1 - July 1, 1997
At midnight on June 30, Hong Kong reverts to China after 156 years of British rule. The last colonial governor, Chris Patten, sails out of the city soon after the first HKSAR chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, is sworn in. At first light, 4,000 People's Liberation Army troops cross the border.
2 - New airport opens: 1998
Cathay Pacific flight CX889 from New York via Vancouver is the first commercial flight to touch down at the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok at 6.25 am on July 6. Within hours of that first flight, though, chaos reigns, with operational problems involving flight information systems, cargo handling, personnel training and passenger terminal infrastructure causing major problems that are not fully resolved for several months.
3 - 'Big Spender' executed: 1998
'Big Spender' Cheung Tze-keung is sentenced to death in Guangzhou in October for a string of serious crimes committed in Hong Kong, sparking fears of a loss of judicial independence. Mainland authorities argue that much of the planning for his crimes took place on the mainland, justifying a prosecution there. In one of the world's most audacious criminal exploits, Big Spender hatched a plot to kidnap a string of the richest figures in Hong Kong. In the end he kidnapped Victor Li Tzar-kuoi, the son of Asia's richest man, Li Ka-shing, and property tycoon Walter Kwok Ping-sheung of Sun Hung Kai Properties, pocketing ransom money of almost HK$2 billion. Cheung is executed by firing squad.