Imagine you wake up to find a British knight, who wears a bow tie instead of armour and preaches a faith that it is possible for salesmen to reach the top with a 'can-do' spirit, appointed the city's chief without people challenging him.
You might either think your sweetest dream has come true, or wonder whether a nightmare has gone seriously wrong.
Like it or not, this is exactly what Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's 'Hong Kong dream' was all about.
Far from shy about his humble origins as a medicine salesman, a fact he referred to five times during the declaration of his candidacy, Mr Tsang strode towards the final hurdle to the highest office with the confidence of a vendor who knows exactly what he is selling. He certainly had his eye on history as he attempted to woo the public with the pledge to lead them into a better future.
First he quoted Winston Churchill - 'Give us the right tools and we will finish the job' - a line used in 1941 to convince America to join the fight against the Nazis. Then came Richard Nixon's controversial rallying cry to the 'silent majority'.
Well into his rhetorical stride, he bristled with moral certainty, brushing aside accusations of collusion with businessmen, dismissing it as simply wrong to cry foul when officials try to help tycoons.
'You are wrong if you consider it collusion when the government creates an atmosphere to help investors make profits,' he said.