An hour before the sleek black Daimler was due to roll up to the gates of the Tsuen Wan school, the six-year-olds were lined up on the basketball court in boisterous excitement, pom-poms in hand.
They jumped on the spot in anticipation, while teachers darted through the ranks to whisper last-minute instructions into the ears of solemn older students.
The Tsuen Wan Catholic Primary School and Our Lady Kindergarten was about to receive a guest: the last governor of Hong Kong, in his last fortnight in the job.
Those hosting Chris Patten's last walkabout yesterday - unless he manages to squeeze in an unscheduled one next week - were laying out the red carpet.
Faces appeared from behind fluttering washing on flats facing the schoolyard, and crowds lining the street voted Mr Patten not yesterday's man, but a 'very good man'.
By late afternoon, crowds had surrounded a roped-off walkway in Kwai Tsing's Metroplaza, although few knew quite which superstar to expect.
