought
[
citation needed
]
impractical to separate the ceded territories and return only the New Territories to China. In addition, with the scarcity of land and natural resources in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, large-scale
infrastructure
investments had been made in the New Territories, with break-evens lying well past 30 June 1997.
[
24
]
When the People's Republic of China obtained its seat in the United Nations as a result of the
UN General Assembly Resolution 2758
in 1971, it began to act diplomatically on its previously lost sovereignty over both Hong Kong and
Macau
. In March 1972, the Chinese UN representative,
Huang Hua
, wrote to the United Nations Decolonization Committee to state the position of the Chinese government:
The questions of Hong Kong and Macau belong to the category of questions resulting from the series of unequal treaties which the imperialists imposed on China. Hong Kong and Macau are part of Chinese territory occupied by the British and Portuguese authorities. The settlement of the questions of Hong Kong and Macau is entirely within China's sovereign right and do not at all fall under the ordinary category of colonial territories. Consequently, they should not be included in the list of colonial territories covered by the declaration on the granting of independence to colonial territories and people. With regard to the questions of Hong Kong and Macau, the Chinese government has consistently held that they should be settled in an appropriate way when conditions are ripe.
[
25
]
The same year, on 8 November, the
United Nations General Assembly
passed the resolution on removing Hong Kong and Macau from the official list of colonies.
[
25
]
In March 1979 the
Governor of Hong Kong
,
Murray MacLehose
, paid his first official visit to the People's Republic of China (PRC), taking the initiative to raise the question of Hong Kong's sovereignty with
CCP vice chairman
Deng Xiaoping
.
[
23
]
[
26
]
Without clarifying and establishing the official position of the PRC government, the arranging of real estate leases and loans agreements in Hong Kong within the next 18 years would become difficult.
[
24
]
In response to concerns over land leases in the New Territories, MacLehose proposed that British administration of the whole of Hong Kong, as opposed to sovereignty, be allowed to continue after 1997.
[
27
]
He also proposed that contracts include the phrase "for so long as the Crown administers the territory".
[
28
]
In fact, as early as the mid-1970s, Hong Kong had faced additional risks raising loans for large-scale infrastructure projects such as its
Mass Transit Railway
(MTR) system and a new airport. Caught unprepared, Deng asserted the necessity of Hong Kong's return to China, upon which Hong Kong would be given special status by the PRC government.
MacLehose's visit to the PRC raised the curtain on the issue of Hong Kong's sovereignty: Britain was made aware of the PRC's intent to resume sovereignty over Hong Kong, and began to make arrangements accordingly to ensure the sustenance of her interests within the territory, as well as initiating the creation of a withdrawal plan in case of emergency.
Three years later, Deng received the former
British Prime Minister
Edward Heath
, who had been dispatched as the special envoy of Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
to establish an understanding of the PRC's plans with regards to the retrocession of Hong Kong; during their meeting, Deng outlined his plans to make the territory a special economic zone, which would retain its capitalist system under Chinese sovereignty.
[
29
]
In the same year,
Edward Youde
, who succeeded MacLehose as the 26th Governor of Hong Kong, led a
delegation
of five
Executive Councillors
to London, including
Chung Sze-yuen
,
Lydia Dunn
, and
Roger Lobo
.
[
30
]
Chung presented their position on the sovereignty of Hong Kong to Thatcher, encouraging her to take into consideration the interests of the native Hong Kong population in her upcoming visit to China.
[
30
]
In light of the increasing openness of the PRC government and economic reforms on the mainland, the then British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
sought the PRC's agreement to a continued British presence in the territory.
[
31
]
However, the PRC took a contrary position: not only did the PRC wish for the New Territories, on lease until 1997, to be placed under the PRC's jurisdiction, it also refused to recognise the onerous
unequal treaties
under which Hong Kong Island and Kowloon had been ceded to Britain in perpetuity after the
Opium Wars
. Consequently, the PRC recognised only the British administration in Hong Kong, but not British sovereignty.
[
32
]
Major events, 1979–1997
24 March 1979: Hong Kong Governor
Murray MacLehose
was invited to visit Guangzhou and Beijing to find out the attitude of the Chinese government on the issue of Hong Kong.
29 March 1979: Murray MacLehose met Chinese Vice Premier
Deng Xiaoping
and raised the issue of Hong Kong for the first time. Deng remarked that the investors could set their minds at peace.
4 April 1979: The Kowloon–Canton through-train routes were restored after 30 years of non-service.
3 May 1979: The
Conservative Party
won the
UK election
.
29 October 1979: CCP Chairman and Chinese Premier
Hua Guofeng
visited Britain and had a meeting with British prime minister
Margaret Thatcher
. Both of them expressed their concern to maintain the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong.
12 May 1980: Although
Tabled
by the Conservative Party in the British government, a new status "
British Overseas Territories citizen
" was introduced. This status proposal was widely opposed by Hong Kong people.
3 April 1981: Foreign Secretary
Lord Carrington
met Deng Xiaoping in his visit to Beijing.
30 September 1981: Chairman of the
NPC
Ye Jianying
issued nine guiding principles concerning a peaceful reunification of Taiwan and mainland China.
30 October 1981: The House of Commons passed the new British Nationality Act.
November 1981: The Beijing government invited some Hong Kong citizens to help organising a united front in the handling of the Hong Kong issue.
6 January 1982: Chinese Premier
Zhao Ziyang
met with Lord Privy Seal
Humphrey Atkins
. Zhao insisted that the PRC would uphold its sovereignty over Hong Kong.
10 March 1982: Vice Premier
Gu Mu
met with
John Bremridge
, promising to maintain Hong Kong's stability and prosperity.
6 April 1982: Deng Xiaoping revealed his wish to have official contact with the British government.
8 May 1982:
Edward Youde
arrived as the 26th Governor of Hong Kong.
May 1982: Deng Xiaoping and Zhao Ziyang collected advice from Hong Kong notables such as
Li Ka-shing
and
Ann Tse-kei
.
15 June 1982: Deng Xiaoping officially announced the position of the Chinese government in the context of the Hong Kong 97 Issue, marking the first public statement on part of the PRC with regards to the issue.
Before the negotiations
[
edit
]
In the wake of Governor MacLehose's visit, Britain and the PRC established initial diplomatic contact for further discussions of the
Hong Kong Question
, paving the way for Thatcher's first visit to the PRC in September 1982.
[
33
]
Margaret Thatcher, in discussion with Deng Xiaoping, reiterated the validity of an extension of the lease of Hong Kong territory, particularly in light of binding treaties, including the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, the
Convention of Peking
in 1856, and the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory signed in 1890.
In response, Deng Xiaoping cited the lack of room for compromise on the question of sovereignty over Hong Kong; the PRC, as the successor of
Qing dynasty
and the
Republic of China
on
the mainland
, would recover the entirety of the New Territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. China considered treaties about Hong Kong as unequal and ultimately refused to accept any outcome that would indicate permanent loss of sovereignty over Hong Kong's area, whatever wording the former treaties had.
[
34
]
During talks with Thatcher, China planned to seize Hong Kong if the negotiations set off unrest in the colony. Thatcher later said that Deng told her bluntly that China could easily take Hong Kong by force, stating that "I could walk in and take the whole lot this afternoon", to which she replied that "there is nothing I could do to stop you, but the eyes of the world would now know what China is like".
[
35
]
After her visit with Deng in Beijing, Thatcher was received in Hong Kong as the first British Prime Minister to set foot on the territory whilst in office. At a press conference, Thatcher re-emphasised the validity of the three treaties, asserting the need for countries to respect treaties on universal terms: "There are three treaties in existence; we stick by our treaties unless we decide on something else. At the moment, we stick by our treaties."
[
31
]
At the same time, at the 5th session of the 5th
National People's Congress
, the constitution was amended to include a new Article 31 which stated that the country might establish
Special Administrative Regions
(SARs) when necessary.
[
36
]
The additional Article would hold tremendous significance in settling the question of Hong Kong and later
Macau
, putting into social consciousness the concept of "
One country, two systems
".
A few months after Thatcher's visit to Beijing, the PRC government had yet to open negotiations with the British government regarding the sovereignty of Hong Kong.
Shortly before the initiation of sovereignty talks, Governor Youde declared his intention to represent the population of Hong Kong at the negotiations. This statement sparked a strong response from the PRC, prompting Deng Xiaoping to denounce talk of "the so-called 'three-legged stool", which implied that Hong Kong was a party to talks on its future, alongside Beijing and London.
[
37
]
At the preliminary stage of the talks, the British government proposed an exchange of sovereignty for administration and the implementation of a British administration post-handover.
[
31
]
The PRC government refused, contending that the notions of sovereignty and administration were inseparable, and although it recognised
Macau
as a "Chinese territory under Portuguese administration", this was only temporary.
[
38
]
In fact, during informal exchanges between 1979 and 1981, the PRC had proposed a "Macau solution" in Hong Kong, under which it would remain under British administration at China's discretion.
[
26
]
However, this had previously been rejected following the
1967 Leftist riots
, with the then Governor,
David Trench
, claiming the leftists' aim was to leave the UK without effective control, or "to Macau us".
[
39
]
The conflict that arose at that point of the negotiations ended the possibility of further negotiation. During the reception of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath during his sixth visit to the PRC, Deng Xiaoping commented on the impossibility of exchanging sovereignty for administration, declaring an ultimatum: the British government must modify or give up its position or the PRC will announce its resolution of the issue of Hong Kong sovereignty unilaterally.
[
40
]
In 1983,
Typhoon Ellen
ravaged Hong Kong, causing great amounts of damage to both life and property.
[
41
]
The Hong Kong dollar plummeted on
Black Saturday
, and the
Financial Secretary
John Bremridge
publicly associated the economic uncertainty with the instability of the political climate.
[
42
]
In response, the PRC government condemned Britain through the press for "playing the economic card" in order to achieve their ends: to intimidate the PRC into conceding to British demands.
[
43
]
At one point Deng made it clear that he had no intention of continuing any British administration in any part of Hong Kong. In regards to the treaties establishing British control over Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, Robert Cottrell of
The Independent
wrote "In practical terms, the treaties were worthless, sovereignty would be China's in due course, and any row about it would certainly damage Hong Kong in the short term whatever the eventual outcome."
[
31
]
Governor Youde with nine members of the Hong Kong Executive Council travelled to London to discuss with Thatcher the crisis of confidence – the problem with morale among the people of Hong Kong arising from the ruination of the Sino-British talks. The session concluded with Thatcher's writing of a letter addressed to the PRC Premier
Zhao Ziyang
.
In the letter, she expressed Britain's willingness to explore arrangements optimising the future prospects of Hong Kong while utilising the PRC's proposals as a foundation. Furthermore, and perhaps most significantly, she expressed Britain's concession on its position of a continued British presence in the form of an administration post-handover.
Two rounds of negotiations were held in October and November. On the sixth round of talks in November, Britain formally conceded its intentions of either maintaining a British administration in Hong Kong or seeking some form of co-administration with the PRC, and showed its sincerity in discussing PRC's proposal on the 1997 issue.
Simon Keswick
, chairman of
Jardine Matheson
& Co., said they were not pulling out of Hong Kong, but a new
holding company
would be established in
Bermuda
instead.
[
44
]
The PRC took this as yet another plot by the British. The Hong Kong government explained that it had been informed about the move only a few days before the announcement. The government would not and could not stop the company from making a business decision.
Just as the atmosphere of the talks was becoming cordial, members of the
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
felt impatient at the long-running secrecy over the progress of Sino-British talks on the Hong Kong issue. A motion,
tabled
by legislator
Roger Lobo
, declared "This Council deems it essential that any proposals for the future of Hong Kong should be debated in this Council before agreement is reached", was passed unanimously.
[
45
]
The PRC attacked the motion furiously, referring to it as "somebody's attempt to play the three-legged stool trick again".
[
46
]
At length, the PRC and Britain initiated the Joint Declaration on the question of Hong Kong's future in Beijing.
Zhou Nan
, the then PRC Deputy Foreign Minister and leader of the negotiation team, and
Richard Evans
, British Ambassador to Beijing and leader of the team, signed respectively on behalf of the two governments.
[
47
]
Sino-British Joint Declaration
[
edit
]
The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed by
Premier of the People's Republic of China
Zhao Ziyang
and
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Margaret Thatcher
on 19 December 1984 in Beijing. The Declaration entered into force with the exchange of instruments of ratification on 27 May 1985 and was registered by the People's Republic of China and United Kingdom governments at the United Nations on 12 June 1985.
In the Joint Declaration, the People's Republic of China Government stated that it had decided to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong (including
Hong Kong Island
, Kowloon, and the New Territories) with effect from 1 July 1997 and the United Kingdom Government declared that it would restore Hong Kong to the PRC with effect from 1 July 1997. In the document, the People's Republic of China Government also declared its basic policies regarding Hong Kong.
[
48
]
In accordance with the
One country, two systems
principle agreed between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China, the socialist system of the People's Republic of China would not be practised in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Hong Kong's previous capitalist system and its way of life would remain unchanged for a period of 50 years.
[
49
]
The Hong Kong Basic Law ensured, among other things, that Hong Kong will retain its
legislative system
, and people's rights and freedom for fifty years,
[
50
]
as a
special administrative region (SAR) of China
. The
central government in Beijing
maintains control over Hong Kong's foreign affairs as well as the legal interpretation of the Basic Law. The latter has led democracy advocates and some Hong Kong residents to argue, after the fact, that the territory has yet to achieve
universal suffrage
as promised by the
Basic Law
, leading to
mass demonstrations in 2014
.
[
51
]
[
52
]
[
53
]
In 2019, demonstrations that started as a protest
against an extradition law
also led to massive demonstrations (1.7 million on 11 and 18 August 2019), again demanding universal suffrage, but also the resignation of
Carrie Lam
(the then-Chief Executive).
[
54
]
In December 2021, Beijing released a document titled "Hong Kong Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems", the second such white paper on Hong Kong affairs since 2014. It stated that the central government will work with "all social groups, sectors and stakeholders towards the ultimate goal of election by universal suffrage of the chief executive" and the
LegCo
while also noting that the Chinese constitution and the Basic Law together "empower the HKSAR to exercise a high degree of autonomy and confirm the central authorities' right to supervise the exercise of this autonomy".
[
55
]
Drafting of Basic Law
[
edit
]
The
Basic Law
was drafted by a
Drafting Committee
composed of members from both Hong Kong and
Mainland China
. A
Basic Law Consultative Committee
formed purely by Hong Kong people was established in 1985 to canvas views in Hong Kong on the drafts.
The first draft was published in April 1988, followed by a five-month public consultation exercise. The second draft was published in February 1989, and the subsequent consultation period ended in October 1989.
The Basic Law was formally promulgated on 4 April 1990 by the
National People's Congress
and signed by Chinese president
Yang Shangkun
, together with the designs for the flag and emblem of the HKSAR. Some members of the Basic Law drafting committee were ousted by Beijing following
1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre
, after voicing views supporting the student protesters.
The Basic Law was said to be a mini-
constitution
drafted with the participation of Hong Kong people. The political system had been the most controversial issue in the drafting of the Basic Law. The special issue sub-group adopted the political model put forward by
Louis Cha
. This "mainstream" proposal was criticised for being too conservative.
[
citation needed
]
According to Clauses 158 and 159 of the Basic Law, powers of interpretation and amendment of the Basic Law are vested in the
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
and the National People's Congress, respectively. Hong Kong's people have limited influence.
After the
1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre
, the
Executive Councillors
and the
Legislative Councillors
of Hong Kong unexpectedly held an urgent meeting, in which they agreed unanimously that the British Government should give the people of Hong Kong the
right of abode
in the United Kingdom.
[
56
]
More than 10,000 Hong Kong residents rushed to
Central
in order to get an application form for residency in the United Kingdom. On the eve of the deadline, over 100,000 lined up overnight for a
British National (Overseas)
(BNO) application form. While mass migration began well before 1989, the event led to the peak migration year in 1992 with 66,000 leaving.
[
57
]
Many citizens were pessimistic towards the future of Hong Kong and the transfer of the region's sovereignty. A tide of emigration, which was to last for no less than five years, broke out. At its peak, citizenship of small countries, such as
Tonga
, was also in great demand.
[
58
]
Singapore
, which also had a
predominantly Chinese
population, was another popular destination, with the country's Commission (now Consulate-General) being besieged by anxious Hong Kong residents.
[
59
]
By September 1989, 6,000 applications for residency in Singapore had been approved by the commission.
[
60
]
In April 1997, the acting
immigration officer
at the
US Consulate-General
, James DeBates, was suspended after his wife was arrested for the smuggling of Chinese migrants into the United States.
[
61
]
The previous year, his predecessor, Jerry Stuchiner, had been arrested for smuggling forged Honduran passports into the territory before being sentenced to 40 months in prison.
[
62
]
Canada (
Vancouver
and
Toronto
), the United Kingdom (London,
Glasgow
, and
Manchester
), Australia (
Perth
,
Sydney
and
Melbourne
), and the United States (
San Francisco
,
New York
, and
Los Angeles
's
San Gabriel Valley
) were, by and large, the most popular destinations. The United Kingdom devised the
British Nationality Selection Scheme
, granting 50,000 families British citizenship under the
British Nationality Act (Hong Kong) 1990
.
[
63
]
Vancouver
was among the most popular destinations, earning the nickname of "Hongcouver".
[
64
]
Richmond
, a suburb of Vancouver, was nicknamed "Little Hong Kong".
[
65
]
All in all, from the start of the settlement of the negotiation in 1984 to 1997, nearly 1 million people emigrated; consequently, Hong Kong suffered serious loss of human and financial capital.
[
66
]
Chris Patten
became the last
Governor of Hong Kong
. This was regarded as a turning point in Hong Kong's colonial history. Unlike most of his predecessors, Patten was neither a career colonial official nor a career diplomat, but a career politician and a former
Member of Parliament
(MP). He introduced democratic reforms which pushed PRC–British relations to a standstill and affected the negotiations for a smooth handover.
Governor Patten introduced a package of electoral reforms in the
Legislative Council
. These reforms proposed to enlarge the electorate, thus making voting in the Legislative Council more democratic. This move posed significant changes because Hong Kong citizens would have the power to make decisions regarding their future.
After the Patten proposals were passed, Beijing decided to create the
Preliminary Working Committee
(PWC) on 16 July 1993. Although it was seen by some that such a body was necessary in order to prepare for the transition of sovereignty, the row over the Patten proposals enabled Beijing to issue a warning that unilateral action would result in the setting-up of a "second stove" and, when it was formed, to say it was an unfortunate product of British confrontation.
[
67
]
The Preliminary Working Committee was dissolved in December 1995 and succeeded by the Preparatory Committee in 1996. The Preparatory Committee was responsible for implementation work related to the establishment of the HKSAR, including the establishment of the
Selection Committee
, which in turn was responsible for the
selection of the first chief executive in 1996
and the members of the
Provisional Legislative Council
which replaced the
Legislative Council elected in 1995
.
[
68
]
The Provisional Legislative Council reverted most of the Patten's reform, by resuming appointed seats to the District Councils, Urban Council and Regional Council, reintroducing corporate voting in some functional constituencies, narrowing the franchise of the nine new functional constituencies to about 20,000 voters, and changed the "single seat, single constituency" method to the
proportional representation
system for the Legislative Council elections.
[
69
]
Despite the eventual reversal of the electoral system, Patten's reform significantly impacted the Hong Kong political landscape by polarising Hong Kong politics.
The handover ceremony was held at the new wing of the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
in
Wan Chai
on the night of 30 June 1997.
The principal British guest was
Prince Charles
, who read a farewell speech on behalf of
Queen Elizabeth II
. The newly elected
Labour
prime minister,
Tony Blair
; the
foreign secretary
,
Robin Cook
; the departing
governor
,
Chris Patten
; and the
chief of the Defence Staff
,
General Sir Charles Guthrie
, also attended.
Representing the People's Republic of China were the
CCP general secretary
and
Chinese president
,
Jiang Zemin
; the
Chinese premier
,
Li Peng
;
Vice premier
and
foreign minister
,
Qian Qichen
;
Vice chairman
of the
Central Military Commission
, General
Zhang Wannian
; and the first chief executive
Tung Chee-hwa
. The event was broadcast around the world.
[
70
]
[
71
]
Chinese communists portrayed the return of Hong Kong as a key moment in the PRC's rise to
great power
status.
[
72
]
: 51
Before and after handover
[
edit
]
Unchanged after 30 June 1997
Changed after 30 June 1997
English continued as an official language and is still taught in all schools. However, many schools teach in
Cantonese
in parallel with
Mandarin
and English.
[
73
]
The border with the mainland, while now known as the
boundary
, continued to be patrolled as before, with separate immigration and customs controls.
[
74
]
Hong Kong residents
were still required to apply for a
Mainland Travel Permit
, in order to visit mainland China.
[
75
]
Residents of mainland China still did not have the
right of abode
in Hong Kong.
[
76
]
Instead, they had to apply for a permit to
visit
or
settle
in Hong Kong from the PRC government.
[
77
]
Hong Kong remained a
common law jurisdiction
, with a separate legal system from that
used in the mainland
, with previous laws remaining in force provided that they did not conflict with the
Basic Law
.
[
78
]
The
Hong Kong dollar
continued to be used as its sole currency, and the responsibility of the
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
.
[
79
]
The
Bank of China
had already started issuing banknotes in 1994.
[
80
]
Hong Kong continued to operate as a separate customs territory from mainland China under Article 116 of the Basic Law.
[
81
]
Hong Kong remained an individual member of various international organisations, such as the
World Trade Organization
and
APEC
.
[
82
]
Hong Kong, which remained an individual member of the
International Olympic Committee
, continued to send its own team to international sporting events such as the Olympics.
[
83
]
Hong Kong maintained
Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices
overseas, as well as in the Greater China Region. These include the offices in London, Washington D.C.,
Brussels
and
Geneva
, previously known as Hong Kong Government Offices.
[
84
]
Many countries'
consulates-general
in Hong Kong remained outside the jurisdiction of their embassies in Beijing, such as the United States
Consulate General
, which reports directly to the
Department of State
.
[
85
]
The Chung Hwa Travel Service, which functioned as
Taiwan
's
de facto
mission
in Hong Kong, continued to function as before, issuing visas to visitors from Hong Kong, mainland China and other countries.
[
86
]
In 2011 it was renamed the
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong
.
[
87
]
Hong Kong continued to negotiate and maintain its own aviation bilateral treaties with foreign countries and territories.
[
88
]
Agreements with
Taiwan
signed in 1996 remained in force after the change of sovereignty, and were replaced by "the air transportation agreement between Taiwan and Hong Kong", which retained international regulations, such as regulations on customs.
[
89
]
Signs (and fonts), labels, and roadway construction standards on Hong Kong roads and expressways continue to follow the
European Union roadway standards
, particularly those of the UK.
[
90
]
Hong Kong continued to
drive on the left
, unlike mainland China, which drives on the right.
[
91
]
Vehicle registration plates
continued to be modelled on
those of the United Kingdom
, white on the front and yellow on the back, with the vehicle registration mark in a similar font.
[
92
]
Hong Kong-registered vehicles still required special
cross-border
plates to travel to and from mainland China, similar to those of
Guangdong
.
[
93
]
Vehicles registered in the mainland can enter Hong Kong under the
Hong Kong mainland China driving scheme
.
[
94
]
Hong Kong residents
continued to have easier access to many countries, including those in Europe and North America, with
Hong Kong SAR passport
holders having visa-free access to 154 other countries and territories.
[
95
]
Former colonial citizens could continue using
British National (Overseas)
and
British citizen passports
abroad, though China stopped recognizing them in 2021. (See:
British nationality law and Hong Kong
)
Until 2020, it continued to have significantly more political freedoms than
mainland China
, with the holding of demonstrations and the
annual memorial
to commemorate the
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
continuing to be held in
Victoria Park
.
[
96
]
Upon the enactment of the
Hong Kong national security law
, some activities, such as the vigil, have since been officially banned, although others, such as Falun Gong, remain generally tolerated.
It continued to have a
multi-party
political system, though
2021 electoral reforms
of the legislative and district councils required "
patriots administering Hong Kong
".
[
97
]
[
98
]
This is separate from the
one-party system
led by the
Chinese Communist Party
in the mainland.
[
99
]
It continued to have more
freedom of the press
than mainland China, under Article 27 of the Basic Law, despite the growing influence of Beijing.
[
100
]
It also continued to have more religious freedoms, with the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong
remaining under the jurisdiction of the
Holy See
, instead of the
Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association
on the mainland.
[
101
]
The
Falun Gong
spiritual practice also remained legal in Hong Kong, despite encountering opposition from the SAR government.
[
102
]
Many other technical standards from the United Kingdom, such as electrical plugs (
BS 1363
) are still used in Hong Kong.
[
103
]
However, telephone companies changed from installing
UK-style
BS 6312
telephone sockets to installing
US-style
RJ11
ones.
[
104
]
Hong Kong also adopted the
digital TV standard
devised in mainland China for
TV transmissions
, instead of
DVB-T
, to replace
PAL
-I.
[
105
]
(See:
Technical standards in Hong Kong
)
Hong Kong retained a separate
international dialling code
(852) and
telephone numbering plan
from that of the
mainland
.
[
106
]
Calls between Hong Kong and the mainland still required international dialling.
[
107
]
Hong Kong retained a separate
ISO 3166
code,
HK
.
[
108
]
It also retained a
top-level domain
,
.hk
.
[
109
]
However, the
Chinese code
CN-91 was also used.
[
110
]
Hong Kong retained its own separate
postal services
, with
Hongkong Post
continuing to operate separately from
China Post
.
[
111
]
It was not made part of the
Chinese postcode system
, nor did it introduce a postcode system of its own.
[
112
]
The Hong Kong government continued to make a subvention to the
English Schools Foundation
, responsible for English-medium schools, which would not be phased out until 2016.
[
113
]
The former British military drill, marching and words of command in English remained in service among disciplinary forces until 2022 when Chinese foot drills were introduced to completely replace that of the UK.
[
114
]
[
115
]
Statues of British monarchs remained.
Queen Victoria
's statue remains in
Victoria Park
.
[
116
]
King George VI
's statue similarly remained in
Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
.
[
117
]
British-inspired road names remain unchanged.
[
118
]
From 2012, secondary education moved away from the English model of 6 years secondary schooling plus two years of university matriculation to the Chinese model of three years of junior secondary plus another three years of senior secondary, while university education was extended from three years to four.
[
119
]
The
chief executive
became the
head of government
,
elected
by a
Selection Committee
, whose members were mainly elected from among professional sectors and business leaders.
[
120
]
The
Governor
was appointed by the United Kingdom.
[
121
]
The
Legislative Council
,
elected in 1995
, was dissolved and replaced by a
Provisional Legislative Council
, before elections were held to a new Council, in which only 20 out of 60 seats were directly elected.
[
122
]
The decision to dissolve the Legislative Council and replace it with a Provisional Legislative Council was criticised by representatives of the UK government.
[
123
]
Foreign nationals were not allowed to stand for directly elected seats in the
Legislative Council
, only for
indirectly elected
seats.
[
124
]
All public office buildings now flew the flags of the
PRC
and the
Hong Kong SAR
. The
Union Flag
now flew only outside the
British Consulate-General
and other British premises.
The British national anthem, "
God Save the Queen
", was no longer played at
closedown
on
television stations
.
[
125
]
The Chinese national anthem, "
March of the Volunteers
", was now played instead.
[
126
]
At international sporting events such as the Olympics, Hong Kong was now known as
Hong Kong, China
.
[
83
]
Hong Kong athletes and teams compete under the Hong Kong SAR flag instead of the British flag of Hong Kong, and gold medallists were honoured with the Chinese national anthem, instead of the British national anthem.
[
127
]
The
Court of Final Appeal
replaced the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
as the highest court of appeal.
[
128
]
The
Supreme Court
was replaced by the
High Court
.
[
129
]
The
Attorney General
was replaced by the
Secretary for Justice
.
[
130
]
The
Central People's Government
was now formally represented in Hong Kong by a
Liaison Office
, dealing with domestic matters.
[
131
]
This had been established under British rule as the
Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong Branch
, before it adopted its present name in 2000.
[
132
]
The Hong Kong SAR Government was now formally represented in Beijing by the
Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
.
[
133
]
The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
was represented in Hong Kong by a
Commissioner
.
[
134
]
The
People's Liberation Army
established the
Hong Kong Garrison
, taking over responsibility for defence from
British Forces Overseas Hong Kong
.
[
135
]
The Prince of Wales Building was renamed the
Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building
, while the Prince of Wales Barracks was similarly renamed the Central Barracks, with effect from January 2002.
[
136
]
Flags were no longer flown at the
Cenotaph
to remember the war dead; previously British troops raised flags representing the
British Army
,
Royal Navy
and
Royal Air Force
every morning, lowering them again before sunset.
[
137
]
Government House
was not used as the residence of the first chief executive,
Tung Chee-hwa
.
[
138
]
However, his successor,
Donald Tsang
, moved into the compound in 2007.
[
139
]
Queen Elizabeth II
's portrait was removed from public offices.
[
140
]
Coins issued since 1993 no longer had the Queen's head, instead having the
Bauhinia
.
[
141
]
Postage stamps now displayed the words "Hong Kong, China".
[
142
]
A set of definitive stamps, bearing the words "Hong Kong" with no connotation of sovereignty, was introduced in January 1997.
[
143
]
The "
Royal
" title was dropped from almost all
organisations that had been granted it
, with the exception of the
Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club
.
[
140
]
The
Crown
was removed from the crest of the
Hong Kong Police Force
, and replaced by the
Bauhinia
.
[
140
]
Legal references to the "
Crown
" were replaced by references to the "State".
[
144
]
Barristers
who had been appointed
Queen's Counsel
would now be known as
Senior Counsel
.
[
145
]
The
British honours system
was replaced by a local system, in which the
Grand Bauhinia Medal
was the highest award.
[
146
]
Public holidays
changed, with British-inspired occasions, such as the
Queen's Official Birthday
,
Liberation Day
, and
Remembrance Day
being replaced by
PRC National Day
and
Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day
.
[
118
]
Double Ten Day
, commemorating the establishment of the
Republic of China
, was abolished as a public holiday in 1950.
[
147
]
Many of the red
Royal Mail
pillar boxes
were removed from the streets of Hong Kong and replaced by green
Hongkong Post
boxes.
[
138
]
All others were re-painted.
[
148
]
British citizens (without right of abode in Hong Kong) were no longer able to work in Hong Kong without a visa; the policy was changed on 1 April 1997.
[
149
]
[
150
]
The United Kingdom was now represented by the
British Consulate General
, which reports directly to the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
.
[
151
]
This has responsibility for British citizens, instead of the
Hong Kong Immigration Department
.
[
152
]
Previously, the country's commercial interests were represented by a British Trade Commission.
[
153
]
It was headed by a Senior Trade Commissioner, who became the first Consul-General.
[
154
]
Hong Kong was no longer linked to the
Commonwealth
and no longer participated in related
organisations or events
.
[
155
]
Consular missions
of Commonwealth member states in Hong Kong were no longer known as Commissions, but as Consulates-General.
[
156
]
Countries which did not have diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom, but had diplomatic relations with China, such as
North Korea
and
Iran
, were allowed to establish or re-open Consulates-General.
[
157
]
Consulates of countries which maintained diplomatic relations with
Taiwan
were closed.
[
158
]
Only South Africa, which was to establish relations with the People's Republic of China from 1998, was allowed to keep its Consulate General open for an interim period.
[
159
]
Hong Kong's
aircraft registration prefix
changed from
VR
to
B
, bringing it into line with mainland China and Taiwan.
[
160
]
Newspapers, such as the
South China Morning Post
, changed to heading their pages with "National", rather than "Local" and 'China', and began including Chinese names in Chinese characters. However, the online edition still uses "China" and only displays Chinese names in Roman script.
[
161
]
A giant golden statue of a
Bauhinia blakeana
was erected in a public space outside the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
, named
Golden Bauhinia Square
, along with a
Reunification Monument
.
[
162
]
Absolute
state immunity
was restored in Hong Kong until 2024.
[
163
]
[
164
]
Rose Garden Project
[
edit
]
After the
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
, the Hong Kong government proposed a grand "Rose Garden Project" to restore faith and solidarity among the residents.
[
165
]
As the construction of the new
Hong Kong International Airport
would extend well after the handover, Governor Wilson met PRC Premier
Li Peng
in Beijing to ease the mind of the PRC government.
[
166
]
The communist press published stories that the project was an evil plan to bleed Hong Kong dry before the handover, leaving the territory in serious debt.
[
167
]
After three years of negotiations, Britain and the PRC finally reached an agreement over the construction of the new airport, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
[
168
]
Removing hills and reclaiming land, it took only a few years to construct the new airport.
Views of the Kowloon Walled City
[
edit
]
The Walled City was originally a single fort built in the mid-19th century on the site of an earlier 17th-century watch post on the
Kowloon Peninsula
of Hong Kong.
[
169
]
After the ceding of
Hong Kong Island
to Britain in 1842 (
Treaty of Nanjing
),
Manchu
Qing
Dynasty authorities of China felt it necessary for them to establish a military and administrative post to rule the area and to check further British influence in the area.
The 1898 Convention which handed additional parts of Hong Kong (the
New Territories
) to Britain for 99 years excluded the Walled City, with a population of roughly 700. It stated that China could continue to keep troops there, so long as they did not interfere with Britain's temporary rule.
Britain quickly went back on this unofficial part of the agreement, attacking Kowloon Walled City in 1899, only to find it deserted. They did nothing with it, or the outpost, which raised the question of Kowloon Walled City's ownership. The outpost consisted of a
yamen
, as well as buildings which grew into low-lying, densely packed neighbourhoods from the 1890s to 1940s.
The
enclave
remained part of Chinese territory despite the turbulent events of the early 20th century that saw the fall of the Qing government, the establishment of the
Republic of China
and, later, a
Communist Chinese government
(PRC).
Squatters began to occupy the Walled City, resisting several attempts by Britain in 1948 to drive them out. The Walled City became a haven for criminals and drug addicts, as the
Hong Kong Police
had no right to enter the City and China refused maintainability. The 1949 foundation of the People's Republic of China added thousands of refugees to the population, many from
Guangdong
; by this time, Britain had had enough, and simply adopted a "hands-off" policy.
A murder that occurred in Kowloon Walled City in 1959 set off a small diplomatic crisis, as the two nations each tried to get the other to accept responsibility for a vast tract of land now virtually ruled by anti-
Manchurian
Triads
.
After the
Joint Declaration in 1984
, the PRC allowed British authorities to demolish the city and resettle its inhabitants. The mutual decision to tear down the walled city was made in 1987.
[
170
]
The government spent up to
HK$
3 billion to resettle the residents and shops.
Some residents were not satisfied with the compensation, and some even obstructed the demolition in every possible way.
[
171
]
Ultimately, everything was settled, and the Walled City became a
park
.
[
172
]
International reaction
[
edit
]
The Republic of China (Taiwan) promulgated the
Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs
on 2 April 1997 by
Presidential
Order, and the
Executive Yuan
on 19 June 1997 ordered the provisions pertaining to Hong Kong to take effect on 1 July 1997.
[
173
]
The
United States–Hong Kong Policy Act
or more commonly known as the Hong Kong Policy Act (
PL
no. 102-383m 106 Stat. 1448) is a 1992 act enacted by the
United States Congress
. It allows the United States to continue to treat Hong Kong separately from China for matters concerning trade export and economics control after the handover.
[
174
]
The United States was represented by then
Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright
at the
Hong Kong handover ceremony
.
[
175
]
However, she partially boycotted it in protest of China's dissolution of the democratically elected Hong Kong legislature.
[
176
]
End of the British Empire
[
edit
]
The handover marked the end of British rule in Hong Kong, which was Britain's last substantial overseas territory. Although in statute law set down by
Parliament
, British Hong Kong had no status of pre-eminence vis-a-vis the other
British Dependent Territories
(as they were then classified before the term British Overseas Territory was
introduced in 2002
), Hong Kong was by far the most populous and economically potent. In 1997 the colony had a population of approximately 6.5 million, which represented roughly 97% of the population of the British Dependent Territories as a whole at that time (the next largest,
Bermuda
, having a 1997 population of approximately only 62,000). With a
gross domestic product
of approximately US$180 billion in the last year of British rule,
[
177
]
Hong Kong's economy was roughly 11% the size of Britain's.
[
178
]
Therefore, although the economies of the
United Kingdom
and
Hong Kong
were measured separately, the Handover did mean the British economy in its very broadest sense became substantially smaller (by comparison, the acquisition of Hong Kong boosted the size of the
Chinese economy
, which was then smaller than the United Kingdom's, by 18.4%).
[
179
]
As a comparator to Hong Kong, in 2017 Bermuda (as with population, the economically largest of Britain's remaining territories) had a GDP of only US$4.7 billion.
[
180
]
The cession of Hong Kong meant that Britain's remaining territories (excepting the United Kingdom itself) henceforth consisted either of uninhabited lands (for instance the
British Antarctic Territory
), small islands or micro land masses (such as
Montserrat
), territories used as military bases (for example
Akrotiri and Dhekelia
on the island of
Cyprus
, itself a former
crown colony
granted independence in 1960), or a combination of the latter two (like
Gibraltar
). While many of Britain's remaining territories are significant to the global economy by virtue of being
offshore financial centres
(Bermuda, the
British Virgin Islands
, and the
Cayman Islands
being the most prominent of these), their economies are insubstantial. Demographically, they are also tiny compared to Britain, with a collective population of less than 0.4% of Britain's 2017 population of 66 million.
[
181
]
As of 2018, the combined population of Britain's remaining fourteen Overseas Territories is approximately 250,000, which is less than all but three
districts of Hong Kong
, and roughly equal to that of the
City of Westminster
.
Consequently, because ceding Hong Kong came at the end of half a century of decolonisation, and because the handover meant that the United Kingdom became without significant overseas territories,
dominions
, or
colonies
for the first time in its history (
Great Britain
, having been bequeathed the incipient domains of its later empire by inheriting the
colonial possessions
of the
Kingdom of England
upon the passing of the
Acts of Union 1707
, always having been an imperial power,
ab initio
), the handover of Hong Kong to China is regarded by many (including
King Charles III
) as marking the conclusion of the
British Empire
, with 1 July 1997 being its end date and the handover ceremony being its last diplomatic act.
Scholars have begun to study the complexities of the transfer as shown in the popular media, such as films, television and video and online games. For example, Hong Kong director
Fruit Chan
made a sci-fi thriller
The Midnight After
(2014) that stressed the sense of loss and alienation represented by survivors in an apocalyptic Hong Kong. Chan infuses a political agenda in the film by playing on Hong Kongers' collective anxiety towards communist China.
[
182
]
Yiman Wang has argued that America has viewed China through the prisms of films from Shanghai and Hong Kong, with a recent emphasis on futuristic disaster films set in Hong Kong after the transfer goes awry.
[
183
]
The first scripts of 1997 James Bond film
Tomorrow Never Dies
featured a violent disruption of the transfer of Hong Kong. The plot was re-written out of the concern that if something were to happen during the handover, the film, scheduled to release a few months later, would look out of place.
[
184
]
The handover is central to the plot of the 1998 action comedy
Rush Hour
.
[
185
]
[
186
]
It is also mentioned in another 1998 film –
Knock Off
.
[
187
]
The handover is the backdrop for "A Death in Hong Kong", the first episode the
tenth season
of
Murder, She Wrote
.
[
188
]
[
186
]
Hong Kong Cantopop artist
Sam Hui
has made numerous references to 1997 including the song "Could Not Care Less About 1997" (話知你97).
[
189
]
The 1991 song "
Queen's Road East
" by
Lo Ta-yu
featuring
Ram Chiang
satirically expresses the anxiety felt by Hong Kong residents over the handover.
[
190
]
Cui Jian
's 1997 single "Get Over That Day" tells the story of a man who learns about the impending return of his never-before-met sister to their
dysfunctional family
, alluding to the handover of Hong Kong.
[
191
]
[
192
]
Chinese American rapper
Jin Auyeung
has a song called "1997" in his Cantonese album
ABC
, which he makes references to the handover, ten years since Hong Kong's return to China.
[
193
]
Zero Minus Ten
, a
James Bond
novel by
Raymond Benson
, is set largely in Hong Kong during the days leading up to the Handover.
[
194
]
[
186
]
The 2012 James Bond film
Skyfall
features
a villain
who had been an
MI6
agent in Hong Kong until the Handover, when he was handed over to the Chinese for his unauthorised
hacking
of their security networks.
[
195
]
The
Doctor Who Unbound
audio drama
Sympathy for the Devil
by
Jonathan Clements
is set on the eve of the Handover and involves an attempted defection by a war criminal, only hours before China takes control.
[
186
]
The 2014 video game
Wargame: Red Dragon
features a campaign set in an alternate history in which negotiations over the ceding of Hong Kong break down resulting in armed conflict.
Hong Kong 97
, a 1994
American
movie starring
Robert Patrick
, is set in Hong Kong during the 24 hours before the end of British rule.
[
196
]
Hong Kong 97
, a 1995 Japanese
homebrew
SNES
game, is set in Hong Kong around the time of the transition. The player controls Chin (
Jackie Chan
), who was called by the Hong Kong government to kill the invading Chinese, including
Tong Shau Ping
. The game gained a
cult following
due to its
very poor quality
and absurd plot.
[
197
]
The handover of Hong Kong is referenced multiple times and witnessed in the 1997 film
Chinese Box
, starring
Jeremy Irons
and
Gong Li
. The film itself was filmed leading up to and during the handover.
[
198
]
The handover is depicted near the conclusion of the 2003 Hong Kong film
Infernal Affairs II
, with the event referenced throughout the film and serves as the background of the story. Analysis on the franchise has suggested the films' messaging to be associated with fears, anxieties and identity crisis of the Hong-Kong identity post-takeover.
[
199
]
The handover of Hong Kong is portrayed in the
fifth season
of
Netflix
's historical-drama series
The Crown
(2022), in the season's final episode "Decommissioned".
History of Chinese immigration to Canada
Hong Kong people in the United Kingdom
Hong Kong Act 1985
Monument in Commemoration of the Return of Hong Kong to China
Handover of Macau
Hong Kong 1 July marches
Hong Kong–Mainland conflict
^
Davidson, Helen (30 June 2021).
