Before the handover, some people predicted the change in sovereignty would trigger a burst of ethnic consciousness: an upsurge of nationalism would make Hong Kong more Chinese.
Today, for the first time in history, the SAR celebrates Chinese National Day under the flag of the People's Republic of China.
This year the celebrations are of an unprecedented scale, but this is is largely due to the entire government machinery being mobilised to make the day as spectacular as possible, rather than it being organised only by Xinhua, as was the case in previous years.
The full day's programme - including a flag-raising ceremony early this morning, annual reception in late afternoon and a $3.8 million fireworks display on the harbour - makes one thing clear: anyone who wants to celebrate will have plenty of opportunities to do so.
Sure, prominent politicians, businessmen, community leaders and civil servants will be pitching in, but more interesting is how many ordinary people will want to use this occasion to prove their patriotism.
Realistically, many Hong Kong people still have a very vague sense of their Chineseness. Before and after the handover, public opinion polls have consistently showed Hong Kong people are more inclined to identify themselves as Hong Kong citizens rather than Chinese nationals.