It is the symbol of Hong Kong and the centrepiece on National Day, but Wan Chai's giant Grand Bauhinia sculpture is also a source of embarrassment.
It has emerged that Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and senior officials celebrated reunification last week in the shadow of a howling spelling mistake.
The plaque accompanying the sculpture of the Grand Bauhinia outside the Convention Centre reads: 'The rendering of the Great Wall on the pedestal symbolizes the greatness of our montherland.'
Horrified officials are trying to find out how the mistake made it on to the plaque, which has been in place for four years.
The discovery comes amid rising concern that English standards have declined since the handover in 1997.
Former legislator Christine Loh Kung-wai said: 'Oh dear. That's a major boo-boo. This is a very special piece of public art, supposedly embodying one country, two systems - and they can't even get their spelling right. It is very unfortunate.
'Is it a sign of the declining standards of English? Well, you would have to trace whoever is responsible for this.'