"
'They can't speak freely': Hong Kong a year after the national security law"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
28 August
2021
.
^
Johnson, Chalmers (1984). "The Mousetrapping of Hong Kong".
Asian Survey
.
24
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The
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^
平學生護權會要求收回香港旅大
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^
我政府健全後將促收回香港，英報謂我朝野均有此心
[
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^
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^
吳學謙與英外相會談,側重於九七年中國收回香港香港成為特區
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^
邵玉銘說:香港九七年後若不能高度自治港台關係起變化,認為中國大陸收回香港進退兩難,內部產生矛盾人民要求資本主義
[Shaw Yu-ming: Hong Kong-Taiwan relations could change if Hong Kong can't enjoy high degree of autonomy after '97; dilemma for Chinese Mainland to recover Hong Kong; internal conflicts arose as people demands capitalism.].
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South China Morning Post |
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## Contents
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- [(Top)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong)
- [1 Nomenclature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Nomenclature)
- [2 Background](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Background)
- [3 Talks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Talks)
Toggle Talks subsection
- [3\.1 Before the negotiations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Before_the_negotiations)
- [3\.2 Negotiations begin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Negotiations_begin)
- [3\.3 British concession](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#British_concession)
- [4 Sino-British Joint Declaration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Sino-British_Joint_Declaration)
Toggle Sino-British Joint Declaration subsection
- [4\.1 Universal suffrage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Universal_suffrage)
- [5 Drafting of Basic Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Drafting_of_Basic_Law)
- [6 Tide of migration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Tide_of_migration)
- [7 Last governor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Last_governor)
- [8 Handover ceremony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Handover_ceremony)
- [9 Additional effects](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Additional_effects)
Toggle Additional effects subsection
- [9\.1 Before and after handover](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Before_and_after_handover)
- [9\.2 Rose Garden Project](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Rose_Garden_Project)
- [9\.3 Views of the Kowloon Walled City](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Views_of_the_Kowloon_Walled_City)
- [10 International reaction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#International_reaction)
- [11 End of the British Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#End_of_the_British_Empire)
- [12 In popular culture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#In_popular_culture)
- [13 See also](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#See_also)
- [14 References](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#References)
- [15 Bibliography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Bibliography)
- [16 Further reading](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#Further_reading)
- [17 External links](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#External_links)
Toggle the table of contents
# Handover of Hong Kong
23 languages
- [العربية](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84_%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9_%D9%87%D9%88%D9%86%D8%BA_%D9%83%D9%88%D9%86%D8%BA "نقل سيادة هونغ كونغ – Arabic")
- [Español](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transferencia_de_soberan%C3%ADa_de_Hong_Kong "Transferencia de soberanía de Hong Kong – Spanish")
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- [Bahasa Indonesia](https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penyerahan_kedaulatan_atas_Hong_Kong "Penyerahan kedaulatan atas Hong Kong – Indonesian")
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- [سنڌي](https://sd.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86%DA%AF_%DA%AA%D8%A7%D9%86%DA%AF_%D8%AC%D9%8A_%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%84%D9%8A "هانگ ڪانگ جي منتقلي – Sindhi")
- [Simple English](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong "Handover of Hong Kong – Simple English")
- [Slovenčina](https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odovzdanie_Hongkongu_%C4%8C%C3%ADne "Odovzdanie Hongkongu Číne – Slovak")
- [Svenska](https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongkongs_%C3%B6verf%C3%B6ring "Hongkongs överföring – Swedish")
- [ไทย](https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%AA%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%B7%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%AE%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%87 "การส่งคืนฮ่องกง – Thai")
- [Türkçe](https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_%C3%BCzerindeki_egemenli%C4%9Fin_devri "Hong Kong üzerindeki egemenliğin devri – Turkish")
- [Українська](https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%87%D0%B0_%D0%93%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B3%D1%83 "Передача Гонконгу – Ukrainian")
- [Tiếng Việt](https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuy%E1%BB%83n_giao_H%E1%BB%93ng_K%C3%B4ng "Chuyển giao Hồng Kông – Vietnamese")
- [閩南語 / Bân-lâm-gí](https://zh-min-nan.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiong-k%C3%A1ng_ho%C3%A1n-ho%C3%A2n "Hiong-káng hoán-hoân – Minnan")
- [粵語](https://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E4%B8%BB%E6%AC%8A%E7%A7%BB%E4%BA%A4 "香港主權移交 – Cantonese")
- [中文](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%9B%9E%E6%AD%B8 "香港回歸 – Chinese")
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1997 transfer of Hong Kong from UK to China
| | |
|---|---|
| Part of the [decolonisation of Asia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decolonisation_of_Asia "Decolonisation of Asia") | |
| Date | 1 July 1997; 28 years ago (1997-07-01) |
| Time | 00:00 ([HKT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Time "Hong Kong Time"), [UTC+08:00](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTC%2B08:00 "UTC+08:00")) |
| Location | [Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong "Hong Kong") |
| Participants |  [China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China "China") [Jiang Zemin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiang_Zemin "Jiang Zemin") [Li Peng](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Peng "Li Peng") [Tung Chee-hwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_Chee-hwa "Tung Chee-hwa")  [United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom "United Kingdom") [Charles, Prince of Wales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles,_Prince_of_Wales "Charles, Prince of Wales") [Tony Blair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Blair "Tony Blair") [Chris Patten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Patten "Chris Patten") |
| Handover of Hong Kong | |
|---|---|
| Return of Hong Kong | |
| [Traditional Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_characters "Traditional Chinese characters") | 香港回歸 |
| [Simplified Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_characters "Simplified Chinese characters") | 香港回归 |
| Transcriptions | |
| [Standard Mandarin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese "Standard Chinese") | |
| [Hanyu Pinyin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanyu_Pinyin "Hanyu Pinyin") | Xiānggǎng Huíguī |
| [Yue: Cantonese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantonese "Cantonese") | |
| [Yale Romanization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yale_romanization_of_Cantonese "Yale romanization of Cantonese") | Hēung góng wùih gwāi |
| [Jyutping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyutping "Jyutping") | Hoeng1 gong2 wui4 gwai1 |
| Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong | |
| [Traditional Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_characters "Traditional Chinese characters") | 香港主權移交 |
| [Simplified Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_characters "Simplified Chinese characters") | 香港主权移交 |
| Transcriptions | |
| [Standard Mandarin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese "Standard Chinese") | |
| [Hanyu Pinyin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanyu_Pinyin "Hanyu Pinyin") | Xiānggǎng Zhǔquán Yíjiāo |
| [Yue: Cantonese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantonese "Cantonese") | |
| [Yale Romanization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yale_romanization_of_Cantonese "Yale romanization of Cantonese") | Hēung góng jyú kyùhn yìh gāau |
| [Jyutping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyutping "Jyutping") | Hoeng1 gong2 zyu2 kyun4 ji4 gaau1 |
| Part of [a series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:History_of_Hong_Kong "Category:History of Hong Kong") on the | |
|---|---|
| [History of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hong_Kong "History of Hong Kong") | |
| [](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hkhistory.jpg) | |
| [Timeline](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Hong_Kong_history "Timeline of Hong Kong history") | |
| | |
| [Wong Tei Tung](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wong_Tei_Tung "Wong Tei Tung") | |
| | |
| *Subprovincially [Nanhai Commandery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanhai_Commandery "Nanhai Commandery") [Dongguan Commandery](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dongguan_Commandery&action=edit&redlink=1 "Dongguan Commandery (page does not exist)") \[[zh](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%B1%E5%AE%98%E9%83%A1 "zh:東官郡")\] [Guang Prefecture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%C7%8Eng_Prefecture "Guǎng Prefecture") [Guangzhou Circuit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Guangzhou_Circuit&action=edit&redlink=1 "Guangzhou Circuit (page does not exist)") \[[zh](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BB%A3%E5%B7%9E%E8%B7%AF "zh:廣州路")\] [Guangzhou Prefecture](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Guangzhou_Prefecture&action=edit&redlink=1 "Guangzhou Prefecture (page does not exist)") \[[zh](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BB%A3%E5%B7%9E%E5%BA%9C "zh:廣州府")\]* | *County-level [Bao'an County](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bao%27an_County "Bao'an County") [Xin'an County](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bao%27an_County "Bao'an County")* |
| [Lei Cheng Uk Tomb](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lei_Cheng_Uk_Han_Tomb_Museum "Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum") | *E. Han* |
| [Five Clans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Great_Clans_of_the_New_Territories "Five Great Clans of the New Territories")' migration | c. 12th C |
| [Joss House Bay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_House_Bay "Joss House Bay") inscription | 1274 |
| [Battle of Yamen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yamen "Battle of Yamen"); [Sung Wong Toi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sung_Wong_Toi "Sung Wong Toi") | 1279 |
| [Battle of Tamão](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tam%C3%A3o "Battle of Tamão") | 1521 |
| [Hakka](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka_people "Hakka people") migrations | c. 17th C |
| [Cheung Po Tsai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheung_Po_Tsai "Cheung Po Tsai") | 1783–1822 |
| | |
| [First Opium War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Opium_War "First Opium War") | 1839–1842 |
| [Convention of Chuenpi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Chuenpi "Convention of Chuenpi") [Treaty of Nanking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Nanking "Treaty of Nanking") | 1841 1842 |
| [Foundation of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Foundation_Day "Hong Kong Foundation Day") | 1841 |
| [Second Opium War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Opium_War "Second Opium War") | 1856–1860 |
| [Convention of Peking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Peking "Convention of Peking"); acquisition of [Kowloon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon "Kowloon") | 1860 |
| [Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_for_the_Extension_of_Hong_Kong_Territory "Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory") | 1898 |
| [Star Ferry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Ferry "Star Ferry") | 1898 |
| [Victoria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria,_Hong_Kong "Victoria, Hong Kong") [City boundary stones](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=City_boundary_stones&action=edit&redlink=1 "City boundary stones (page does not exist)") \[[zh](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%B6%AD%E5%A4%9A%E5%88%A9%E4%BA%9E%E5%9F%8E%E7%95%8C%E7%A2%91 "zh:維多利亞城界碑")\] | 1903 |
| [Kowloon-Canton Railway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon-Canton_Railway "Kowloon-Canton Railway") | 1910 |
| Founding of the [Hong Kong Stock Exchange](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Stock_Exchange "Hong Kong Stock Exchange") | 1914 |
| | |
| [Battle of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hong_Kong "Battle of Hong Kong") Black Christmas | 1941 |
| [Liberation of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_of_Hong_Kong "Liberation of Hong Kong") | 1945 |
| | |
| [Refugee wave](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee_wave_from_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China_to_British_Hong_Kong "Refugee wave from the People's Republic of China to British Hong Kong") | From [1950s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950s_in_Hong_Kong "1950s in Hong Kong") |
| [Shek Kip Mei fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shek_Kip_Mei_fire "Shek Kip Mei fire") | 1953 |
| [Double Ten Riots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_Hong_Kong_riots "1956 Hong Kong riots") | 1956 |
| *[1960s in Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960s_in_Hong_Kong "1960s in Hong Kong")* | |
| [Typhoon Wanda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Wanda_\(1962\) "Typhoon Wanda (1962)") | 1962 |
| [1967 riots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Hong_Kong_riots "1967 Hong Kong riots") | 1967 |
| [Four Asian Tigers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Asian_Tigers "Four Asian Tigers") | From [1970s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970s_in_Hong_Kong "1970s in Hong Kong") |
| [Ten-year Housing Plan](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ten-year_Housing_Plan&action=edit&redlink=1 "Ten-year Housing Plan (page does not exist)") \[[zh](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8D%81%E5%B9%B4%E5%BB%BA%E5%B1%8B%E8%A8%88%E5%8A%83 "zh:十年建屋計劃")\] | 1972–1981 |
| [Jardine House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardine_House "Jardine House") completed | 1973 |
| [MTR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTR "MTR") opened | 1979 |
| [Rose Garden Project](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Garden_Project "Rose Garden Project") | [1980s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s_in_Hong_Kong "1980s in Hong Kong") |
| [Sino-British Joint Declaration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration "Sino-British Joint Declaration") | 1984 |
| Golden Era of [Hong Kong Cinema](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Hong_Kong "Cinema of Hong Kong"), [TV dramas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_television_drama "Hong Kong television drama"), and [Cantopop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantopop "Cantopop") | [1980s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s_in_Hong_Kong "1980s in Hong Kong")–[1990s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990s_in_Hong_Kong "1990s in Hong Kong") |
| Destruction of the [Kowloon Walled City](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City "Kowloon Walled City") | 1994 |
| [Asian financial crisis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_financial_crisis "Asian financial crisis") | 1997 |
| | |
| [Emigration from Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emigration_from_Hong_Kong "Emigration from Hong Kong") | |
| [Hong Kong handover ceremony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_handover_ceremony "Hong Kong handover ceremony") | |
| | |
| [Hong Kong International Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_International_Airport "Hong Kong International Airport") | 1998 |
| *[2000s in Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000s_in_Hong_Kong "2000s in Hong Kong")* | |
| [SARS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002%E2%80%932004_SARS_outbreak "2002–2004 SARS outbreak") | 2002–2004 |
| *[2010s in Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010s_in_Hong_Kong "2010s in Hong Kong")* | |
| [Umbrella Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella_Revolution "Umbrella Revolution") | 2014 |
| [2019–2020 Hong Kong protests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%932020_Hong_Kong_protests "2019–2020 Hong Kong protests") | 2019–2020 |
| *[2020s in Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020s_in_Hong_Kong "2020s in Hong Kong")* | |
| [COVID-19](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Hong_Kong "COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong") | 2020–2023 |
| Heads of Government | |
| | |
| [Henry Pottinger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Pottinger "Henry Pottinger") | 1843–1844 |
| [John Francis Davis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Francis_Davis "John Francis Davis") | 1844–1848 |
| [George Bonham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bonham "George Bonham") | 1848–1854 |
| [John Bowring](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bowring "John Bowring") | 1854–1859 |
| [Hercules Robinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_Robinson "Hercules Robinson") | 1859–1865 |
| [Richard Graves MacDonnell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Graves_MacDonnell "Richard Graves MacDonnell") | 1866–1872 |
| [Arthur Kennedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Kennedy "Arthur Kennedy") | 1872–1877 |
| [John Pope Hennessy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pope_Hennessy "John Pope Hennessy") | 1877–1882 |
| [George Bowen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bowen "George Bowen") | 1883–1885 |
| [William Des Vœux](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Des_V%C5%93ux "William Des Vœux") | 1887–1891 |
| [William Robinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Robinson_\(colonial_administrator,_born_1836\) "William Robinson (colonial administrator, born 1836)") | 1891–1898 |
| [Henry Arthur Blake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Arthur_Blake "Henry Arthur Blake") | 1898–1903 |
| [Matthew Nathan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Nathan "Matthew Nathan") | 1904–1907 |
| [Frederick Lugard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Lugard "Frederick Lugard") | 1907–1912 |
| [Francis Henry May](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Henry_May "Francis Henry May") | 1912–1918 |
| [Reginald Edward Stubbs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Edward_Stubbs "Reginald Edward Stubbs") | 1919–1925 |
| [Cecil Clementi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Clementi "Cecil Clementi") | 1925–1930 |
| [William Peel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Peel_\(colonial_administrator\) "William Peel (colonial administrator)") | 1930–1935 |
| [Andrew Caldecott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Caldecott "Andrew Caldecott") | 1935–1937 |
| [Geoffry Northcote](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffry_Northcote "Geoffry Northcote") | 1937–1941 |
| [Mark Aitchison Young](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Aitchison_Young "Mark Aitchison Young") | 1941 1946–1947 |
| *[Rensuke Isogai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rensuke_Isogai "Rensuke Isogai")* | *1942–1944* |
| *[Hisakazu Tanaka](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hisakazu_Tanaka "Hisakazu Tanaka")* | *1945* |
| [Alexander Grantham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Grantham "Alexander Grantham") | 1947–1957 |
| [Robert Brown Black](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Brown_Black "Robert Brown Black") | 1958–1964 |
| [David Trench](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Trench "David Trench") | 1964–1971 |
| [Murray MacLehose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_MacLehose "Murray MacLehose") | 1971–1982 |
| [Edward Youde](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Youde "Edward Youde") | 1982–1986 |
| [David Wilson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wilson,_Baron_Wilson_of_Tillyorn "David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn") | 1987–1992 |
| [Chris Patten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Patten "Chris Patten") | 1992–1997 |
| | |
| [Tung Chee-hwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_Chee-hwa "Tung Chee-hwa") | 1997–2005 |
| [Donald Tsang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Tsang "Donald Tsang") | 2005–2012 |
| [Leung Chun-ying](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leung_Chun-ying "Leung Chun-ying") | 2012–2017 |
| [Carrie Lam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Lam "Carrie Lam") | 2017–2022 |
| [John Lee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lee_Ka-chiu "John Lee Ka-chiu") | 2022– |
| By topic | |
| [Aviation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_history_of_Hong_Kong "Aviation history of Hong Kong") [Bus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_bus_transport_in_Hong_Kong "History of bus transport in Hong Kong") [Culture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Hong_Kong "Culture of Hong Kong") [Economy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Hong_Kong "Economy of Hong Kong") [Education](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Hong_Kong "Education in Hong Kong") [Geography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Hong_Kong "Geography of Hong Kong") [Politics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Hong_Kong "Politics of Hong Kong") [Technical standards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_standards_in_Hong_Kong "Technical standards in Hong Kong") | |
| [History of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_China "History of China") / [of the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_Kingdom "History of the United Kingdom") *** [Hong Kong portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Hong_Kong "Portal:Hong Kong")*** | |
| [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:History_of_Hong_Kong "Template:History of Hong Kong") [t](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:History_of_Hong_Kong "Template talk:History of Hong Kong") [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:History_of_Hong_Kong "Special:EditPage/Template:History of Hong Kong") | |
The [handover](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_\(political\) "Handover (political)") of [Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong "Hong Kong") from the [United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Northern_Ireland "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland") to the [People's Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China "People's Republic of China") occurred at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of [British rule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Hong_Kong "British Hong Kong"), dating back to the cession of [Hong Kong Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Island "Hong Kong Island") in [1841](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Chuenpi "Convention of Chuenpi") during the [First Opium War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Opium_War "First Opium War").
Hong Kong was a colony within the [British Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire "British Empire") from 1841, except during the [Japanese occupation of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_occupation_of_Hong_Kong "Japanese occupation of Hong Kong") from 1941 to 1945. Its territory expanded after the [First Opium War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Opium_War "First Opium War") with the addition of the [Kowloon Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Peninsula "Kowloon Peninsula") and [Stonecutters Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonecutters_Island "Stonecutters Island") in 1860 and the [New Territories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Territories "New Territories") in 1898 under a [99-year lease](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_for_the_Extension_of_Hong_Kong_Territory "Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory"). The 1984 [Sino–British Joint Declaration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino%E2%80%93British_Joint_Declaration "Sino–British Joint Declaration") set the terms of the 1997 handover, under which China pledged to uphold "[one country, two systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_country,_two_systems "One country, two systems")" for 50 years. Hong Kong became China's first [special administrative region](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_administrative_region_of_China "Special administrative region of China"), followed by [Macau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau "Macau") in [1999 under similar arrangements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Macau "Handover of Macau"). With a population of about 6.5 million in 1997, Hong Kong made up 97 percent of the population of all the [British Dependent Territories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Dependent_Territories "British Dependent Territories") and was Britain's last major colony.
Its handover marked the end of British colonial prestige in the Asia-Pacific region where it had never recovered from the [Second World War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_World_War "Second World War"), which included events such as the [sinking of *Prince of Wales* and *Repulse*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_Prince_of_Wales_and_Repulse "Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse"), the [Fall of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hong_Kong "Battle of Hong Kong") itself and the [Fall of Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Singapore "Fall of Singapore"), as well as the subsequent [Suez Crisis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis "Suez Crisis"), the [Malaya Emergency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaya_Emergency "Malaya Emergency") and [Aden Emergency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aden_Emergency "Aden Emergency") after the war. The transfer, which was marked by [a handover ceremony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_handover_ceremony "Hong Kong handover ceremony") attended by [Charles III](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_III "Charles III") (then as [Prince of Wales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Wales "Prince of Wales")) and broadcast around the world, is often considered to mark the definitive end of the [British Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire "British Empire").
Influence from the [Chinese Communist Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Communist_Party "Chinese Communist Party") (CCP)-led [central government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_China "Government of China") in Hong Kong expanded significantly during the 2020s, roughly two decades after the handover. The [2019–2020 Hong Kong protests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%932020_Hong_Kong_protests "2019–2020 Hong Kong protests") prompted the introduction of the [2020 Hong Kong national security law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Hong_Kong_national_security_law "2020 Hong Kong national security law") and the [2021 Hong Kong electoral changes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Hong_Kong_electoral_changes "2021 Hong Kong electoral changes"). These measures drew criticism from the British government, which declared that China was in a "state of ongoing non-compliance" with the Joint Declaration. Hong Kong is now widely regarded as being under tight control of the Chinese government, with its autonomy largely symbolic.[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-1)
## Nomenclature
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=1 "Edit section: Nomenclature")\]
Following the end of the [Second World War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_World_War "Second World War"), both the [Kuomintang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuomintang "Kuomintang") and the [Chinese Communist Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Communist_Party "Chinese Communist Party") (CCP) proposed "(China) to recover Hong Kong"[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-2)[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-3)[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-4) ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 中國收回香港, [Yue Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Chinese_language "Yue Chinese language"): 中國收返香港),[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-5)[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-6)[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-7)[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-8)[\[9\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-9)[\[10\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-10)\[*[excessive citations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#Bundling_citations "Wikipedia:Citing sources")*\] which had since been the common descriptive statement in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan until the mid-1990s.[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-BBC20170630-11) "**Reunification of Hong Kong**"[\[12\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-12) ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 香港回歸) was used by a minority of pro-Beijing politicians, lawyers and newspapers during Sino-British negotiations in 1983 and 1984,[\[13\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-13) and gradually became mainstream in Hong Kong by early 1997 at the latest. A similar phrase "return of Hong Kong to the motherland" ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 香港回歸祖國) is also often used by Hong Kong and Chinese officials. Nevertheless, "Handover of Hong Kong" is still mainly used in the English-speaking world.
"Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong" ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 香港主權移交) is another description frequently used by Hong Kong officials[\[14\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-14)[\[15\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-15) and the media, as well as non-locals[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-16) and academics,[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-BBC20170630-11) which is not recognized by the Chinese Government.[\[17\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-aocs-17) Beijing claims neither the [Qing dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_dynasty "Qing dynasty") exercised sovereignty over Hong Kong after ceding it, nor the British therefore did, and hence the transfer of sovereignty to China from Britain is not logically possible.[\[18\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-18)[\[19\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-19)[\[17\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-aocs-17)[\[20\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-20) As no consensus was reached on the sovereignty transfer, the Chinese stated "to recover the Hong Kong area" ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 收回香港地區) and "to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong" ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 對香港恢復行使主權) in the [Sino-British Joint Declaration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration "Sino-British Joint Declaration"), while the British declared "(to) restore Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China" ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 將香港交還給中華人民共和國).[\[21\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-21)
## Background
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=2 "Edit section: Background")\]
See also: [History of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hong_Kong "History of Hong Kong") and [British Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Hong_Kong "British Hong Kong")
[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Acquisition_of_Hong_Kong.svg)
Britain acquired [Hong Kong Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Island "Hong Kong Island") in 1842, the [Kowloon Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Peninsula "Kowloon Peninsula") in 1860, and the lease of the [New Territories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Territories "New Territories") in 1898.
By the 1820s and 1830s, the British had conquered parts of India and had intentions of growing cotton in these lands to offset the amount of cotton they were buying from America.\[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed "Wikipedia:Citation needed")*\] When this endeavour failed, the British realised they could grow poppies at an incredible rate. These poppies could then be turned into opium, which the Chinese highly desired, but their laws prohibited. So the British plan was to grow poppies in India, convert it into opium, smuggle the opium into China and trade it for tea, and sell the tea back in Britain. The illegal opium trade was highly successful, and the drug was very profitably smuggled into China in extremely large volumes.[\[22\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-22)
The United Kingdom obtained control over portions of Hong Kong's territory through three treaties concluded with [Qing China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_dynasty "Qing dynasty") after the [Opium Wars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars "Opium Wars"):
- 1842 [Treaty of Nanking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Nanking "Treaty of Nanking"): [Hong Kong Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Island "Hong Kong Island") ceded in perpetuity[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-:0-23)
- 1860 [Convention of Peking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Peking "Convention of Peking"): [Kowloon Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Peninsula "Kowloon Peninsula") and [Stonecutter's Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonecutter%27s_Island "Stonecutter's Island") additionally ceded[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-:0-23)
- 1898 [Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_for_the_Extension_of_Hong_Kong_Territory "Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory"): the [New Territories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Territories "New Territories") and [outlying islands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlying_Islands,_Hong_Kong "Outlying Islands, Hong Kong") leased for 99 years until 1997[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-:0-23)
Despite the finite nature of the New Territories lease, this portion of the colony was developed just as rapidly as, and became highly integrated with, the rest of Hong Kong. As the end of the lease approached, and by the time of serious negotiations over the future status of Hong Kong in the 1980s, it was thought\[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed "Wikipedia:Citation needed")*\] impractical to separate the ceded territories and return only the New Territories to China. In addition, with the scarcity of land and natural resources in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, large-scale [infrastructure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructures "Infrastructures") investments had been made in the New Territories, with break-evens lying well past 30 June 1997.[\[24\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Akers-Jones-24)
When the People's Republic of China obtained its seat in the United Nations as a result of the [UN General Assembly Resolution 2758](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_General_Assembly_Resolution_2758 "UN General Assembly Resolution 2758") in 1971, it began to act diplomatically on its previously lost sovereignty over both Hong Kong and [Macau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau "Macau"). In March 1972, the Chinese UN representative, [Huang Hua](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huang_Hua_\(politician\) "Huang Hua (politician)"), wrote to the United Nations Decolonization Committee to state the position of the Chinese government:
> The questions of Hong Kong and Macau belong to the category of questions resulting from the series of unequal treaties which the imperialists imposed on China. Hong Kong and Macau are part of Chinese territory occupied by the British and Portuguese authorities. The settlement of the questions of Hong Kong and Macau is entirely within China's sovereign right and do not at all fall under the ordinary category of colonial territories. Consequently, they should not be included in the list of colonial territories covered by the declaration on the granting of independence to colonial territories and people. With regard to the questions of Hong Kong and Macau, the Chinese government has consistently held that they should be settled in an appropriate way when conditions are ripe.[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Passage-25)
The same year, on 8 November, the [United Nations General Assembly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly "United Nations General Assembly") passed the resolution on removing Hong Kong and Macau from the official list of colonies.[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Passage-25)
In March 1979 the [Governor of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Hong_Kong "Governor of Hong Kong"), [Murray MacLehose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_MacLehose,_Baron_MacLehose_of_Beoch "Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch"), paid his first official visit to the People's Republic of China (PRC), taking the initiative to raise the question of Hong Kong's sovereignty with [CCP vice chairman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Chairman_of_the_Chinese_Communist_Party "Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party") [Deng Xiaoping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Xiaoping "Deng Xiaoping").[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-:0-23)[\[26\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Pepper-26) Without clarifying and establishing the official position of the PRC government, the arranging of real estate leases and loans agreements in Hong Kong within the next 18 years would become difficult.[\[24\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Akers-Jones-24)
In response to concerns over land leases in the New Territories, MacLehose proposed that British administration of the whole of Hong Kong, as opposed to sovereignty, be allowed to continue after 1997.[\[27\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-27) He also proposed that contracts include the phrase "for so long as the Crown administers the territory".[\[28\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-28)
In fact, as early as the mid-1970s, Hong Kong had faced additional risks raising loans for large-scale infrastructure projects such as its [Mass Transit Railway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Transit_Railway "Mass Transit Railway") (MTR) system and a new airport. Caught unprepared, Deng asserted the necessity of Hong Kong's return to China, upon which Hong Kong would be given special status by the PRC government.
MacLehose's visit to the PRC raised the curtain on the issue of Hong Kong's sovereignty: Britain was made aware of the PRC's intent to resume sovereignty over Hong Kong, and began to make arrangements accordingly to ensure the sustenance of her interests within the territory, as well as initiating the creation of a withdrawal plan in case of emergency.
Three years later, Deng received the former [British Prime Minister](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Prime_Minister "British Prime Minister") [Edward Heath](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Heath "Edward Heath"), who had been dispatched as the special envoy of Prime Minister [Margaret Thatcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher "Margaret Thatcher") to establish an understanding of the PRC's plans with regards to the retrocession of Hong Kong; during their meeting, Deng outlined his plans to make the territory a special economic zone, which would retain its capitalist system under Chinese sovereignty.[\[29\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-29)
In the same year, [Edward Youde](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Youde "Edward Youde"), who succeeded MacLehose as the 26th Governor of Hong Kong, led a [delegation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delegation "Delegation") of five [Executive Councillors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Executive Council of Hong Kong") to London, including [Chung Sze-yuen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chung_Sze-yuen "Chung Sze-yuen"), [Lydia Dunn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Dunn "Lydia Dunn"), and [Roger Lobo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Lobo "Roger Lobo").[\[30\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Chung-30) Chung presented their position on the sovereignty of Hong Kong to Thatcher, encouraging her to take into consideration the interests of the native Hong Kong population in her upcoming visit to China.[\[30\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Chung-30)
In light of the increasing openness of the PRC government and economic reforms on the mainland, the then British Prime Minister [Margaret Thatcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher "Margaret Thatcher") sought the PRC's agreement to a continued British presence in the territory.[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Cottrell-31)
However, the PRC took a contrary position: not only did the PRC wish for the New Territories, on lease until 1997, to be placed under the PRC's jurisdiction, it also refused to recognise the onerous [unequal treaties](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unequal_treaty "Unequal treaty") under which Hong Kong Island and Kowloon had been ceded to Britain in perpetuity after the [Opium Wars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars "Opium Wars"). Consequently, the PRC recognised only the British administration in Hong Kong, but not British sovereignty.[\[32\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-32)
## Talks
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=3 "Edit section: Talks")\]
Major events, 1979–1997
> - 24 March 1979: Hong Kong Governor [Murray MacLehose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_MacLehose "Murray MacLehose") was invited to visit Guangzhou and Beijing to find out the attitude of the Chinese government on the issue of Hong Kong.
> - 29 March 1979: Murray MacLehose met Chinese Vice Premier [Deng Xiaoping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Xiaoping "Deng Xiaoping") and raised the issue of Hong Kong for the first time. Deng remarked that the investors could set their minds at peace.
> - 4 April 1979: The Kowloon–Canton through-train routes were restored after 30 years of non-service.
> - 3 May 1979: The [Conservative Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Party_\(UK\) "Conservative Party (UK)") won the [UK election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_United_Kingdom_general_election "1979 United Kingdom general election").
> - 29 October 1979: CCP Chairman and Chinese Premier [Hua Guofeng](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Guofeng "Hua Guofeng") visited Britain and had a meeting with British prime minister [Margaret Thatcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher "Margaret Thatcher"). Both of them expressed their concern to maintain the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong.
> - 12 May 1980: Although [Tabled](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_\(verb\)#Commencing_discussion "Table (verb)") by the Conservative Party in the British government, a new status "[British Overseas Territories citizen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Overseas_Territories_citizen "British Overseas Territories citizen")" was introduced. This status proposal was widely opposed by Hong Kong people.
> - 3 April 1981: Foreign Secretary [Lord Carrington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Carington,_6th_Baron_Carrington "Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington") met Deng Xiaoping in his visit to Beijing.
> - 30 September 1981: Chairman of the [NPC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_People%27s_Congress "National People's Congress") [Ye Jianying](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_Jianying "Ye Jianying") issued nine guiding principles concerning a peaceful reunification of Taiwan and mainland China.
> - 30 October 1981: The House of Commons passed the new British Nationality Act.
> - November 1981: The Beijing government invited some Hong Kong citizens to help organising a united front in the handling of the Hong Kong issue.
> - 6 January 1982: Chinese Premier [Zhao Ziyang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Ziyang "Zhao Ziyang") met with Lord Privy Seal [Humphrey Atkins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humphrey_Atkins "Humphrey Atkins"). Zhao insisted that the PRC would uphold its sovereignty over Hong Kong.
> - 10 March 1982: Vice Premier [Gu Mu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu_Mu "Gu Mu") met with [John Bremridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bremridge "John Bremridge"), promising to maintain Hong Kong's stability and prosperity.
> - 6 April 1982: Deng Xiaoping revealed his wish to have official contact with the British government.
> - 8 May 1982: [Edward Youde](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Youde "Edward Youde") arrived as the 26th Governor of Hong Kong.
> - May 1982: Deng Xiaoping and Zhao Ziyang collected advice from Hong Kong notables such as [Li Ka-shing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Ka-shing "Li Ka-shing") and [Ann Tse-kei](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._K._Ann "T. K. Ann").
> - 15 June 1982: Deng Xiaoping officially announced the position of the Chinese government in the context of the Hong Kong 97 Issue, marking the first public statement on part of the PRC with regards to the issue.
### Before the negotiations
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=4 "Edit section: Before the negotiations")\]
In the wake of Governor MacLehose's visit, Britain and the PRC established initial diplomatic contact for further discussions of the [Hong Kong Question](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Question "Hong Kong Question"), paving the way for Thatcher's first visit to the PRC in September 1982.[\[33\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Roger-33)
Margaret Thatcher, in discussion with Deng Xiaoping, reiterated the validity of an extension of the lease of Hong Kong territory, particularly in light of binding treaties, including the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, the [Convention of Peking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Peking "Convention of Peking") in 1856, and the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory signed in 1890.
In response, Deng Xiaoping cited the lack of room for compromise on the question of sovereignty over Hong Kong; the PRC, as the successor of [Qing dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_dynasty "Qing dynasty") and the [Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_\(1912%E2%80%931949\) "Republic of China (1912–1949)") on [the mainland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainland_China "Mainland China"), would recover the entirety of the New Territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. China considered treaties about Hong Kong as unequal and ultimately refused to accept any outcome that would indicate permanent loss of sovereignty over Hong Kong's area, whatever wording the former treaties had.[\[34\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-34)
During talks with Thatcher, China planned to seize Hong Kong if the negotiations set off unrest in the colony. Thatcher later said that Deng told her bluntly that China could easily take Hong Kong by force, stating that "I could walk in and take the whole lot this afternoon", to which she replied that "there is nothing I could do to stop you, but the eyes of the world would now know what China is like".[\[35\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-35)
After her visit with Deng in Beijing, Thatcher was received in Hong Kong as the first British Prime Minister to set foot on the territory whilst in office. At a press conference, Thatcher re-emphasised the validity of the three treaties, asserting the need for countries to respect treaties on universal terms: "There are three treaties in existence; we stick by our treaties unless we decide on something else. At the moment, we stick by our treaties."[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Cottrell-31)
At the same time, at the 5th session of the 5th [National People's Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_People%27s_Congress "National People's Congress"), the constitution was amended to include a new Article 31 which stated that the country might establish [Special Administrative Regions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Administrative_Region_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China") (SARs) when necessary.[\[36\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-36)
The additional Article would hold tremendous significance in settling the question of Hong Kong and later [Macau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau "Macau"), putting into social consciousness the concept of "[One country, two systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_country,_two_systems "One country, two systems")".
### Negotiations begin
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=5 "Edit section: Negotiations begin")\]
A few months after Thatcher's visit to Beijing, the PRC government had yet to open negotiations with the British government regarding the sovereignty of Hong Kong.
Shortly before the initiation of sovereignty talks, Governor Youde declared his intention to represent the population of Hong Kong at the negotiations. This statement sparked a strong response from the PRC, prompting Deng Xiaoping to denounce talk of "the so-called 'three-legged stool", which implied that Hong Kong was a party to talks on its future, alongside Beijing and London.[\[37\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-37)
At the preliminary stage of the talks, the British government proposed an exchange of sovereignty for administration and the implementation of a British administration post-handover.[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Cottrell-31)
The PRC government refused, contending that the notions of sovereignty and administration were inseparable, and although it recognised [Macau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau "Macau") as a "Chinese territory under Portuguese administration", this was only temporary.[\[38\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-38)
In fact, during informal exchanges between 1979 and 1981, the PRC had proposed a "Macau solution" in Hong Kong, under which it would remain under British administration at China's discretion.[\[26\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Pepper-26)
However, this had previously been rejected following the [1967 Leftist riots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_1967_Leftist_riots "Hong Kong 1967 Leftist riots"), with the then Governor, [David Trench](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Trench "David Trench"), claiming the leftists' aim was to leave the UK without effective control, or "to Macau us".[\[39\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-39)
The conflict that arose at that point of the negotiations ended the possibility of further negotiation. During the reception of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath during his sixth visit to the PRC, Deng Xiaoping commented on the impossibility of exchanging sovereignty for administration, declaring an ultimatum: the British government must modify or give up its position or the PRC will announce its resolution of the issue of Hong Kong sovereignty unilaterally.[\[40\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-fmprc-40)
In 1983, [Typhoon Ellen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Ellen_\(1983\) "Typhoon Ellen (1983)") ravaged Hong Kong, causing great amounts of damage to both life and property.[\[41\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-SHT-41) The Hong Kong dollar plummeted on [Black Saturday](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Saturday_\(1983\) "Black Saturday (1983)"), and the [Financial Secretary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_Secretary_of_Hong_Kong "Financial Secretary of Hong Kong") [John Bremridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bremridge "John Bremridge") publicly associated the economic uncertainty with the instability of the political climate.[\[42\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-42) In response, the PRC government condemned Britain through the press for "playing the economic card" in order to achieve their ends: to intimidate the PRC into conceding to British demands.[\[43\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-43)
At one point Deng made it clear that he had no intention of continuing any British administration in any part of Hong Kong. In regards to the treaties establishing British control over Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, Robert Cottrell of *[The Independent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Independent "The Independent")* wrote "In practical terms, the treaties were worthless, sovereignty would be China's in due course, and any row about it would certainly damage Hong Kong in the short term whatever the eventual outcome."[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Cottrell-31)
### British concession
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=6 "Edit section: British concession")\]
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Governor Youde with nine members of the Hong Kong Executive Council travelled to London to discuss with Thatcher the crisis of confidence – the problem with morale among the people of Hong Kong arising from the ruination of the Sino-British talks. The session concluded with Thatcher's writing of a letter addressed to the PRC Premier [Zhao Ziyang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Ziyang "Zhao Ziyang").
In the letter, she expressed Britain's willingness to explore arrangements optimising the future prospects of Hong Kong while utilising the PRC's proposals as a foundation. Furthermore, and perhaps most significantly, she expressed Britain's concession on its position of a continued British presence in the form of an administration post-handover.
Two rounds of negotiations were held in October and November. On the sixth round of talks in November, Britain formally conceded its intentions of either maintaining a British administration in Hong Kong or seeking some form of co-administration with the PRC, and showed its sincerity in discussing PRC's proposal on the 1997 issue.
[Simon Keswick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Keswick "Simon Keswick"), chairman of [Jardine Matheson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardine_Matheson "Jardine Matheson") & Co., said they were not pulling out of Hong Kong, but a new [holding company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holding_company "Holding company") would be established in [Bermuda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda "Bermuda") instead.[\[44\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-44) The PRC took this as yet another plot by the British. The Hong Kong government explained that it had been informed about the move only a few days before the announcement. The government would not and could not stop the company from making a business decision.
Just as the atmosphere of the talks was becoming cordial, members of the [Legislative Council of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong") felt impatient at the long-running secrecy over the progress of Sino-British talks on the Hong Kong issue. A motion, [tabled](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_\(verb\)#Commencing_discussion "Table (verb)") by legislator [Roger Lobo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Lobo "Roger Lobo"), declared "This Council deems it essential that any proposals for the future of Hong Kong should be debated in this Council before agreement is reached", was passed unanimously.[\[45\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-45)
The PRC attacked the motion furiously, referring to it as "somebody's attempt to play the three-legged stool trick again".[\[46\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-46) At length, the PRC and Britain initiated the Joint Declaration on the question of Hong Kong's future in Beijing. [Zhou Nan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Nan "Zhou Nan"), the then PRC Deputy Foreign Minister and leader of the negotiation team, and [Richard Evans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Evans_\(British_diplomat\) "Richard Evans (British diplomat)"), British Ambassador to Beijing and leader of the team, signed respectively on behalf of the two governments.[\[47\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-47)
## Sino-British Joint Declaration
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=7 "Edit section: Sino-British Joint Declaration")\]
Main article: [Sino-British Joint Declaration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration "Sino-British Joint Declaration")
The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed by [Premier of the People's Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Premier of the People's Republic of China") [Zhao Ziyang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Ziyang "Zhao Ziyang") and [Prime Minister of the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom "Prime Minister of the United Kingdom") [Margaret Thatcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher "Margaret Thatcher") on 19 December 1984 in Beijing. The Declaration entered into force with the exchange of instruments of ratification on 27 May 1985 and was registered by the People's Republic of China and United Kingdom governments at the United Nations on 12 June 1985.
