EVEN before Governor Chris Patten's plane touched down at London's Heathrow Airport last week, the British public was ready for his arrival.
Spectator editor Dominic Lawson had been despatched to write a friendly profile explaining the dilemmas of a crusader for democracy. And London Sunday Times political columnist Michael Jones had been treated to a trip aboard the Lady Maurine before he, too, filed a column on the subject.
There were radio and television appearances before the ritualistic photo call with Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd and his team.
This week, Hongkong will see another publicity blitz - celebrating Mr Patten's one-year tenure at Upper Albert Road. There will be the usual round of interviews in which he will explain his achievements and spell out the road ahead.
Indeed, the public spotlight has been the hallmark of Mr Patten's first year in power. Although the Government House lawn press conferences have become less frequent and the public question-and-answer sessions a thing of the past, never before has a Hongkong governor used the media to such good effect.
It has kept Mr Patten high in the opinion polls despite China's most blistering salvoes - a Sunday Morning Post poll describes him as ''open'' (75 per cent) and close to the territory's people (84 per cent).
But using the media is, of course, a politician's stock in trade. And Mr Patten, Hongkong's first political Governor, has certainly exceeded his billing in this respect.