Catering originally to the once-large expatriate community of military and civil servants that lived in the then-bucolic northeastern New Territories, Better'Ole was one of the first western-style pubs to open in Hong Kong outside Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui.

Chinese drinkers did not start frequenting the place until the 1960s, about the same time that the father of Tony Yuen Hon-kong, 46, one of three siblings who manage the pub, decided to buy it.

'There weren't many pubs in Fanling and curiosity brought them in,' Mr Yuen says. 'There were also some retirees from England, mostly local people who had run restaurants and knew what a pub was like.'

The original Better'Ole, located near the old Fanling KCR Station, is long gone, replaced by a more upscale version in Luen Fat Street. There are additional outlets in Sheung Shui and Tai Po as well as the 10-year-old Better'Ole Disco & Club in Shenzhen.

With business down 30 per cent since the handover, the Better'Ole is suffering from changing demographics - many of its regulars have retired and left Hong Kong - and a sluggish economy. In response, cost-cutting measures have been taken, prices have been lowered, and an advertising campaign has been launched. But Mr Yuen is not optimistic about the prospects of an upturn in the near future.

'What do you expect?' he asks. 'We have a lousy government chief executive, a real amateur. Hong Kong needs to get rid of Tung Chee-hwa and give Donald Tsang a go. The government should also stop interfering with private enterprise.'

Mr Yuen disagrees with those who say that businessmen don't care about politics. 'If I have time, I will march on July 1 to send my message to the Hong Kong government that the people are not happy,' he says. 'They never have the guts to stand up to Beijing whenever there is a conflict.'

Which means it could be a quiet night at the Better'Ole on July 1. Unless Manchester United or Arsenal are playing.