In the Joint Declaration, the People's Republic of China Government stated that it had decided to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong (including [Hong Kong Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Island "Hong Kong Island"), Kowloon, and the New Territories) with effect from 1 July 1997 and the United Kingdom Government declared that it would restore Hong Kong to the PRC with effect from 1 July 1997. In the document, the People's Republic of China Government also declared its basic policies regarding Hong Kong.[\[48\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-48)
In accordance with the [One country, two systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_country,_two_systems "One country, two systems") principle agreed between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China, the socialist system of the People's Republic of China would not be practised in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Hong Kong's previous capitalist system and its way of life would remain unchanged for a period of 50 years.[\[49\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-hklii-jointdec-49)
### Universal suffrage
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=8 "Edit section: Universal suffrage")\]
The Hong Kong Basic Law ensured, among other things, that Hong Kong will retain its [legislative system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong"), and people's rights and freedom for fifty years,[\[50\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-50) as a [special administrative region (SAR) of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_administrative_regions_of_China "Special administrative regions of China"). The [central government in Beijing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_China "Government of China") maintains control over Hong Kong's foreign affairs as well as the legal interpretation of the Basic Law. The latter has led democracy advocates and some Hong Kong residents to argue, after the fact, that the territory has yet to achieve [universal suffrage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_suffrage "Universal suffrage") as promised by the [Basic Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Basic_Law "Hong Kong Basic Law"), leading to [mass demonstrations in 2014](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella_Revolution "Umbrella Revolution").[\[51\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-auto-51)[\[52\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-auto1-52)[\[53\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-auto2-53) In 2019, demonstrations that started as a protest [against an extradition law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_Hong_Kong_protests "2019–20 Hong Kong protests") also led to massive demonstrations (1.7 million on 11 and 18 August 2019), again demanding universal suffrage, but also the resignation of [Carrie Lam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Lam "Carrie Lam") (the then-Chief Executive).[\[54\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-BBC19aug2019-54)
In December 2021, Beijing released a document titled "Hong Kong Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems", the second such white paper on Hong Kong affairs since 2014. It stated that the central government will work with "all social groups, sectors and stakeholders towards the ultimate goal of election by universal suffrage of the chief executive" and the [LegCo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong") while also noting that the Chinese constitution and the Basic Law together "empower the HKSAR to exercise a high degree of autonomy and confirm the central authorities' right to supervise the exercise of this autonomy".[\[55\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-scmp-20211220-55)
## Drafting of Basic Law
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=9 "Edit section: Drafting of Basic Law")\]
Main article: [Hong Kong Basic Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Basic_Law "Hong Kong Basic Law")
The [Basic Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Law_of_Hong_Kong "Basic Law of Hong Kong") was drafted by a [Drafting Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Basic_Law_Drafting_Committee "Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee") composed of members from both Hong Kong and [Mainland China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainland_China "Mainland China"). A [Basic Law Consultative Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Basic_Law_Consultative_Committee "Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee") formed purely by Hong Kong people was established in 1985 to canvas views in Hong Kong on the drafts.
The first draft was published in April 1988, followed by a five-month public consultation exercise. The second draft was published in February 1989, and the subsequent consultation period ended in October 1989.
The Basic Law was formally promulgated on 4 April 1990 by the [National People's Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_People%27s_Congress "National People's Congress") and signed by Chinese president [Yang Shangkun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Shangkun "Yang Shangkun"), together with the designs for the flag and emblem of the HKSAR. Some members of the Basic Law drafting committee were ousted by Beijing following [1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests_and_massacre "1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre"), after voicing views supporting the student protesters.
The Basic Law was said to be a mini-[constitution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution "Constitution") drafted with the participation of Hong Kong people. The political system had been the most controversial issue in the drafting of the Basic Law. The special issue sub-group adopted the political model put forward by [Louis Cha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Cha "Louis Cha"). This "mainstream" proposal was criticised for being too conservative.\[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed "Wikipedia:Citation needed")*\]
According to Clauses 158 and 159 of the Basic Law, powers of interpretation and amendment of the Basic Law are vested in the [Standing Committee of the National People's Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_Committee_of_the_National_People%27s_Congress "Standing Committee of the National People's Congress") and the National People's Congress, respectively. Hong Kong's people have limited influence.
## Tide of migration
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=10 "Edit section: Tide of migration")\]
After the [1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests_and_massacre "1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre"), the [Executive Councillors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Executive Council of Hong Kong") and the [Legislative Councillors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong") of Hong Kong unexpectedly held an urgent meeting, in which they agreed unanimously that the British Government should give the people of Hong Kong the [right of abode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_abode_\(United_Kingdom\) "Right of abode (United Kingdom)") in the United Kingdom.[\[56\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-56)
More than 10,000 Hong Kong residents rushed to [Central](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central,_Hong_Kong "Central, Hong Kong") in order to get an application form for residency in the United Kingdom. On the eve of the deadline, over 100,000 lined up overnight for a [British National (Overseas)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_National_\(Overseas\) "British National (Overseas)") (BNO) application form. While mass migration began well before 1989, the event led to the peak migration year in 1992 with 66,000 leaving.[\[57\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-57)
Many citizens were pessimistic towards the future of Hong Kong and the transfer of the region's sovereignty. A tide of emigration, which was to last for no less than five years, broke out. At its peak, citizenship of small countries, such as [Tonga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonga "Tonga"), was also in great demand.[\[58\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-58)
[Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore "Singapore"), which also had a [predominantly Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Singaporeans "Chinese Singaporeans") population, was another popular destination, with the country's Commission (now Consulate-General) being besieged by anxious Hong Kong residents.[\[59\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-59) By September 1989, 6,000 applications for residency in Singapore had been approved by the commission.[\[60\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-60)
In April 1997, the acting [immigration officer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_and_Naturalization_Service "Immigration and Naturalization Service") at the [US Consulate-General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consulate_General_of_the_United_States,_Hong_Kong_and_Macau "Consulate General of the United States, Hong Kong and Macau"), James DeBates, was suspended after his wife was arrested for the smuggling of Chinese migrants into the United States.[\[61\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-61) The previous year, his predecessor, Jerry Stuchiner, had been arrested for smuggling forged Honduran passports into the territory before being sentenced to 40 months in prison.[\[62\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-62)
Canada ([Vancouver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Vancouver "Greater Vancouver") and [Toronto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Toronto "Greater Toronto")), the United Kingdom (London, [Glasgow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow "Glasgow"), and [Manchester](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester "Manchester")), Australia ([Perth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perth "Perth"), [Sydney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Sydney "Greater Sydney") and [Melbourne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne "Melbourne")), and the United States ([San Francisco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay_Area "San Francisco Bay Area"), [New York](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_metropolitan_area "New York metropolitan area"), and [Los Angeles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Los_Angeles_Area "Greater Los Angeles Area")'s [San Gabriel Valley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gabriel_Valley "San Gabriel Valley")) were, by and large, the most popular destinations. The United Kingdom devised the [British Nationality Selection Scheme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Nationality_Selection_Scheme "British Nationality Selection Scheme"), granting 50,000 families British citizenship under the [British Nationality Act (Hong Kong) 1990](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nationality_law_and_Hong_Kong "British nationality law and Hong Kong").[\[63\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-63)
[Vancouver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Canadians_in_Greater_Vancouver "Chinese Canadians in Greater Vancouver") was among the most popular destinations, earning the nickname of "Hongcouver".[\[64\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-64) [Richmond](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_British_Columbia "Richmond, British Columbia"), a suburb of Vancouver, was nicknamed "Little Hong Kong".[\[65\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-65)
All in all, from the start of the settlement of the negotiation in 1984 to 1997, nearly 1 million people emigrated; consequently, Hong Kong suffered serious loss of human and financial capital.[\[66\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-66)
## Last governor
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=11 "Edit section: Last governor")\]
Main article: [1994 Hong Kong electoral reform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Hong_Kong_electoral_reform "1994 Hong Kong electoral reform")
[Chris Patten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Patten "Chris Patten") became the last [Governor of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Hong_Kong "Governor of Hong Kong"). This was regarded as a turning point in Hong Kong's colonial history. Unlike most of his predecessors, Patten was neither a career colonial official nor a career diplomat, but a career politician and a former [Member of Parliament](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_of_Parliament "Member of Parliament") (MP). He introduced democratic reforms which pushed PRC–British relations to a standstill and affected the negotiations for a smooth handover.
Governor Patten introduced a package of electoral reforms in the [Legislative Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong"). These reforms proposed to enlarge the electorate, thus making voting in the Legislative Council more democratic. This move posed significant changes because Hong Kong citizens would have the power to make decisions regarding their future.
After the Patten proposals were passed, Beijing decided to create the [Preliminary Working Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preliminary_Working_Committee "Preliminary Working Committee") (PWC) on 16 July 1993. Although it was seen by some that such a body was necessary in order to prepare for the transition of sovereignty, the row over the Patten proposals enabled Beijing to issue a warning that unilateral action would result in the setting-up of a "second stove" and, when it was formed, to say it was an unfortunate product of British confrontation.[\[67\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-FOOTNOTELoh2010187-67)
The Preliminary Working Committee was dissolved in December 1995 and succeeded by the Preparatory Committee in 1996. The Preparatory Committee was responsible for implementation work related to the establishment of the HKSAR, including the establishment of the [Selection Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selection_Committee_\(Hong_Kong\) "Selection Committee (Hong Kong)"), which in turn was responsible for the [selection of the first chief executive in 1996](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Hong_Kong_Chief_Executive_election "1996 Hong Kong Chief Executive election") and the members of the [Provisional Legislative Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Legislative_Council "Provisional Legislative Council") which replaced the [Legislative Council elected in 1995](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Hong_Kong_legislative_election "1995 Hong Kong legislative election").[\[68\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-FOOTNOTELoh2010188-68) The Provisional Legislative Council reverted most of the Patten's reform, by resuming appointed seats to the District Councils, Urban Council and Regional Council, reintroducing corporate voting in some functional constituencies, narrowing the franchise of the nine new functional constituencies to about 20,000 voters, and changed the "single seat, single constituency" method to the [proportional representation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_representation "Proportional representation") system for the Legislative Council elections.[\[69\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-FOOTNOTESing2004158-69)
Despite the eventual reversal of the electoral system, Patten's reform significantly impacted the Hong Kong political landscape by polarising Hong Kong politics.
## Handover ceremony
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=12 "Edit section: Handover ceremony")\]
Main article: [Hong Kong handover ceremony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_handover_ceremony "Hong Kong handover ceremony")
The handover ceremony was held at the new wing of the [Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Convention_and_Exhibition_Centre "Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre") in [Wan Chai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wan_Chai "Wan Chai") on the night of 30 June 1997.
The principal British guest was [Prince Charles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Charles "Prince Charles"), who read a farewell speech on behalf of [Queen Elizabeth II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_II "Queen Elizabeth II"). The newly elected [Labour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Party_\(UK\) "Labour Party (UK)") prime minister, [Tony Blair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Blair "Tony Blair"); the [foreign secretary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Secretary_\(United_Kingdom\) "Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)"), [Robin Cook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Cook "Robin Cook"); the departing [governor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Hong_Kong "Governor of Hong Kong"), [Chris Patten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Patten "Chris Patten"); and the [chief of the Defence Staff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_of_the_Defence_Staff_\(United_Kingdom\) "Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)"), [General Sir Charles Guthrie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Guthrie,_Baron_Guthrie_of_Craigiebank "Charles Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank"), also attended.
Representing the People's Republic of China were the [CCP general secretary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Secretary_of_the_Chinese_Communist_Party "General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party") and [Chinese president](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "President of the People's Republic of China"), [Jiang Zemin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiang_Zemin "Jiang Zemin"); the [Chinese premier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Premier of the People's Republic of China"), [Li Peng](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Peng "Li Peng"); [Vice premier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Premier_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China") and [foreign minister](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_of_Foreign_Affairs_\(China\) "Minister of Foreign Affairs (China)"), [Qian Qichen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qian_Qichen "Qian Qichen"); [Vice chairman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Chairman_of_the_Central_Military_Commission "Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission") of the [Central Military Commission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Military_Commission_\(China\) "Central Military Commission (China)"), General [Zhang Wannian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Wannian "Zhang Wannian"); and the first chief executive [Tung Chee-hwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_Chee-hwa "Tung Chee-hwa"). The event was broadcast around the world.[\[70\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-70)[\[71\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-71)
## Additional effects
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=13 "Edit section: Additional effects")\]
Chinese communists portrayed the return of Hong Kong as a key moment in the PRC's rise to [great power](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_power "Great power") status.[\[72\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-:172-72): 51
### Before and after handover
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=14 "Edit section: Before and after handover")\]
| Unchanged after 30 June 1997 | Changed after 30 June 1997 |
|---|---|
| English continued as an official language and is still taught in all schools. However, many schools teach in [Cantonese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantonese "Cantonese") in parallel with [Mandarin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese "Standard Chinese") and English.[\[73\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-73) The border with the mainland, while now known as the [boundary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundaries_of_Hong_Kong "Boundaries of Hong Kong"), continued to be patrolled as before, with separate immigration and customs controls.[\[74\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-74) [Hong Kong residents](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_residents "Hong Kong residents") were still required to apply for a [Mainland Travel Permit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainland_Travel_Permit_for_Hong_Kong_and_Macao_Residents "Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents"), in order to visit mainland China.[\[75\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-75) Residents of mainland China still did not have the [right of abode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_abode "Right of abode") in Hong Kong.[\[76\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-76) Instead, they had to apply for a permit to [visit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-way_Permit "Two-way Permit") or [settle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-way_Permit "One-way Permit") in Hong Kong from the PRC government.[\[77\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-77) Hong Kong remained a [common law jurisdiction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law_jurisdiction "Common law jurisdiction"), with a separate legal system from that [used in the mainland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Law of the People's Republic of China"), with previous laws remaining in force provided that they did not conflict with the [Basic Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Law_of_Hong_Kong "Basic Law of Hong Kong").[\[78\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-78) The [Hong Kong dollar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_dollar "Hong Kong dollar") continued to be used as its sole currency, and the responsibility of the [Hong Kong Monetary Authority](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Monetary_Authority "Hong Kong Monetary Authority").[\[79\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-79) The [Bank of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_China_\(Hong_Kong\) "Bank of China (Hong Kong)") had already started issuing banknotes in 1994.[\[80\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-80) Hong Kong continued to operate as a separate customs territory from mainland China under Article 116 of the Basic Law.[\[81\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-81) Hong Kong remained an individual member of various international organisations, such as the [World Trade Organization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization "World Trade Organization") and [APEC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APEC "APEC").[\[82\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-82) Hong Kong, which remained an individual member of the [International Olympic Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Olympic_Committee "International Olympic Committee"), continued to send its own team to international sporting events such as the Olympics.[\[83\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Olympic-83) Hong Kong maintained [Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Economic_and_Trade_Office "Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office") overseas, as well as in the Greater China Region. These include the offices in London, Washington D.C., [Brussels](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels "Brussels") and [Geneva](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva "Geneva"), previously known as Hong Kong Government Offices.[\[84\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-84) Many countries' [consulates-general](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consular_missions_in_Hong_Kong "Consular missions in Hong Kong") in Hong Kong remained outside the jurisdiction of their embassies in Beijing, such as the United States [Consulate General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consulate_General_of_the_United_States,_Hong_Kong "Consulate General of the United States, Hong Kong"), which reports directly to the [Department of State](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State "United States Department of State").[\[85\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-85) The Chung Hwa Travel Service, which functioned as [Taiwan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan "Taiwan")'s [*de facto* mission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_facto_embassy "De facto embassy") in Hong Kong, continued to function as before, issuing visas to visitors from Hong Kong, mainland China and other countries.[\[86\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-86) In 2011 it was renamed the [Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_Economic_and_Cultural_Office_in_Hong_Kong "Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong").[\[87\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-87) Hong Kong continued to negotiate and maintain its own aviation bilateral treaties with foreign countries and territories.[\[88\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-88) Agreements with [Taiwan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan "Taiwan") signed in 1996 remained in force after the change of sovereignty, and were replaced by "the air transportation agreement between Taiwan and Hong Kong", which retained international regulations, such as regulations on customs.[\[89\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-89) Signs (and fonts), labels, and roadway construction standards on Hong Kong roads and expressways continue to follow the [European Union roadway standards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_the_European_Union "Transport in the European Union"), particularly those of the UK.[\[90\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-90) Hong Kong continued to [drive on the left](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-_and_right-hand_traffic "Left- and right-hand traffic"), unlike mainland China, which drives on the right.[\[91\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-91) [Vehicle registration plates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Hong_Kong "Vehicle registration plates of Hong Kong") continued to be modelled on [those of the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_the_United_Kingdom "Vehicle registration plates of the United Kingdom"), white on the front and yellow on the back, with the vehicle registration mark in a similar font.[\[92\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-92) Hong Kong-registered vehicles still required special [cross-border](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_China#Cross-border_with_Hong_Kong_and_Macau "Vehicle registration plates of China") plates to travel to and from mainland China, similar to those of [Guangdong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangdong "Guangdong").[\[93\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-93) Vehicles registered in the mainland can enter Hong Kong under the [Hong Kong mainland China driving scheme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_mainland_China_driving_scheme "Hong Kong mainland China driving scheme").[\[94\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-scmp1-94) [Hong Kong residents](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_residents "Hong Kong residents") continued to have easier access to many countries, including those in Europe and North America, with [Hong Kong SAR passport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Special_Administrative_Region_passport "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport") holders having visa-free access to 154 other countries and territories.[\[95\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-95) Former colonial citizens could continue using [British National (Overseas)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_National_\(Overseas\)_passport "British National (Overseas) passport") and [British citizen passports](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_passport "British passport") abroad, though China stopped recognizing them in 2021. (See: [British nationality law and Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nationality_law_and_Hong_Kong "British nationality law and Hong Kong")) Until 2020, it continued to have significantly more political freedoms than [mainland China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainland_China "Mainland China"), with the holding of demonstrations and the [annual memorial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorials_for_the_Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989#Hong_Kong "Memorials for the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989") to commemorate the [Tiananmen Square protests of 1989](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989 "Tiananmen Square protests of 1989") continuing to be held in [Victoria Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Park,_Hong_Kong "Victoria Park, Hong Kong").[\[96\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-96) Upon the enactment of the [Hong Kong national security law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Hong_Kong_national_security_law "2020 Hong Kong national security law"), some activities, such as the vigil, have since been officially banned, although others, such as Falun Gong, remain generally tolerated. It continued to have a [multi-party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Hong_Kong "List of political parties in Hong Kong") political system, though [2021 electoral reforms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Hong_Kong_electoral_changes "2021 Hong Kong electoral changes") of the legislative and district councils required "[patriots administering Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriots_administering_Hong_Kong "Patriots administering Hong Kong")".[\[97\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-97)[\[98\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-98) This is separate from the [one-party system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-party_state "One-party state") led by the [Chinese Communist Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Communist_Party "Chinese Communist Party") in the mainland.[\[99\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-99) It continued to have more [freedom of the press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_the_press "Freedom of the press") than mainland China, under Article 27 of the Basic Law, despite the growing influence of Beijing.[\[100\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-100) It also continued to have more religious freedoms, with the [Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Hong_Kong "Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong") remaining under the jurisdiction of the [Holy See](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_See "Holy See"), instead of the [Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Patriotic_Catholic_Association "Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association") on the mainland.[\[101\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-101) The [Falun Gong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falun_Gong "Falun Gong") spiritual practice also remained legal in Hong Kong, despite encountering opposition from the SAR government.[\[102\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-dangerous-102) Many other technical standards from the United Kingdom, such as electrical plugs ([BS 1363](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BS_1363 "BS 1363")) are still used in Hong Kong.[\[103\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-103) However, telephone companies changed from installing [UK-style](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Standard "British Standard") [BS 6312](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BS_6312 "BS 6312") telephone sockets to installing [US-style](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registered_jack "Registered jack") [RJ11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_connector#6P2C "Modular connector") ones.[\[104\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-104) Hong Kong also adopted the [digital TV standard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Terrestrial_Multimedia_Broadcast "Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast") devised in mainland China for [TV transmissions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_in_Hong_Kong "Television in Hong Kong"), instead of [DVB-T](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVB-T "DVB-T"), to replace [PAL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAL "PAL")\-I.[\[105\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-105) (See: [Technical standards in Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_standards_in_Hong_Kong "Technical standards in Hong Kong")) Hong Kong retained a separate [international dialling code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_calling_code "Country calling code") (852) and [telephone numbering plan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_telephone_numbering_plan "Hong Kong telephone numbering plan") from that of the [mainland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_telephone_numbering_plan "China telephone numbering plan").[\[106\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-106) Calls between Hong Kong and the mainland still required international dialling.[\[107\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-107) Hong Kong retained a separate [ISO 3166](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166 "ISO 3166") code, [HK](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-2:HK "ISO 3166-2:HK").[\[108\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-108) It also retained a [top-level domain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_code_top-level_domain "Country code top-level domain"), [.hk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.hk ".hk").[\[109\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-109) However, the [Chinese code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-2:CN "ISO 3166-2:CN") CN-91 was also used.[\[110\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-110) Hong Kong retained its own separate [postal services](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_service "Postal service"), with [Hongkong Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongkong_Post "Hongkong Post") continuing to operate separately from [China Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Post "China Post").[\[111\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-111) It was not made part of the [Chinese postcode system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_postal_codes_in_China "List of postal codes in China"), nor did it introduce a postcode system of its own.[\[112\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-112) The Hong Kong government continued to make a subvention to the [English Schools Foundation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Schools_Foundation "English Schools Foundation"), responsible for English-medium schools, which would not be phased out until 2016.[\[113\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-113) The former British military drill, marching and words of command in English remained in service among disciplinary forces until 2022 when Chinese foot drills were introduced to completely replace that of the UK.[\[114\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-114)[\[115\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-115) Statues of British monarchs remained. [Queen Victoria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria "Queen Victoria")'s statue remains in [Victoria Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Park,_Hong_Kong "Victoria Park, Hong Kong").[\[116\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-116) [King George VI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_George_VI "King George VI")'s statue similarly remained in [Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Zoological_and_Botanical_Gardens "Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens").[\[117\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-117) British-inspired road names remain unchanged.[\[118\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-SCMP1994-118) | From 2012, secondary education moved away from the English model of 6 years secondary schooling plus two years of university matriculation to the Chinese model of three years of junior secondary plus another three years of senior secondary, while university education was extended from three years to four.[\[119\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-119) The [chief executive](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Executive_of_Hong_Kong "Chief Executive of Hong Kong") became the [head of government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_of_government "Head of government"), [elected](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Hong_Kong "Elections in Hong Kong") by a [Selection Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selection_Committee_\(Hong_Kong\) "Selection Committee (Hong Kong)"), whose members were mainly elected from among professional sectors and business leaders.[\[120\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-120) The [Governor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Hong_Kong "Governor of Hong Kong") was appointed by the United Kingdom.[\[121\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-121) The [Legislative Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong"), [elected in 1995](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Hong_Kong_legislative_election "1995 Hong Kong legislative election"), was dissolved and replaced by a [Provisional Legislative Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Legislative_Council "Provisional Legislative Council"), before elections were held to a new Council, in which only 20 out of 60 seats were directly elected.[\[122\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-122) The decision to dissolve the Legislative Council and replace it with a Provisional Legislative Council was criticised by representatives of the UK government.[\[123\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-123) Foreign nationals were not allowed to stand for directly elected seats in the [Legislative Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong"), only for [indirectly elected](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_constituency_\(Hong_Kong\) "Functional constituency (Hong Kong)") seats.[\[124\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-124) All public office buildings now flew the flags of the [PRC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Flag of the People's Republic of China") and the [Hong Kong SAR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Hong_Kong "Flag of Hong Kong"). The [Union Flag](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Flag "Union Flag") now flew only outside the [British Consulate-General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Consulate-General,_Hong_Kong "British Consulate-General, Hong Kong") and other British premises. The British national anthem, "[God Save the Queen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Save_the_Queen "God Save the Queen")", was no longer played at [closedown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closedown "Closedown") on [television stations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_in_Hong_Kong "Television in Hong Kong").[\[125\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-125) The Chinese national anthem, "[March of the Volunteers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_of_the_Volunteers "March of the Volunteers")", was now played instead.[\[126\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-126) At international sporting events such as the Olympics, Hong Kong was now known as [Hong Kong, China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_at_the_Olympics "Hong Kong at the Olympics").[\[83\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Olympic-83) Hong Kong athletes and teams compete under the Hong Kong SAR flag instead of the British flag of Hong Kong, and gold medallists were honoured with the Chinese national anthem, instead of the British national anthem.[\[127\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-127) The [Court of Final Appeal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Court_of_Final_Appeal "Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal") replaced the [Judicial Committee of the Privy Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_Committee_of_the_Privy_Council "Judicial Committee of the Privy Council") as the highest court of appeal.[\[128\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-128) The [Supreme Court](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_\(Hong_Kong\) "Supreme Court (Hong Kong)") was replaced by the [High Court](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Court_\(Hong_Kong\) "High Court (Hong Kong)").[\[129\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-129) The [Attorney General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_for_Justice_\(Hong_Kong\)#Attorneys_General_before_1997 "Secretary for Justice (Hong Kong)") was replaced by the [Secretary for Justice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_for_Justice_\(Hong_Kong\) "Secretary for Justice (Hong Kong)").[\[130\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-130) The [Central People's Government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_People%27s_Government "Central People's Government") was now formally represented in Hong Kong by a [Liaison Office](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Liaison_Office "Hong Kong Liaison Office"), dealing with domestic matters.[\[131\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-131) This had been established under British rule as the [Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong Branch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinhua_News_Agency_Hong_Kong_Branch "Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong Branch"), before it adopted its present name in 2000.[\[132\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-132) The Hong Kong SAR Government was now formally represented in Beijing by the [Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Government_of_the_Hong_Kong_Special_Administrative_Region_in_Beijing "Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Beijing").[\[133\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-133) The [Ministry of Foreign Affairs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_\(China\) "Ministry of Foreign Affairs (China)") was represented in Hong Kong by a [Commissioner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Commissioner_of_the_Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_\(Hong_Kong\) "Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Hong Kong)").[\[134\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-134) The [People's Liberation Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Liberation_Army "People's Liberation Army") established the [Hong Kong Garrison](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Garrison "Hong Kong Garrison"), taking over responsibility for defence from [British Forces Overseas Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Forces_Overseas_Hong_Kong "British Forces Overseas Hong Kong").[\[135\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-135) The Prince of Wales Building was renamed the [Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_People%27s_Liberation_Army_Forces_Hong_Kong_Building "Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building"), while the Prince of Wales Barracks was similarly renamed the Central Barracks, with effect from January 2002.[\[136\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-136) Flags were no longer flown at the [Cenotaph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cenotaph_\(Hong_Kong\) "The Cenotaph (Hong Kong)") to remember the war dead; previously British troops raised flags representing the [British Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army "British Army"), [Royal Navy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Navy "Royal Navy") and [Royal Air Force](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Force "Royal Air Force") every morning, lowering them again before sunset.[\[137\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-137) [Government House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_House,_Hong_Kong "Government House, Hong Kong") was not used as the residence of the first chief executive, [Tung Chee-hwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_Chee-hwa "Tung Chee-hwa").[\[138\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Slow_but_Sure-138) However, his successor, [Donald Tsang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Tsang "Donald Tsang"), moved into the compound in 2007.[\[139\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-139) [Queen Elizabeth II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II "Elizabeth II")'s portrait was removed from public offices.[\[140\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Battle_Royal-140) Coins issued since 1993 no longer had the Queen's head, instead having the [Bauhinia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhinia_%C3%97_blakeana#Usage_as_an_emblem "Bauhinia × blakeana").[\[141\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-141) Postage stamps now displayed the words "Hong Kong, China".[\[142\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-142) A set of definitive stamps, bearing the words "Hong Kong" with no connotation of sovereignty, was introduced in January 1997.[\[143\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-143) The "[Royal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Charter "Royal Charter")" title was dropped from almost all [organisations that had been granted it](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Charter#Hong_Kong "Royal Charter"), with the exception of the [Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Hong_Kong_Yacht_Club "Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club").[\[140\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Battle_Royal-140) The [Crown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Edward%27s_Crown "St Edward's Crown") was removed from the crest of the [Hong Kong Police Force](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Police_Force "Hong Kong Police Force"), and replaced by the [Bauhinia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhinia_%C3%97_blakeana#Usage_as_an_emblem "Bauhinia × blakeana").[\[140\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Battle_Royal-140) Legal references to the "[Crown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crown "The Crown")" were replaced by references to the "State".[\[144\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-144) [Barristers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrister "Barrister") who had been appointed [Queen's Counsel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Counsel "Queen's Counsel") would now be known as [Senior Counsel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senior_Counsel "Senior Counsel").[\[145\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-145) The [British honours system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_honours_system "British honours system") was replaced by a local system, in which the [Grand Bauhinia Medal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Bauhinia_Medal "Grand Bauhinia Medal") was the highest award.[\[146\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-146) [Public holidays](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Hong_Kong "Public holidays in Hong Kong") changed, with British-inspired occasions, such as the [Queen's Official Birthday](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Birthday "Queen's Birthday"), [Liberation Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_over_Japan_Day#Hong_Kong "Victory over Japan Day"), and [Remembrance Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day "Remembrance Day") being replaced by [PRC National Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRC_National_Day "PRC National Day") and [Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_SAR_Establishment_Day "Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day").[\[118\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-SCMP1994-118) [Double Ten Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Ten_Day "Double Ten Day"), commemorating the establishment of the [Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_\(1912-49\) "Republic of China (1912-49)"), was abolished as a public holiday in 1950.[\[147\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-147) Many of the red [Royal Mail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mail "Royal Mail") [pillar boxes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_box "Pillar box") were removed from the streets of Hong Kong and replaced by green [Hongkong Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongkong_Post "Hongkong Post") boxes.[\[138\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Slow_but_Sure-138) All others were re-painted.[\[148\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-148) British citizens (without right of abode in Hong Kong) were no longer able to work in Hong Kong without a visa; the policy was changed on 1 April 1997.[\[149\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-149)[\[150\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Offshore_Investment-150) The United Kingdom was now represented by the [British Consulate General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consulate_General_of_the_United_Kingdom,_Hong_Kong "Consulate General of the United Kingdom, Hong Kong"), which reports directly to the [Foreign and Commonwealth Office](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_and_Commonwealth_Office "Foreign and Commonwealth Office").[\[151\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-151) This has responsibility for British citizens, instead of the [Hong Kong Immigration Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Immigration_Department "Hong Kong Immigration Department").[\[152\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-152) Previously, the country's commercial interests were represented by a British Trade Commission.[\[153\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-153) It was headed by a Senior Trade Commissioner, who became the first Consul-General.[\[154\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-154) Hong Kong was no longer linked to the [Commonwealth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations "Commonwealth of Nations") and no longer participated in related [organisations or events](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_Family "Commonwealth Family").[\[155\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-155) [Consular missions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consular_missions_in_Hong_Kong "Consular missions in Hong Kong") of Commonwealth member states in Hong Kong were no longer known as Commissions, but as Consulates-General.[\[156\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-156) Countries which did not have diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom, but had diplomatic relations with China, such as [North Korea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea "North Korea") and [Iran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran "Iran"), were allowed to establish or re-open Consulates-General.[\[157\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-157) Consulates of countries which maintained diplomatic relations with [Taiwan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan "Taiwan") were closed.[\[158\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-SCMP_Liberia-158) Only South Africa, which was to establish relations with the People's Republic of China from 1998, was allowed to keep its Consulate General open for an interim period.[\[159\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-159) Hong Kong's [aircraft registration prefix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_registration#List_of_countries/regions_and_their_registration_prefixes_and_patterns "Aircraft registration") changed from **VR** to **B**, bringing it into line with mainland China and Taiwan.[\[160\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-160) Newspapers, such as the *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, changed to heading their pages with "National", rather than "Local" and 'China', and began including Chinese names in Chinese characters. However, the online edition still uses "China" and only displays Chinese names in Roman script.[\[161\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-161) A giant golden statue of a *[Bauhinia blakeana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhinia_blakeana "Bauhinia blakeana")* was erected in a public space outside the [Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Convention_and_Exhibition_Centre "Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre"), named [Golden Bauhinia Square](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Bauhinia_Square "Golden Bauhinia Square"), along with a [Reunification Monument](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_in_Commemoration_of_the_Return_of_Hong_Kong_to_China "Monument in Commemoration of the Return of Hong Kong to China").[\[162\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-162) Absolute [state immunity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_immunity "State immunity") was restored in Hong Kong until 2024.[\[163\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-163)[\[164\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-164) |
### Rose Garden Project
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=15 "Edit section: Rose Garden Project")\]
Main article: [Port and Airport Development Strategy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_and_Airport_Development_Strategy "Port and Airport Development Strategy")
After the [Tiananmen Square protests of 1989](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989 "Tiananmen Square protests of 1989"), the Hong Kong government proposed a grand "Rose Garden Project" to restore faith and solidarity among the residents.[\[165\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-165) As the construction of the new [Hong Kong International Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_International_Airport "Hong Kong International Airport") would extend well after the handover, Governor Wilson met PRC Premier [Li Peng](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Peng "Li Peng") in Beijing to ease the mind of the PRC government.[\[166\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-166)
The communist press published stories that the project was an evil plan to bleed Hong Kong dry before the handover, leaving the territory in serious debt.[\[167\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-167) After three years of negotiations, Britain and the PRC finally reached an agreement over the construction of the new airport, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding.[\[168\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-168) Removing hills and reclaiming land, it took only a few years to construct the new airport.
### Views of the Kowloon Walled City
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=16 "Edit section: Views of the Kowloon Walled City")\]
Main article: [Kowloon Walled City](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City "Kowloon Walled City")
The Walled City was originally a single fort built in the mid-19th century on the site of an earlier 17th-century watch post on the [Kowloon Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Peninsula "Kowloon Peninsula") of Hong Kong.[\[169\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-169) After the ceding of [Hong Kong Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Island "Hong Kong Island") to Britain in 1842 ([Treaty of Nanjing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Nanjing "Treaty of Nanjing")), [Manchu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchu "Manchu") [Qing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing "Qing") Dynasty authorities of China felt it necessary for them to establish a military and administrative post to rule the area and to check further British influence in the area.
The 1898 Convention which handed additional parts of Hong Kong (the [New Territories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Territories "New Territories")) to Britain for 99 years excluded the Walled City, with a population of roughly 700. It stated that China could continue to keep troops there, so long as they did not interfere with Britain's temporary rule.
Britain quickly went back on this unofficial part of the agreement, attacking Kowloon Walled City in 1899, only to find it deserted. They did nothing with it, or the outpost, which raised the question of Kowloon Walled City's ownership. The outpost consisted of a [yamen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamen "Yamen"), as well as buildings which grew into low-lying, densely packed neighbourhoods from the 1890s to 1940s.
The [enclave](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclave "Enclave") remained part of Chinese territory despite the turbulent events of the early 20th century that saw the fall of the Qing government, the establishment of the [Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_\(1912%E2%80%9349\) "Republic of China (1912–49)") and, later, a [Communist Chinese government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China "China") (PRC).
Squatters began to occupy the Walled City, resisting several attempts by Britain in 1948 to drive them out. The Walled City became a haven for criminals and drug addicts, as the [Hong Kong Police](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Police "Hong Kong Police") had no right to enter the City and China refused maintainability. The 1949 foundation of the People's Republic of China added thousands of refugees to the population, many from [Guangdong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangdong "Guangdong"); by this time, Britain had had enough, and simply adopted a "hands-off" policy.
A murder that occurred in Kowloon Walled City in 1959 set off a small diplomatic crisis, as the two nations each tried to get the other to accept responsibility for a vast tract of land now virtually ruled by anti-[Manchurian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_dynasty "Qing dynasty") [Triads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triad_society "Triad society").
After the [Joint Declaration in 1984](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration "Sino-British Joint Declaration"), the PRC allowed British authorities to demolish the city and resettle its inhabitants. The mutual decision to tear down the walled city was made in 1987.[\[170\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-170) The government spent up to [HK\$](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HKD "HKD")3 billion to resettle the residents and shops.
Some residents were not satisfied with the compensation, and some even obstructed the demolition in every possible way.[\[171\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-171) Ultimately, everything was settled, and the Walled City became a [park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City_Park "Kowloon Walled City Park").[\[172\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-172)
## International reaction
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=17 "Edit section: International reaction")\]
The Republic of China (Taiwan) promulgated the *Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs* on 2 April 1997 by [Presidential](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_Republic_of_China "President of the Republic of China") Order, and the [Executive Yuan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Yuan "Executive Yuan") on 19 June 1997 ordered the provisions pertaining to Hong Kong to take effect on 1 July 1997.[\[173\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-173)
The [United States–Hong Kong Policy Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States%E2%80%93Hong_Kong_Policy_Act "United States–Hong Kong Policy Act") or more commonly known as the Hong Kong Policy Act ([PL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_law "Public law") no. 102-383m 106 Stat. 1448) is a 1992 act enacted by the [United States Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress "United States Congress"). It allows the United States to continue to treat Hong Kong separately from China for matters concerning trade export and economics control after the handover.[\[174\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-HKrev-174)
The United States was represented by then [Secretary of State](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_State "United States Secretary of State") [Madeleine Albright](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_Albright "Madeleine Albright") at the [Hong Kong handover ceremony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_handover_ceremony "Hong Kong handover ceremony").[\[175\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-175) However, she partially boycotted it in protest of China's dissolution of the democratically elected Hong Kong legislature.[\[176\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-176)
## End of the British Empire
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=18 "Edit section: End of the British Empire")\]
See also: [Decolonization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decolonization "Decolonization") and [List of countries that have gained independence from the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_that_have_gained_independence_from_the_United_Kingdom "List of countries that have gained independence from the United Kingdom")
The handover marked the end of British rule in Hong Kong, which was Britain's last substantial overseas territory. Although in statute law set down by [Parliament](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_the_United_Kingdom "Parliament of the United Kingdom"), British Hong Kong had no status of pre-eminence vis-a-vis the other [British Dependent Territories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Dependent_Territories "British Dependent Territories") (as they were then classified before the term British Overseas Territory was [introduced in 2002](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Overseas_Territories_Act_2002 "British Overseas Territories Act 2002")), Hong Kong was by far the most populous and economically potent. In 1997 the colony had a population of approximately 6.5 million, which represented roughly 97% of the population of the British Dependent Territories as a whole at that time (the next largest, [Bermuda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda "Bermuda"), having a 1997 population of approximately only 62,000). With a [gross domestic product](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_domestic_product "Gross domestic product") of approximately US\$180 billion in the last year of British rule,[\[177\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-177) Hong Kong's economy was roughly 11% the size of Britain's.[\[178\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-178) Therefore, although the economies of the [United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_Kingdom "Economy of the United Kingdom") and [Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Hong_Kong "Economy of Hong Kong") were measured separately, the Handover did mean the British economy in its very broadest sense became substantially smaller (by comparison, the acquisition of Hong Kong boosted the size of the [Chinese economy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Economy of the People's Republic of China"), which was then smaller than the United Kingdom's, by 18.4%).[\[179\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-179) As a comparator to Hong Kong, in 2017 Bermuda (as with population, the economically largest of Britain's remaining territories) had a GDP of only US\$4.7 billion.[\[180\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-180)
The cession of Hong Kong meant that Britain's remaining territories (excepting the United Kingdom itself) henceforth consisted either of uninhabited lands (for instance the [British Antarctic Territory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Antarctic_Territory "British Antarctic Territory")), small islands or micro land masses (such as [Montserrat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat "Montserrat")), territories used as military bases (for example [Akrotiri and Dhekelia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akrotiri_and_Dhekelia "Akrotiri and Dhekelia") on the island of [Cyprus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus "Cyprus"), itself a former [crown colony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_colony "Crown colony") granted independence in 1960), or a combination of the latter two (like [Gibraltar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar "Gibraltar")). While many of Britain's remaining territories are significant to the global economy by virtue of being [offshore financial centres](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offshore_financial_centre "Offshore financial centre") (Bermuda, the [British Virgin Islands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Virgin_Islands "British Virgin Islands"), and the [Cayman Islands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayman_Islands "Cayman Islands") being the most prominent of these), their economies are insubstantial. Demographically, they are also tiny compared to Britain, with a collective population of less than 0.4% of Britain's 2017 population of 66 million.[\[181\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-181) As of 2018, the combined population of Britain's remaining fourteen Overseas Territories is approximately 250,000, which is less than all but three [districts of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Districts_of_Hong_Kong "Districts of Hong Kong"), and roughly equal to that of the [City of Westminster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Westminster "City of Westminster").
Consequently, because ceding Hong Kong came at the end of half a century of decolonisation, and because the handover meant that the United Kingdom became without significant overseas territories, [dominions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominions "Dominions"), or [colonies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonies "Colonies") for the first time in its history ([Great Britain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Great_Britain "Kingdom of Great Britain"), having been bequeathed the incipient domains of its later empire by inheriting the [colonial possessions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_overseas_possessions "English overseas possessions") of the [Kingdom of England](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_England "Kingdom of England") upon the passing of the [Acts of Union 1707](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Union_1707 "Acts of Union 1707"), always having been an imperial power, [ab initio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ab_initio "Ab initio")), the handover of Hong Kong to China is regarded by many (including [King Charles III](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_III "Charles III")) as marking the conclusion of the [British Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire "British Empire"), with 1 July 1997 being its end date and the handover ceremony being its last diplomatic act.
## In popular culture
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=19 "Edit section: In popular culture")\]
Scholars have begun to study the complexities of the transfer as shown in the popular media, such as films, television and video and online games. For example, Hong Kong director [Fruit Chan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_Chan "Fruit Chan") made a sci-fi thriller *[The Midnight After](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Midnight_After "The Midnight After")* (2014) that stressed the sense of loss and alienation represented by survivors in an apocalyptic Hong Kong. Chan infuses a political agenda in the film by playing on Hong Kongers' collective anxiety towards communist China.[\[182\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-182) Yiman Wang has argued that America has viewed China through the prisms of films from Shanghai and Hong Kong, with a recent emphasis on futuristic disaster films set in Hong Kong after the transfer goes awry.[\[183\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-183)
- The first scripts of 1997 James Bond film *[Tomorrow Never Dies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomorrow_Never_Dies "Tomorrow Never Dies")* featured a violent disruption of the transfer of Hong Kong. The plot was re-written out of the concern that if something were to happen during the handover, the film, scheduled to release a few months later, would look out of place.[\[184\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-184)
- The handover is central to the plot of the 1998 action comedy *[Rush Hour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Hour_\(1998_film\) "Rush Hour (1998 film)")*.[\[185\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-185)[\[186\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Singh_2016-186)
- It is also mentioned in another 1998 film – *[Knock Off](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knock_Off_\(film\) "Knock Off (film)")*.[\[187\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-187)
- The handover is the backdrop for "A Death in Hong Kong", the first episode the [tenth season](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder,_She_Wrote_\(season_10\) "Murder, She Wrote (season 10)") of *[Murder, She Wrote](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder,_She_Wrote "Murder, She Wrote")*.[\[188\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-188)[\[186\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Singh_2016-186)
- Hong Kong Cantopop artist [Sam Hui](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Hui "Samuel Hui") has made numerous references to 1997 including the song "Could Not Care Less About 1997" (話知你97).[\[189\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-189)
- The 1991 song "[Queen's Road East](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Road_East_\(song\) "Queen's Road East (song)")" by [Lo Ta-yu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lo_Ta-yu "Lo Ta-yu") featuring [Ram Chiang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Chiang "Ram Chiang") satirically expresses the anxiety felt by Hong Kong residents over the handover.[\[190\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-:12-190)
- [Cui Jian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cui_Jian "Cui Jian")'s 1997 single "Get Over That Day" tells the story of a man who learns about the impending return of his never-before-met sister to their [dysfunctional family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysfunctional_family "Dysfunctional family"), alluding to the handover of Hong Kong.[\[191\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-191)[\[192\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-192)
- Chinese American rapper [Jin Auyeung](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_Auyeung "Jin Auyeung") has a song called "1997" in his Cantonese album *ABC*, which he makes references to the handover, ten years since Hong Kong's return to China.[\[193\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-193)
- *[Zero Minus Ten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Minus_Ten "Zero Minus Ten")*, a [James Bond](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond "James Bond") novel by [Raymond Benson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Benson "Raymond Benson"), is set largely in Hong Kong during the days leading up to the Handover.[\[194\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-194)[\[186\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Singh_2016-186)
- The 2012 James Bond film *[Skyfall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyfall "Skyfall")* features [a villain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_Silva "Raoul Silva") who had been an [MI6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MI6 "MI6") agent in Hong Kong until the Handover, when he was handed over to the Chinese for his unauthorised [hacking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_\(computer_security\) "Hacker (computer security)") of their security networks.[\[195\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-195)
- The *[Doctor Who Unbound](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who_Unbound "Doctor Who Unbound")* audio drama *[Sympathy for the Devil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathy_for_the_Devil_\(audio_drama\) "Sympathy for the Devil (audio drama)")* by [Jonathan Clements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Clements "Jonathan Clements") is set on the eve of the Handover and involves an attempted defection by a war criminal, only hours before China takes control.[\[186\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Singh_2016-186)
- The 2014 video game *[Wargame: Red Dragon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wargame:_Red_Dragon "Wargame: Red Dragon")* features a campaign set in an alternate history in which negotiations over the ceding of Hong Kong break down resulting in armed conflict.
