‘I prayed for the flags to unfurl properly,’ recalls event producer at Hong Kong’s handover ceremony
American expat Maureen Earls witnessed one of the city’s most important moments in a control booth at the Convention Centre
When Hong Kong changed from a British colony to a Chinese special administrative region 20 years ago, those living in the city witnessed the significant moment from different locations, on different jobs and with different feelings. All the little things they experienced, from a hug with Chinese officials to a change in police badges, will be remembered as parts of the city’s history.
On the night of the handover, American expatriate Maureen Earls was one of the very few people to witness the historic moment from an unusual spot: the control panel at the ceremony.
Earls, who helped produce the event, was working for a multinational company at the time. She remembered the experience fondly, and said nothing else she had been involved with compared to its historical significance.
She first visited Hong Kong in 1992 and soon fell in love with the city through her work. Three months later she decided to move from her home in New York and later met her husband and started a family.
Passionate about the city, Earls decided in 1996 that she wanted to become involved in the main event.
“I kept writing letters to various government departments, asking them ‘have you guys thought of the ceremonies and what’s going to happen?’”
