Glory of a lifetime: Chinese military flag-bearer remembers handover day in Hong Kong
Then 17-year-old Cai Chengwen remembers soldiers were prepared for any disruption on that historic day; he has since often been back to the city as a tourist
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 wet, stormy night of June 30, 1997, Cai Chengwen, along with 508 other soldiers, arrived in Hong Kong hours ahead of the handover as part of the first contingent of Chinese troops.
He had been selected to be one of three flag-bearers to raise the national flag in the then headquarters of the British Army in Tamar.
But Cai said they were forbidden from rehearsing with the flag in Hong Kong because the British insisted the city was still under their rule until the last second, illustrating political tensions at the time.