- *[Hong Kong 97](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_97_\(film\) "Hong Kong 97 (film)")*, a 1994 [American](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_films "American films") movie starring [Robert Patrick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Patrick "Robert Patrick"), is set in Hong Kong during the 24 hours before the end of British rule.[\[196\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-196)
- *[Hong Kong 97](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_97_\(video_game\) "Hong Kong 97 (video game)")*, a 1995 Japanese [homebrew](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homebrew_\(video_games\) "Homebrew (video games)") [SNES](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System "Super Nintendo Entertainment System") game, is set in Hong Kong around the time of the transition. The player controls Chin ([Jackie Chan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Chan "Jackie Chan")), who was called by the Hong Kong government to kill the invading Chinese, including [Tong Shau Ping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tong_Shau_Ping "Tong Shau Ping"). The game gained a [cult following](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_following "Cult following") due to its [very poor quality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuso "Kuso") and absurd plot.[\[197\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-197)
- The handover of Hong Kong is referenced multiple times and witnessed in the 1997 film *[Chinese Box](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Box "Chinese Box")*, starring [Jeremy Irons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Irons "Jeremy Irons") and [Gong Li](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gong_Li "Gong Li"). The film itself was filmed leading up to and during the handover.[\[198\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-NYT-198)
- The handover is depicted near the conclusion of the 2003 Hong Kong film *[Infernal Affairs II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infernal_Affairs_II "Infernal Affairs II")*, with the event referenced throughout the film and serves as the background of the story. Analysis on the franchise has suggested the films' messaging to be associated with fears, anxieties and identity crisis of the Hong-Kong identity post-takeover.[\[199\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-199)
- The handover of Hong Kong is portrayed in the [fifth season](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crown_\(season_5\) "The Crown (season 5)") of [Netflix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netflix "Netflix")'s historical-drama series *[The Crown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crown_\(TV_series\) "The Crown (TV series)")* (2022), in the season's final episode "Decommissioned".
## See also
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=20 "Edit section: See also")\]
- [History of Chinese immigration to Canada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chinese_immigration_to_Canada#Immigration_in_the_21st_century "History of Chinese immigration to Canada")
- [Hong Kong people in the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_people_in_the_United_Kingdom "Hong Kong people in the United Kingdom")
- [Hong Kong Act 1985](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Act_1985 "Hong Kong Act 1985")
- [Monument in Commemoration of the Return of Hong Kong to China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_in_Commemoration_of_the_Return_of_Hong_Kong_to_China "Monument in Commemoration of the Return of Hong Kong to China")
- [Handover of Macau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Macau "Handover of Macau")
- [Hong Kong 1 July marches](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_1_July_marches "Hong Kong 1 July marches")
- [Hong Kong–Mainland conflict](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong%E2%80%93Mainland_conflict "Hong Kong–Mainland conflict")
## References
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=21 "Edit section: References")\]
1. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-1)**
Davidson, Helen (30 June 2021). ["'They can't speak freely': Hong Kong a year after the national security law"](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/30/they-cant-speak-freely-hong-kong-a-year-after-the-national-security-law). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
2. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-2)**
Johnson, Chalmers (1984). "The Mousetrapping of Hong Kong". *Asian Survey*. **24** (9). University of California Press: 887, 890. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_\(identifier\) "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.2307/2644075](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F2644075). [JSTOR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSTOR_\(identifier\) "JSTOR (identifier)") [2644075](https://www.jstor.org/stable/2644075). [S2CID](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S2CID_\(identifier\) "S2CID (identifier)") [154160559](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:154160559). "The [Communist party general secretary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Secretary_of_the_Chinese_Communist_Party "General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party"), [Hu Yaobang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu_Yaobang "Hu Yaobang"), stated at a news conference on August 15, 1983: 'We consider the so-called Hong Kong treaties to be unequal. But it is a fact that the treaties exist. Moreover, it is clearly written that the expiration date is June 30, 1997. Therefore, we do not intend to bring forward or postpone this date. We will recover Hong Kong on July 1, 1997. As far as China is concerned, our attitude is one of respect for history.'"
3. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-3)**
["China intends to recover Hong Kong, official says"](https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/1001/100118.html). *The Christian Science Monitor*. 1 October 1982. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151003004418/https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/1001/100118.html) from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
4. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-4)**
["How did the Chinese Government settle the question of Hong Kong through negotiations?"](http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/zcjs/yglz/t17767.htm). [Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Commissioner_\(Hong_Kong\) "Office of the Commissioner (Hong Kong)"). 15 November 2000. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070313183627/http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/zcjs/yglz/t17767.htm) from the original on 13 March 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2020. "Deng Xiaoping met with Mrs. Thatcher on September 24, 1982. The Chinese Premier had held talks with her before this meeting. And Chinese leaders formally informed the British side that the Chinese Government had decided to recover all of the Hong Kong region in 1997. Also, China offered assurances that it would initiate special policies after recovering Hong Kong."
5. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-5)**
平學生護權會要求收回香港旅大
\[Students urge to recover Hong Kong, [Luta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalian "Dalian")\]. *[The Kung Sheung Daily News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kung_Sheung_Daily_News "The Kung Sheung Daily News")* (in Chinese). 20 March 1947. p. Headline.
6. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-6)**
我政府健全後將促收回香港，英報謂我朝野均有此心
\[[Our Government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalist_government "Nationalist government") to urge recovering Hong Kong after strengthening, supported by cross-party according to British newspapers\]. *[The Kung Sheung Daily News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kung_Sheung_Daily_News "The Kung Sheung Daily News")* (in Chinese). 3 June 1948. p. Headline.
7. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-7)**
毛幫重視利益怎會收回香港
\[Gang of Mao cares about interests so why would they recover Hong Kong\]. *[The Kung Sheung Daily News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kung_Sheung_Daily_News "The Kung Sheung Daily News")* (in Chinese). 18 June 1967. p. Headline.
8. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-8)**
吳學謙與英外相會談,側重於九七年中國收回香港香港成為特區
\[Wu Xueqian held talks with British Foreign Secretary, emphasized on China to recover Hong Kong in '97 and Hong Kong to become [SAR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_administrative_regions_of_China "Special administrative regions of China").\]. *[Wah Kiu Yat Po](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wah_Kiu_Yat_Po "Wah Kiu Yat Po")* (in Chinese). 11 March 1988. p. Headline.
9. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-9)**
邵玉銘說:香港九七年後若不能高度自治港台關係起變化,認為中國大陸收回香港進退兩難,內部產生矛盾人民要求資本主義
\[Shaw Yu-ming: Hong Kong-Taiwan relations could change if Hong Kong can't enjoy high degree of autonomy after '97; dilemma for Chinese Mainland to recover Hong Kong; internal conflicts arose as people demands capitalism.\]. *[Wah Kiu Yat Po](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wah_Kiu_Yat_Po "Wah Kiu Yat Po")* (in Chinese). 10 January 1990. p. Headline.
10. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-10)**
Meng Bai (夢白).
[香港回歸談判中的鄧小平](http://cpc.people.com.cn/BIG5/68742/106364/106365/8730653.html)
\[Deng Xiaoping during negotiations of Hong Kong returning to motherland.\] (in Chinese). CPC News. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180503095542/http://cpc.people.com.cn/BIG5/68742/106364/106365/8730653.html) from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
鄧小平在1982年會見撒切爾夫人時用語就是「收回香港」。見《世紀風採》
11. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-BBC20170630_11-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-BBC20170630_11-1)
[香港主權移交20週年：為什麼BBC中文網不說「回歸」？](https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/chinese-news-40441492)
\[20 years anniversary for transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong: why BBC Chinese does not use "return to the motherland"?\]. *BBC News* (in Chinese). 30 June 2017. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180626143327/http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/chinese-news-40441492) from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
12. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-12)**
["Instrument A601 Hong Kong Reunification Ordinance"](https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/A601). *Hong Kong e-Legislation*. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
13. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-13)**
陳文鴻在專題講座上說港商應該把握機會到內地去發展工業，陳弘毅談香港回歸中國後的法律問題
\[Chan Man-hung said Hong Kong businesses shall grab opportunities to expand industry in mainland; [Chen Hung-yee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Chen_Hung-yee "Albert Chen Hung-yee") discussed legal issues after Hong Kong returned to China.\]. *[Ta Kung Pao](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta_Kung_Pao "Ta Kung Pao")*. 9 March 1984. p. 4.
14. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-14)** "This law took effect on 1 July 1997, upon the transfer of sovereignty from the [United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom "United Kingdom") to [China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China "China")" [Hong Kong Year Book](https://www.yearbook.gov.hk/1997/ch3/e3m.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181025223258/https://www.yearbook.gov.hk/1997/ch3/e3m.htm) 25 October 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine")
15. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-15)** "... existing system in order to preserve continuity in the administration of the public service after the transfer of sovereignty" [Legislative Council of Hong Kong record](http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr04-05/english/panels/se/papers/se0815cb2-2431-2e.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181006075237/http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr04-05/english/panels/se/papers/se0815cb2-2431-2e.pdf) 6 October 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine")
16. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-16)** Parliament of Australia [Inquiry: Hong Kong: The Transfer of Sovereignty](https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Completed_Inquiries/jfadt/hongkong/reportinx%7CCompleted)\[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot "Wikipedia:Link rot")*\]
17. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-aocs_17-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-aocs_17-1)
["新华社新闻信息报道中的禁用词和慎用词（2019年2月最新修订）"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210420145307/https://aocs.mnnu.edu.cn/info/1003/1147.htm). *两岸一家亲研究院*. 29 March 2019. Archived from [the original](http://aocs.mnnu.edu.cn/info/1003/1147.htm) on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
18. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-18)**
["正确使用涉港宣传用语"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140419170654/http://dadazim.com/journal/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/china1.pdf) (PDF). *dadazim.com*. 1997. p. 63. Archived from [the original](http://dadazim.com/journal/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/china1.pdf) (PDF) on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
19. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-19)**
["正确使用涉港宣传用语"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140419170655/http://dadazim.com/journal/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/china2.pdf) (PDF). *dadazim.com*. 1997. p. 15. Archived from [the original](http://dadazim.com/journal/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/china2.pdf) (PDF) on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
20. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-20)**
盧斯達 (26 March 2014). ["盧斯達：「內地」如何進佔香港 — 中共對語言用字的確切規定 (951)"](http://hktext.blogspot.com/2014/03/provisions-the.html). 小明文創. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20201123002729/http://hktext.blogspot.com/2014/03/provisions-the.html) from the original on 23 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
刪節版結集於
盧斯達 (2016). *究竟香港人做錯咩 — 盧斯達評論集*. 小明文創.
21. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-21)**
[*Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong*](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration) . 1984.
22. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-22)**
Beeching, Jack (1975). *The Chinese Opium Wars*. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. p. 74.
23. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-:0_23-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-:0_23-1) [***c***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-:0_23-2) [***d***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-:0_23-3)
Hurst, Matthew (2022). ["Britain's Approach to the Negotiations over the Future of Hong Kong, 1979–1982"](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F07075332.2021.2024588). *The International History Review*. **44** (6): 1386–1401\. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_\(identifier\) "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.1080/07075332.2021.2024588](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F07075332.2021.2024588). [ISSN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISSN_\(identifier\) "ISSN (identifier)") [0707-5332](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0707-5332).
24. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Akers-Jones_24-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Akers-Jones_24-1)
Akers-Jones, David (2004). [*Feeling the stones: reminiscences*](https://books.google.com/books?id=PnQAsA0oIPoC&pg=PA109). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. p. 109. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-209-655-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-209-655-4 "Special:BookSources/978-962-209-655-4")
. [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_\(identifier\) "OCLC (identifier)") [55649881](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/55649881).
25. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Passage_25-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Passage_25-1)
Ming K. Chan; Gerard A. Postiglione (1996). [*The Hong Kong Reader: Passage to Chinese Sovereignty*](https://books.google.com/books?id=BZQcw-SJhI8C&pg=PA45). M.E. Sharpe. p. 45. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-56324-870-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-56324-870-2 "Special:BookSources/978-1-56324-870-2")
.
26. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Pepper_26-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Pepper_26-1)
[Pepper, Suzzane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Pepper "Suzanne Pepper") (2001). "Elections, Political Change and Basic Law Government: Hong Kong in Search of a Political Form". In Diamond, Larry; H. Myers, Ramon (eds.). [*Elections and Democracy in Greater China*](https://books.google.com/books?id=upDNEYtw4uYC). Studies on Contemporary China. OUP Oxford. p. 55. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-19-158351-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-158351-3 "Special:BookSources/978-0-19-158351-3")
.
27. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-27)**
["Studies on Contemporary China"](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/jun/02/guardianobituaries1). *[The Guardian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian "The Guardian")*. 2 June 2000. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20161123134724/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/jun/02/guardianobituaries1) from the original on 23 November 2016.
28. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-28)**
Fravel, M. Taylor (2008). [*Strong Borders, Secure Nation: Cooperation and Conflict in China's Territorial Disputes*](https://books.google.com/books?id=02Hjr6RUckwC&pg=PA224). Princeton University Press. p. 224. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-4008-2887-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4008-2887-6 "Special:BookSources/978-1-4008-2887-6")
.
29. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-29)**
Zhang, Wei-Bin (2006). [*Hong Kong: the pearl made of British mastery and Chinese docile-diligence*](https://books.google.com/books?id=hwPUGWBTsX4C&pg=PA68). New York: Nova Science Publishers. p. 68. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-59454-600-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-59454-600-6 "Special:BookSources/978-1-59454-600-6")
. [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_\(identifier\) "OCLC (identifier)") [61169804](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/61169804).
30. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Chung_30-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Chung_30-1) [*Hong Kong's Journey to Reunification: Memoirs of Sze-yuen Chung*](https://archive.org/details/hongkongsjourney00chun/page/123) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170222104047/https://books.google.com/books?id=0ZxGHy-4X30C&lpg=PA352&ots=78T_VKsnfe&dq=chung%20sze-yuen%20lydia%20dunn%20and%20roger%20lobo%20delegation%20to%20london&pg=PA123#v=onepage&q=chung%20sze-yuen%20lydia%20dunn%20and%20roger%20lobo%20delegation%20to%20london&f=true) 22 February 2017 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Sze Yuen Chung, Chinese University Press, 2001, p. 123
31. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Cottrell_31-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Cottrell_31-1) [***c***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Cottrell_31-2) [***d***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Cottrell_31-3)
Cottrell, Robert (30 August 1992). ["How Mrs Thatcher Lost Hong Kong: Ten years ago, fired up by her triumph in the Falklands war, Margaret Thatcher flew to Peking for a last-ditch attempt to keep Hong Kong under British rule – only to meet her match in Deng Xiaoping. Two years later she signed the agreement handing the territory to China"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090809225312/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/how-mrs-thatcher-lost-hong-kong-ten-years-ago-fired-up-by-her-triumph-in-the-falklands-war-margaret-thatcher-flew-to-peking-for-a-lastditch-attempt-to-keep-hong-kong-under-british-rule--only-to-meet-her-match-in-deng-xiaoping-two-years-later-she-signed-the-agreement-handing-the-territory-to-china-1543375.html). *[The Independent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Independent "The Independent")*. [London](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London "London"). Archived from [the original](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/how-mrs-thatcher-lost-hong-kong-ten-years-ago-fired-up-by-her-triumph-in-the-falklands-war-margaret-thatcher-flew-to-peking-for-a-lastditch-attempt-to-keep-hong-kong-under-british-rule--only-to-meet-her-match-in-deng-xiaoping-two-years-later-she-signed-the-agreement-handing-the-territory-to-china-1543375.html) on 9 August 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
32. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-32)**
Yahuda, Michael B. (1996). [*Hong Kong: China's Challenge*](https://books.google.com/books?id=b9gGzWigqpMC). Psychology Press. p. 45. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-415-14071-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-415-14071-3 "Special:BookSources/978-0-415-14071-3")
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33. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Roger_33-0)**
Roger Buckley; Buckley Roger (1997). [*Hong Kong: The Road to 1997*](https://books.google.com/books?id=cxxGJ7c10noC&pg=PA109). Cambridge University Press. p. 109. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-521-46979-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-521-46979-1 "Special:BookSources/978-0-521-46979-1")
.
34. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-34)**
[Vogel, Ezra F.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_F._Vogel "Ezra F. Vogel") (2011). [*Deng Xiaoping and the transformation of China*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Xiaoping_and_the_Transformation_of_China "Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China"). Cambridge: [Harvard University Press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University_Press "Harvard University Press"). pp. 496–97\. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-674-05544-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-674-05544-5 "Special:BookSources/978-0-674-05544-5")
.
35. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-35)** [China plotted Hong Kong invasion](http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/world_news/article67028.ece) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160408004455/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/world_news/article67028.ece) 8 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Michael Sheridan, *[The Sunday Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sunday_Times "The Sunday Times")*, 25 June 2007
36. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-36)** [Constitution of the People's Republic of China](http://english.gov.cn/archive/laws_regulations/2014/08/23/content_281474982987458.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160416110047/http://english.gov.cn/archive/laws_regulations/2014/08/23/content_281474982987458.htm) 16 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), State Council of the People's Republic of China
37. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-37)** [Benefits of a three-legged stool](https://www.scmp.com/article/453465/benefits-three-legged-stool) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160427121205/http://www.scmp.com/article/453465/benefits-three-legged-stool) 27 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 26 April 2004
38. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-38)**
Sit, V. F. S.; Cremer, R.; Wong, S. L. (1999). *China Perspectives*. C.E.F.C. p. 13. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-209-206-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-209-206-8 "Special:BookSources/978-962-209-206-8")
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39. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-39)**
Cheung, Gary Ka-wai (2009). [*Hong Kong's watershed: the 1967 riots*](https://books.google.com/books?id=0uStp3CUaqUC&pg=PA36). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. p. 37. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-209-089-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-209-089-7 "Special:BookSources/978-962-209-089-7")
. [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_\(identifier\) "OCLC (identifier)") [455835195](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/455835195).
40. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-fmprc_40-0)** [The Chinese government resumed exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong](http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/ziliao_665539/3602_665543/3604_665547/t18032.shtml) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160401135704/http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/ziliao_665539/3602_665543/3604_665547/t18032.shtml) 1 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Ministry of Foreign Affairs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China"), People's Republic of China
41. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-SHT_41-0)** [Typhoon Ellen Batters Hong Kong, killing 6](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ReUbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gGgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1278,6865410&dq=typhoon+ellen&hl=en) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170222095911/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ReUbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gGgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1278,6865410&dq=typhoon+ellen&hl=en) 22 February 2017 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [United Press International](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Press_International "United Press International"), *[Sarasota Herald-Tribune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarasota_Herald-Tribune "Sarasota Herald-Tribune")*, 10 September 1983
42. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-42)** [Hong Kong business world shaken by political uncertainties](https://www.csmonitor.com/1983/1004/100426.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160411040625/http://www.csmonitor.com/1983/1004/100426.html) 11 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Christian Science Monitor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Science_Monitor "Christian Science Monitor")*, 4 October 1983
43. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-43)** [Hong Kong](https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1988/jan/20/hong-kong) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160414154546/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1988/jan/20/hong-kong) 14 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine") *[Hansard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansard "Hansard")*, HC Deb 20 January 1988 vol 125 cc 971–1018
44. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-44)**
British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring Service (1984). [*Summary of World Broadcasts: Far East*](https://books.google.com/books?id=N0_VAAAAMAAJ). Vol. Part 3. Monitoring Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation.
45. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-45)**
Scott, Ian (1989). [*Political change and the crisis of legitimacy in Hong Kong*](https://books.google.com/books?id=w7NuSICc0lYC&pg=PA210). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 210. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-8248-1269-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8248-1269-0 "Special:BookSources/978-0-8248-1269-0")
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46. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-46)**
United States Foreign Broadcast Information Service (1993). [*Daily Report: People's Republic of China*](https://books.google.com/books?id=B9ksAAAAMAAJ). National Technical Information Service. p. 79.
47. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-47)** [On This Day: 26 September 1984: UK and China agree Hong Kong handover](https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/26/newsid_2538000/2538843.stm) , [BBC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_News "BBC News")
48. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-48)**
["The Joint Declaration – Annex 2"](https://www.cmab.gov.hk/en/issues/joint2.htm). *www.cmab.gov.hk*. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
49. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-hklii-jointdec_49-0)**
["Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong"](https://www.hklii.hk/eng/hk/legis/instrument/A301/all.html). *Hong Kong Legal Information Institute*.
50. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-50)**
["The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China"](https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/ljzg_665465/3566_665531/t23031.shtml). *www.fmprc.gov.cn*. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
51. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-auto_51-0)**
Boland, Rory. ["What Country Is Hong Kong in? China or Not?"](http://gohongkong.about.com/od/travelplanner/a/hongkongcountry.htm). *About.com Travel*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20141009134239/http://gohongkong.about.com/od/travelplanner/a/hongkongcountry.htm) from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
52. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-auto1_52-0)**
["China Resumes Control of Hong Kong, Concluding 156 Years of British Rule"](https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0630.html). *The New York Times*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160620182610/http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0630.html) from the original on 20 June 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
53. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-auto2_53-0)** "1898 and all that – a Brief History of Hong Kong". *The Economist*, 28 June 1997
54. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-BBC19aug2019_54-0)**
["Hong Kong: Timeline of extradition protests"](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49340717). *[BBC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_News "BBC News")*. 4 September 2019. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20191105223138/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49340717) from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019. "What started as demonstrations against an extradition bill have since taken on a much wider scope and are now demanding full democratic rights for Hong Kongers."
55. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-scmp-20211220_55-0)**
Cheung, Gary; Cheung, Tony; Mai, Jun (20 December 2021). ["Beijing defends 'democracy with Hong Kong characteristics' model as white paper released a day after Legco election cites end goal of universal suffrage"](https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3160358/democracy-hong-kong-characteristics-best-model-citys-future). *South China Morning Post*. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
56. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-56)** [A Rough Road ahead](http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=103048&ctNode=2198&mp=9) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160424062259/http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=103048&ctNode=2198&mp=9) 24 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Taiwan Review](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_Review "Taiwan Review")*, 1 March 1990
57. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-57)**
[Manion, Melanie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanie_Manion "Melanie Manion") (2009). [*Corruption by Design*](https://books.google.com/books?id=zyMeydaAu1kC&pg=PA80). Harvard University Press. p. 80. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-674-04051-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-674-04051-9 "Special:BookSources/978-0-674-04051-9")
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58. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-58)** [In the Court of the King of Tonga](https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/07/magazine/in-the-court-of-the-king-of-tonga.html?pagewanted=all) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160724160803/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/07/magazine/in-the-court-of-the-king-of-tonga.html?pagewanted=all) 24 July 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The New York Times Magazine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Magazine "The New York Times Magazine")*, 1992
59. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-59)** [Singapore Lure Stirs Crowds In Hong Kong](https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/07/12/singapore-lure-stirs-crowds-in-hong-kong/), *[Chicago Tribune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tribune "Chicago Tribune")*, 12 July 1989
60. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-60)** [6,000 from HK given residency here](http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19890921-1.2.3.7.aspx) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160420031256/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19890921-1.2.3.7.aspx) 20 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The New Paper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Paper "The New Paper")*, 21 September 1989, p. 2
61. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-61)** [U.S. Immigration Officer in Hong Kong Investigated for Corruption](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/06/world/us-immigration-officer-in-hong-kong-investigated-for-corruption.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160724160810/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/06/world/us-immigration-officer-in-hong-kong-investigated-for-corruption.html) 24 July 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The New York Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times "The New York Times")*, 6 April 1997
62. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-62)** [Smuggling People](http://europe.newsweek.com/smuggling-people-170802), *[Newsweek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsweek "Newsweek")*, 17 March 1997
63. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-63)** [Text of the British Nationality Act (Hong Kong) 1990](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/34/contents) as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from [legislation.gov.uk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislation.gov.uk "Legislation.gov.uk").
64. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-64)** [Chinese Vancouver: A decade of change](http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=011b7438-172c-4126-ba42-2c85828bd6ce) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20141116072007/http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=011b7438-172c-4126-ba42-2c85828bd6ce) 16 November 2014 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Vancouver Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_Sun "Vancouver Sun")*, 30 June 2007
65. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-65)** [A tale of two solitudes written anew](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/a-tale-of-two-solitudes-written-anew/article1034293/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160418034355/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/a-tale-of-two-solitudes-written-anew/article1034293/) 18 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The Globe and Mail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Globe_and_Mail "The Globe and Mail")*, 26 October 2001
66. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-66)**
Fosh, Patricia, ed. (1999). *Hong Kong management and labour: change and continuity*. Routledge advances in Asia-Pacific business. London: Routledge. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-415-22269-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-415-22269-3 "Special:BookSources/978-0-415-22269-3")
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\[*[page needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources "Wikipedia:Citing sources")*\]
67. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELoh2010187_67-0)** [Loh 2010](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#CITEREFLoh2010), p. 187.
68. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELoh2010188_68-0)** [Loh 2010](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#CITEREFLoh2010), p. 188.
69. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESing2004158_69-0)** [Sing 2004](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#CITEREFSing2004), p. 158.
70. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-70)**
Chinoy, Mike (1999). [*China live: people power and the television revolution*](https://books.google.com/books?id=YeiaOWcc17MC&pg=PA395). Lanham, Ma.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 395. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-8476-9318-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8476-9318-4 "Special:BookSources/978-0-8476-9318-4")
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71. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-71)** [Hong Kong Night – Sunday 1 July](https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/bbc_parliament/6241974.stm) , [BBC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_News "BBC News"), 27 June 2007
72. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-:172_72-0)**
Crean, Jeffrey (2024). *The Fear of Chinese Power: an International History*. New Approaches to International History series. London: [Bloomsbury Academic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomsbury_Academic "Bloomsbury Academic"). [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-350-23394-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-350-23394-2 "Special:BookSources/978-1-350-23394-2")
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73. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-73)**
Tan, Jason (2007). "Education and colonial transition in Singapore and Hong Kong: Comparisons and contrasts". In Crossley, Michael; Broadfoot, Patricia; Schweisfurth, Michele (eds.). [*Changing Educational Contexts, Issues and Identities: 40 Years of Comparative Education*](https://books.google.com/books?id=GbF8AgAAQBAJ). Routledge. p. 198. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-134-12464-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-134-12464-0 "Special:BookSources/978-1-134-12464-0")
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74. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-74)** [Lok Ma Chau Control Point to provide 24-hour passenger clearance services](http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200301/08/0108224.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051045/http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200301/08/0108224.htm) 4 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Government Information Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Hong_Kong "Government of Hong Kong"), 8 January 2003
75. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-75)** [LCQ1: Immigration clearance and entry visas to the Mainland for non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents with foreign passports](http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201202/15/P201202150334.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150109234739/http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201202/15/P201202150334.htm) 9 January 2015 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Government Information Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Hong_Kong "Government of Hong Kong"), 15 February 2012
76. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-76)** [General Information on the Right of Abode in Hong Kong](http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/roa/geninfor.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160325022735/http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/roa/geninfor.html) 25 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Immigration Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Immigration_Department "Hong Kong Immigration Department")
77. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-77)** [Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China](http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/fwxx/wgrqz/t1055657.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160331061809/http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/fwxx/wgrqz/t1055657.htm) 31 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Commissioner_of_the_Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China_in_the_Hong_Kong_Special_Administrative_Region "Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region")
78. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-78)**
[*China Briefing's Business Guide to the Greater Pearl River Delta*](https://books.google.com/books?id=PknF6cR7lQMC&pg=PA245). China Briefing Media, Ltd. 2004. p. 245. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-988-98673-1-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-988-98673-1-7 "Special:BookSources/978-988-98673-1-7")
.
79. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-79)**
["Hong Kong Monetary Authority"](http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/index.shtml). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160329231845/http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/index.shtml) from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
80. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-80)** [Bank of China Authorized to Issue HKD and MOP (1987–1992)](http://www.boc.cn/en/aboutboc/ab7/200809/t20080926_1601846.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160411141108/http://www.boc.cn/en/aboutboc/ab7/200809/t20080926_1601846.html) 11 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Bank of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_China "Bank of China")
81. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-81)** [Hong Kong operates as a separate Customs territory](http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200009/30/0929290.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20040908113214/http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200009/30/0929290.htm) 8 September 2004 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Government Information Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Hong_Kong "Government of Hong Kong"), 30 September 2000
82. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-82)** [Address Via Video-Conference – A challenge to APEC business](https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/spmm_e/spmm03_e.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140912164957/http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/spmm_e/spmm03_e.htm) 12 September 2014 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Address given by Rt Hon Mike Moore, Director-General, World Trade Organization, 12 September 1999
83. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Olympic_83-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Olympic_83-1)
["Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong China"](http://www.olympic.org/hong-kong-china). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160316171825/http://www.olympic.org/hong-kong-china) from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
84. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-84)**
["Official report of proceedings, 11 November 1982, Legislative Council"](http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr82-83/english/lc_sitg/hansard/h821111.pdf) (PDF). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220507/http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr82-83/english/lc_sitg/hansard/h821111.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
85. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-85)**
["Christopher J. Marut Appointed as Director of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan"](http://www.ait.org.tw/en/pressrelease-pr1224.html). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002648/http://www.ait.org.tw/en/pressrelease-pr1224.html) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
86. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-86)**
Yang, Ru Wan (2007). [*The first decade: the Hong Kong SAR in retrospective and introspective perspectives*](https://books.google.com/books?id=9X9QXYXGdJwC&pg=PA87). Hong Kong: Chinese university press. p. 87. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-996-357-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-996-357-6 "Special:BookSources/978-962-996-357-6")
.
87. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-87)** [Is name change a game changer?](http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2011/07/17/2003508415) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222005/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2011/07/17/2003508415) 3 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Taipei Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_Times "Taipei Times")*, 17 July 2011
88. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-88)** [List of Air Services Agreements and Air Services Transit Agreements](http://www.doj.gov.hk/eng/laws/table1ti.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160411054743/http://www.doj.gov.hk/eng/laws/table1ti.html) 11 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Department of Justice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Justice_\(Hong_Kong\) "Department of Justice (Hong Kong)")
89. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-89)** [New air accord a result of compromise, analysts say](http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2002/07/01/0000146568) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160409020634/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2002/07/01/0000146568) 9 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *Taipei Times*, 1 July 2002
90. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-90)** [Celebrating 50 years of UK road signs](http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/89974/celebrating-50-years-of-uk-road-signs) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160706041738/http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/89974/celebrating-50-years-of-uk-road-signs) 6 July 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Auto Express](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Express "Auto Express")*, 8 January 2015
91. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-91)**
Andrew Stone; Chung Wah Chow; Reggie Ho (2008). [*香港 L̆đ门*](https://books.google.com/books?id=PgJTSYeEnNkC&pg=PA279). Lonely Planet. p. 278. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-74104-665-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-74104-665-6 "Special:BookSources/978-1-74104-665-6")
.
92. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-92)** [Recognition of vehicle registration mark on moving vehicles in an outdoor environment](http://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/46157/1/50044.pdf?accept=1) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160412233817/http://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/46157/1/50044.pdf?accept=1) 12 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), N.H.C. Yung\*, K.H. Au & A.H.S. Lai, Laboratory for Intelligent Transportation Systems Research, [University of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Hong_Kong "University of Hong Kong"), IEEE Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Proceedings, Itsc, 1999, pp. 418–422
93. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-93)**
Li, Amy (14 December 2012). ["Cross-border licence plates go for a million yuan on black market"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160503102917/http://www.scmp.com/article/1105206/cross-border-licence-plates-go-1-million-yuan-black-market). *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*. Archived from [the original](https://www.scmp.com/article/1105206/cross-border-licence-plates-go-1-million-yuan-black-market) on 3 May 2016.
94. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-scmp1_94-0)** [New entry plan for mainland cars](https://topics.scmp.com/news/hk-news-watch/article/New-entry-plan-for-mainland-cars) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120223095104/http://topics.scmp.com/news/hk-news-watch/article/New-entry-plan-for-mainland-cars) 23 February 2012 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 9 February 2012.
95. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-95)** [Visa-free access for HKSAR Passport](http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/service/travel_document/visa_free_access.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160331011103/http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/service/travel_document/visa_free_access.html) 31 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Hong Kong Immigration Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Immigration_Department "Hong Kong Immigration Department")
96. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-96)** [Tens of Thousands Gather in Hong Kong to Remember the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre](https://time.com/3908678/tiananmen-massacre-26th-anniversary-hong-kong-china-vigil-victoria-park/), *[Time](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_\(magazine\) "Time (magazine)")*, 4 June 2015.
97. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-97)**
Ma, Ngok (2007). [*Political development in Hong Kong: state, political society, and civil society*](https://books.google.com/books?id=af_IAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA135). Aberdeen: Hong Kong University Press. p. 135. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-209-809-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-209-809-1 "Special:BookSources/978-962-209-809-1")
.
98. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-98)**
["Hong Kong's Rigged Election"](https://thediplomat.com/2021/12/hong-kongs-rigged-election/). *thediplomat.com*. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
99. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-99)** [United Front chief Sun Chunlan tells young Hongkongers to love their country and make the most of close ties with China](https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1864432/united-front-chief-sun-chunlan-tells-young-hongkongers-love) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160624035646/http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1864432/united-front-chief-sun-chunlan-tells-young-hongkongers-love) 24 June 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 6 October 2015
100. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-100)** [Hong Kong \* \| Country report \| Freedom of the Press \| 2015](https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/hong-kong) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160328194946/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/hong-kong) 28 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Freedom House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_House "Freedom House")
101. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-101)** [Pope appoints Hong Kong bishop to Macau](http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/01/16/pope_appoints_hong_kong_bishop_to_macau_%E2%80%8E/1201599) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160420112918/http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/01/16/pope_appoints_hong_kong_bishop_to_macau_%E2%80%8E/1201599) 20 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Vatican Radio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Radio "Vatican Radio")*, 16 January 2016
102. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-dangerous_102-0)**
Spiegel, Mickey (2002). [*Dangerous Meditation: China's Campaign Against Falungong*](https://archive.org/details/fromhouseholdtof00huma). Human Rights Watch. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[1-56432-269-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-56432-269-6 "Special:BookSources/1-56432-269-6")
. Retrieved 28 September 2007.
103. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-103)** [Fast Facts in China](http://www.frommers.com/destinations/china/702082) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160409031813/http://www.frommers.com/destinations/china/702082) 9 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Frommer's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frommer%27s "Frommer's")*
104. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-104)** [The RJ System of telephone plugs and sockets is gradually replacing the BT System in Hong Kong](https://web.archive.org/web/20120211132642/http://www.ofta.gov.hk/en/consumer_interest/rj_system/index.html), [Office of the Telecommunications Authority](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Telecommunications_Authority "Office of the Telecommunications Authority") (OFTA), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
105. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-105)**
Wrth (2008). [*World Radio TV Handbook*](https://books.google.com/books?id=-KY9AQAAIAAJ). WRTH Publications Ltd. p. 642. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-9555481-1-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-9555481-1-6 "Special:BookSources/978-0-9555481-1-6")
.
106. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-106)** [Hong Kong, China](https://www.itu.int/oth/T0202000060/en) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064001/http://www.itu.int/oth/T0202000060/en) 4 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [International Telecommunication Union](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Telecommunication_Union "International Telecommunication Union"), 19 February 2013
107. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-107)**
[*China International Business: The Monthly Publication of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, P.R.C*](https://books.google.com/books?id=GpqzAAAAIAAJ&q=%2200852%22). Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation. 2002. p. S8.
108. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-108)**
["ISO Online Browsing Platform: HK"](https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:code:3166:HK). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160617031837/https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:code:3166:HK) from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
109. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-109)**
["Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation"](https://www.hkirc.hk/). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160321090104/https://www.hkirc.hk/) from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
110. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-110)**
["ISO Online Browsing Platform: CN"](https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:code:3166:CN). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160617031837/https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:code:3166:CN) from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
111. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-111)** [Hongkong, China](http://www.upu.int/fileadmin/documentsFiles/activities/addressingUnit/hkgEn.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160120064618/http://www.upu.int/fileadmin/documentsFiles/activities/addressingUnit/hkgEn.pdf) 20 January 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Universal Postal Union](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Postal_Union "Universal Postal Union")
112. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-112)**
["Legislative Council Panel on Economic Development. Review the Services of the Hongkong Post"](https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr14-15/english/panels/edev/papers/edev20150727cb4-1348-3-e.pdf) (PDF). 27 July 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
113. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-113)** [ESF's new chief executive Belinda Greer looks to boost efficiency](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1359426/esfs-new-chief-executive-belinda-greer-looks-boost-efficiency) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160630085916/http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1359426/esfs-new-chief-executive-belinda-greer-looks-boost-efficiency) 30 June 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 19 November 2013
114. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-114)** [Training](http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/11_useful_info/aux_police/training.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160316201245/http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/11_useful_info/aux_police/training.html) 16 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Hong Kong Police Force
115. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-115)**
["HK police to perform Chinese-style foot drills starting July 1, a removal of British 'colonial overtones' – China Military"](http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/2022special/2022-07/01/content_10168081.htm). *eng.chinamil.com.cn*. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
116. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-116)** [Victoria Park](http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/vp/index.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160321182929/http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/vp/index.html) 21 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Leisure and Cultural Services Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure_and_Cultural_Services_Department "Leisure and Cultural Services Department")
117. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-117)**
["Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens"](http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/hkzbg/). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160330204811/http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/hkzbg/) from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
118. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-SCMP1994_118-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-SCMP1994_118-1) [17 holidays to stay after 1997](https://www.scmp.com/article/88137/17-holidays-stay-after-1997) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160503213839/http://www.scmp.com/article/88137/17-holidays-stay-after-1997) 3 May 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 12 September 1994
119. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-119)** [Hong Kong Undergraduate Education Reform Under "3+3+4"](https://universitydesign.asu.edu/db/hong-kong-undergraduate-education-reform-under-201c3-3-4201d) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160408045313/https://universitydesign.asu.edu/db/hong-kong-undergraduate-education-reform-under-201c3-3-4201d) 8 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), University Design Consortium, [Arizona State University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_State_University "Arizona State University")
120. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-120)** [Annex I : Method for the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region](http://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/basiclawtext/annex_1.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160408201047/http://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/basiclawtext/annex_1.html) 8 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Law_of_the_Hong_Kong_Special_Administrative_Region_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China")
121. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-121)** [Chris Patten – Governor of Hong Kong](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/hk/patten.shtml) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180402130913/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/hk/patten.shtml) 2 April 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [BBC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC "BBC"), Politics 97
122. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-122)**
["Results of the 1998 Legislative Council Election"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231311/http://www.elections.gov.hk/elections/legco1998/524-e.htm#gc524-e). Archived from [the original](http://www.elections.gov.hk/elections/legco1998/524-e.htm#gc524-e) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
123. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-123)** An interview with the former British Prime Minister Thatcher just before Britain's handover of Hong Kong back to China on 1 July 1997; Reporter/Producer: Susan Yu; Published on 1 July 1997 and viewable on YouTube.
124. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-124)** [Lau in passport battle](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/lau-in-passport-battle-1289087.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160427221230/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/lau-in-passport-battle-1289087.html) 27 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The Independent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Independent "The Independent")*, 16 December 1997
125. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-125)** [God Save the Queen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV3QdfNOewk) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140316195259/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV3QdfNOewk) 16 March 2014 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [TVB Pearl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVB_Pearl "TVB Pearl"), 1987
126. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-126)**
Vickers, Edward (2011). "Learning to Love the Motherland: 'National Education' in Post-Retrocession Hong Kong". In Mueller, Gotelind (ed.). *Designing history in East Asian textbooks: identity politics and transnational aspirations*. Routledge studies in education and society in Asia. London New York: Routledge. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-415-60252-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-415-60252-5 "Special:BookSources/978-0-415-60252-5")
.
127. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-127)** [Fifa investigates Hong Kong over China match booing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-34918397) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180216001611/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-34918397) 16 February 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [BBC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_News "BBC News"), 25 November 2015
128. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-128)** [A Brief Overview of the Court of Final Appeal](http://www.hkcfa.hk/en/about/overview/index.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151230185237/http://www.hkcfa.hk/en/about/overview/index.html) 30 December 2015 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Court_of_Final_Appeal "Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal")
129. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-129)**
Simon N. M. Young; Yash Ghai (2014). [*Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal: The Development of the Law in China's Hong Kong*](https://books.google.com/books?id=EX4LAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA227). Cambridge University Press. p. 227. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-107-01121-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-107-01121-2 "Special:BookSources/978-1-107-01121-2")
.
130. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-130)** [Secretary for Justice, Mr Rimsky Yuen, SC, JP](http://www.doj.gov.hk/eng/about/soj.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160412145253/http://www.doj.gov.hk/eng/about/soj.html) 12 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Department of Justice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Justice_\(Hong_Kong\) "Department of Justice (Hong Kong)")
131. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-131)** [In Watching Hong Kong, China Loses The Shades](https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/20/world/in-watching-hong-kong-china-loses-the-shades.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160724160817/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/20/world/in-watching-hong-kong-china-loses-the-shades.html) 24 July 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *The New York Times*, 20 February 2000
132. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-132)** [Renamed Xinhua becomes a new force in Hong Kong's politics](http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/insight/archives/2000/01/21/0000020843) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170819145347/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/insight/archives/2000/01/21/0000020843) 19 August 2017 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *Taipei Times*, 21 January 2000
133. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-133)**
["Welcome Message Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China in Beijing"](http://www.bjo.gov.hk/en/home/index.html). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160416173624/http://www.bjo.gov.hk/en/home/index.html) from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
134. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-134)** [Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region](https://web.archive.org/web/20070821153208/http://big5.fmprc.gov.cn/gate/big5/www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/)
135. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-135)** [Hong Kong forces withdrawal outlined](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hong-kong-forces-withdrawal-outlined-1485942.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160410065018/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hong-kong-forces-withdrawal-outlined-1485942.html) 10 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The Independent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Independent "The Independent")*, 19 July 1993
136. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-136)** [PLA Hong Kong Garrison Head Office to Use New Name](http://en.people.cn/200112/30/eng20011230_87779.shtml) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030627/http://en.people.cn/200112/30/eng20011230_87779.shtml) 4 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[People's Daily](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Daily "People's Daily")*, 31 December 2001
137. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-137)** [Confusion over flags leaves Cenotaph bare](https://www.scmp.com/article/204622/confusion-over-flags-leaves-cenotaph-bare) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181119202053/https://www.scmp.com/article/204622/confusion-over-flags-leaves-cenotaph-bare) 19 November 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 21 July 1997
138. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Slow_but_Sure_138-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Slow_but_Sure_138-1) [Change in Hong Kong Is Slow but Sure](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/09/world/change-in-hong-kong-is-slow-but-sure.html?pagewanted=all) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160724160822/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/09/world/change-in-hong-kong-is-slow-but-sure.html?pagewanted=all) 24 July 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *The New York Times*, 9 October 1997
139. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-139)** [CE moves into Government House today](http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200601/12/P200601110210.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200906/http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200601/12/P200601110210.htm) 3 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Government of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Hong_Kong "Government of Hong Kong"), 12 January 2006
140. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Battle_Royal_140-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Battle_Royal_140-1) [***c***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Battle_Royal_140-2) [A Battle Royal Rocks Imperial Yacht Club](https://www.csmonitor.com/1996/0610/061096.intl.intl.2.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160408180839/http://www.csmonitor.com/1996/0610/061096.intl.intl.2.html) 8 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Christian Science Monitor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Science_Monitor "Christian Science Monitor")*, 10 June 1996
141. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-141)** [Viewpoint: Bauhinia Coins](http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/publications-and-research/reference-materials/viewpoint/19991118.shtml) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031116/http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/publications-and-research/reference-materials/viewpoint/19991118.shtml) 4 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Hong Kong Monetary Authority](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Monetary_Authority "Hong Kong Monetary Authority"), 18 November 1999
142. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-142)**
[*Hong Kong*](https://books.google.com/books?id=QCAfAQAAMAAJ). Government Press. 1999. p. 354. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[9789620202834](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789620202834 "Special:BookSources/9789620202834")
.
143. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-143)**
Hongkong Post (1996). [*Hongkong Post Annual Report*](https://books.google.com/books?id=8gNEAQAAIAAJ). Government Press. p. 30.
144. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-144)**
Chow, Larry Chuen-ho; Fan, Yiu-Kwan, eds. (31 December 1998). ["Continuity and Change in the Legal System"](https://books.google.com/books?id=5ZtTFZBUG_oC&pg=PA39). *The Other Hong Kong Report 1998*. Chinese University Press. p. 39. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-201-829-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-201-829-7 "Special:BookSources/978-962-201-829-7")
.
145. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-145)** [About Us](http://hkba.org/the-bar/aboutus/index.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160305101411/http://www.hkba.org/the-bar/aboutus/index.html) 5 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Hong Kong Bar Association](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Bar_Association "Hong Kong Bar Association")
146. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-146)**
[*Summary of World Broadcasts: Asia, Pacific*](https://books.google.com/books?id=jfpWAAAAMAAJ). British Broadcasting Corporation. 1997.
147. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-147)**
[*Far Eastern Economic Review*](https://books.google.com/books?id=4lJOAQAAIAAJ). 1968. p. 450.
148. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-148)** [Hong Kong to cover British insignia on postboxes to 'avoid confusion'](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/07/hong-kong-to-cover-british-insignia-on-postboxes-to-avoid-confusion) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20161215070035/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/07/hong-kong-to-cover-british-insignia-on-postboxes-to-avoid-confusion) 15 December 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The Guardian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian "The Guardian")*, 7 October 2015
149. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-149)** [Warning: Deadline Ahead](https://web.archive.org/web/20160826184845/http://edition.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/97/0411/nat3.html), *[Asiaweek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiaweek "Asiaweek")*, 11 April 1997
150. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Offshore_Investment_150-0)** [Hong Kong after the change of sovereignty](https://web.archive.org/web/20161221002053/http://www.offshoreinvestment.com/media/uploads/Hong%20Kong%20after%20the%20change%20of%20sovereignty.pdf), Jane McNair and Professor Peter Willoughby, Deacons Graham & James, Hong Kong SAR, *Offshore Investment*, January 1999, issue 92
151. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-151)** [The UK's relations with Hong Kong: 30 years after the Joint Declaration](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmfaff/649/64907.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170525090559/https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmfaff/649/64907.htm) 25 May 2017 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Tenth Report of Session 2014–15, [Foreign Affairs Select Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Affairs_Select_Committee "Foreign Affairs Select Committee"), [House of Commons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Commons_of_the_United_Kingdom "House of Commons of the United Kingdom"), 6 March 2015, p. 16 [PDF](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmfaff/649/649.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180719113821/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmfaff/649/649.pdf) 19 July 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine")
152. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-152)**
Ghai, Yash P. (1997). [*Hong Kong's new constitutional order: the resumption of Chinese sovereignty and the basic law*](https://books.google.com/books?id=veEZBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA167). HKU Press law series (2. ed.). Hong Kong: Hong Kong Univ. Press. p. 167. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-209-463-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-209-463-5 "Special:BookSources/978-962-209-463-5")
.
153. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-153)**
Cragg, Claudia (1993). [*Hunting with the tigers: doing business with Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam*](https://books.google.com/books?id=QhVWl7-NcY8C&pg=PA417). Amsterdam; San Diego: Pfeiffer. p. 417. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-89384-204-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-89384-204-8 "Special:BookSources/978-0-89384-204-8")
.
154. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-154)** [Chief Executive holds 'useful, cordial' talks with British Prime Minister](http://www.info.gov.hk/isd/news/oct97/1022pm.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180613122434/http://www.info.gov.hk/isd/news/oct97/1022pm.htm) 13 June 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Government of Hong Kong, 22 October 1997
155. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-155)**
["Commonwealth Games Federation – Hong Kong"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140819125702/http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=HKG). Archived from [the original](http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=HKG) on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
156. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-156)** [About the Consulate-General](https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Overseas-Mission/Hong-Kong/About-the-Consulate-General) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200426122352/https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Overseas-Mission/Hong-Kong/About-the-Consulate-General) 26 April 2020 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine") [Ministry of Foreign Affairs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_\(Singapore\) "Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore)"), Singapore
157. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-157)**
Horlemann, Ralf (2003). [*Hong Kong's Transition to Chinese Rule: The Limits of Autonomy*](https://books.google.com/books?id=QtHHi3B0peYC&pg=PA79). Routledge. p. 78. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-134-43411-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-134-43411-4 "Special:BookSources/978-1-134-43411-4")
.
158. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-SCMP_Liberia_158-0)** [Liberian consulate forced to close](https://www.scmp.com/article/214706/liberian-consulate-forced-close) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160426075314/http://www.scmp.com/article/214706/liberian-consulate-forced-close) 26 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 10 October 1997
159. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-159)** [Statement on Future South Africa/Hong Kong Relations by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad, 12 June 1997](https://web.archive.org/web/20140109234316/http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/1997/06130x66197.htm)
160. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-160)** [Hong Kong – A New Era – Civil Aviation](http://www.yearbook.gov.hk/1997/ch15/e15v.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060225/http://www.yearbook.gov.hk/1997/ch15/e15v.htm) 4 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *Hong Kong Yearbook 1997*, [Hong Kong SAR Government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Hong_Kong "Government of Hong Kong")
161. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-161)** [China News](https://www.scmp.com/news/china) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160327135325/http://www.scmp.com/news/china) 27 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*
162. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-162)**
[*Summary of World Broadcasts: Asia, Pacific*](https://books.google.com/books?id=_RRXAAAAMAAJ). British Broadcasting Corporation. 2000. pp. G-8.
163. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-163)**
["Filling the State Immunity Lacuna in Hong Kong: The Congo Case \| Insights"](https://www.jonesday.com/en/insights/2011/07/filling-the-state-immunity-lacuna-in-hong-kong-the-congo-case). *www.jonesday.com*. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
164. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-164)**
["China's new Foreign State Immunity law marks major legal change"](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3233143/long-overdue-chinas-new-foreign-state-immunity-law-will-align-it-western-practices). *South China Morning Post*. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
165. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-165)**
Thomas Y.T. Luk; James P. Rice (2002). [*Before and After Suzie: Hong Kong in Western Film and Literature*](https://books.google.com/books?id=TDkZAQAAMAAJ). New Asia College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. p. 88. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-8072-09-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-8072-09-5 "Special:BookSources/978-962-8072-09-5")
.
166. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-166)**
Carroll, John M. (2007). [*A Concise History of Hong Kong*](https://books.google.com/books?id=fQofAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA195). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 195. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-7425-7469-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7425-7469-4 "Special:BookSources/978-0-7425-7469-4")
.
167. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-167)**
Bray, Denis (2001). [*Hong Kong metamorphosis*](https://books.google.com/books?id=v6ZszKvUkjAC). Hong Kong: Hong Kong Univ. Press. p. 232. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-209-550-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-209-550-2 "Special:BookSources/978-962-209-550-2")
.
168. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-168)**
Tsang, Steve Yui-Sang (2004). [*A modern history of Hong Kong*](https://www.worldcat.org/title/ocm54382068). London; New York: I.B. Tauris. p. 253. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-86064-184-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-86064-184-8 "Special:BookSources/978-1-86064-184-8")
. [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_\(identifier\) "OCLC (identifier)") [54382068](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/54382068).
169. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-169)**
Lim, Patricia. \[2002\] (2002). Discovering Hong Hong's Cultural Heritage. Central, Hong Kong: Oxford University Press. Vol. One
[ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[0-19-592723-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-592723-0 "Special:BookSources/0-19-592723-0")
170. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-170)** [Hong Kong's infamous Walled City to be converted into park area](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9NYyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kO8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1193%2C4443534) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160630185228/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9NYyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kO8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1193%2C4443534) 30 June 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Michael Browning, [Knight Ridder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_Ridder "Knight Ridder"), *Ottawa Citizen*, 29 January 1987, p. c9
171. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-171)** [Riot police evict Hong Kong residents from Walled City](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YsExAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3YwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6688%2C969556) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160630155905/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YsExAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3YwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6688%2C969556) 30 June 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Associated Press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press "Associated Press"), *[The News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boca_Raton_News "Boca Raton News")*, 3 July 1992
172. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-172)** [Kowloon Walled City Park – History/Background](http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/kwcp/index.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160323040215/http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/kwcp/index.html) 23 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Leisure and Cultural Services Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure_and_Cultural_Services_Department "Leisure and Cultural Services Department")
173. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-173)** [Ministry of Justice (Republic of China)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Justice_\(Republic_of_China\) "Ministry of Justice (Republic of China)"): [Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs: Legislative History](http://law.moj.gov.tw/Eng/LawClass/LawHistory.aspx?PCode=Q0010003) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190816052858/https://law.moj.gov.tw/Eng/LawClass/LawHistory.aspx?PCode=Q0010003) 16 August 2019 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine")
174. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-HKrev_174-0)**
*Hong Kong's reversion to China: effective monitoring critical to assess*. U.S. Diane Publishing.
[ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[1-4289-7837-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-4289-7837-2 "Special:BookSources/1-4289-7837-2")
\[*[page needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources "Wikipedia:Citing sources")*\]
175. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-175)**
["Albright To Attend Hong Kong Transfer Ceremony"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110128152038/http://edition.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/04/16/albright.hongkong/). CNN. 16 April 1997. Archived from [the original](http://edition.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/04/16/albright.hongkong/) on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
176. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-176)**
["Smooth Hong Kong handover lifts China's image"](http://articles.cnn.com/1997-07-15/world/9707_15_hongkong_1_handover-beijings-china-policy?_s=PM:WORLD). CNN. 15 July 1997. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service "Category:CS1 maint: deprecated archival service"))
177. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-177)**
["Hong Kong SAR, China"](https://data.worldbank.org/country/hong-kong-sar-china?view=chart). *World Bank*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181221184227/https://data.worldbank.org/country/hong-kong-sar-china?view=chart) from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
178. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-178)**
["United Kingdom"](https://data.worldbank.org/country/united-kingdom). *World Bank*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181221023037/https://data.worldbank.org/country/united-kingdom) from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
179. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-179)**
Bland and Pong, Ben and Jane. ["Hong Kong since the handover in charts"](https://www.ft.com/content/7e2422b8-5bb1-11e7-9bc8-8055f264aa8b). *[Financial Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_Times "Financial Times")*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181215142307/https://www.ft.com/content/7e2422b8-5bb1-11e7-9bc8-8055f264aa8b) from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
180. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-180)**
["Gross Domestic Product – 2017 highlights"](https://www.gov.bm/sites/default/files/GDP%202017%20annual%20publication.pdf) (PDF). Government of Bermuda, Department of Statistics. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181221182735/https://www.gov.bm/sites/default/files/GDP%202017%20annual%20publication.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
181. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-181)**
["Population estimates"](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates). [Office for National Statistics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_for_National_Statistics "Office for National Statistics"). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170525074748/https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates) from the original on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
182. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-182)** Chia-rong Wu, "Hong Kong Identity in Question: Fruit Chan's Uncanny Narrative and (Post-)97 Complex". *American Journal of Chinese Studies* (April 2017), Vol. 24 Issue 1, pp 43–56.
183. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-183)**
Wang, Yiman (2013). [*Remaking Chinese Cinema: Through the Prism of Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Hollywood*](https://books.google.com/books?id=qcEbAgAAQBAJ). Hong Kong University Press. pp. 114, 131. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-988-8139-16-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-988-8139-16-3 "Special:BookSources/978-988-8139-16-3")
.
184. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-184)**
["Trivia"](https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/movies/tnd_trivia). *MI6-HQ.COM*.
185. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-185)**
Chris Berry; Mary Ann Farquhar (2006). [*China on Screen: Cinema and Nation*](https://books.google.com/books?id=YOWdAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA2). Columbia University Press. p. 2. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-231-13706-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-231-13706-5 "Special:BookSources/978-0-231-13706-5")
.
186. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Singh_2016_186-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Singh_2016_186-1) [***c***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Singh_2016_186-2) [***d***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Singh_2016_186-3)
Singh, Harminder (1 July 2016). ["Everything you need to know about Hong Kong's return to Chinese sovereignty"](https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1983718/everything-you-need-know-about-hong-kongs-return). *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*. [Alibaba Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alibaba_Group "Alibaba Group"). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171018010140/http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1983718/everything-you-need-know-about-hong-kongs-return) from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
187. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-187)** [*Knock Off* 1998](https://www.amazon.com/Knock-Off-Rob-Schneider/dp/B000I9YUY0) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160508072910/http://www.amazon.com/Knock-Off-Rob-Schneider/dp/B000I9YUY0) 8 May 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Amazon.com](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com "Amazon.com")
188. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-188)** [A Death in Hong Kong](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007h8j3) , [BBC Two](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Two "BBC Two"), 27 February 2009
189. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-189)**
["Sam Hui 許冠傑 – 話知你97 (電影『新半斤八两』主題曲)"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLT4fstT_Tc). *[YouTube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube "YouTube")*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170423031249/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLT4fstT_Tc) from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
190. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-:12_190-0)**
Leung, Pak-hei (12 August 2021). ["Ban looms on songs with illegal content"](https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/11/233129/Ban-looms-on-songs-with-illegal-content). *[The Standard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Standard_\(Hong_Kong\) "The Standard (Hong Kong)")*. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
191. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-191)**
August, Oliver (7 March 2003). ["Satisfaction at last for protest rocker banned by Beijing"](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/asia-travel/china/satisfaction-at-last-for-protest-rocker-banned-by-beijing-r8h69pw2q98). *[The Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times "The Times")*.
192. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-192)**
["崔健究竟刺痛了誰？刺痛了什麼？"](https://www.inmediahk.net/%E6%96%87%E8%97%9D/%E5%B4%94%E5%81%A5%E7%A9%B6%E7%AB%9F%E5%88%BA%E7%97%9B%E4%BA%86%E8%AA%B0%EF%BC%9F%E5%88%BA%E7%97%9B%E4%BA%86%E4%BB%80%E9%BA%BC%EF%BC%9F). *[Hong Kong Inmedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Inmedia "Hong Kong Inmedia")* (in Traditional Chinese). 4 December 2015.
193. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-193)**
["Artist : Jin Title : 1997 Album : ABC Track No : 9"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqfSgxw--38). *[YouTube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube "YouTube")*. 23 August 2008. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170416150844/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqfSgxw--38) from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
194. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-194)** [*Zero Minus Ten* (James Bond 007)](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zero-Minus-Ten-James-Bond/dp/0340684496) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160414143231/http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zero-Minus-Ten-James-Bond/dp/0340684496) 14 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Amazon.com](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com "Amazon.com")
195. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-195)** [Will James Bond bow to Beijing's censorship?](https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1080685/will-james-bond-bow-beijings-censorship) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160503213927/http://www.scmp.com/business/article/1080685/will-james-bond-bow-beijings-censorship) 3 May 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 12 November 2012
196. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-196)** [Hong Kong '97](https://ew.com/article/1994/11/04/video-review-hong-kong-97) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151120080102/http://www.ew.com/article/1994/11/04/video-review-hong-kong-97) 20 November 2015 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Entertainment Weekly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_Weekly "Entertainment Weekly")*, 4 November 1994
197. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-197)** [Racism, Violence & Madness Make This Awful Hong Kong Game One to Remember](https://kotaku.com/racism-violence-madness-make-this-awful-hong-kong-ga-5936454) , [Kotaku](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotaku "Kotaku"), 21 August 2012
198. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-NYT_198-0)** [Chinese Box (1997) Film Review; A Meditation on the Meaning of Hong Kong](https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A02E7D8143CF934A25757C0A96E958260) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160724160827/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A02E7D8143CF934A25757C0A96E958260) 24 July 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Stephen Holden, *The New York Times* 17 April 1998
199. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-199)**
Choy, Howard Y.F. (1 September 2007). ["Schizophrenic Hong Kong: Postcolonial Identity Crisis in the Infernal Affairs Trilogy"](https://journals.openedition.org/transtexts/138). *Transtext(e)s Transcultures 跨文本跨文化. Journal of Global Cultural Studies* (3): 52–66\. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_\(identifier\) "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.4000/transtexts.138](https://doi.org/10.4000%2Ftranstexts.138). [ISSN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISSN_\(identifier\) "ISSN (identifier)") [1771-2084](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1771-2084).
## Bibliography
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=22 "Edit section: Bibliography")\]
- [Collins, Lawrence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Collins,_Baron_Collins_of_Mapesbury "Lawrence Collins, Baron Collins of Mapesbury"); Morse, C.G.J.; McClean, David; Briggs, Adrian; Harris, Jonathan; McLachlan, Campbell; Hill, Jonathan (2008). *[*Dicey, Morris and Collins on the Conflict of Laws*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicey_Morris_%26_Collins "Dicey Morris & Collins")* (14th ed.). Sweet & Maxwell. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-421-88360-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-421-88360-4 "Special:BookSources/978-0-421-88360-4")
.
- Fawcett, J.J.; Carruthers, J.M.; North, Peter (2008). *Cheshire, North & Fawcett: Private International Law*. OUP Oxford. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-19-928438-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-928438-2 "Special:BookSources/978-0-19-928438-2")
.
- Flowerdew, John. *The final years of British Hong Kong: The discourse of colonial withdrawal* (Springer, 1998).
[ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[9780333683125](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780333683125 "Special:BookSources/9780333683125")
- Lane, Kevin. *Sovereignty and the status quo: the historical roots of China's Hong Kong policy* (Westview Press, 1990).
[ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[9780367288099](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780367288099 "Special:BookSources/9780367288099")
- Loh, Christine (2010). *Underground front*. Hong Kong University Press. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[9789622099968](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789622099968 "Special:BookSources/9789622099968")
.
- Mark, Chi-kwan. "To 'educate' Deng Xiaoping in capitalism: Thatcher's visit to China and the future of Hong Kong in 1982". *Cold War History* Number 17 (December 2015): 1–20.
- Sing, Ming (2004). *Hong Kong's Tortuous Democratization: A Comparative Analysis*. Routledge. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[0203180402](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0203180402 "Special:BookSources/0203180402")
.
- Tang, James TH. "From empire defence to imperial retreat: Britain's postwar China policy and the decolonization of Hong Kong". *Modern Asian Studies* Vol. 28, No. 2 (May 1994): 317–337.
## Further reading
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=23 "Edit section: Further reading")\]
- Chan, Ming K. (August 2003). ["Different Roads to Home: The Retrocession of Hong Kong and Macau to Chinese sovereignty"](https://olemiss.edu/courses/pol324/chan03.pdf) (PDF). *[Journal of Contemporary China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_of_Contemporary_China "Journal of Contemporary China")*. **12** (36): 493–518\. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_\(identifier\) "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.1080/10670560305473](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F10670560305473). [S2CID](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S2CID_\(identifier\) "S2CID (identifier)") [925886](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:925886).
- ["Four Corners"](https://web.archive.org/web/20001026034701/https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/s72753.htm). [ABC Australia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_Australia "ABC Australia"). Archived from [the original](https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/s72753.htm) on 26 October 2000.
– Transcript broadcast on 13 June 1997
- Baum, Richard (December 1999). ["Enter the dragon"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/48609376). *Communist and Post-Communist Studies*. **32** (4). [University of California Press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California_Press "University of California Press"): 417–436\. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_\(identifier\) "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.1016/S0967-067X(99)00019-7](https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0967-067X%2899%2900019-7). [JSTOR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSTOR_\(identifier\) "JSTOR (identifier)") [48609376](https://www.jstor.org/stable/48609376).
## External links
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=24 "Edit section: External links")\]
- [CNN live broadcast of the handover ceremony (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osGa4wCLfQc)
- [The Hong Kong handover](https://web.archive.org/web/19970616070035/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/hongkong/index.htm) at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine") (archived 16 June 1997) – [BBC World Service](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_World_Service "BBC World Service") – On Air – January and May 1997
- [Hong Kong: The Return to China](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/hongkong/series.htm) – *[Washington Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Post "Washington Post")* Special Report
- [1997 Handover](https://web.archive.org/web/19971212061311/http://www.hongkong97.com.hk/) at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine") (archived 12 December 1997) – [South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")
| [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:HKafter1997 "Template:HKafter1997") [t](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:HKafter1997 "Template talk:HKafter1997") [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:HKafter1997 "Special:EditPage/Template:HKafter1997")[History of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hong_Kong "History of Hong Kong") [since 1997]() | |
|---|---|
| 1990s | |
| | |
| 1997 | [Handover of Hong Kong]() [1997 Asian financial crisis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Asian_financial_crisis "1997 Asian financial crisis") |
| 1998 | [1st Legislative Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Hong_Kong_legislative_election "1998 Hong Kong legislative election") [Opening of the Hong Kong International Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_International_Airport "Hong Kong International Airport") |
| 1999 | [Right of abode debate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_abode_in_Hong_Kong#The_debate_in_1999 "Right of abode in Hong Kong") (*[Ng Ka Ling v Director of Immigration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ng_Ka_Ling_v_Director_of_Immigration "Ng Ka Ling v Director of Immigration"), [Lau Kong Yung v Director of Immigration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lau_Kong_Yung_v_Director_of_Immigration "Lau Kong Yung v Director of Immigration")*) [1st District Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Hong_Kong_local_elections "1999 Hong Kong local elections") |
| 2000s | |
| | |
| 2000 | [2nd Legislative Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Hong_Kong_legislative_election "2000 Hong Kong legislative election") [Robert Chung affair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Chung_affair "Robert Chung affair") |
| 2001 | *[Director of Immigration v Chong Fung Yuen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Director_of_Immigration_v_Chong_Fung_Yuen "Director of Immigration v Chong Fung Yuen")* |
| 2002 | [2nd Chief Executive election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Hong_Kong_Chief_Executive_election "2002 Hong Kong Chief Executive election") [Article 23 legislation debate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_23 "Article 23") |
| 2003 | [SARS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome "Severe acute respiratory syndrome") [2002–2004 SARS outbreak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002%E2%80%932004_SARS_outbreak "2002–2004 SARS outbreak") [Death of Leslie Cheung](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Cheung "Leslie Cheung") [CEPA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainland_and_Hong_Kong_Closer_Economic_Partnership_Arrangement "Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement") [2003 July 1 march](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_1_July_marches#2003_protest "Hong Kong 1 July marches") [2nd District Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Hong_Kong_local_elections "2003 Hong Kong local elections") [Death of Anita Mui](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anita_Mui "Anita Mui") [Murder of Robert Kissel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Robert_Kissel "Murder of Robert Kissel") |
| 2004 | [3rd Legislative Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Hong_Kong_legislative_election "2004 Hong Kong legislative election") |
| 2005 | [Resignation of Tung Chee-hwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_term_of_Tung_Chee-hwa_as_Chief_Executive_of_Hong_Kong "Second term of Tung Chee-hwa as Chief Executive of Hong Kong") [2005 Chief Executive election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Hong_Kong_Chief_Executive_election "2005 Hong Kong Chief Executive election") [Opening of Hong Kong Disneyland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Disneyland "Hong Kong Disneyland") [2005 electoral reform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Hong_Kong_electoral_reform "2005 Hong Kong electoral reform") [WTO Ministerial Conference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization_Ministerial_Conference_of_2005 "World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2005") |
| 2006 | [Opening of Ngong Ping 360](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngong_Ping_360 "Ngong Ping 360") [Demolition of Star Ferry Pier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Place_Ferry_Pier "Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier") |
| 2007 | [3rd Chief Executive election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Hong_Kong_Chief_Executive_election "2007 Hong Kong Chief Executive election") [MTR–KCR merger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTR%E2%80%93KCR_merger "MTR–KCR merger") [3rd District Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Hong_Kong_local_elections "2007 Hong Kong local elections") [Legislative Council by-election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Hong_Kong_Island_by-election "2007 Hong Kong Island by-election") |
| 2008 | [Edison Chen photo scandal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Chen_photo_scandal "Edison Chen photo scandal") [Olympic Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equestrian_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics "Equestrian at the 2008 Summer Olympics") [4th Legislative Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Hong_Kong_legislative_election "2008 Hong Kong legislative election") [Mong Kok acid attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_acid_attacks "Hong Kong acid attacks") [2008 financial crisis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_financial_crisis "2008 financial crisis") [Sai Kung bus crash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Sai_Kung_bus_crash "2008 Sai Kung bus crash") |
| 2009 | [East Asian Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_East_Asian_Games "2009 East Asian Games") [Flu pandemic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_swine_flu_pandemic_in_Hong_Kong "2009 swine flu pandemic in Hong Kong") |
| 2010s | |
| | |
| 2010 | [Anti-Hong Kong Express Rail Link movement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Hong_Kong_Express_Rail_Link_movement "Anti-Hong Kong Express Rail Link movement") [Legislative Council by-election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Hong_Kong_by-election "2010 Hong Kong by-election") [2010 electoral reform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Hong_Kong_electoral_reform "2010 Hong Kong electoral reform") [Manila hostage crisis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_hostage_crisis "Manila hostage crisis") |
| 2011 | [818 incident](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_818_incident "Hong Kong 818 incident") *[Vallejos v. Commissioner of Registration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallejos_v._Commissioner_of_Registration "Vallejos v. Commissioner of Registration")* [4th District Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Hong_Kong_local_elections "2011 Hong Kong local elections") |
| 2012 | [Protests against Kong Qingdong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Kong_Qingdong_incident "2012 Kong Qingdong incident") [4th Chief Executive election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Hong_Kong_Chief_Executive_election "2012 Hong Kong Chief Executive election") [Moral and National Education controversy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_and_National_Education_controversy "Moral and National Education controversy") [Plastic disaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_plastic_disaster "Hong Kong plastic disaster") [5th Legislative Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Hong_Kong_legislative_election "2012 Hong Kong legislative election") [Lamma Island ferry collision](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Lamma_Island_ferry_collision "2012 Lamma Island ferry collision") |
| 2013 | [Hong Kong Television Network controversy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Television_Network "Hong Kong Television Network") [Dock strike](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Hong_Kong_dock_strike "2013 Hong Kong dock strike") |
| 2014 | [2014 electoral reform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014%E2%80%932015_Hong_Kong_electoral_reform "2014–2015 Hong Kong electoral reform") [Umbrella Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Hong_Kong_protests "2014 Hong Kong protests") |
| 2015 | [Causeway Bay Books disappearances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causeway_Bay_Books_disappearances "Causeway Bay Books disappearances") [Drinking water contamination](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Hong_Kong_heavy_metal_in_drinking_water_incidents "2015 Hong Kong heavy metal in drinking water incidents") [HKU pro-vice-chancellor selection controversy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Hong_Kong_pro-vice-chancellor_selection_controversy "University of Hong Kong pro-vice-chancellor selection controversy") [5th District Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Hong_Kong_local_elections "2015 Hong Kong local elections") |
| 2016 | [Mongkok civil unrest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Mong_Kok_civil_unrest "2016 Mong Kok civil unrest") [Legislative Council by-election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_New_Territories_East_by-election "2016 New Territories East by-election") [LegCo candidates' disqualification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Hong_Kong_Legislative_Council_candidates%27_disqualification_controversy "2016 Hong Kong Legislative Council candidates' disqualification controversy") [6th Legislative Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Hong_Kong_legislative_election "2016 Hong Kong legislative election") [LegCo oath-taking controversy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Legislative_Council_oath-taking_controversy "Hong Kong Legislative Council oath-taking controversy") |
| 2017 | [5th Chief Executive election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Hong_Kong_Chief_Executive_election "2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive election") [Imprisonment of democracy activists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_imprisonment_of_Hong_Kong_democracy_activists "2017 imprisonment of Hong Kong democracy activists") [CUHK democracy wall standoff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CUHK_democracy_wall_standoff "CUHK democracy wall standoff") |
| 2018 | [Tai Po Road bus accident](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Hong_Kong_bus_accident "2018 Hong Kong bus accident") LegCo by-elections [March](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Hong_Kong_by-election "2018 Hong Kong by-election") [November](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_2018_Kowloon_West_by-election "November 2018 Kowloon West by-election") [Opening of the Hong Kong High Speed Rail Link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Express_Rail_Link "Hong Kong Express Rail Link") [Opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong%E2%80%93Zhuhai%E2%80%93Macau_Bridge "Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge") [Victor Mallet visa controversy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Mallet_visa_controversy "Victor Mallet visa controversy") [Typhoon Mangkhut](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Mangkhut "Typhoon Mangkhut") |
| 2019 | [2019–2020 Hong Kong protests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%932020_Hong_Kong_protests "2019–2020 Hong Kong protests") [Yuen Long attack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Yuen_Long_violence "2019 Yuen Long violence") [Prince Edward station attack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Prince_Edward_station_attack "2019 Prince Edward station attack") [6th District Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Hong_Kong_local_elections "2019 Hong Kong local elections") |
| 2020s | |
| | |
| 2020 | [2019–2020 Hong Kong protests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%932020_Hong_Kong_protests "2019–2020 Hong Kong protests") [COVID-19 pandemic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Hong_Kong "COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong") [National Anthem Ordinance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Anthem_Ordinance "National Anthem Ordinance") [NPC decision on national security legislation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_People%27s_Congress_decision_on_Hong_Kong_national_security_legislation "National People's Congress decision on Hong Kong national security legislation") [Hong Kong National security law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Hong_Kong_national_security_law "2020 Hong Kong national security law") [Pro-democracy primaries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Hong_Kong_pro-democracy_primaries "2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries") [LegCo candidates' disqualification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Hong_Kong_Legislative_Council_candidates%27_disqualification_controversy "2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council candidates' disqualification controversy") [Apple Daily raids and arrests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Daily_raids_and_arrests "Apple Daily raids and arrests") [LegCo mass resignations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Hong_Kong_Legislative_Council_mass_resignations "2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council mass resignations") |
| 2021 | [2019–2020 Hong Kong protests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%932020_Hong_Kong_protests "2019–2020 Hong Kong protests") [COVID-19 pandemic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Hong_Kong "COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong") [Hong Kong 47](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_47 "Hong Kong 47") [2021 Hong Kong electoral reform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Hong_Kong_electoral_reform "2021 Hong Kong electoral reform") [Oath-taking rules law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Offices_\(Candidacy_and_Taking_Up_Offices\)_\(Miscellaneous_Amendments\)_Ordinance_2021 "Public Offices (Candidacy and Taking Up Offices) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2021") [Apple Daily raids and arrests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Daily_raids_and_arrests "Apple Daily raids and arrests") [Police stabbing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_July_police_stabbing "1 July police stabbing") [7th Legislative Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Hong_Kong_legislative_election "2021 Hong Kong legislative election") [Stand News raids and arrests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_News_raids_and_arrests "Stand News raids and arrests") |
| 2022 | [COVID-19 pandemic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Hong_Kong "COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong") [Witman Hung partygate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witman_Hung_partygate "Witman Hung partygate") [6th Chief Executive election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Hong_Kong_Chief_Executive_election "2022 Hong Kong Chief Executive election") [2022 Xi Jinping visit to Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Xi_Jinping_visit_to_Hong_Kong "2022 Xi Jinping visit to Hong Kong") |
| 2023 | [Removal of COVID-19 pandemic measures](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Hong_Kong "COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong") [2023 Hong Kong electoral changes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Hong_Kong_electoral_changes "2023 Hong Kong electoral changes") [2023 Gay Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Gay_Games "2023 Gay Games") [7th District Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Hong_Kong_local_elections "2023 Hong Kong local elections") |
| 2024 | [Safeguarding National Security Ordinance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safeguarding_National_Security_Ordinance "Safeguarding National Security Ordinance") |
| 2025 | [Opening of the Kai Tak Sports Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Tak_Sports_Park "Kai Tak Sports Park") [Hong Kong bottled water scandal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_bottled_water_scandal "Hong Kong bottled water scandal") [2025 National Games of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_National_Games_of_China "2025 National Games of China") [Wang Fuk Court fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Fuk_Court_fire "Wang Fuk Court fire") [8th Legislative Council elections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Hong_Kong_legislative_election "2025 Hong Kong legislative election") |
| Ongoing | [Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong%E2%80%93Mainland_China_conflict "Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict") [football rivalry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93Hong_Kong_football_rivalry "China–Hong Kong football rivalry") National security [2020](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Hong_Kong_national_security_law "2020 Hong Kong national security law") [2024](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safeguarding_National_Security_Ordinance "Safeguarding National Security Ordinance") |
[Portals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals "Wikipedia:Contents/Portals"):
-  [Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Hong_Kong "Portal:Hong Kong")
-  [China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:China "Portal:China")
-  [United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:United_Kingdom "Portal:United Kingdom")
- [](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EC1835_C_cut.jpg) [1990s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:1990s "Portal:1990s")
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Handover of Hong Kong
23 languages
[Add topic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong) |
| Readable Markdown | | | |
|---|---|
| Part of the [decolonisation of Asia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decolonisation_of_Asia "Decolonisation of Asia") | |
| Date | 1 July 1997; 28 years ago |
| Time | 00:00 ([HKT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Time "Hong Kong Time"), [UTC+08:00](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTC%2B08:00 "UTC+08:00")) |
| Location | [Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong "Hong Kong") |
| Participants |  [China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China "China") [Jiang Zemin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiang_Zemin "Jiang Zemin") [Li Peng](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Peng "Li Peng") [Tung Chee-hwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_Chee-hwa "Tung Chee-hwa")  [United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom "United Kingdom") [Charles, Prince of Wales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles,_Prince_of_Wales "Charles, Prince of Wales") [Tony Blair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Blair "Tony Blair") [Chris Patten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Patten "Chris Patten") |
| Handover of Hong Kong | |
|---|---|
| Return of Hong Kong | |
| [Traditional Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_characters "Traditional Chinese characters") | 香港回歸 |
| [Simplified Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_characters "Simplified Chinese characters") | 香港回归 |
| Transcriptions | |
| [Standard Mandarin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese "Standard Chinese") | |
| [Hanyu Pinyin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanyu_Pinyin "Hanyu Pinyin") | Xiānggǎng Huíguī |
| [Yue: Cantonese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantonese "Cantonese") | |
| [Yale Romanization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yale_romanization_of_Cantonese "Yale romanization of Cantonese") | Hēung góng wùih gwāi |
| [Jyutping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyutping "Jyutping") | Hoeng1 gong2 wui4 gwai1 |
| Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong | |
| [Traditional Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_characters "Traditional Chinese characters") | 香港主權移交 |
| [Simplified Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_characters "Simplified Chinese characters") | 香港主权移交 |
| Transcriptions | |
| [Standard Mandarin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese "Standard Chinese") | |
| [Hanyu Pinyin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanyu_Pinyin "Hanyu Pinyin") | Xiānggǎng Zhǔquán Yíjiāo |
| [Yue: Cantonese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantonese "Cantonese") | |
| [Yale Romanization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yale_romanization_of_Cantonese "Yale romanization of Cantonese") | Hēung góng jyú kyùhn yìh gāau |
| [Jyutping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyutping "Jyutping") | Hoeng1 gong2 zyu2 kyun4 ji4 gaau1 |
The [handover](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_\(political\) "Handover (political)") of [Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong "Hong Kong") from the [United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Northern_Ireland "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland") to the [People's Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China "People's Republic of China") occurred at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of [British rule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Hong_Kong "British Hong Kong"), dating back to the cession of [Hong Kong Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Island "Hong Kong Island") in [1841](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Chuenpi "Convention of Chuenpi") during the [First Opium War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Opium_War "First Opium War").
Hong Kong was a colony within the [British Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire "British Empire") from 1841, except during the [Japanese occupation of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_occupation_of_Hong_Kong "Japanese occupation of Hong Kong") from 1941 to 1945. Its territory expanded after the [First Opium War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Opium_War "First Opium War") with the addition of the [Kowloon Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Peninsula "Kowloon Peninsula") and [Stonecutters Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonecutters_Island "Stonecutters Island") in 1860 and the [New Territories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Territories "New Territories") in 1898 under a [99-year lease](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_for_the_Extension_of_Hong_Kong_Territory "Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory"). The 1984 [Sino–British Joint Declaration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino%E2%80%93British_Joint_Declaration "Sino–British Joint Declaration") set the terms of the 1997 handover, under which China pledged to uphold "[one country, two systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_country,_two_systems "One country, two systems")" for 50 years. Hong Kong became China's first [special administrative region](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_administrative_region_of_China "Special administrative region of China"), followed by [Macau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau "Macau") in [1999 under similar arrangements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Macau "Handover of Macau"). With a population of about 6.5 million in 1997, Hong Kong made up 97 percent of the population of all the [British Dependent Territories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Dependent_Territories "British Dependent Territories") and was Britain's last major colony.
Its handover marked the end of British colonial prestige in the Asia-Pacific region where it had never recovered from the [Second World War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_World_War "Second World War"), which included events such as the [sinking of *Prince of Wales* and *Repulse*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_Prince_of_Wales_and_Repulse "Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse"), the [Fall of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hong_Kong "Battle of Hong Kong") itself and the [Fall of Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Singapore "Fall of Singapore"), as well as the subsequent [Suez Crisis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis "Suez Crisis"), the [Malaya Emergency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaya_Emergency "Malaya Emergency") and [Aden Emergency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aden_Emergency "Aden Emergency") after the war. The transfer, which was marked by [a handover ceremony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_handover_ceremony "Hong Kong handover ceremony") attended by [Charles III](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_III "Charles III") (then as [Prince of Wales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Wales "Prince of Wales")) and broadcast around the world, is often considered to mark the definitive end of the [British Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire "British Empire").
Influence from the [Chinese Communist Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Communist_Party "Chinese Communist Party") (CCP)-led [central government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_China "Government of China") in Hong Kong expanded significantly during the 2020s, roughly two decades after the handover. The [2019–2020 Hong Kong protests](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%932020_Hong_Kong_protests "2019–2020 Hong Kong protests") prompted the introduction of the [2020 Hong Kong national security law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Hong_Kong_national_security_law "2020 Hong Kong national security law") and the [2021 Hong Kong electoral changes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Hong_Kong_electoral_changes "2021 Hong Kong electoral changes"). These measures drew criticism from the British government, which declared that China was in a "state of ongoing non-compliance" with the Joint Declaration. Hong Kong is now widely regarded as being under tight control of the Chinese government, with its autonomy largely symbolic.[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-1)
Following the end of the [Second World War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_World_War "Second World War"), both the [Kuomintang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuomintang "Kuomintang") and the [Chinese Communist Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Communist_Party "Chinese Communist Party") (CCP) proposed "(China) to recover Hong Kong"[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-2)[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-3)[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-4) ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 中國收回香港, [Yue Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Chinese_language "Yue Chinese language"): 中國收返香港),[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-5)[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-6)[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-7)[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-8)[\[9\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-9)[\[10\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-10)\[*[excessive citations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#Bundling_citations "Wikipedia:Citing sources")*\] which had since been the common descriptive statement in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan until the mid-1990s.[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-BBC20170630-11) "**Reunification of Hong Kong**"[\[12\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-12) ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 香港回歸) was used by a minority of pro-Beijing politicians, lawyers and newspapers during Sino-British negotiations in 1983 and 1984,[\[13\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-13) and gradually became mainstream in Hong Kong by early 1997 at the latest. A similar phrase "return of Hong Kong to the motherland" ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 香港回歸祖國) is also often used by Hong Kong and Chinese officials. Nevertheless, "Handover of Hong Kong" is still mainly used in the English-speaking world.
"Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong" ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 香港主權移交) is another description frequently used by Hong Kong officials[\[14\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-14)[\[15\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-15) and the media, as well as non-locals[\[16\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-16) and academics,[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-BBC20170630-11) which is not recognized by the Chinese Government.[\[17\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-aocs-17) Beijing claims neither the [Qing dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_dynasty "Qing dynasty") exercised sovereignty over Hong Kong after ceding it, nor the British therefore did, and hence the transfer of sovereignty to China from Britain is not logically possible.[\[18\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-18)[\[19\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-19)[\[17\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-aocs-17)[\[20\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-20) As no consensus was reached on the sovereignty transfer, the Chinese stated "to recover the Hong Kong area" ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 收回香港地區) and "to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong" ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 對香港恢復行使主權) in the [Sino-British Joint Declaration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration "Sino-British Joint Declaration"), while the British declared "(to) restore Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China" ([Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language "Chinese language"): 將香港交還給中華人民共和國).[\[21\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-21)
[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Acquisition_of_Hong_Kong.svg)
Britain acquired [Hong Kong Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Island "Hong Kong Island") in 1842, the [Kowloon Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Peninsula "Kowloon Peninsula") in 1860, and the lease of the [New Territories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Territories "New Territories") in 1898.
By the 1820s and 1830s, the British had conquered parts of India and had intentions of growing cotton in these lands to offset the amount of cotton they were buying from America.\[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed "Wikipedia:Citation needed")*\] When this endeavour failed, the British realised they could grow poppies at an incredible rate. These poppies could then be turned into opium, which the Chinese highly desired, but their laws prohibited. So the British plan was to grow poppies in India, convert it into opium, smuggle the opium into China and trade it for tea, and sell the tea back in Britain. The illegal opium trade was highly successful, and the drug was very profitably smuggled into China in extremely large volumes.[\[22\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-22)
The United Kingdom obtained control over portions of Hong Kong's territory through three treaties concluded with [Qing China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_dynasty "Qing dynasty") after the [Opium Wars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars "Opium Wars"):
- 1842 [Treaty of Nanking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Nanking "Treaty of Nanking"): [Hong Kong Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Island "Hong Kong Island") ceded in perpetuity[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-:0-23)
- 1860 [Convention of Peking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Peking "Convention of Peking"): [Kowloon Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Peninsula "Kowloon Peninsula") and [Stonecutter's Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonecutter%27s_Island "Stonecutter's Island") additionally ceded[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-:0-23)
- 1898 [Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_for_the_Extension_of_Hong_Kong_Territory "Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory"): the [New Territories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Territories "New Territories") and [outlying islands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlying_Islands,_Hong_Kong "Outlying Islands, Hong Kong") leased for 99 years until 1997[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-:0-23)
Despite the finite nature of the New Territories lease, this portion of the colony was developed just as rapidly as, and became highly integrated with, the rest of Hong Kong. As the end of the lease approached, and by the time of serious negotiations over the future status of Hong Kong in the 1980s, it was thought\[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed "Wikipedia:Citation needed")*\] impractical to separate the ceded territories and return only the New Territories to China. In addition, with the scarcity of land and natural resources in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, large-scale [infrastructure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructures "Infrastructures") investments had been made in the New Territories, with break-evens lying well past 30 June 1997.[\[24\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Akers-Jones-24)
When the People's Republic of China obtained its seat in the United Nations as a result of the [UN General Assembly Resolution 2758](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_General_Assembly_Resolution_2758 "UN General Assembly Resolution 2758") in 1971, it began to act diplomatically on its previously lost sovereignty over both Hong Kong and [Macau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau "Macau"). In March 1972, the Chinese UN representative, [Huang Hua](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huang_Hua_\(politician\) "Huang Hua (politician)"), wrote to the United Nations Decolonization Committee to state the position of the Chinese government:
> The questions of Hong Kong and Macau belong to the category of questions resulting from the series of unequal treaties which the imperialists imposed on China. Hong Kong and Macau are part of Chinese territory occupied by the British and Portuguese authorities. The settlement of the questions of Hong Kong and Macau is entirely within China's sovereign right and do not at all fall under the ordinary category of colonial territories. Consequently, they should not be included in the list of colonial territories covered by the declaration on the granting of independence to colonial territories and people. With regard to the questions of Hong Kong and Macau, the Chinese government has consistently held that they should be settled in an appropriate way when conditions are ripe.[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Passage-25)
The same year, on 8 November, the [United Nations General Assembly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly "United Nations General Assembly") passed the resolution on removing Hong Kong and Macau from the official list of colonies.[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Passage-25)
In March 1979 the [Governor of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Hong_Kong "Governor of Hong Kong"), [Murray MacLehose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_MacLehose,_Baron_MacLehose_of_Beoch "Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch"), paid his first official visit to the People's Republic of China (PRC), taking the initiative to raise the question of Hong Kong's sovereignty with [CCP vice chairman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Chairman_of_the_Chinese_Communist_Party "Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party") [Deng Xiaoping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Xiaoping "Deng Xiaoping").[\[23\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-:0-23)[\[26\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Pepper-26) Without clarifying and establishing the official position of the PRC government, the arranging of real estate leases and loans agreements in Hong Kong within the next 18 years would become difficult.[\[24\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Akers-Jones-24)
In response to concerns over land leases in the New Territories, MacLehose proposed that British administration of the whole of Hong Kong, as opposed to sovereignty, be allowed to continue after 1997.[\[27\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-27) He also proposed that contracts include the phrase "for so long as the Crown administers the territory".[\[28\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-28)
In fact, as early as the mid-1970s, Hong Kong had faced additional risks raising loans for large-scale infrastructure projects such as its [Mass Transit Railway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Transit_Railway "Mass Transit Railway") (MTR) system and a new airport. Caught unprepared, Deng asserted the necessity of Hong Kong's return to China, upon which Hong Kong would be given special status by the PRC government.
MacLehose's visit to the PRC raised the curtain on the issue of Hong Kong's sovereignty: Britain was made aware of the PRC's intent to resume sovereignty over Hong Kong, and began to make arrangements accordingly to ensure the sustenance of her interests within the territory, as well as initiating the creation of a withdrawal plan in case of emergency.
Three years later, Deng received the former [British Prime Minister](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Prime_Minister "British Prime Minister") [Edward Heath](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Heath "Edward Heath"), who had been dispatched as the special envoy of Prime Minister [Margaret Thatcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher "Margaret Thatcher") to establish an understanding of the PRC's plans with regards to the retrocession of Hong Kong; during their meeting, Deng outlined his plans to make the territory a special economic zone, which would retain its capitalist system under Chinese sovereignty.[\[29\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-29)
In the same year, [Edward Youde](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Youde "Edward Youde"), who succeeded MacLehose as the 26th Governor of Hong Kong, led a [delegation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delegation "Delegation") of five [Executive Councillors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Executive Council of Hong Kong") to London, including [Chung Sze-yuen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chung_Sze-yuen "Chung Sze-yuen"), [Lydia Dunn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Dunn "Lydia Dunn"), and [Roger Lobo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Lobo "Roger Lobo").[\[30\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Chung-30) Chung presented their position on the sovereignty of Hong Kong to Thatcher, encouraging her to take into consideration the interests of the native Hong Kong population in her upcoming visit to China.[\[30\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Chung-30)
In light of the increasing openness of the PRC government and economic reforms on the mainland, the then British Prime Minister [Margaret Thatcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher "Margaret Thatcher") sought the PRC's agreement to a continued British presence in the territory.[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Cottrell-31)
However, the PRC took a contrary position: not only did the PRC wish for the New Territories, on lease until 1997, to be placed under the PRC's jurisdiction, it also refused to recognise the onerous [unequal treaties](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unequal_treaty "Unequal treaty") under which Hong Kong Island and Kowloon had been ceded to Britain in perpetuity after the [Opium Wars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars "Opium Wars"). Consequently, the PRC recognised only the British administration in Hong Kong, but not British sovereignty.[\[32\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-32)
Major events, 1979–1997
> - 24 March 1979: Hong Kong Governor [Murray MacLehose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_MacLehose "Murray MacLehose") was invited to visit Guangzhou and Beijing to find out the attitude of the Chinese government on the issue of Hong Kong.
> - 29 March 1979: Murray MacLehose met Chinese Vice Premier [Deng Xiaoping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Xiaoping "Deng Xiaoping") and raised the issue of Hong Kong for the first time. Deng remarked that the investors could set their minds at peace.
> - 4 April 1979: The Kowloon–Canton through-train routes were restored after 30 years of non-service.
> - 3 May 1979: The [Conservative Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Party_\(UK\) "Conservative Party (UK)") won the [UK election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_United_Kingdom_general_election "1979 United Kingdom general election").
> - 29 October 1979: CCP Chairman and Chinese Premier [Hua Guofeng](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Guofeng "Hua Guofeng") visited Britain and had a meeting with British prime minister [Margaret Thatcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher "Margaret Thatcher"). Both of them expressed their concern to maintain the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong.
> - 12 May 1980: Although [Tabled](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_\(verb\)#Commencing_discussion "Table (verb)") by the Conservative Party in the British government, a new status "[British Overseas Territories citizen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Overseas_Territories_citizen "British Overseas Territories citizen")" was introduced. This status proposal was widely opposed by Hong Kong people.
> - 3 April 1981: Foreign Secretary [Lord Carrington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Carington,_6th_Baron_Carrington "Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington") met Deng Xiaoping in his visit to Beijing.
> - 30 September 1981: Chairman of the [NPC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_People%27s_Congress "National People's Congress") [Ye Jianying](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_Jianying "Ye Jianying") issued nine guiding principles concerning a peaceful reunification of Taiwan and mainland China.
> - 30 October 1981: The House of Commons passed the new British Nationality Act.
> - November 1981: The Beijing government invited some Hong Kong citizens to help organising a united front in the handling of the Hong Kong issue.
> - 6 January 1982: Chinese Premier [Zhao Ziyang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Ziyang "Zhao Ziyang") met with Lord Privy Seal [Humphrey Atkins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humphrey_Atkins "Humphrey Atkins"). Zhao insisted that the PRC would uphold its sovereignty over Hong Kong.
> - 10 March 1982: Vice Premier [Gu Mu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu_Mu "Gu Mu") met with [John Bremridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bremridge "John Bremridge"), promising to maintain Hong Kong's stability and prosperity.
> - 6 April 1982: Deng Xiaoping revealed his wish to have official contact with the British government.
> - 8 May 1982: [Edward Youde](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Youde "Edward Youde") arrived as the 26th Governor of Hong Kong.
> - May 1982: Deng Xiaoping and Zhao Ziyang collected advice from Hong Kong notables such as [Li Ka-shing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Ka-shing "Li Ka-shing") and [Ann Tse-kei](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._K._Ann "T. K. Ann").
> - 15 June 1982: Deng Xiaoping officially announced the position of the Chinese government in the context of the Hong Kong 97 Issue, marking the first public statement on part of the PRC with regards to the issue.
### Before the negotiations
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=4 "Edit section: Before the negotiations")\]
In the wake of Governor MacLehose's visit, Britain and the PRC established initial diplomatic contact for further discussions of the [Hong Kong Question](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Question "Hong Kong Question"), paving the way for Thatcher's first visit to the PRC in September 1982.[\[33\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Roger-33)
Margaret Thatcher, in discussion with Deng Xiaoping, reiterated the validity of an extension of the lease of Hong Kong territory, particularly in light of binding treaties, including the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, the [Convention of Peking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Peking "Convention of Peking") in 1856, and the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory signed in 1890.
In response, Deng Xiaoping cited the lack of room for compromise on the question of sovereignty over Hong Kong; the PRC, as the successor of [Qing dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_dynasty "Qing dynasty") and the [Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_\(1912%E2%80%931949\) "Republic of China (1912–1949)") on [the mainland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainland_China "Mainland China"), would recover the entirety of the New Territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. China considered treaties about Hong Kong as unequal and ultimately refused to accept any outcome that would indicate permanent loss of sovereignty over Hong Kong's area, whatever wording the former treaties had.[\[34\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-34)
During talks with Thatcher, China planned to seize Hong Kong if the negotiations set off unrest in the colony. Thatcher later said that Deng told her bluntly that China could easily take Hong Kong by force, stating that "I could walk in and take the whole lot this afternoon", to which she replied that "there is nothing I could do to stop you, but the eyes of the world would now know what China is like".[\[35\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-35)
After her visit with Deng in Beijing, Thatcher was received in Hong Kong as the first British Prime Minister to set foot on the territory whilst in office. At a press conference, Thatcher re-emphasised the validity of the three treaties, asserting the need for countries to respect treaties on universal terms: "There are three treaties in existence; we stick by our treaties unless we decide on something else. At the moment, we stick by our treaties."[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Cottrell-31)
At the same time, at the 5th session of the 5th [National People's Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_People%27s_Congress "National People's Congress"), the constitution was amended to include a new Article 31 which stated that the country might establish [Special Administrative Regions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Administrative_Region_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China") (SARs) when necessary.[\[36\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-36)
The additional Article would hold tremendous significance in settling the question of Hong Kong and later [Macau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau "Macau"), putting into social consciousness the concept of "[One country, two systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_country,_two_systems "One country, two systems")".
A few months after Thatcher's visit to Beijing, the PRC government had yet to open negotiations with the British government regarding the sovereignty of Hong Kong.
Shortly before the initiation of sovereignty talks, Governor Youde declared his intention to represent the population of Hong Kong at the negotiations. This statement sparked a strong response from the PRC, prompting Deng Xiaoping to denounce talk of "the so-called 'three-legged stool", which implied that Hong Kong was a party to talks on its future, alongside Beijing and London.[\[37\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-37)
At the preliminary stage of the talks, the British government proposed an exchange of sovereignty for administration and the implementation of a British administration post-handover.[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Cottrell-31)
The PRC government refused, contending that the notions of sovereignty and administration were inseparable, and although it recognised [Macau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau "Macau") as a "Chinese territory under Portuguese administration", this was only temporary.[\[38\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-38)
In fact, during informal exchanges between 1979 and 1981, the PRC had proposed a "Macau solution" in Hong Kong, under which it would remain under British administration at China's discretion.[\[26\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Pepper-26)
However, this had previously been rejected following the [1967 Leftist riots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_1967_Leftist_riots "Hong Kong 1967 Leftist riots"), with the then Governor, [David Trench](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Trench "David Trench"), claiming the leftists' aim was to leave the UK without effective control, or "to Macau us".[\[39\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-39)
The conflict that arose at that point of the negotiations ended the possibility of further negotiation. During the reception of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath during his sixth visit to the PRC, Deng Xiaoping commented on the impossibility of exchanging sovereignty for administration, declaring an ultimatum: the British government must modify or give up its position or the PRC will announce its resolution of the issue of Hong Kong sovereignty unilaterally.[\[40\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-fmprc-40)
In 1983, [Typhoon Ellen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Ellen_\(1983\) "Typhoon Ellen (1983)") ravaged Hong Kong, causing great amounts of damage to both life and property.[\[41\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-SHT-41) The Hong Kong dollar plummeted on [Black Saturday](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Saturday_\(1983\) "Black Saturday (1983)"), and the [Financial Secretary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_Secretary_of_Hong_Kong "Financial Secretary of Hong Kong") [John Bremridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bremridge "John Bremridge") publicly associated the economic uncertainty with the instability of the political climate.[\[42\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-42) In response, the PRC government condemned Britain through the press for "playing the economic card" in order to achieve their ends: to intimidate the PRC into conceding to British demands.[\[43\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-43)
At one point Deng made it clear that he had no intention of continuing any British administration in any part of Hong Kong. In regards to the treaties establishing British control over Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, Robert Cottrell of *[The Independent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Independent "The Independent")* wrote "In practical terms, the treaties were worthless, sovereignty would be China's in due course, and any row about it would certainly damage Hong Kong in the short term whatever the eventual outcome."[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Cottrell-31)
Governor Youde with nine members of the Hong Kong Executive Council travelled to London to discuss with Thatcher the crisis of confidence – the problem with morale among the people of Hong Kong arising from the ruination of the Sino-British talks. The session concluded with Thatcher's writing of a letter addressed to the PRC Premier [Zhao Ziyang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Ziyang "Zhao Ziyang").
In the letter, she expressed Britain's willingness to explore arrangements optimising the future prospects of Hong Kong while utilising the PRC's proposals as a foundation. Furthermore, and perhaps most significantly, she expressed Britain's concession on its position of a continued British presence in the form of an administration post-handover.
Two rounds of negotiations were held in October and November. On the sixth round of talks in November, Britain formally conceded its intentions of either maintaining a British administration in Hong Kong or seeking some form of co-administration with the PRC, and showed its sincerity in discussing PRC's proposal on the 1997 issue.
[Simon Keswick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Keswick "Simon Keswick"), chairman of [Jardine Matheson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardine_Matheson "Jardine Matheson") & Co., said they were not pulling out of Hong Kong, but a new [holding company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holding_company "Holding company") would be established in [Bermuda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda "Bermuda") instead.[\[44\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-44) The PRC took this as yet another plot by the British. The Hong Kong government explained that it had been informed about the move only a few days before the announcement. The government would not and could not stop the company from making a business decision.
Just as the atmosphere of the talks was becoming cordial, members of the [Legislative Council of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong") felt impatient at the long-running secrecy over the progress of Sino-British talks on the Hong Kong issue. A motion, [tabled](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_\(verb\)#Commencing_discussion "Table (verb)") by legislator [Roger Lobo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Lobo "Roger Lobo"), declared "This Council deems it essential that any proposals for the future of Hong Kong should be debated in this Council before agreement is reached", was passed unanimously.[\[45\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-45)
The PRC attacked the motion furiously, referring to it as "somebody's attempt to play the three-legged stool trick again".[\[46\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-46) At length, the PRC and Britain initiated the Joint Declaration on the question of Hong Kong's future in Beijing. [Zhou Nan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Nan "Zhou Nan"), the then PRC Deputy Foreign Minister and leader of the negotiation team, and [Richard Evans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Evans_\(British_diplomat\) "Richard Evans (British diplomat)"), British Ambassador to Beijing and leader of the team, signed respectively on behalf of the two governments.[\[47\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-47)
## Sino-British Joint Declaration
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=7 "Edit section: Sino-British Joint Declaration")\]
The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed by [Premier of the People's Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Premier of the People's Republic of China") [Zhao Ziyang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Ziyang "Zhao Ziyang") and [Prime Minister of the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom "Prime Minister of the United Kingdom") [Margaret Thatcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher "Margaret Thatcher") on 19 December 1984 in Beijing. The Declaration entered into force with the exchange of instruments of ratification on 27 May 1985 and was registered by the People's Republic of China and United Kingdom governments at the United Nations on 12 June 1985.
In the Joint Declaration, the People's Republic of China Government stated that it had decided to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong (including [Hong Kong Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Island "Hong Kong Island"), Kowloon, and the New Territories) with effect from 1 July 1997 and the United Kingdom Government declared that it would restore Hong Kong to the PRC with effect from 1 July 1997. In the document, the People's Republic of China Government also declared its basic policies regarding Hong Kong.[\[48\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-48)
In accordance with the [One country, two systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_country,_two_systems "One country, two systems") principle agreed between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China, the socialist system of the People's Republic of China would not be practised in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Hong Kong's previous capitalist system and its way of life would remain unchanged for a period of 50 years.[\[49\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-hklii-jointdec-49)
The Hong Kong Basic Law ensured, among other things, that Hong Kong will retain its [legislative system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong"), and people's rights and freedom for fifty years,[\[50\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-50) as a [special administrative region (SAR) of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_administrative_regions_of_China "Special administrative regions of China"). The [central government in Beijing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_China "Government of China") maintains control over Hong Kong's foreign affairs as well as the legal interpretation of the Basic Law. The latter has led democracy advocates and some Hong Kong residents to argue, after the fact, that the territory has yet to achieve [universal suffrage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_suffrage "Universal suffrage") as promised by the [Basic Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Basic_Law "Hong Kong Basic Law"), leading to [mass demonstrations in 2014](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella_Revolution "Umbrella Revolution").[\[51\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-auto-51)[\[52\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-auto1-52)[\[53\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-auto2-53) In 2019, demonstrations that started as a protest [against an extradition law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_Hong_Kong_protests "2019–20 Hong Kong protests") also led to massive demonstrations (1.7 million on 11 and 18 August 2019), again demanding universal suffrage, but also the resignation of [Carrie Lam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Lam "Carrie Lam") (the then-Chief Executive).[\[54\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-BBC19aug2019-54)
In December 2021, Beijing released a document titled "Hong Kong Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems", the second such white paper on Hong Kong affairs since 2014. It stated that the central government will work with "all social groups, sectors and stakeholders towards the ultimate goal of election by universal suffrage of the chief executive" and the [LegCo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong") while also noting that the Chinese constitution and the Basic Law together "empower the HKSAR to exercise a high degree of autonomy and confirm the central authorities' right to supervise the exercise of this autonomy".[\[55\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-scmp-20211220-55)
## Drafting of Basic Law
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=9 "Edit section: Drafting of Basic Law")\]
The [Basic Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Law_of_Hong_Kong "Basic Law of Hong Kong") was drafted by a [Drafting Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Basic_Law_Drafting_Committee "Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee") composed of members from both Hong Kong and [Mainland China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainland_China "Mainland China"). A [Basic Law Consultative Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Basic_Law_Consultative_Committee "Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee") formed purely by Hong Kong people was established in 1985 to canvas views in Hong Kong on the drafts.
The first draft was published in April 1988, followed by a five-month public consultation exercise. The second draft was published in February 1989, and the subsequent consultation period ended in October 1989.
The Basic Law was formally promulgated on 4 April 1990 by the [National People's Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_People%27s_Congress "National People's Congress") and signed by Chinese president [Yang Shangkun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Shangkun "Yang Shangkun"), together with the designs for the flag and emblem of the HKSAR. Some members of the Basic Law drafting committee were ousted by Beijing following [1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests_and_massacre "1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre"), after voicing views supporting the student protesters.
The Basic Law was said to be a mini-[constitution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution "Constitution") drafted with the participation of Hong Kong people. The political system had been the most controversial issue in the drafting of the Basic Law. The special issue sub-group adopted the political model put forward by [Louis Cha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Cha "Louis Cha"). This "mainstream" proposal was criticised for being too conservative.\[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed "Wikipedia:Citation needed")*\]
According to Clauses 158 and 159 of the Basic Law, powers of interpretation and amendment of the Basic Law are vested in the [Standing Committee of the National People's Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_Committee_of_the_National_People%27s_Congress "Standing Committee of the National People's Congress") and the National People's Congress, respectively. Hong Kong's people have limited influence.
After the [1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests_and_massacre "1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre"), the [Executive Councillors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Executive Council of Hong Kong") and the [Legislative Councillors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong") of Hong Kong unexpectedly held an urgent meeting, in which they agreed unanimously that the British Government should give the people of Hong Kong the [right of abode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_abode_\(United_Kingdom\) "Right of abode (United Kingdom)") in the United Kingdom.[\[56\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-56)
More than 10,000 Hong Kong residents rushed to [Central](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central,_Hong_Kong "Central, Hong Kong") in order to get an application form for residency in the United Kingdom. On the eve of the deadline, over 100,000 lined up overnight for a [British National (Overseas)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_National_\(Overseas\) "British National (Overseas)") (BNO) application form. While mass migration began well before 1989, the event led to the peak migration year in 1992 with 66,000 leaving.[\[57\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-57)
Many citizens were pessimistic towards the future of Hong Kong and the transfer of the region's sovereignty. A tide of emigration, which was to last for no less than five years, broke out. At its peak, citizenship of small countries, such as [Tonga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonga "Tonga"), was also in great demand.[\[58\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-58)
[Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore "Singapore"), which also had a [predominantly Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Singaporeans "Chinese Singaporeans") population, was another popular destination, with the country's Commission (now Consulate-General) being besieged by anxious Hong Kong residents.[\[59\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-59) By September 1989, 6,000 applications for residency in Singapore had been approved by the commission.[\[60\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-60)
In April 1997, the acting [immigration officer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_and_Naturalization_Service "Immigration and Naturalization Service") at the [US Consulate-General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consulate_General_of_the_United_States,_Hong_Kong_and_Macau "Consulate General of the United States, Hong Kong and Macau"), James DeBates, was suspended after his wife was arrested for the smuggling of Chinese migrants into the United States.[\[61\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-61) The previous year, his predecessor, Jerry Stuchiner, had been arrested for smuggling forged Honduran passports into the territory before being sentenced to 40 months in prison.[\[62\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-62)
Canada ([Vancouver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Vancouver "Greater Vancouver") and [Toronto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Toronto "Greater Toronto")), the United Kingdom (London, [Glasgow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow "Glasgow"), and [Manchester](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester "Manchester")), Australia ([Perth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perth "Perth"), [Sydney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Sydney "Greater Sydney") and [Melbourne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne "Melbourne")), and the United States ([San Francisco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay_Area "San Francisco Bay Area"), [New York](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_metropolitan_area "New York metropolitan area"), and [Los Angeles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Los_Angeles_Area "Greater Los Angeles Area")'s [San Gabriel Valley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gabriel_Valley "San Gabriel Valley")) were, by and large, the most popular destinations. The United Kingdom devised the [British Nationality Selection Scheme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Nationality_Selection_Scheme "British Nationality Selection Scheme"), granting 50,000 families British citizenship under the [British Nationality Act (Hong Kong) 1990](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nationality_law_and_Hong_Kong "British nationality law and Hong Kong").[\[63\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-63)
[Vancouver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Canadians_in_Greater_Vancouver "Chinese Canadians in Greater Vancouver") was among the most popular destinations, earning the nickname of "Hongcouver".[\[64\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-64) [Richmond](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_British_Columbia "Richmond, British Columbia"), a suburb of Vancouver, was nicknamed "Little Hong Kong".[\[65\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-65)
All in all, from the start of the settlement of the negotiation in 1984 to 1997, nearly 1 million people emigrated; consequently, Hong Kong suffered serious loss of human and financial capital.[\[66\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-66)
[Chris Patten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Patten "Chris Patten") became the last [Governor of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Hong_Kong "Governor of Hong Kong"). This was regarded as a turning point in Hong Kong's colonial history. Unlike most of his predecessors, Patten was neither a career colonial official nor a career diplomat, but a career politician and a former [Member of Parliament](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_of_Parliament "Member of Parliament") (MP). He introduced democratic reforms which pushed PRC–British relations to a standstill and affected the negotiations for a smooth handover.
Governor Patten introduced a package of electoral reforms in the [Legislative Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong"). These reforms proposed to enlarge the electorate, thus making voting in the Legislative Council more democratic. This move posed significant changes because Hong Kong citizens would have the power to make decisions regarding their future.
After the Patten proposals were passed, Beijing decided to create the [Preliminary Working Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preliminary_Working_Committee "Preliminary Working Committee") (PWC) on 16 July 1993. Although it was seen by some that such a body was necessary in order to prepare for the transition of sovereignty, the row over the Patten proposals enabled Beijing to issue a warning that unilateral action would result in the setting-up of a "second stove" and, when it was formed, to say it was an unfortunate product of British confrontation.[\[67\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-FOOTNOTELoh2010187-67)
The Preliminary Working Committee was dissolved in December 1995 and succeeded by the Preparatory Committee in 1996. The Preparatory Committee was responsible for implementation work related to the establishment of the HKSAR, including the establishment of the [Selection Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selection_Committee_\(Hong_Kong\) "Selection Committee (Hong Kong)"), which in turn was responsible for the [selection of the first chief executive in 1996](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Hong_Kong_Chief_Executive_election "1996 Hong Kong Chief Executive election") and the members of the [Provisional Legislative Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Legislative_Council "Provisional Legislative Council") which replaced the [Legislative Council elected in 1995](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Hong_Kong_legislative_election "1995 Hong Kong legislative election").[\[68\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-FOOTNOTELoh2010188-68) The Provisional Legislative Council reverted most of the Patten's reform, by resuming appointed seats to the District Councils, Urban Council and Regional Council, reintroducing corporate voting in some functional constituencies, narrowing the franchise of the nine new functional constituencies to about 20,000 voters, and changed the "single seat, single constituency" method to the [proportional representation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_representation "Proportional representation") system for the Legislative Council elections.[\[69\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-FOOTNOTESing2004158-69)
Despite the eventual reversal of the electoral system, Patten's reform significantly impacted the Hong Kong political landscape by polarising Hong Kong politics.
The handover ceremony was held at the new wing of the [Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Convention_and_Exhibition_Centre "Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre") in [Wan Chai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wan_Chai "Wan Chai") on the night of 30 June 1997.
The principal British guest was [Prince Charles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Charles "Prince Charles"), who read a farewell speech on behalf of [Queen Elizabeth II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_II "Queen Elizabeth II"). The newly elected [Labour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Party_\(UK\) "Labour Party (UK)") prime minister, [Tony Blair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Blair "Tony Blair"); the [foreign secretary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Secretary_\(United_Kingdom\) "Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)"), [Robin Cook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Cook "Robin Cook"); the departing [governor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Hong_Kong "Governor of Hong Kong"), [Chris Patten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Patten "Chris Patten"); and the [chief of the Defence Staff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_of_the_Defence_Staff_\(United_Kingdom\) "Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)"), [General Sir Charles Guthrie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Guthrie,_Baron_Guthrie_of_Craigiebank "Charles Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank"), also attended.
Representing the People's Republic of China were the [CCP general secretary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Secretary_of_the_Chinese_Communist_Party "General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party") and [Chinese president](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "President of the People's Republic of China"), [Jiang Zemin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiang_Zemin "Jiang Zemin"); the [Chinese premier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Premier of the People's Republic of China"), [Li Peng](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Peng "Li Peng"); [Vice premier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Premier_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China") and [foreign minister](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_of_Foreign_Affairs_\(China\) "Minister of Foreign Affairs (China)"), [Qian Qichen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qian_Qichen "Qian Qichen"); [Vice chairman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Chairman_of_the_Central_Military_Commission "Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission") of the [Central Military Commission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Military_Commission_\(China\) "Central Military Commission (China)"), General [Zhang Wannian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Wannian "Zhang Wannian"); and the first chief executive [Tung Chee-hwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_Chee-hwa "Tung Chee-hwa"). The event was broadcast around the world.[\[70\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-70)[\[71\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-71)
Chinese communists portrayed the return of Hong Kong as a key moment in the PRC's rise to [great power](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_power "Great power") status.[\[72\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-:172-72): 51
### Before and after handover
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=14 "Edit section: Before and after handover")\]
| Unchanged after 30 June 1997 | Changed after 30 June 1997 |
|---|---|
| English continued as an official language and is still taught in all schools. However, many schools teach in [Cantonese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantonese "Cantonese") in parallel with [Mandarin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese "Standard Chinese") and English.[\[73\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-73) The border with the mainland, while now known as the [boundary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundaries_of_Hong_Kong "Boundaries of Hong Kong"), continued to be patrolled as before, with separate immigration and customs controls.[\[74\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-74) [Hong Kong residents](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_residents "Hong Kong residents") were still required to apply for a [Mainland Travel Permit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainland_Travel_Permit_for_Hong_Kong_and_Macao_Residents "Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents"), in order to visit mainland China.[\[75\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-75) Residents of mainland China still did not have the [right of abode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_abode "Right of abode") in Hong Kong.[\[76\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-76) Instead, they had to apply for a permit to [visit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-way_Permit "Two-way Permit") or [settle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-way_Permit "One-way Permit") in Hong Kong from the PRC government.[\[77\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-77) Hong Kong remained a [common law jurisdiction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law_jurisdiction "Common law jurisdiction"), with a separate legal system from that [used in the mainland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Law of the People's Republic of China"), with previous laws remaining in force provided that they did not conflict with the [Basic Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Law_of_Hong_Kong "Basic Law of Hong Kong").[\[78\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-78) The [Hong Kong dollar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_dollar "Hong Kong dollar") continued to be used as its sole currency, and the responsibility of the [Hong Kong Monetary Authority](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Monetary_Authority "Hong Kong Monetary Authority").[\[79\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-79) The [Bank of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_China_\(Hong_Kong\) "Bank of China (Hong Kong)") had already started issuing banknotes in 1994.[\[80\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-80) Hong Kong continued to operate as a separate customs territory from mainland China under Article 116 of the Basic Law.[\[81\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-81) Hong Kong remained an individual member of various international organisations, such as the [World Trade Organization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization "World Trade Organization") and [APEC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APEC "APEC").[\[82\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-82) Hong Kong, which remained an individual member of the [International Olympic Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Olympic_Committee "International Olympic Committee"), continued to send its own team to international sporting events such as the Olympics.[\[83\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Olympic-83) Hong Kong maintained [Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Economic_and_Trade_Office "Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office") overseas, as well as in the Greater China Region. These include the offices in London, Washington D.C., [Brussels](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels "Brussels") and [Geneva](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva "Geneva"), previously known as Hong Kong Government Offices.[\[84\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-84) Many countries' [consulates-general](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consular_missions_in_Hong_Kong "Consular missions in Hong Kong") in Hong Kong remained outside the jurisdiction of their embassies in Beijing, such as the United States [Consulate General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consulate_General_of_the_United_States,_Hong_Kong "Consulate General of the United States, Hong Kong"), which reports directly to the [Department of State](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State "United States Department of State").[\[85\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-85) The Chung Hwa Travel Service, which functioned as [Taiwan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan "Taiwan")'s [*de facto* mission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_facto_embassy "De facto embassy") in Hong Kong, continued to function as before, issuing visas to visitors from Hong Kong, mainland China and other countries.[\[86\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-86) In 2011 it was renamed the [Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_Economic_and_Cultural_Office_in_Hong_Kong "Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong").[\[87\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-87) Hong Kong continued to negotiate and maintain its own aviation bilateral treaties with foreign countries and territories.[\[88\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-88) Agreements with [Taiwan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan "Taiwan") signed in 1996 remained in force after the change of sovereignty, and were replaced by "the air transportation agreement between Taiwan and Hong Kong", which retained international regulations, such as regulations on customs.[\[89\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-89) Signs (and fonts), labels, and roadway construction standards on Hong Kong roads and expressways continue to follow the [European Union roadway standards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_the_European_Union "Transport in the European Union"), particularly those of the UK.[\[90\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-90) Hong Kong continued to [drive on the left](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-_and_right-hand_traffic "Left- and right-hand traffic"), unlike mainland China, which drives on the right.[\[91\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-91) [Vehicle registration plates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Hong_Kong "Vehicle registration plates of Hong Kong") continued to be modelled on [those of the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_the_United_Kingdom "Vehicle registration plates of the United Kingdom"), white on the front and yellow on the back, with the vehicle registration mark in a similar font.[\[92\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-92) Hong Kong-registered vehicles still required special [cross-border](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_China#Cross-border_with_Hong_Kong_and_Macau "Vehicle registration plates of China") plates to travel to and from mainland China, similar to those of [Guangdong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangdong "Guangdong").[\[93\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-93) Vehicles registered in the mainland can enter Hong Kong under the [Hong Kong mainland China driving scheme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_mainland_China_driving_scheme "Hong Kong mainland China driving scheme").[\[94\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-scmp1-94) [Hong Kong residents](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_residents "Hong Kong residents") continued to have easier access to many countries, including those in Europe and North America, with [Hong Kong SAR passport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Special_Administrative_Region_passport "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport") holders having visa-free access to 154 other countries and territories.[\[95\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-95) Former colonial citizens could continue using [British National (Overseas)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_National_\(Overseas\)_passport "British National (Overseas) passport") and [British citizen passports](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_passport "British passport") abroad, though China stopped recognizing them in 2021. (See: [British nationality law and Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nationality_law_and_Hong_Kong "British nationality law and Hong Kong")) Until 2020, it continued to have significantly more political freedoms than [mainland China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainland_China "Mainland China"), with the holding of demonstrations and the [annual memorial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorials_for_the_Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989#Hong_Kong "Memorials for the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989") to commemorate the [Tiananmen Square protests of 1989](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989 "Tiananmen Square protests of 1989") continuing to be held in [Victoria Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Park,_Hong_Kong "Victoria Park, Hong Kong").[\[96\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-96) Upon the enactment of the [Hong Kong national security law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Hong_Kong_national_security_law "2020 Hong Kong national security law"), some activities, such as the vigil, have since been officially banned, although others, such as Falun Gong, remain generally tolerated. It continued to have a [multi-party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Hong_Kong "List of political parties in Hong Kong") political system, though [2021 electoral reforms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Hong_Kong_electoral_changes "2021 Hong Kong electoral changes") of the legislative and district councils required "[patriots administering Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriots_administering_Hong_Kong "Patriots administering Hong Kong")".[\[97\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-97)[\[98\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-98) This is separate from the [one-party system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-party_state "One-party state") led by the [Chinese Communist Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Communist_Party "Chinese Communist Party") in the mainland.[\[99\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-99) It continued to have more [freedom of the press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_the_press "Freedom of the press") than mainland China, under Article 27 of the Basic Law, despite the growing influence of Beijing.[\[100\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-100) It also continued to have more religious freedoms, with the [Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Hong_Kong "Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong") remaining under the jurisdiction of the [Holy See](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_See "Holy See"), instead of the [Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Patriotic_Catholic_Association "Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association") on the mainland.[\[101\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-101) The [Falun Gong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falun_Gong "Falun Gong") spiritual practice also remained legal in Hong Kong, despite encountering opposition from the SAR government.[\[102\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-dangerous-102) Many other technical standards from the United Kingdom, such as electrical plugs ([BS 1363](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BS_1363 "BS 1363")) are still used in Hong Kong.[\[103\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-103) However, telephone companies changed from installing [UK-style](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Standard "British Standard") [BS 6312](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BS_6312 "BS 6312") telephone sockets to installing [US-style](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registered_jack "Registered jack") [RJ11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_connector#6P2C "Modular connector") ones.[\[104\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-104) Hong Kong also adopted the [digital TV standard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Terrestrial_Multimedia_Broadcast "Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast") devised in mainland China for [TV transmissions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_in_Hong_Kong "Television in Hong Kong"), instead of [DVB-T](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVB-T "DVB-T"), to replace [PAL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAL "PAL")\-I.[\[105\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-105) (See: [Technical standards in Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_standards_in_Hong_Kong "Technical standards in Hong Kong")) Hong Kong retained a separate [international dialling code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_calling_code "Country calling code") (852) and [telephone numbering plan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_telephone_numbering_plan "Hong Kong telephone numbering plan") from that of the [mainland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_telephone_numbering_plan "China telephone numbering plan").[\[106\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-106) Calls between Hong Kong and the mainland still required international dialling.[\[107\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-107) Hong Kong retained a separate [ISO 3166](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166 "ISO 3166") code, [HK](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-2:HK "ISO 3166-2:HK").[\[108\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-108) It also retained a [top-level domain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_code_top-level_domain "Country code top-level domain"), [.hk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.hk ".hk").[\[109\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-109) However, the [Chinese code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-2:CN "ISO 3166-2:CN") CN-91 was also used.[\[110\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-110) Hong Kong retained its own separate [postal services](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_service "Postal service"), with [Hongkong Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongkong_Post "Hongkong Post") continuing to operate separately from [China Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Post "China Post").[\[111\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-111) It was not made part of the [Chinese postcode system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_postal_codes_in_China "List of postal codes in China"), nor did it introduce a postcode system of its own.[\[112\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-112) The Hong Kong government continued to make a subvention to the [English Schools Foundation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Schools_Foundation "English Schools Foundation"), responsible for English-medium schools, which would not be phased out until 2016.[\[113\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-113) The former British military drill, marching and words of command in English remained in service among disciplinary forces until 2022 when Chinese foot drills were introduced to completely replace that of the UK.[\[114\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-114)[\[115\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-115) Statues of British monarchs remained. [Queen Victoria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria "Queen Victoria")'s statue remains in [Victoria Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Park,_Hong_Kong "Victoria Park, Hong Kong").[\[116\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-116) [King George VI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_George_VI "King George VI")'s statue similarly remained in [Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Zoological_and_Botanical_Gardens "Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens").[\[117\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-117) British-inspired road names remain unchanged.[\[118\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-SCMP1994-118) | From 2012, secondary education moved away from the English model of 6 years secondary schooling plus two years of university matriculation to the Chinese model of three years of junior secondary plus another three years of senior secondary, while university education was extended from three years to four.[\[119\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-119) The [chief executive](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Executive_of_Hong_Kong "Chief Executive of Hong Kong") became the [head of government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_of_government "Head of government"), [elected](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Hong_Kong "Elections in Hong Kong") by a [Selection Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selection_Committee_\(Hong_Kong\) "Selection Committee (Hong Kong)"), whose members were mainly elected from among professional sectors and business leaders.[\[120\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-120) The [Governor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Hong_Kong "Governor of Hong Kong") was appointed by the United Kingdom.[\[121\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-121) The [Legislative Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong"), [elected in 1995](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Hong_Kong_legislative_election "1995 Hong Kong legislative election"), was dissolved and replaced by a [Provisional Legislative Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Legislative_Council "Provisional Legislative Council"), before elections were held to a new Council, in which only 20 out of 60 seats were directly elected.[\[122\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-122) The decision to dissolve the Legislative Council and replace it with a Provisional Legislative Council was criticised by representatives of the UK government.[\[123\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-123) Foreign nationals were not allowed to stand for directly elected seats in the [Legislative Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong "Legislative Council of Hong Kong"), only for [indirectly elected](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_constituency_\(Hong_Kong\) "Functional constituency (Hong Kong)") seats.[\[124\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-124) All public office buildings now flew the flags of the [PRC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Flag of the People's Republic of China") and the [Hong Kong SAR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Hong_Kong "Flag of Hong Kong"). The [Union Flag](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Flag "Union Flag") now flew only outside the [British Consulate-General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Consulate-General,_Hong_Kong "British Consulate-General, Hong Kong") and other British premises. The British national anthem, "[God Save the Queen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Save_the_Queen "God Save the Queen")", was no longer played at [closedown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closedown "Closedown") on [television stations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_in_Hong_Kong "Television in Hong Kong").[\[125\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-125) The Chinese national anthem, "[March of the Volunteers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_of_the_Volunteers "March of the Volunteers")", was now played instead.[\[126\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-126) At international sporting events such as the Olympics, Hong Kong was now known as [Hong Kong, China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_at_the_Olympics "Hong Kong at the Olympics").[\[83\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Olympic-83) Hong Kong athletes and teams compete under the Hong Kong SAR flag instead of the British flag of Hong Kong, and gold medallists were honoured with the Chinese national anthem, instead of the British national anthem.[\[127\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-127) The [Court of Final Appeal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Court_of_Final_Appeal "Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal") replaced the [Judicial Committee of the Privy Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_Committee_of_the_Privy_Council "Judicial Committee of the Privy Council") as the highest court of appeal.[\[128\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-128) The [Supreme Court](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_\(Hong_Kong\) "Supreme Court (Hong Kong)") was replaced by the [High Court](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Court_\(Hong_Kong\) "High Court (Hong Kong)").[\[129\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-129) The [Attorney General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_for_Justice_\(Hong_Kong\)#Attorneys_General_before_1997 "Secretary for Justice (Hong Kong)") was replaced by the [Secretary for Justice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_for_Justice_\(Hong_Kong\) "Secretary for Justice (Hong Kong)").[\[130\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-130) The [Central People's Government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_People%27s_Government "Central People's Government") was now formally represented in Hong Kong by a [Liaison Office](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Liaison_Office "Hong Kong Liaison Office"), dealing with domestic matters.[\[131\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-131) This had been established under British rule as the [Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong Branch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinhua_News_Agency_Hong_Kong_Branch "Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong Branch"), before it adopted its present name in 2000.[\[132\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-132) The Hong Kong SAR Government was now formally represented in Beijing by the [Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Government_of_the_Hong_Kong_Special_Administrative_Region_in_Beijing "Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Beijing").[\[133\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-133) The [Ministry of Foreign Affairs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_\(China\) "Ministry of Foreign Affairs (China)") was represented in Hong Kong by a [Commissioner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Commissioner_of_the_Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_\(Hong_Kong\) "Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Hong Kong)").[\[134\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-134) The [People's Liberation Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Liberation_Army "People's Liberation Army") established the [Hong Kong Garrison](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Garrison "Hong Kong Garrison"), taking over responsibility for defence from [British Forces Overseas Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Forces_Overseas_Hong_Kong "British Forces Overseas Hong Kong").[\[135\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-135) The Prince of Wales Building was renamed the [Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_People%27s_Liberation_Army_Forces_Hong_Kong_Building "Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building"), while the Prince of Wales Barracks was similarly renamed the Central Barracks, with effect from January 2002.[\[136\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-136) Flags were no longer flown at the [Cenotaph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cenotaph_\(Hong_Kong\) "The Cenotaph (Hong Kong)") to remember the war dead; previously British troops raised flags representing the [British Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army "British Army"), [Royal Navy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Navy "Royal Navy") and [Royal Air Force](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Force "Royal Air Force") every morning, lowering them again before sunset.[\[137\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-137) [Government House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_House,_Hong_Kong "Government House, Hong Kong") was not used as the residence of the first chief executive, [Tung Chee-hwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_Chee-hwa "Tung Chee-hwa").[\[138\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Slow_but_Sure-138) However, his successor, [Donald Tsang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Tsang "Donald Tsang"), moved into the compound in 2007.[\[139\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-139) [Queen Elizabeth II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II "Elizabeth II")'s portrait was removed from public offices.[\[140\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Battle_Royal-140) Coins issued since 1993 no longer had the Queen's head, instead having the [Bauhinia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhinia_%C3%97_blakeana#Usage_as_an_emblem "Bauhinia × blakeana").[\[141\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-141) Postage stamps now displayed the words "Hong Kong, China".[\[142\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-142) A set of definitive stamps, bearing the words "Hong Kong" with no connotation of sovereignty, was introduced in January 1997.[\[143\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-143) The "[Royal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Charter "Royal Charter")" title was dropped from almost all [organisations that had been granted it](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Charter#Hong_Kong "Royal Charter"), with the exception of the [Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Hong_Kong_Yacht_Club "Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club").[\[140\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Battle_Royal-140) The [Crown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Edward%27s_Crown "St Edward's Crown") was removed from the crest of the [Hong Kong Police Force](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Police_Force "Hong Kong Police Force"), and replaced by the [Bauhinia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhinia_%C3%97_blakeana#Usage_as_an_emblem "Bauhinia × blakeana").[\[140\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Battle_Royal-140) Legal references to the "[Crown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crown "The Crown")" were replaced by references to the "State".[\[144\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-144) [Barristers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrister "Barrister") who had been appointed [Queen's Counsel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Counsel "Queen's Counsel") would now be known as [Senior Counsel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senior_Counsel "Senior Counsel").[\[145\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-145) The [British honours system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_honours_system "British honours system") was replaced by a local system, in which the [Grand Bauhinia Medal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Bauhinia_Medal "Grand Bauhinia Medal") was the highest award.[\[146\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-146) [Public holidays](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Hong_Kong "Public holidays in Hong Kong") changed, with British-inspired occasions, such as the [Queen's Official Birthday](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Birthday "Queen's Birthday"), [Liberation Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_over_Japan_Day#Hong_Kong "Victory over Japan Day"), and [Remembrance Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day "Remembrance Day") being replaced by [PRC National Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRC_National_Day "PRC National Day") and [Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_SAR_Establishment_Day "Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day").[\[118\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-SCMP1994-118) [Double Ten Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Ten_Day "Double Ten Day"), commemorating the establishment of the [Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_\(1912-49\) "Republic of China (1912-49)"), was abolished as a public holiday in 1950.[\[147\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-147) Many of the red [Royal Mail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mail "Royal Mail") [pillar boxes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_box "Pillar box") were removed from the streets of Hong Kong and replaced by green [Hongkong Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongkong_Post "Hongkong Post") boxes.[\[138\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Slow_but_Sure-138) All others were re-painted.[\[148\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-148) British citizens (without right of abode in Hong Kong) were no longer able to work in Hong Kong without a visa; the policy was changed on 1 April 1997.[\[149\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-149)[\[150\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Offshore_Investment-150) The United Kingdom was now represented by the [British Consulate General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consulate_General_of_the_United_Kingdom,_Hong_Kong "Consulate General of the United Kingdom, Hong Kong"), which reports directly to the [Foreign and Commonwealth Office](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_and_Commonwealth_Office "Foreign and Commonwealth Office").[\[151\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-151) This has responsibility for British citizens, instead of the [Hong Kong Immigration Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Immigration_Department "Hong Kong Immigration Department").[\[152\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-152) Previously, the country's commercial interests were represented by a British Trade Commission.[\[153\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-153) It was headed by a Senior Trade Commissioner, who became the first Consul-General.[\[154\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-154) Hong Kong was no longer linked to the [Commonwealth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations "Commonwealth of Nations") and no longer participated in related [organisations or events](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_Family "Commonwealth Family").[\[155\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-155) [Consular missions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consular_missions_in_Hong_Kong "Consular missions in Hong Kong") of Commonwealth member states in Hong Kong were no longer known as Commissions, but as Consulates-General.[\[156\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-156) Countries which did not have diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom, but had diplomatic relations with China, such as [North Korea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea "North Korea") and [Iran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran "Iran"), were allowed to establish or re-open Consulates-General.[\[157\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-157) Consulates of countries which maintained diplomatic relations with [Taiwan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan "Taiwan") were closed.[\[158\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-SCMP_Liberia-158) Only South Africa, which was to establish relations with the People's Republic of China from 1998, was allowed to keep its Consulate General open for an interim period.[\[159\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-159) Hong Kong's [aircraft registration prefix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_registration#List_of_countries/regions_and_their_registration_prefixes_and_patterns "Aircraft registration") changed from **VR** to **B**, bringing it into line with mainland China and Taiwan.[\[160\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-160) Newspapers, such as the *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, changed to heading their pages with "National", rather than "Local" and 'China', and began including Chinese names in Chinese characters. However, the online edition still uses "China" and only displays Chinese names in Roman script.[\[161\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-161) A giant golden statue of a *[Bauhinia blakeana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhinia_blakeana "Bauhinia blakeana")* was erected in a public space outside the [Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Convention_and_Exhibition_Centre "Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre"), named [Golden Bauhinia Square](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Bauhinia_Square "Golden Bauhinia Square"), along with a [Reunification Monument](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_in_Commemoration_of_the_Return_of_Hong_Kong_to_China "Monument in Commemoration of the Return of Hong Kong to China").[\[162\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-162) Absolute [state immunity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_immunity "State immunity") was restored in Hong Kong until 2024.[\[163\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-163)[\[164\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-164) |
### Rose Garden Project
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=15 "Edit section: Rose Garden Project")\]
After the [Tiananmen Square protests of 1989](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989 "Tiananmen Square protests of 1989"), the Hong Kong government proposed a grand "Rose Garden Project" to restore faith and solidarity among the residents.[\[165\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-165) As the construction of the new [Hong Kong International Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_International_Airport "Hong Kong International Airport") would extend well after the handover, Governor Wilson met PRC Premier [Li Peng](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Peng "Li Peng") in Beijing to ease the mind of the PRC government.[\[166\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-166)
The communist press published stories that the project was an evil plan to bleed Hong Kong dry before the handover, leaving the territory in serious debt.[\[167\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-167) After three years of negotiations, Britain and the PRC finally reached an agreement over the construction of the new airport, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding.[\[168\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-168) Removing hills and reclaiming land, it took only a few years to construct the new airport.
