Deng Xiaoping's legacy felt in Hong Kong's debate on political reform
Late paramount leader saw city as integral part of China, and Xi Jinping is of the same mind
At midnight on June 30, 1997, the Union flag was lowered and the five red stars of China were raised in a handover ceremony at the Convention Centre in Wan Chai.
There was one special guest: Zhuo Lin, widow of late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. She was there to accomplish the last wish of Deng, who had passed away in February: to witness Hong Kong's return to China.
Many Hong Kong reporters still remember the early spring of 1997, when journalists - myself included - rushed to Beijing amid mounting rumours that Deng was seriously ill.
It was only about five months to go before July 1, and Deng had once told a city tycoon: "I'll try my best to keep alive till 1997 because I want to see Hong Kong under China's rule." Unfortunately, Deng never got his wish.
Last Friday would have marked the 110th birthday of Deng, who shaped Hong Kong's future with his "one country, two systems" policy. A series of national events celebrated the occasion, including an exhibition in Hong Kong on his connection with the city.
It revealed that Deng never had another chance to set foot here after five trips to Hong Kong during the 1920s and 30s.
However, Deng managed to take a close look at Hong Kong during his historic Southern Tour to Shenzhen in 1992, during which he reaffirmed China's open-door policy amid the then-heated debate on whether reforms would take China onto the road of capitalism.