Beijing broke its promises to Hong Kong, veteran Democrat laments 20 years after the handover
Lee Wing-tat recalls an air of fear rather than joy among the crowds when the city was handed back to the communist rulers of Beijing
When Hong Kong changed from a British colony to a Chinese special administrative region 20 years ago, those living in the city witnessed the significant moment from different locations, on different jobs and with different feelings. All the little things they experienced, from a hug with Chinese officials to a change in police badges, will be remembered as parts of the city’s history.
On the night of the handover, while people celebrated, others braved the rain to protest.
Democratic Party member Lee Wing-tat was one of 20 former legislators who stood on the Legislative Council balcony, looking over the thousands who had gathered in Statue Square.
It was July 1, 1997, only minutes after Hong Kong had officially passed from Britain to the People’s Republic. The Democrats ceased to be legislators at the stroke of midnight.
“I didn’t find joy among the crowds. They only felt sorrow and [had] worried faces,” Lee said, remembering the night of the handover.
“It’s not easy for a free and capitalist society [to be] returned to a very oppressive communist regime.”