### Views of the Kowloon Walled City
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=16 "Edit section: Views of the Kowloon Walled City")\]
The Walled City was originally a single fort built in the mid-19th century on the site of an earlier 17th-century watch post on the [Kowloon Peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Peninsula "Kowloon Peninsula") of Hong Kong.[\[169\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-169) After the ceding of [Hong Kong Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Island "Hong Kong Island") to Britain in 1842 ([Treaty of Nanjing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Nanjing "Treaty of Nanjing")), [Manchu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchu "Manchu") [Qing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing "Qing") Dynasty authorities of China felt it necessary for them to establish a military and administrative post to rule the area and to check further British influence in the area.
The 1898 Convention which handed additional parts of Hong Kong (the [New Territories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Territories "New Territories")) to Britain for 99 years excluded the Walled City, with a population of roughly 700. It stated that China could continue to keep troops there, so long as they did not interfere with Britain's temporary rule.
Britain quickly went back on this unofficial part of the agreement, attacking Kowloon Walled City in 1899, only to find it deserted. They did nothing with it, or the outpost, which raised the question of Kowloon Walled City's ownership. The outpost consisted of a [yamen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamen "Yamen"), as well as buildings which grew into low-lying, densely packed neighbourhoods from the 1890s to 1940s.
The [enclave](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclave "Enclave") remained part of Chinese territory despite the turbulent events of the early 20th century that saw the fall of the Qing government, the establishment of the [Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_\(1912%E2%80%9349\) "Republic of China (1912–49)") and, later, a [Communist Chinese government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China "China") (PRC).
Squatters began to occupy the Walled City, resisting several attempts by Britain in 1948 to drive them out. The Walled City became a haven for criminals and drug addicts, as the [Hong Kong Police](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Police "Hong Kong Police") had no right to enter the City and China refused maintainability. The 1949 foundation of the People's Republic of China added thousands of refugees to the population, many from [Guangdong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangdong "Guangdong"); by this time, Britain had had enough, and simply adopted a "hands-off" policy.
A murder that occurred in Kowloon Walled City in 1959 set off a small diplomatic crisis, as the two nations each tried to get the other to accept responsibility for a vast tract of land now virtually ruled by anti-[Manchurian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_dynasty "Qing dynasty") [Triads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triad_society "Triad society").
After the [Joint Declaration in 1984](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration "Sino-British Joint Declaration"), the PRC allowed British authorities to demolish the city and resettle its inhabitants. The mutual decision to tear down the walled city was made in 1987.[\[170\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-170) The government spent up to [HK\$](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HKD "HKD")3 billion to resettle the residents and shops.
Some residents were not satisfied with the compensation, and some even obstructed the demolition in every possible way.[\[171\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-171) Ultimately, everything was settled, and the Walled City became a [park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City_Park "Kowloon Walled City Park").[\[172\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-172)
## International reaction
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=17 "Edit section: International reaction")\]
The Republic of China (Taiwan) promulgated the *Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs* on 2 April 1997 by [Presidential](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_Republic_of_China "President of the Republic of China") Order, and the [Executive Yuan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Yuan "Executive Yuan") on 19 June 1997 ordered the provisions pertaining to Hong Kong to take effect on 1 July 1997.[\[173\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-173)
The [United States–Hong Kong Policy Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States%E2%80%93Hong_Kong_Policy_Act "United States–Hong Kong Policy Act") or more commonly known as the Hong Kong Policy Act ([PL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_law "Public law") no. 102-383m 106 Stat. 1448) is a 1992 act enacted by the [United States Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress "United States Congress"). It allows the United States to continue to treat Hong Kong separately from China for matters concerning trade export and economics control after the handover.[\[174\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-HKrev-174)
The United States was represented by then [Secretary of State](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_State "United States Secretary of State") [Madeleine Albright](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_Albright "Madeleine Albright") at the [Hong Kong handover ceremony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_handover_ceremony "Hong Kong handover ceremony").[\[175\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-175) However, she partially boycotted it in protest of China's dissolution of the democratically elected Hong Kong legislature.[\[176\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-176)
## End of the British Empire
\[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handover_of_Hong_Kong&action=edit§ion=18 "Edit section: End of the British Empire")\]
The handover marked the end of British rule in Hong Kong, which was Britain's last substantial overseas territory. Although in statute law set down by [Parliament](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_the_United_Kingdom "Parliament of the United Kingdom"), British Hong Kong had no status of pre-eminence vis-a-vis the other [British Dependent Territories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Dependent_Territories "British Dependent Territories") (as they were then classified before the term British Overseas Territory was [introduced in 2002](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Overseas_Territories_Act_2002 "British Overseas Territories Act 2002")), Hong Kong was by far the most populous and economically potent. In 1997 the colony had a population of approximately 6.5 million, which represented roughly 97% of the population of the British Dependent Territories as a whole at that time (the next largest, [Bermuda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda "Bermuda"), having a 1997 population of approximately only 62,000). With a [gross domestic product](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_domestic_product "Gross domestic product") of approximately US\$180 billion in the last year of British rule,[\[177\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-177) Hong Kong's economy was roughly 11% the size of Britain's.[\[178\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-178) Therefore, although the economies of the [United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_Kingdom "Economy of the United Kingdom") and [Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Hong_Kong "Economy of Hong Kong") were measured separately, the Handover did mean the British economy in its very broadest sense became substantially smaller (by comparison, the acquisition of Hong Kong boosted the size of the [Chinese economy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Economy of the People's Republic of China"), which was then smaller than the United Kingdom's, by 18.4%).[\[179\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-179) As a comparator to Hong Kong, in 2017 Bermuda (as with population, the economically largest of Britain's remaining territories) had a GDP of only US\$4.7 billion.[\[180\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-180)
The cession of Hong Kong meant that Britain's remaining territories (excepting the United Kingdom itself) henceforth consisted either of uninhabited lands (for instance the [British Antarctic Territory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Antarctic_Territory "British Antarctic Territory")), small islands or micro land masses (such as [Montserrat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat "Montserrat")), territories used as military bases (for example [Akrotiri and Dhekelia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akrotiri_and_Dhekelia "Akrotiri and Dhekelia") on the island of [Cyprus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus "Cyprus"), itself a former [crown colony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_colony "Crown colony") granted independence in 1960), or a combination of the latter two (like [Gibraltar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar "Gibraltar")). While many of Britain's remaining territories are significant to the global economy by virtue of being [offshore financial centres](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offshore_financial_centre "Offshore financial centre") (Bermuda, the [British Virgin Islands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Virgin_Islands "British Virgin Islands"), and the [Cayman Islands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayman_Islands "Cayman Islands") being the most prominent of these), their economies are insubstantial. Demographically, they are also tiny compared to Britain, with a collective population of less than 0.4% of Britain's 2017 population of 66 million.[\[181\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-181) As of 2018, the combined population of Britain's remaining fourteen Overseas Territories is approximately 250,000, which is less than all but three [districts of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Districts_of_Hong_Kong "Districts of Hong Kong"), and roughly equal to that of the [City of Westminster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Westminster "City of Westminster").
Consequently, because ceding Hong Kong came at the end of half a century of decolonisation, and because the handover meant that the United Kingdom became without significant overseas territories, [dominions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominions "Dominions"), or [colonies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonies "Colonies") for the first time in its history ([Great Britain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Great_Britain "Kingdom of Great Britain"), having been bequeathed the incipient domains of its later empire by inheriting the [colonial possessions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_overseas_possessions "English overseas possessions") of the [Kingdom of England](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_England "Kingdom of England") upon the passing of the [Acts of Union 1707](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Union_1707 "Acts of Union 1707"), always having been an imperial power, [ab initio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ab_initio "Ab initio")), the handover of Hong Kong to China is regarded by many (including [King Charles III](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_III "Charles III")) as marking the conclusion of the [British Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire "British Empire"), with 1 July 1997 being its end date and the handover ceremony being its last diplomatic act.
Scholars have begun to study the complexities of the transfer as shown in the popular media, such as films, television and video and online games. For example, Hong Kong director [Fruit Chan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_Chan "Fruit Chan") made a sci-fi thriller *[The Midnight After](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Midnight_After "The Midnight After")* (2014) that stressed the sense of loss and alienation represented by survivors in an apocalyptic Hong Kong. Chan infuses a political agenda in the film by playing on Hong Kongers' collective anxiety towards communist China.[\[182\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-182) Yiman Wang has argued that America has viewed China through the prisms of films from Shanghai and Hong Kong, with a recent emphasis on futuristic disaster films set in Hong Kong after the transfer goes awry.[\[183\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-183)
- The first scripts of 1997 James Bond film *[Tomorrow Never Dies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomorrow_Never_Dies "Tomorrow Never Dies")* featured a violent disruption of the transfer of Hong Kong. The plot was re-written out of the concern that if something were to happen during the handover, the film, scheduled to release a few months later, would look out of place.[\[184\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-184)
- The handover is central to the plot of the 1998 action comedy *[Rush Hour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Hour_\(1998_film\) "Rush Hour (1998 film)")*.[\[185\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-185)[\[186\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Singh_2016-186)
- It is also mentioned in another 1998 film – *[Knock Off](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knock_Off_\(film\) "Knock Off (film)")*.[\[187\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-187)
- The handover is the backdrop for "A Death in Hong Kong", the first episode the [tenth season](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder,_She_Wrote_\(season_10\) "Murder, She Wrote (season 10)") of *[Murder, She Wrote](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder,_She_Wrote "Murder, She Wrote")*.[\[188\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-188)[\[186\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Singh_2016-186)
- Hong Kong Cantopop artist [Sam Hui](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Hui "Samuel Hui") has made numerous references to 1997 including the song "Could Not Care Less About 1997" (話知你97).[\[189\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-189)
- The 1991 song "[Queen's Road East](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Road_East_\(song\) "Queen's Road East (song)")" by [Lo Ta-yu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lo_Ta-yu "Lo Ta-yu") featuring [Ram Chiang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Chiang "Ram Chiang") satirically expresses the anxiety felt by Hong Kong residents over the handover.[\[190\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-:12-190)
- [Cui Jian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cui_Jian "Cui Jian")'s 1997 single "Get Over That Day" tells the story of a man who learns about the impending return of his never-before-met sister to their [dysfunctional family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysfunctional_family "Dysfunctional family"), alluding to the handover of Hong Kong.[\[191\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-191)[\[192\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-192)
- Chinese American rapper [Jin Auyeung](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_Auyeung "Jin Auyeung") has a song called "1997" in his Cantonese album *ABC*, which he makes references to the handover, ten years since Hong Kong's return to China.[\[193\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-193)
- *[Zero Minus Ten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Minus_Ten "Zero Minus Ten")*, a [James Bond](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond "James Bond") novel by [Raymond Benson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Benson "Raymond Benson"), is set largely in Hong Kong during the days leading up to the Handover.[\[194\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-194)[\[186\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Singh_2016-186)
- The 2012 James Bond film *[Skyfall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyfall "Skyfall")* features [a villain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_Silva "Raoul Silva") who had been an [MI6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MI6 "MI6") agent in Hong Kong until the Handover, when he was handed over to the Chinese for his unauthorised [hacking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_\(computer_security\) "Hacker (computer security)") of their security networks.[\[195\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-195)
- The *[Doctor Who Unbound](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who_Unbound "Doctor Who Unbound")* audio drama *[Sympathy for the Devil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathy_for_the_Devil_\(audio_drama\) "Sympathy for the Devil (audio drama)")* by [Jonathan Clements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Clements "Jonathan Clements") is set on the eve of the Handover and involves an attempted defection by a war criminal, only hours before China takes control.[\[186\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-Singh_2016-186)
- The 2014 video game *[Wargame: Red Dragon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wargame:_Red_Dragon "Wargame: Red Dragon")* features a campaign set in an alternate history in which negotiations over the ceding of Hong Kong break down resulting in armed conflict.
- *[Hong Kong 97](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_97_\(film\) "Hong Kong 97 (film)")*, a 1994 [American](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_films "American films") movie starring [Robert Patrick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Patrick "Robert Patrick"), is set in Hong Kong during the 24 hours before the end of British rule.[\[196\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-196)
- *[Hong Kong 97](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_97_\(video_game\) "Hong Kong 97 (video game)")*, a 1995 Japanese [homebrew](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homebrew_\(video_games\) "Homebrew (video games)") [SNES](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System "Super Nintendo Entertainment System") game, is set in Hong Kong around the time of the transition. The player controls Chin ([Jackie Chan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Chan "Jackie Chan")), who was called by the Hong Kong government to kill the invading Chinese, including [Tong Shau Ping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tong_Shau_Ping "Tong Shau Ping"). The game gained a [cult following](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_following "Cult following") due to its [very poor quality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuso "Kuso") and absurd plot.[\[197\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-197)
- The handover of Hong Kong is referenced multiple times and witnessed in the 1997 film *[Chinese Box](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Box "Chinese Box")*, starring [Jeremy Irons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Irons "Jeremy Irons") and [Gong Li](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gong_Li "Gong Li"). The film itself was filmed leading up to and during the handover.[\[198\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-NYT-198)
- The handover is depicted near the conclusion of the 2003 Hong Kong film *[Infernal Affairs II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infernal_Affairs_II "Infernal Affairs II")*, with the event referenced throughout the film and serves as the background of the story. Analysis on the franchise has suggested the films' messaging to be associated with fears, anxieties and identity crisis of the Hong-Kong identity post-takeover.[\[199\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_note-199)
- The handover of Hong Kong is portrayed in the [fifth season](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crown_\(season_5\) "The Crown (season 5)") of [Netflix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netflix "Netflix")'s historical-drama series *[The Crown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crown_\(TV_series\) "The Crown (TV series)")* (2022), in the season's final episode "Decommissioned".
- [History of Chinese immigration to Canada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chinese_immigration_to_Canada#Immigration_in_the_21st_century "History of Chinese immigration to Canada")
- [Hong Kong people in the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_people_in_the_United_Kingdom "Hong Kong people in the United Kingdom")
- [Hong Kong Act 1985](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Act_1985 "Hong Kong Act 1985")
- [Monument in Commemoration of the Return of Hong Kong to China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_in_Commemoration_of_the_Return_of_Hong_Kong_to_China "Monument in Commemoration of the Return of Hong Kong to China")
- [Handover of Macau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Macau "Handover of Macau")
- [Hong Kong 1 July marches](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_1_July_marches "Hong Kong 1 July marches")
- [Hong Kong–Mainland conflict](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong%E2%80%93Mainland_conflict "Hong Kong–Mainland conflict")
1. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-1)**
Davidson, Helen (30 June 2021). ["'They can't speak freely': Hong Kong a year after the national security law"](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/30/they-cant-speak-freely-hong-kong-a-year-after-the-national-security-law). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
2. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-2)**
Johnson, Chalmers (1984). "The Mousetrapping of Hong Kong". *Asian Survey*. **24** (9). University of California Press: 887, 890. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_\(identifier\) "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.2307/2644075](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F2644075). [JSTOR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSTOR_\(identifier\) "JSTOR (identifier)") [2644075](https://www.jstor.org/stable/2644075). [S2CID](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S2CID_\(identifier\) "S2CID (identifier)") [154160559](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:154160559). "The [Communist party general secretary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Secretary_of_the_Chinese_Communist_Party "General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party"), [Hu Yaobang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu_Yaobang "Hu Yaobang"), stated at a news conference on August 15, 1983: 'We consider the so-called Hong Kong treaties to be unequal. But it is a fact that the treaties exist. Moreover, it is clearly written that the expiration date is June 30, 1997. Therefore, we do not intend to bring forward or postpone this date. We will recover Hong Kong on July 1, 1997. As far as China is concerned, our attitude is one of respect for history.'"
3. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-3)**
["China intends to recover Hong Kong, official says"](https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/1001/100118.html). *The Christian Science Monitor*. 1 October 1982. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151003004418/https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/1001/100118.html) from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
4. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-4)**
["How did the Chinese Government settle the question of Hong Kong through negotiations?"](http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/zcjs/yglz/t17767.htm). [Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Commissioner_\(Hong_Kong\) "Office of the Commissioner (Hong Kong)"). 15 November 2000. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070313183627/http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/zcjs/yglz/t17767.htm) from the original on 13 March 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2020. "Deng Xiaoping met with Mrs. Thatcher on September 24, 1982. The Chinese Premier had held talks with her before this meeting. And Chinese leaders formally informed the British side that the Chinese Government had decided to recover all of the Hong Kong region in 1997. Also, China offered assurances that it would initiate special policies after recovering Hong Kong."
5. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-5)**
平學生護權會要求收回香港旅大
\[Students urge to recover Hong Kong, [Luta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalian "Dalian")\]. *[The Kung Sheung Daily News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kung_Sheung_Daily_News "The Kung Sheung Daily News")* (in Chinese). 20 March 1947. p. Headline.
6. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-6)**
我政府健全後將促收回香港，英報謂我朝野均有此心
\[[Our Government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalist_government "Nationalist government") to urge recovering Hong Kong after strengthening, supported by cross-party according to British newspapers\]. *[The Kung Sheung Daily News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kung_Sheung_Daily_News "The Kung Sheung Daily News")* (in Chinese). 3 June 1948. p. Headline.
7. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-7)**
毛幫重視利益怎會收回香港
\[Gang of Mao cares about interests so why would they recover Hong Kong\]. *[The Kung Sheung Daily News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kung_Sheung_Daily_News "The Kung Sheung Daily News")* (in Chinese). 18 June 1967. p. Headline.
8. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-8)**
吳學謙與英外相會談,側重於九七年中國收回香港香港成為特區
\[Wu Xueqian held talks with British Foreign Secretary, emphasized on China to recover Hong Kong in '97 and Hong Kong to become [SAR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_administrative_regions_of_China "Special administrative regions of China").\]. *[Wah Kiu Yat Po](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wah_Kiu_Yat_Po "Wah Kiu Yat Po")* (in Chinese). 11 March 1988. p. Headline.
9. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-9)**
邵玉銘說:香港九七年後若不能高度自治港台關係起變化,認為中國大陸收回香港進退兩難,內部產生矛盾人民要求資本主義
\[Shaw Yu-ming: Hong Kong-Taiwan relations could change if Hong Kong can't enjoy high degree of autonomy after '97; dilemma for Chinese Mainland to recover Hong Kong; internal conflicts arose as people demands capitalism.\]. *[Wah Kiu Yat Po](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wah_Kiu_Yat_Po "Wah Kiu Yat Po")* (in Chinese). 10 January 1990. p. Headline.
10. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-10)**
Meng Bai (夢白).
[香港回歸談判中的鄧小平](http://cpc.people.com.cn/BIG5/68742/106364/106365/8730653.html)
\[Deng Xiaoping during negotiations of Hong Kong returning to motherland.\] (in Chinese). CPC News. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180503095542/http://cpc.people.com.cn/BIG5/68742/106364/106365/8730653.html) from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
鄧小平在1982年會見撒切爾夫人時用語就是「收回香港」。見《世紀風採》
11. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-BBC20170630_11-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-BBC20170630_11-1)
[香港主權移交20週年：為什麼BBC中文網不說「回歸」？](https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/chinese-news-40441492)
\[20 years anniversary for transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong: why BBC Chinese does not use "return to the motherland"?\]. *BBC News* (in Chinese). 30 June 2017. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180626143327/http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/chinese-news-40441492) from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
12. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-12)**
["Instrument A601 Hong Kong Reunification Ordinance"](https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/A601). *Hong Kong e-Legislation*. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
13. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-13)**
陳文鴻在專題講座上說港商應該把握機會到內地去發展工業，陳弘毅談香港回歸中國後的法律問題
\[Chan Man-hung said Hong Kong businesses shall grab opportunities to expand industry in mainland; [Chen Hung-yee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Chen_Hung-yee "Albert Chen Hung-yee") discussed legal issues after Hong Kong returned to China.\]. *[Ta Kung Pao](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta_Kung_Pao "Ta Kung Pao")*. 9 March 1984. p. 4.
14. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-14)** "This law took effect on 1 July 1997, upon the transfer of sovereignty from the [United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom "United Kingdom") to [China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China "China")" [Hong Kong Year Book](https://www.yearbook.gov.hk/1997/ch3/e3m.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181025223258/https://www.yearbook.gov.hk/1997/ch3/e3m.htm) 25 October 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine")
15. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-15)** "... existing system in order to preserve continuity in the administration of the public service after the transfer of sovereignty" [Legislative Council of Hong Kong record](http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr04-05/english/panels/se/papers/se0815cb2-2431-2e.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181006075237/http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr04-05/english/panels/se/papers/se0815cb2-2431-2e.pdf) 6 October 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine")
16. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-16)** Parliament of Australia [Inquiry: Hong Kong: The Transfer of Sovereignty](https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Completed_Inquiries/jfadt/hongkong/reportinx%7CCompleted)\[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot "Wikipedia:Link rot")*\]
17. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-aocs_17-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-aocs_17-1)
["新华社新闻信息报道中的禁用词和慎用词（2019年2月最新修订）"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210420145307/https://aocs.mnnu.edu.cn/info/1003/1147.htm). *两岸一家亲研究院*. 29 March 2019. Archived from [the original](http://aocs.mnnu.edu.cn/info/1003/1147.htm) on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
18. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-18)**
["正确使用涉港宣传用语"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140419170654/http://dadazim.com/journal/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/china1.pdf) (PDF). *dadazim.com*. 1997. p. 63. Archived from [the original](http://dadazim.com/journal/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/china1.pdf) (PDF) on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
19. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-19)**
["正确使用涉港宣传用语"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140419170655/http://dadazim.com/journal/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/china2.pdf) (PDF). *dadazim.com*. 1997. p. 15. Archived from [the original](http://dadazim.com/journal/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/china2.pdf) (PDF) on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
20. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-20)**
盧斯達 (26 March 2014). ["盧斯達：「內地」如何進佔香港 — 中共對語言用字的確切規定 (951)"](http://hktext.blogspot.com/2014/03/provisions-the.html). 小明文創. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20201123002729/http://hktext.blogspot.com/2014/03/provisions-the.html) from the original on 23 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
刪節版結集於
盧斯達 (2016). *究竟香港人做錯咩 — 盧斯達評論集*. 小明文創.
21. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-21)**
[*Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong*](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration) . 1984.
22. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-22)**
Beeching, Jack (1975). *The Chinese Opium Wars*. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. p. 74.
23. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-:0_23-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-:0_23-1) [***c***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-:0_23-2) [***d***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-:0_23-3)
Hurst, Matthew (2022). ["Britain's Approach to the Negotiations over the Future of Hong Kong, 1979–1982"](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F07075332.2021.2024588). *The International History Review*. **44** (6): 1386–1401\. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_\(identifier\) "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.1080/07075332.2021.2024588](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F07075332.2021.2024588). [ISSN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISSN_\(identifier\) "ISSN (identifier)") [0707-5332](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0707-5332).
24. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Akers-Jones_24-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Akers-Jones_24-1)
Akers-Jones, David (2004). [*Feeling the stones: reminiscences*](https://books.google.com/books?id=PnQAsA0oIPoC&pg=PA109). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. p. 109. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-209-655-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-209-655-4 "Special:BookSources/978-962-209-655-4")
. [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_\(identifier\) "OCLC (identifier)") [55649881](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/55649881).
25. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Passage_25-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Passage_25-1)
Ming K. Chan; Gerard A. Postiglione (1996). [*The Hong Kong Reader: Passage to Chinese Sovereignty*](https://books.google.com/books?id=BZQcw-SJhI8C&pg=PA45). M.E. Sharpe. p. 45. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-56324-870-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-56324-870-2 "Special:BookSources/978-1-56324-870-2")
.
26. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Pepper_26-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Pepper_26-1)
[Pepper, Suzzane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Pepper "Suzanne Pepper") (2001). "Elections, Political Change and Basic Law Government: Hong Kong in Search of a Political Form". In Diamond, Larry; H. Myers, Ramon (eds.). [*Elections and Democracy in Greater China*](https://books.google.com/books?id=upDNEYtw4uYC). Studies on Contemporary China. OUP Oxford. p. 55. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-19-158351-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-158351-3 "Special:BookSources/978-0-19-158351-3")
.
27. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-27)**
["Studies on Contemporary China"](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/jun/02/guardianobituaries1). *[The Guardian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian "The Guardian")*. 2 June 2000. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20161123134724/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/jun/02/guardianobituaries1) from the original on 23 November 2016.
28. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-28)**
Fravel, M. Taylor (2008). [*Strong Borders, Secure Nation: Cooperation and Conflict in China's Territorial Disputes*](https://books.google.com/books?id=02Hjr6RUckwC&pg=PA224). Princeton University Press. p. 224. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-4008-2887-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4008-2887-6 "Special:BookSources/978-1-4008-2887-6")
.
29. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-29)**
Zhang, Wei-Bin (2006). [*Hong Kong: the pearl made of British mastery and Chinese docile-diligence*](https://books.google.com/books?id=hwPUGWBTsX4C&pg=PA68). New York: Nova Science Publishers. p. 68. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-59454-600-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-59454-600-6 "Special:BookSources/978-1-59454-600-6")
. [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_\(identifier\) "OCLC (identifier)") [61169804](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/61169804).
30. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Chung_30-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Chung_30-1) [*Hong Kong's Journey to Reunification: Memoirs of Sze-yuen Chung*](https://archive.org/details/hongkongsjourney00chun/page/123) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170222104047/https://books.google.com/books?id=0ZxGHy-4X30C&lpg=PA352&ots=78T_VKsnfe&dq=chung%20sze-yuen%20lydia%20dunn%20and%20roger%20lobo%20delegation%20to%20london&pg=PA123#v=onepage&q=chung%20sze-yuen%20lydia%20dunn%20and%20roger%20lobo%20delegation%20to%20london&f=true) 22 February 2017 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Sze Yuen Chung, Chinese University Press, 2001, p. 123
31. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Cottrell_31-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Cottrell_31-1) [***c***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Cottrell_31-2) [***d***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Cottrell_31-3)
Cottrell, Robert (30 August 1992). ["How Mrs Thatcher Lost Hong Kong: Ten years ago, fired up by her triumph in the Falklands war, Margaret Thatcher flew to Peking for a last-ditch attempt to keep Hong Kong under British rule – only to meet her match in Deng Xiaoping. Two years later she signed the agreement handing the territory to China"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090809225312/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/how-mrs-thatcher-lost-hong-kong-ten-years-ago-fired-up-by-her-triumph-in-the-falklands-war-margaret-thatcher-flew-to-peking-for-a-lastditch-attempt-to-keep-hong-kong-under-british-rule--only-to-meet-her-match-in-deng-xiaoping-two-years-later-she-signed-the-agreement-handing-the-territory-to-china-1543375.html). *[The Independent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Independent "The Independent")*. [London](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London "London"). Archived from [the original](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/how-mrs-thatcher-lost-hong-kong-ten-years-ago-fired-up-by-her-triumph-in-the-falklands-war-margaret-thatcher-flew-to-peking-for-a-lastditch-attempt-to-keep-hong-kong-under-british-rule--only-to-meet-her-match-in-deng-xiaoping-two-years-later-she-signed-the-agreement-handing-the-territory-to-china-1543375.html) on 9 August 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
32. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-32)**
Yahuda, Michael B. (1996). [*Hong Kong: China's Challenge*](https://books.google.com/books?id=b9gGzWigqpMC). Psychology Press. p. 45. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-415-14071-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-415-14071-3 "Special:BookSources/978-0-415-14071-3")
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33. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Roger_33-0)**
Roger Buckley; Buckley Roger (1997). [*Hong Kong: The Road to 1997*](https://books.google.com/books?id=cxxGJ7c10noC&pg=PA109). Cambridge University Press. p. 109. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-521-46979-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-521-46979-1 "Special:BookSources/978-0-521-46979-1")
.
34. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-34)**
[Vogel, Ezra F.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_F._Vogel "Ezra F. Vogel") (2011). [*Deng Xiaoping and the transformation of China*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Xiaoping_and_the_Transformation_of_China "Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China"). Cambridge: [Harvard University Press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University_Press "Harvard University Press"). pp. 496–97\. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-674-05544-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-674-05544-5 "Special:BookSources/978-0-674-05544-5")
.
35. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-35)** [China plotted Hong Kong invasion](http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/world_news/article67028.ece) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160408004455/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/world_news/article67028.ece) 8 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Michael Sheridan, *[The Sunday Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sunday_Times "The Sunday Times")*, 25 June 2007
36. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-36)** [Constitution of the People's Republic of China](http://english.gov.cn/archive/laws_regulations/2014/08/23/content_281474982987458.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160416110047/http://english.gov.cn/archive/laws_regulations/2014/08/23/content_281474982987458.htm) 16 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), State Council of the People's Republic of China
37. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-37)** [Benefits of a three-legged stool](https://www.scmp.com/article/453465/benefits-three-legged-stool) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160427121205/http://www.scmp.com/article/453465/benefits-three-legged-stool) 27 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 26 April 2004
38. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-38)**
Sit, V. F. S.; Cremer, R.; Wong, S. L. (1999). *China Perspectives*. C.E.F.C. p. 13. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-209-206-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-209-206-8 "Special:BookSources/978-962-209-206-8")
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39. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-39)**
Cheung, Gary Ka-wai (2009). [*Hong Kong's watershed: the 1967 riots*](https://books.google.com/books?id=0uStp3CUaqUC&pg=PA36). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. p. 37. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-209-089-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-209-089-7 "Special:BookSources/978-962-209-089-7")
. [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_\(identifier\) "OCLC (identifier)") [455835195](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/455835195).
40. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-fmprc_40-0)** [The Chinese government resumed exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong](http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/ziliao_665539/3602_665543/3604_665547/t18032.shtml) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160401135704/http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/ziliao_665539/3602_665543/3604_665547/t18032.shtml) 1 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Ministry of Foreign Affairs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China"), People's Republic of China
41. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-SHT_41-0)** [Typhoon Ellen Batters Hong Kong, killing 6](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ReUbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gGgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1278,6865410&dq=typhoon+ellen&hl=en) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170222095911/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ReUbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gGgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1278,6865410&dq=typhoon+ellen&hl=en) 22 February 2017 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [United Press International](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Press_International "United Press International"), *[Sarasota Herald-Tribune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarasota_Herald-Tribune "Sarasota Herald-Tribune")*, 10 September 1983
42. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-42)** [Hong Kong business world shaken by political uncertainties](https://www.csmonitor.com/1983/1004/100426.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160411040625/http://www.csmonitor.com/1983/1004/100426.html) 11 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Christian Science Monitor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Science_Monitor "Christian Science Monitor")*, 4 October 1983
43. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-43)** [Hong Kong](https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1988/jan/20/hong-kong) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160414154546/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1988/jan/20/hong-kong) 14 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine") *[Hansard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansard "Hansard")*, HC Deb 20 January 1988 vol 125 cc 971–1018
44. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-44)**
British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring Service (1984). [*Summary of World Broadcasts: Far East*](https://books.google.com/books?id=N0_VAAAAMAAJ). Vol. Part 3. Monitoring Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation.
45. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-45)**
Scott, Ian (1989). [*Political change and the crisis of legitimacy in Hong Kong*](https://books.google.com/books?id=w7NuSICc0lYC&pg=PA210). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 210. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-8248-1269-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8248-1269-0 "Special:BookSources/978-0-8248-1269-0")
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46. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-46)**
United States Foreign Broadcast Information Service (1993). [*Daily Report: People's Republic of China*](https://books.google.com/books?id=B9ksAAAAMAAJ). National Technical Information Service. p. 79.
47. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-47)** [On This Day: 26 September 1984: UK and China agree Hong Kong handover](https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/26/newsid_2538000/2538843.stm) , [BBC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_News "BBC News")
48. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-48)**
["The Joint Declaration – Annex 2"](https://www.cmab.gov.hk/en/issues/joint2.htm). *www.cmab.gov.hk*. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
49. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-hklii-jointdec_49-0)**
["Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong"](https://www.hklii.hk/eng/hk/legis/instrument/A301/all.html). *Hong Kong Legal Information Institute*.
50. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-50)**
["The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China"](https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/ljzg_665465/3566_665531/t23031.shtml). *www.fmprc.gov.cn*. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
51. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-auto_51-0)**
Boland, Rory. ["What Country Is Hong Kong in? China or Not?"](http://gohongkong.about.com/od/travelplanner/a/hongkongcountry.htm). *About.com Travel*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20141009134239/http://gohongkong.about.com/od/travelplanner/a/hongkongcountry.htm) from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
52. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-auto1_52-0)**
["China Resumes Control of Hong Kong, Concluding 156 Years of British Rule"](https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0630.html). *The New York Times*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160620182610/http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0630.html) from the original on 20 June 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
53. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-auto2_53-0)** "1898 and all that – a Brief History of Hong Kong". *The Economist*, 28 June 1997
54. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-BBC19aug2019_54-0)**
["Hong Kong: Timeline of extradition protests"](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49340717). *[BBC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_News "BBC News")*. 4 September 2019. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20191105223138/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49340717) from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019. "What started as demonstrations against an extradition bill have since taken on a much wider scope and are now demanding full democratic rights for Hong Kongers."
55. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-scmp-20211220_55-0)**
Cheung, Gary; Cheung, Tony; Mai, Jun (20 December 2021). ["Beijing defends 'democracy with Hong Kong characteristics' model as white paper released a day after Legco election cites end goal of universal suffrage"](https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3160358/democracy-hong-kong-characteristics-best-model-citys-future). *South China Morning Post*. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
56. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-56)** [A Rough Road ahead](http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=103048&ctNode=2198&mp=9) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160424062259/http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=103048&ctNode=2198&mp=9) 24 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Taiwan Review](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_Review "Taiwan Review")*, 1 March 1990
57. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-57)**
[Manion, Melanie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanie_Manion "Melanie Manion") (2009). [*Corruption by Design*](https://books.google.com/books?id=zyMeydaAu1kC&pg=PA80). Harvard University Press. p. 80. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-674-04051-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-674-04051-9 "Special:BookSources/978-0-674-04051-9")
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58. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-58)** [In the Court of the King of Tonga](https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/07/magazine/in-the-court-of-the-king-of-tonga.html?pagewanted=all) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160724160803/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/07/magazine/in-the-court-of-the-king-of-tonga.html?pagewanted=all) 24 July 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The New York Times Magazine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Magazine "The New York Times Magazine")*, 1992
59. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-59)** [Singapore Lure Stirs Crowds In Hong Kong](https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/07/12/singapore-lure-stirs-crowds-in-hong-kong/), *[Chicago Tribune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tribune "Chicago Tribune")*, 12 July 1989
60. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-60)** [6,000 from HK given residency here](http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19890921-1.2.3.7.aspx) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160420031256/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19890921-1.2.3.7.aspx) 20 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The New Paper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Paper "The New Paper")*, 21 September 1989, p. 2
61. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-61)** [U.S. Immigration Officer in Hong Kong Investigated for Corruption](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/06/world/us-immigration-officer-in-hong-kong-investigated-for-corruption.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160724160810/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/06/world/us-immigration-officer-in-hong-kong-investigated-for-corruption.html) 24 July 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The New York Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times "The New York Times")*, 6 April 1997
62. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-62)** [Smuggling People](http://europe.newsweek.com/smuggling-people-170802), *[Newsweek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsweek "Newsweek")*, 17 March 1997
63. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-63)** [Text of the British Nationality Act (Hong Kong) 1990](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/34/contents) as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from [legislation.gov.uk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislation.gov.uk "Legislation.gov.uk").
64. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-64)** [Chinese Vancouver: A decade of change](http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=011b7438-172c-4126-ba42-2c85828bd6ce) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20141116072007/http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=011b7438-172c-4126-ba42-2c85828bd6ce) 16 November 2014 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Vancouver Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_Sun "Vancouver Sun")*, 30 June 2007
65. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-65)** [A tale of two solitudes written anew](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/a-tale-of-two-solitudes-written-anew/article1034293/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160418034355/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/a-tale-of-two-solitudes-written-anew/article1034293/) 18 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The Globe and Mail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Globe_and_Mail "The Globe and Mail")*, 26 October 2001
66. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-66)**
Fosh, Patricia, ed. (1999). *Hong Kong management and labour: change and continuity*. Routledge advances in Asia-Pacific business. London: Routledge. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-415-22269-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-415-22269-3 "Special:BookSources/978-0-415-22269-3")
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\[*[page needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources "Wikipedia:Citing sources")*\]
67. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELoh2010187_67-0)** [Loh 2010](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#CITEREFLoh2010), p. 187.
68. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELoh2010188_68-0)** [Loh 2010](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#CITEREFLoh2010), p. 188.
69. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESing2004158_69-0)** [Sing 2004](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#CITEREFSing2004), p. 158.
70. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-70)**
Chinoy, Mike (1999). [*China live: people power and the television revolution*](https://books.google.com/books?id=YeiaOWcc17MC&pg=PA395). Lanham, Ma.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 395. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-8476-9318-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8476-9318-4 "Special:BookSources/978-0-8476-9318-4")
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71. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-71)** [Hong Kong Night – Sunday 1 July](https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/bbc_parliament/6241974.stm) , [BBC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_News "BBC News"), 27 June 2007
72. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-:172_72-0)**
Crean, Jeffrey (2024). *The Fear of Chinese Power: an International History*. New Approaches to International History series. London: [Bloomsbury Academic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomsbury_Academic "Bloomsbury Academic"). [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-350-23394-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-350-23394-2 "Special:BookSources/978-1-350-23394-2")
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73. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-73)**
Tan, Jason (2007). "Education and colonial transition in Singapore and Hong Kong: Comparisons and contrasts". In Crossley, Michael; Broadfoot, Patricia; Schweisfurth, Michele (eds.). [*Changing Educational Contexts, Issues and Identities: 40 Years of Comparative Education*](https://books.google.com/books?id=GbF8AgAAQBAJ). Routledge. p. 198. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-134-12464-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-134-12464-0 "Special:BookSources/978-1-134-12464-0")
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74. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-74)** [Lok Ma Chau Control Point to provide 24-hour passenger clearance services](http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200301/08/0108224.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051045/http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200301/08/0108224.htm) 4 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Government Information Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Hong_Kong "Government of Hong Kong"), 8 January 2003
75. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-75)** [LCQ1: Immigration clearance and entry visas to the Mainland for non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents with foreign passports](http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201202/15/P201202150334.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150109234739/http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201202/15/P201202150334.htm) 9 January 2015 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Government Information Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Hong_Kong "Government of Hong Kong"), 15 February 2012
76. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-76)** [General Information on the Right of Abode in Hong Kong](http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/roa/geninfor.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160325022735/http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/roa/geninfor.html) 25 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Immigration Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Immigration_Department "Hong Kong Immigration Department")
77. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-77)** [Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China](http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/fwxx/wgrqz/t1055657.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160331061809/http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/fwxx/wgrqz/t1055657.htm) 31 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Commissioner_of_the_Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China_in_the_Hong_Kong_Special_Administrative_Region "Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region")
78. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-78)**
[*China Briefing's Business Guide to the Greater Pearl River Delta*](https://books.google.com/books?id=PknF6cR7lQMC&pg=PA245). China Briefing Media, Ltd. 2004. p. 245. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-988-98673-1-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-988-98673-1-7 "Special:BookSources/978-988-98673-1-7")
.
79. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-79)**
["Hong Kong Monetary Authority"](http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/index.shtml). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160329231845/http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/index.shtml) from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
80. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-80)** [Bank of China Authorized to Issue HKD and MOP (1987–1992)](http://www.boc.cn/en/aboutboc/ab7/200809/t20080926_1601846.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160411141108/http://www.boc.cn/en/aboutboc/ab7/200809/t20080926_1601846.html) 11 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Bank of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_China "Bank of China")
81. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-81)** [Hong Kong operates as a separate Customs territory](http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200009/30/0929290.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20040908113214/http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200009/30/0929290.htm) 8 September 2004 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Government Information Centre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Hong_Kong "Government of Hong Kong"), 30 September 2000
82. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-82)** [Address Via Video-Conference – A challenge to APEC business](https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/spmm_e/spmm03_e.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140912164957/http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/spmm_e/spmm03_e.htm) 12 September 2014 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Address given by Rt Hon Mike Moore, Director-General, World Trade Organization, 12 September 1999
83. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Olympic_83-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Olympic_83-1)
["Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong China"](http://www.olympic.org/hong-kong-china). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160316171825/http://www.olympic.org/hong-kong-china) from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
84. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-84)**
["Official report of proceedings, 11 November 1982, Legislative Council"](http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr82-83/english/lc_sitg/hansard/h821111.pdf) (PDF). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220507/http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr82-83/english/lc_sitg/hansard/h821111.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
85. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-85)**
["Christopher J. Marut Appointed as Director of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan"](http://www.ait.org.tw/en/pressrelease-pr1224.html). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002648/http://www.ait.org.tw/en/pressrelease-pr1224.html) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
86. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-86)**
Yang, Ru Wan (2007). [*The first decade: the Hong Kong SAR in retrospective and introspective perspectives*](https://books.google.com/books?id=9X9QXYXGdJwC&pg=PA87). Hong Kong: Chinese university press. p. 87. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-996-357-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-996-357-6 "Special:BookSources/978-962-996-357-6")
.
87. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-87)** [Is name change a game changer?](http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2011/07/17/2003508415) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222005/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2011/07/17/2003508415) 3 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Taipei Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_Times "Taipei Times")*, 17 July 2011
88. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-88)** [List of Air Services Agreements and Air Services Transit Agreements](http://www.doj.gov.hk/eng/laws/table1ti.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160411054743/http://www.doj.gov.hk/eng/laws/table1ti.html) 11 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Department of Justice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Justice_\(Hong_Kong\) "Department of Justice (Hong Kong)")
89. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-89)** [New air accord a result of compromise, analysts say](http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2002/07/01/0000146568) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160409020634/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2002/07/01/0000146568) 9 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *Taipei Times*, 1 July 2002
90. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-90)** [Celebrating 50 years of UK road signs](http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/89974/celebrating-50-years-of-uk-road-signs) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160706041738/http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/89974/celebrating-50-years-of-uk-road-signs) 6 July 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Auto Express](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Express "Auto Express")*, 8 January 2015
91. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-91)**
Andrew Stone; Chung Wah Chow; Reggie Ho (2008). [*香港 L̆đ门*](https://books.google.com/books?id=PgJTSYeEnNkC&pg=PA279). Lonely Planet. p. 278. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-74104-665-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-74104-665-6 "Special:BookSources/978-1-74104-665-6")
.
92. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-92)** [Recognition of vehicle registration mark on moving vehicles in an outdoor environment](http://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/46157/1/50044.pdf?accept=1) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160412233817/http://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/46157/1/50044.pdf?accept=1) 12 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), N.H.C. Yung\*, K.H. Au & A.H.S. Lai, Laboratory for Intelligent Transportation Systems Research, [University of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Hong_Kong "University of Hong Kong"), IEEE Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Proceedings, Itsc, 1999, pp. 418–422
93. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-93)**
Li, Amy (14 December 2012). ["Cross-border licence plates go for a million yuan on black market"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160503102917/http://www.scmp.com/article/1105206/cross-border-licence-plates-go-1-million-yuan-black-market). *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*. Archived from [the original](https://www.scmp.com/article/1105206/cross-border-licence-plates-go-1-million-yuan-black-market) on 3 May 2016.
94. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-scmp1_94-0)** [New entry plan for mainland cars](https://topics.scmp.com/news/hk-news-watch/article/New-entry-plan-for-mainland-cars) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120223095104/http://topics.scmp.com/news/hk-news-watch/article/New-entry-plan-for-mainland-cars) 23 February 2012 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 9 February 2012.
95. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-95)** [Visa-free access for HKSAR Passport](http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/service/travel_document/visa_free_access.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160331011103/http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/service/travel_document/visa_free_access.html) 31 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Hong Kong Immigration Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Immigration_Department "Hong Kong Immigration Department")
96. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-96)** [Tens of Thousands Gather in Hong Kong to Remember the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre](https://time.com/3908678/tiananmen-massacre-26th-anniversary-hong-kong-china-vigil-victoria-park/), *[Time](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_\(magazine\) "Time (magazine)")*, 4 June 2015.
97. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-97)**
Ma, Ngok (2007). [*Political development in Hong Kong: state, political society, and civil society*](https://books.google.com/books?id=af_IAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA135). Aberdeen: Hong Kong University Press. p. 135. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-209-809-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-209-809-1 "Special:BookSources/978-962-209-809-1")
.
98. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-98)**
["Hong Kong's Rigged Election"](https://thediplomat.com/2021/12/hong-kongs-rigged-election/). *thediplomat.com*. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
99. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-99)** [United Front chief Sun Chunlan tells young Hongkongers to love their country and make the most of close ties with China](https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1864432/united-front-chief-sun-chunlan-tells-young-hongkongers-love) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160624035646/http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1864432/united-front-chief-sun-chunlan-tells-young-hongkongers-love) 24 June 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 6 October 2015
100. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-100)** [Hong Kong \* \| Country report \| Freedom of the Press \| 2015](https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/hong-kong) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160328194946/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/hong-kong) 28 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Freedom House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_House "Freedom House")
101. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-101)** [Pope appoints Hong Kong bishop to Macau](http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/01/16/pope_appoints_hong_kong_bishop_to_macau_%E2%80%8E/1201599) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160420112918/http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/01/16/pope_appoints_hong_kong_bishop_to_macau_%E2%80%8E/1201599) 20 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Vatican Radio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Radio "Vatican Radio")*, 16 January 2016
102. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-dangerous_102-0)**
Spiegel, Mickey (2002). [*Dangerous Meditation: China's Campaign Against Falungong*](https://archive.org/details/fromhouseholdtof00huma). Human Rights Watch. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[1-56432-269-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-56432-269-6 "Special:BookSources/1-56432-269-6")
. Retrieved 28 September 2007.
103. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-103)** [Fast Facts in China](http://www.frommers.com/destinations/china/702082) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160409031813/http://www.frommers.com/destinations/china/702082) 9 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Frommer's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frommer%27s "Frommer's")*
104. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-104)** [The RJ System of telephone plugs and sockets is gradually replacing the BT System in Hong Kong](https://web.archive.org/web/20120211132642/http://www.ofta.gov.hk/en/consumer_interest/rj_system/index.html), [Office of the Telecommunications Authority](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Telecommunications_Authority "Office of the Telecommunications Authority") (OFTA), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
105. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-105)**
Wrth (2008). [*World Radio TV Handbook*](https://books.google.com/books?id=-KY9AQAAIAAJ). WRTH Publications Ltd. p. 642. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-9555481-1-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-9555481-1-6 "Special:BookSources/978-0-9555481-1-6")
.
106. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-106)** [Hong Kong, China](https://www.itu.int/oth/T0202000060/en) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064001/http://www.itu.int/oth/T0202000060/en) 4 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [International Telecommunication Union](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Telecommunication_Union "International Telecommunication Union"), 19 February 2013
107. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-107)**
[*China International Business: The Monthly Publication of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, P.R.C*](https://books.google.com/books?id=GpqzAAAAIAAJ&q=%2200852%22). Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation. 2002. p. S8.
108. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-108)**
["ISO Online Browsing Platform: HK"](https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:code:3166:HK). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160617031837/https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:code:3166:HK) from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
109. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-109)**
["Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation"](https://www.hkirc.hk/). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160321090104/https://www.hkirc.hk/) from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
110. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-110)**
["ISO Online Browsing Platform: CN"](https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:code:3166:CN). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160617031837/https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:code:3166:CN) from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
111. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-111)** [Hongkong, China](http://www.upu.int/fileadmin/documentsFiles/activities/addressingUnit/hkgEn.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160120064618/http://www.upu.int/fileadmin/documentsFiles/activities/addressingUnit/hkgEn.pdf) 20 January 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Universal Postal Union](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Postal_Union "Universal Postal Union")
112. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-112)**
["Legislative Council Panel on Economic Development. Review the Services of the Hongkong Post"](https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr14-15/english/panels/edev/papers/edev20150727cb4-1348-3-e.pdf) (PDF). 27 July 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
113. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-113)** [ESF's new chief executive Belinda Greer looks to boost efficiency](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1359426/esfs-new-chief-executive-belinda-greer-looks-boost-efficiency) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160630085916/http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1359426/esfs-new-chief-executive-belinda-greer-looks-boost-efficiency) 30 June 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 19 November 2013
114. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-114)** [Training](http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/11_useful_info/aux_police/training.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160316201245/http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/11_useful_info/aux_police/training.html) 16 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Hong Kong Police Force
115. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-115)**
["HK police to perform Chinese-style foot drills starting July 1, a removal of British 'colonial overtones' – China Military"](http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/2022special/2022-07/01/content_10168081.htm). *eng.chinamil.com.cn*. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
116. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-116)** [Victoria Park](http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/vp/index.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160321182929/http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/vp/index.html) 21 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Leisure and Cultural Services Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure_and_Cultural_Services_Department "Leisure and Cultural Services Department")
117. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-117)**
["Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens"](http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/hkzbg/). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160330204811/http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/hkzbg/) from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
118. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-SCMP1994_118-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-SCMP1994_118-1) [17 holidays to stay after 1997](https://www.scmp.com/article/88137/17-holidays-stay-after-1997) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160503213839/http://www.scmp.com/article/88137/17-holidays-stay-after-1997) 3 May 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 12 September 1994
119. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-119)** [Hong Kong Undergraduate Education Reform Under "3+3+4"](https://universitydesign.asu.edu/db/hong-kong-undergraduate-education-reform-under-201c3-3-4201d) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160408045313/https://universitydesign.asu.edu/db/hong-kong-undergraduate-education-reform-under-201c3-3-4201d) 8 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), University Design Consortium, [Arizona State University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_State_University "Arizona State University")
120. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-120)** [Annex I : Method for the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region](http://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/basiclawtext/annex_1.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160408201047/http://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/basiclawtext/annex_1.html) 8 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Law_of_the_Hong_Kong_Special_Administrative_Region_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China "Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China")
121. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-121)** [Chris Patten – Governor of Hong Kong](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/hk/patten.shtml) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180402130913/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/hk/patten.shtml) 2 April 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [BBC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC "BBC"), Politics 97
122. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-122)**
["Results of the 1998 Legislative Council Election"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231311/http://www.elections.gov.hk/elections/legco1998/524-e.htm#gc524-e). Archived from [the original](http://www.elections.gov.hk/elections/legco1998/524-e.htm#gc524-e) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
123. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-123)** An interview with the former British Prime Minister Thatcher just before Britain's handover of Hong Kong back to China on 1 July 1997; Reporter/Producer: Susan Yu; Published on 1 July 1997 and viewable on YouTube.
124. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-124)** [Lau in passport battle](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/lau-in-passport-battle-1289087.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160427221230/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/lau-in-passport-battle-1289087.html) 27 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The Independent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Independent "The Independent")*, 16 December 1997
125. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-125)** [God Save the Queen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV3QdfNOewk) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140316195259/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV3QdfNOewk) 16 March 2014 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [TVB Pearl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVB_Pearl "TVB Pearl"), 1987
126. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-126)**
Vickers, Edward (2011). "Learning to Love the Motherland: 'National Education' in Post-Retrocession Hong Kong". In Mueller, Gotelind (ed.). *Designing history in East Asian textbooks: identity politics and transnational aspirations*. Routledge studies in education and society in Asia. London New York: Routledge. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-415-60252-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-415-60252-5 "Special:BookSources/978-0-415-60252-5")
.
127. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-127)** [Fifa investigates Hong Kong over China match booing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-34918397) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180216001611/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-34918397) 16 February 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [BBC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_News "BBC News"), 25 November 2015
128. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-128)** [A Brief Overview of the Court of Final Appeal](http://www.hkcfa.hk/en/about/overview/index.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151230185237/http://www.hkcfa.hk/en/about/overview/index.html) 30 December 2015 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Court_of_Final_Appeal "Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal")
129. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-129)**
Simon N. M. Young; Yash Ghai (2014). [*Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal: The Development of the Law in China's Hong Kong*](https://books.google.com/books?id=EX4LAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA227). Cambridge University Press. p. 227. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-107-01121-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-107-01121-2 "Special:BookSources/978-1-107-01121-2")
.
130. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-130)** [Secretary for Justice, Mr Rimsky Yuen, SC, JP](http://www.doj.gov.hk/eng/about/soj.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160412145253/http://www.doj.gov.hk/eng/about/soj.html) 12 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Department of Justice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Justice_\(Hong_Kong\) "Department of Justice (Hong Kong)")
131. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-131)** [In Watching Hong Kong, China Loses The Shades](https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/20/world/in-watching-hong-kong-china-loses-the-shades.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160724160817/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/20/world/in-watching-hong-kong-china-loses-the-shades.html) 24 July 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *The New York Times*, 20 February 2000
132. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-132)** [Renamed Xinhua becomes a new force in Hong Kong's politics](http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/insight/archives/2000/01/21/0000020843) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170819145347/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/insight/archives/2000/01/21/0000020843) 19 August 2017 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *Taipei Times*, 21 January 2000
133. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-133)**
["Welcome Message Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China in Beijing"](http://www.bjo.gov.hk/en/home/index.html). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160416173624/http://www.bjo.gov.hk/en/home/index.html) from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
134. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-134)** [Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region](https://web.archive.org/web/20070821153208/http://big5.fmprc.gov.cn/gate/big5/www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/)
135. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-135)** [Hong Kong forces withdrawal outlined](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hong-kong-forces-withdrawal-outlined-1485942.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160410065018/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hong-kong-forces-withdrawal-outlined-1485942.html) 10 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The Independent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Independent "The Independent")*, 19 July 1993
136. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-136)** [PLA Hong Kong Garrison Head Office to Use New Name](http://en.people.cn/200112/30/eng20011230_87779.shtml) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030627/http://en.people.cn/200112/30/eng20011230_87779.shtml) 4 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[People's Daily](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Daily "People's Daily")*, 31 December 2001
137. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-137)** [Confusion over flags leaves Cenotaph bare](https://www.scmp.com/article/204622/confusion-over-flags-leaves-cenotaph-bare) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181119202053/https://www.scmp.com/article/204622/confusion-over-flags-leaves-cenotaph-bare) 19 November 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 21 July 1997
138. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Slow_but_Sure_138-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Slow_but_Sure_138-1) [Change in Hong Kong Is Slow but Sure](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/09/world/change-in-hong-kong-is-slow-but-sure.html?pagewanted=all) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160724160822/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/09/world/change-in-hong-kong-is-slow-but-sure.html?pagewanted=all) 24 July 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *The New York Times*, 9 October 1997
139. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-139)** [CE moves into Government House today](http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200601/12/P200601110210.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200906/http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200601/12/P200601110210.htm) 3 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Government of Hong Kong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Hong_Kong "Government of Hong Kong"), 12 January 2006
140. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Battle_Royal_140-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Battle_Royal_140-1) [***c***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Battle_Royal_140-2) [A Battle Royal Rocks Imperial Yacht Club](https://www.csmonitor.com/1996/0610/061096.intl.intl.2.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160408180839/http://www.csmonitor.com/1996/0610/061096.intl.intl.2.html) 8 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Christian Science Monitor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Science_Monitor "Christian Science Monitor")*, 10 June 1996
141. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-141)** [Viewpoint: Bauhinia Coins](http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/publications-and-research/reference-materials/viewpoint/19991118.shtml) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031116/http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/publications-and-research/reference-materials/viewpoint/19991118.shtml) 4 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Hong Kong Monetary Authority](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Monetary_Authority "Hong Kong Monetary Authority"), 18 November 1999
142. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-142)**
[*Hong Kong*](https://books.google.com/books?id=QCAfAQAAMAAJ). Government Press. 1999. p. 354. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[9789620202834](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789620202834 "Special:BookSources/9789620202834")
.
143. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-143)**
Hongkong Post (1996). [*Hongkong Post Annual Report*](https://books.google.com/books?id=8gNEAQAAIAAJ). Government Press. p. 30.
144. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-144)**
Chow, Larry Chuen-ho; Fan, Yiu-Kwan, eds. (31 December 1998). ["Continuity and Change in the Legal System"](https://books.google.com/books?id=5ZtTFZBUG_oC&pg=PA39). *The Other Hong Kong Report 1998*. Chinese University Press. p. 39. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-201-829-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-201-829-7 "Special:BookSources/978-962-201-829-7")
.
145. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-145)** [About Us](http://hkba.org/the-bar/aboutus/index.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160305101411/http://www.hkba.org/the-bar/aboutus/index.html) 5 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Hong Kong Bar Association](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Bar_Association "Hong Kong Bar Association")
146. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-146)**
[*Summary of World Broadcasts: Asia, Pacific*](https://books.google.com/books?id=jfpWAAAAMAAJ). British Broadcasting Corporation. 1997.
147. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-147)**
[*Far Eastern Economic Review*](https://books.google.com/books?id=4lJOAQAAIAAJ). 1968. p. 450.
148. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-148)** [Hong Kong to cover British insignia on postboxes to 'avoid confusion'](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/07/hong-kong-to-cover-british-insignia-on-postboxes-to-avoid-confusion) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20161215070035/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/07/hong-kong-to-cover-british-insignia-on-postboxes-to-avoid-confusion) 15 December 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[The Guardian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian "The Guardian")*, 7 October 2015
149. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-149)** [Warning: Deadline Ahead](https://web.archive.org/web/20160826184845/http://edition.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/97/0411/nat3.html), *[Asiaweek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiaweek "Asiaweek")*, 11 April 1997
150. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Offshore_Investment_150-0)** [Hong Kong after the change of sovereignty](https://web.archive.org/web/20161221002053/http://www.offshoreinvestment.com/media/uploads/Hong%20Kong%20after%20the%20change%20of%20sovereignty.pdf), Jane McNair and Professor Peter Willoughby, Deacons Graham & James, Hong Kong SAR, *Offshore Investment*, January 1999, issue 92
151. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-151)** [The UK's relations with Hong Kong: 30 years after the Joint Declaration](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmfaff/649/64907.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170525090559/https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmfaff/649/64907.htm) 25 May 2017 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Tenth Report of Session 2014–15, [Foreign Affairs Select Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Affairs_Select_Committee "Foreign Affairs Select Committee"), [House of Commons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Commons_of_the_United_Kingdom "House of Commons of the United Kingdom"), 6 March 2015, p. 16 [PDF](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmfaff/649/649.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180719113821/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmfaff/649/649.pdf) 19 July 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine")
152. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-152)**
Ghai, Yash P. (1997). [*Hong Kong's new constitutional order: the resumption of Chinese sovereignty and the basic law*](https://books.google.com/books?id=veEZBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA167). HKU Press law series (2. ed.). Hong Kong: Hong Kong Univ. Press. p. 167. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-209-463-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-209-463-5 "Special:BookSources/978-962-209-463-5")
.
153. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-153)**
Cragg, Claudia (1993). [*Hunting with the tigers: doing business with Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam*](https://books.google.com/books?id=QhVWl7-NcY8C&pg=PA417). Amsterdam; San Diego: Pfeiffer. p. 417. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-89384-204-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-89384-204-8 "Special:BookSources/978-0-89384-204-8")
.
154. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-154)** [Chief Executive holds 'useful, cordial' talks with British Prime Minister](http://www.info.gov.hk/isd/news/oct97/1022pm.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180613122434/http://www.info.gov.hk/isd/news/oct97/1022pm.htm) 13 June 2018 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Government of Hong Kong, 22 October 1997
155. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-155)**
["Commonwealth Games Federation – Hong Kong"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140819125702/http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=HKG). Archived from [the original](http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=HKG) on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
156. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-156)** [About the Consulate-General](https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Overseas-Mission/Hong-Kong/About-the-Consulate-General) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200426122352/https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Overseas-Mission/Hong-Kong/About-the-Consulate-General) 26 April 2020 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine") [Ministry of Foreign Affairs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_\(Singapore\) "Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore)"), Singapore
157. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-157)**
Horlemann, Ralf (2003). [*Hong Kong's Transition to Chinese Rule: The Limits of Autonomy*](https://books.google.com/books?id=QtHHi3B0peYC&pg=PA79). Routledge. p. 78. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-134-43411-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-134-43411-4 "Special:BookSources/978-1-134-43411-4")
.
158. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-SCMP_Liberia_158-0)** [Liberian consulate forced to close](https://www.scmp.com/article/214706/liberian-consulate-forced-close) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160426075314/http://www.scmp.com/article/214706/liberian-consulate-forced-close) 26 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 10 October 1997
159. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-159)** [Statement on Future South Africa/Hong Kong Relations by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad, 12 June 1997](https://web.archive.org/web/20140109234316/http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/1997/06130x66197.htm)
160. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-160)** [Hong Kong – A New Era – Civil Aviation](http://www.yearbook.gov.hk/1997/ch15/e15v.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060225/http://www.yearbook.gov.hk/1997/ch15/e15v.htm) 4 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *Hong Kong Yearbook 1997*, [Hong Kong SAR Government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Hong_Kong "Government of Hong Kong")
161. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-161)** [China News](https://www.scmp.com/news/china) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160327135325/http://www.scmp.com/news/china) 27 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*
162. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-162)**
[*Summary of World Broadcasts: Asia, Pacific*](https://books.google.com/books?id=_RRXAAAAMAAJ). British Broadcasting Corporation. 2000. pp. G-8.
163. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-163)**
["Filling the State Immunity Lacuna in Hong Kong: The Congo Case \| Insights"](https://www.jonesday.com/en/insights/2011/07/filling-the-state-immunity-lacuna-in-hong-kong-the-congo-case). *www.jonesday.com*. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
164. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-164)**
["China's new Foreign State Immunity law marks major legal change"](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3233143/long-overdue-chinas-new-foreign-state-immunity-law-will-align-it-western-practices). *South China Morning Post*. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
165. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-165)**
Thomas Y.T. Luk; James P. Rice (2002). [*Before and After Suzie: Hong Kong in Western Film and Literature*](https://books.google.com/books?id=TDkZAQAAMAAJ). New Asia College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. p. 88. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-8072-09-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-8072-09-5 "Special:BookSources/978-962-8072-09-5")
.
166. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-166)**
Carroll, John M. (2007). [*A Concise History of Hong Kong*](https://books.google.com/books?id=fQofAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA195). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 195. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-7425-7469-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7425-7469-4 "Special:BookSources/978-0-7425-7469-4")
.
167. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-167)**
Bray, Denis (2001). [*Hong Kong metamorphosis*](https://books.google.com/books?id=v6ZszKvUkjAC). Hong Kong: Hong Kong Univ. Press. p. 232. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-962-209-550-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-962-209-550-2 "Special:BookSources/978-962-209-550-2")
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168. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-168)**
Tsang, Steve Yui-Sang (2004). [*A modern history of Hong Kong*](https://www.worldcat.org/title/ocm54382068). London; New York: I.B. Tauris. p. 253. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-1-86064-184-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-86064-184-8 "Special:BookSources/978-1-86064-184-8")
. [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_\(identifier\) "OCLC (identifier)") [54382068](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/54382068).
169. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-169)**
Lim, Patricia. \[2002\] (2002). Discovering Hong Hong's Cultural Heritage. Central, Hong Kong: Oxford University Press. Vol. One [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
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170. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-170)** [Hong Kong's infamous Walled City to be converted into park area](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9NYyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kO8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1193%2C4443534) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160630185228/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9NYyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kO8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1193%2C4443534) 30 June 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Michael Browning, [Knight Ridder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_Ridder "Knight Ridder"), *Ottawa Citizen*, 29 January 1987, p. c9
171. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-171)** [Riot police evict Hong Kong residents from Walled City](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YsExAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3YwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6688%2C969556) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160630155905/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YsExAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3YwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6688%2C969556) 30 June 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Associated Press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press "Associated Press"), *[The News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boca_Raton_News "Boca Raton News")*, 3 July 1992
172. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-172)** [Kowloon Walled City Park – History/Background](http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/kwcp/index.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160323040215/http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/kwcp/index.html) 23 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Leisure and Cultural Services Department](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure_and_Cultural_Services_Department "Leisure and Cultural Services Department")
173. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-173)** [Ministry of Justice (Republic of China)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Justice_\(Republic_of_China\) "Ministry of Justice (Republic of China)"): [Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs: Legislative History](http://law.moj.gov.tw/Eng/LawClass/LawHistory.aspx?PCode=Q0010003) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190816052858/https://law.moj.gov.tw/Eng/LawClass/LawHistory.aspx?PCode=Q0010003) 16 August 2019 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine")
174. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-HKrev_174-0)**
*Hong Kong's reversion to China: effective monitoring critical to assess*. U.S. Diane Publishing. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[1-4289-7837-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-4289-7837-2 "Special:BookSources/1-4289-7837-2")
\[*[page needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources "Wikipedia:Citing sources")*\]
175. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-175)**
["Albright To Attend Hong Kong Transfer Ceremony"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110128152038/http://edition.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/04/16/albright.hongkong/). CNN. 16 April 1997. Archived from [the original](http://edition.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/04/16/albright.hongkong/) on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
176. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-176)**
["Smooth Hong Kong handover lifts China's image"](http://articles.cnn.com/1997-07-15/world/9707_15_hongkong_1_handover-beijings-china-policy?_s=PM:WORLD). CNN. 15 July 1997. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service "Category:CS1 maint: deprecated archival service"))
177. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-177)**
["Hong Kong SAR, China"](https://data.worldbank.org/country/hong-kong-sar-china?view=chart). *World Bank*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181221184227/https://data.worldbank.org/country/hong-kong-sar-china?view=chart) from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
178. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-178)**
["United Kingdom"](https://data.worldbank.org/country/united-kingdom). *World Bank*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181221023037/https://data.worldbank.org/country/united-kingdom) from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
179. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-179)**
Bland and Pong, Ben and Jane. ["Hong Kong since the handover in charts"](https://www.ft.com/content/7e2422b8-5bb1-11e7-9bc8-8055f264aa8b). *[Financial Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_Times "Financial Times")*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181215142307/https://www.ft.com/content/7e2422b8-5bb1-11e7-9bc8-8055f264aa8b) from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
180. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-180)**
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181. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-181)**
["Population estimates"](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates). [Office for National Statistics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_for_National_Statistics "Office for National Statistics"). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170525074748/https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates) from the original on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
182. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-182)** Chia-rong Wu, "Hong Kong Identity in Question: Fruit Chan's Uncanny Narrative and (Post-)97 Complex". *American Journal of Chinese Studies* (April 2017), Vol. 24 Issue 1, pp 43–56.
183. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-183)**
Wang, Yiman (2013). [*Remaking Chinese Cinema: Through the Prism of Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Hollywood*](https://books.google.com/books?id=qcEbAgAAQBAJ). Hong Kong University Press. pp. 114, 131. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-988-8139-16-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-988-8139-16-3 "Special:BookSources/978-988-8139-16-3")
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184. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-184)**
["Trivia"](https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/movies/tnd_trivia). *MI6-HQ.COM*.
185. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-185)**
Chris Berry; Mary Ann Farquhar (2006). [*China on Screen: Cinema and Nation*](https://books.google.com/books?id=YOWdAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA2). Columbia University Press. p. 2. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-231-13706-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-231-13706-5 "Special:BookSources/978-0-231-13706-5")
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186. ^ [***a***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Singh_2016_186-0) [***b***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Singh_2016_186-1) [***c***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Singh_2016_186-2) [***d***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-Singh_2016_186-3)
Singh, Harminder (1 July 2016). ["Everything you need to know about Hong Kong's return to Chinese sovereignty"](https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1983718/everything-you-need-know-about-hong-kongs-return). *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*. [Alibaba Group](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alibaba_Group "Alibaba Group"). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171018010140/http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1983718/everything-you-need-know-about-hong-kongs-return) from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
187. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-187)** [*Knock Off* 1998](https://www.amazon.com/Knock-Off-Rob-Schneider/dp/B000I9YUY0) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160508072910/http://www.amazon.com/Knock-Off-Rob-Schneider/dp/B000I9YUY0) 8 May 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Amazon.com](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com "Amazon.com")
188. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-188)** [A Death in Hong Kong](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007h8j3) , [BBC Two](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Two "BBC Two"), 27 February 2009
189. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-189)**
["Sam Hui 許冠傑 – 話知你97 (電影『新半斤八两』主題曲)"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLT4fstT_Tc). *[YouTube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube "YouTube")*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170423031249/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLT4fstT_Tc) from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
190. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-:12_190-0)**
Leung, Pak-hei (12 August 2021). ["Ban looms on songs with illegal content"](https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/11/233129/Ban-looms-on-songs-with-illegal-content). *[The Standard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Standard_\(Hong_Kong\) "The Standard (Hong Kong)")*. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
191. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-191)**
August, Oliver (7 March 2003). ["Satisfaction at last for protest rocker banned by Beijing"](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/asia-travel/china/satisfaction-at-last-for-protest-rocker-banned-by-beijing-r8h69pw2q98). *[The Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times "The Times")*.
192. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-192)**
["崔健究竟刺痛了誰？刺痛了什麼？"](https://www.inmediahk.net/%E6%96%87%E8%97%9D/%E5%B4%94%E5%81%A5%E7%A9%B6%E7%AB%9F%E5%88%BA%E7%97%9B%E4%BA%86%E8%AA%B0%EF%BC%9F%E5%88%BA%E7%97%9B%E4%BA%86%E4%BB%80%E9%BA%BC%EF%BC%9F). *[Hong Kong Inmedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Inmedia "Hong Kong Inmedia")* (in Traditional Chinese). 4 December 2015.
193. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-193)**
["Artist : Jin Title : 1997 Album : ABC Track No : 9"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqfSgxw--38). *[YouTube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube "YouTube")*. 23 August 2008. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170416150844/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqfSgxw--38) from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
194. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-194)** [*Zero Minus Ten* (James Bond 007)](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zero-Minus-Ten-James-Bond/dp/0340684496) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160414143231/http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zero-Minus-Ten-James-Bond/dp/0340684496) 14 April 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), [Amazon.com](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com "Amazon.com")
195. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-195)** [Will James Bond bow to Beijing's censorship?](https://www.scmp.com/business/article/1080685/will-james-bond-bow-beijings-censorship) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160503213927/http://www.scmp.com/business/article/1080685/will-james-bond-bow-beijings-censorship) 3 May 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post")*, 12 November 2012
196. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-196)** [Hong Kong '97](https://ew.com/article/1994/11/04/video-review-hong-kong-97) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151120080102/http://www.ew.com/article/1994/11/04/video-review-hong-kong-97) 20 November 2015 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), *[Entertainment Weekly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_Weekly "Entertainment Weekly")*, 4 November 1994
197. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-197)** [Racism, Violence & Madness Make This Awful Hong Kong Game One to Remember](https://kotaku.com/racism-violence-madness-make-this-awful-hong-kong-ga-5936454) , [Kotaku](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotaku "Kotaku"), 21 August 2012
198. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-NYT_198-0)** [Chinese Box (1997) Film Review; A Meditation on the Meaning of Hong Kong](https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A02E7D8143CF934A25757C0A96E958260) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160724160827/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A02E7D8143CF934A25757C0A96E958260) 24 July 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine"), Stephen Holden, *The New York Times* 17 April 1998
199. **[^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong#cite_ref-199)**
Choy, Howard Y.F. (1 September 2007). ["Schizophrenic Hong Kong: Postcolonial Identity Crisis in the Infernal Affairs Trilogy"](https://journals.openedition.org/transtexts/138). *Transtext(e)s Transcultures 跨文本跨文化. Journal of Global Cultural Studies* (3): 52–66\. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_\(identifier\) "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.4000/transtexts.138](https://doi.org/10.4000%2Ftranstexts.138). [ISSN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISSN_\(identifier\) "ISSN (identifier)") [1771-2084](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1771-2084).
- [Collins, Lawrence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Collins,_Baron_Collins_of_Mapesbury "Lawrence Collins, Baron Collins of Mapesbury"); Morse, C.G.J.; McClean, David; Briggs, Adrian; Harris, Jonathan; McLachlan, Campbell; Hill, Jonathan (2008). *[*Dicey, Morris and Collins on the Conflict of Laws*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicey_Morris_%26_Collins "Dicey Morris & Collins")* (14th ed.). Sweet & Maxwell. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-421-88360-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-421-88360-4 "Special:BookSources/978-0-421-88360-4")
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- Fawcett, J.J.; Carruthers, J.M.; North, Peter (2008). *Cheshire, North & Fawcett: Private International Law*. OUP Oxford. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[978-0-19-928438-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-928438-2 "Special:BookSources/978-0-19-928438-2")
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- Flowerdew, John. *The final years of British Hong Kong: The discourse of colonial withdrawal* (Springer, 1998). [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
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- Lane, Kevin. *Sovereignty and the status quo: the historical roots of China's Hong Kong policy* (Westview Press, 1990). [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[9780367288099](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780367288099 "Special:BookSources/9780367288099")
- Loh, Christine (2010). *Underground front*. Hong Kong University Press. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[9789622099968](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789622099968 "Special:BookSources/9789622099968")
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- Sing, Ming (2004). *Hong Kong's Tortuous Democratization: A Comparative Analysis*. Routledge. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")
[0203180402](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0203180402 "Special:BookSources/0203180402")
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- Tang, James TH. "From empire defence to imperial retreat: Britain's postwar China policy and the decolonization of Hong Kong". *Modern Asian Studies* Vol. 28, No. 2 (May 1994): 317–337.
- Chan, Ming K. (August 2003). ["Different Roads to Home: The Retrocession of Hong Kong and Macau to Chinese sovereignty"](https://olemiss.edu/courses/pol324/chan03.pdf) (PDF). *[Journal of Contemporary China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_of_Contemporary_China "Journal of Contemporary China")*. **12** (36): 493–518\. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_\(identifier\) "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.1080/10670560305473](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F10670560305473). [S2CID](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S2CID_\(identifier\) "S2CID (identifier)") [925886](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:925886).
- ["Four Corners"](https://web.archive.org/web/20001026034701/https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/s72753.htm). [ABC Australia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_Australia "ABC Australia"). Archived from [the original](https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/s72753.htm) on 26 October 2000.
– Transcript broadcast on 13 June 1997
- Baum, Richard (December 1999). ["Enter the dragon"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/48609376). *Communist and Post-Communist Studies*. **32** (4). [University of California Press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California_Press "University of California Press"): 417–436\. [doi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_\(identifier\) "Doi (identifier)"):[10\.1016/S0967-067X(99)00019-7](https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0967-067X%2899%2900019-7). [JSTOR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSTOR_\(identifier\) "JSTOR (identifier)") [48609376](https://www.jstor.org/stable/48609376).
- [CNN live broadcast of the handover ceremony (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osGa4wCLfQc)
- [The Hong Kong handover](https://web.archive.org/web/19970616070035/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/hongkong/index.htm) at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine") (archived 16 June 1997) – [BBC World Service](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_World_Service "BBC World Service") – On Air – January and May 1997
- [Hong Kong: The Return to China](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/hongkong/series.htm) – *[Washington Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Post "Washington Post")* Special Report
- [1997 Handover](https://web.archive.org/web/19971212061311/http://www.hongkong97.com.hk/) at the [Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine") (archived 12 December 1997) – [South China Morning Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Morning_Post "South China Morning Post") |
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