https://www.scmp.com/rss/512336/feed July 1, 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule, and also the halfway point of the “one country, two systems” policy under which Beijing governs the city. We look back on the story of one of Asia’s most colourful metropolises and how its political, social, cultural and economic landscape has evolved through the decades. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com You may see them crying in the rugby chapel – but any tears they shed will be tears of joy, when the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens pays tribute to a legend of the city. Not an oval-ball legend in this instance but Hong Kong’s well-known Elvis Presley impersonator, the late Kwok Lam-sang – known locally as “Melvis”. Kwok was popular in nightlife hotspots, where he would play Elvis songs for tips, dressed in a white jumpsuit dotted with diamantes, and is familiar to regular Sevens... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3198538/hong-kong-sevens-pays-tribute-citys-late-elvis-impersonator-melvis-legend-wan-chai-and-lan-kwai-fong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3198538/hong-kong-sevens-pays-tribute-citys-late-elvis-impersonator-melvis-legend-wan-chai-and-lan-kwai-fong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Nov 2022 02:00:15 +0000 The heavy rains earlier this month brought vivid memories of the torrential downpour that all but drowned out the Prince of Wales’ farewell speech at Tamar 25 years ago. Drenched in the heavy rain, many guests rushed home to change clothes before they could witness the change of sovereignty. For some loyal British subjects, it was as though the heavens were mourning the end of British rule and the foul weather was a portent of stormy times ahead. For others, who welcomed Hong Kong’s return to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183604/how-hong-kongs-unique-strengths-can-help-it-find-success-next-25?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183604/how-hong-kongs-unique-strengths-can-help-it-find-success-next-25?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Jul 2022 04:15:12 +0000 Hong Kong’s new government must take concrete action in tackling the city’s housing shortage and improving young people’s upward mobility, legislators and residents said after Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a detailed to-do list for John Lee Ka-chiu’s administration. In his 3,700-word speech on Friday, Xi laid down four expectations for the next administration to work on. The president said Lee’s administration had to improve governance, strengthen the momentum of development, solve... https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3183867/hong-kong-leader-john-lee-just-got-do-list-xi-jinping-now-he?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3183867/hong-kong-leader-john-lee-just-got-do-list-xi-jinping-now-he?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Jul 2022 14:00:42 +0000 Xie Qiongling has never forgotten how she waited five years in her native Fujian province, in mainland China, for permission to be with her husband in Hong Kong. A Hong Kong resident, he was working as a waiter at the time. She applied in 1999 to join him under the one-way permit scheme introduced by China in the early 1980s to allow mainlanders to move to the city, mainly to reunite with family members. The approval from the mainland authorities only arrived in 2004. After she moved to Hong... https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3183149/hongkongers-prejudices-persist-even-mainland-chinese-migrants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3183149/hongkongers-prejudices-persist-even-mainland-chinese-migrants?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jun 2022 07:00:25 +0000 Elite sport in Hong Kong has come a long way over the past 25 years. At the heart of the city’s rapid development has been funding and support from the Hong Kong Sports Institute. Since the handover, the city has won 196 medals at the Asian Games, comprising 37 gold, 69 silver, and 90 bronze. The city has won two gold, three silver and four bronze ­medals at the Olympics. It is difficult to argue over the correlation between that increase in spending and the record six Olympic medals Hong Kong’s... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3183058/hong-kong-handover-growing-sporting-success-down-cash-injection-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3183058/hong-kong-handover-growing-sporting-success-down-cash-injection-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Jun 2022 07:00:15 +0000 Several years of political turmoil and the pandemic have sparked an exodus from Hong Kong as it marks the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty. But how do foreigners in the city view it? For many, the lure of economic opportunities trumps any fears over shrinking political space – even if Covid restrictions remain a major turn-off. Before Gary Lim Boon Yew arrived in Hong Kong in 2002, the Singaporean’s initial impressions were gleaned from films and television shows of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3183007/hong-kongs-asian-expats-still-see-city-land-opportunities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3183007/hong-kongs-asian-expats-still-see-city-land-opportunities?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jun 2022 00:30:18 +0000 Tap here to launch the special feature https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3182030/25-visualisations-hong-kongs-25th-birthday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3182030/25-visualisations-hong-kongs-25th-birthday?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jun 2022 02:30:18 +0000 Elite sport in Hong Kong has changed considerably over the past 25 years, not least in the support the city’s best athletes get when it comes to chasing their dreams. In 1997, government funding for top-level sport stood at around HK$150 million. In the 2020-21 financial year it was over HK$735 million. Similarly, the maximum monthly grant for Tier A athletes was HK$10,000 in 2002; this year, it has been increased to HK$50,000. It is difficult to argue over the correlation between that increase... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3181786/hong-kong-handover-what-links-olympians-siobhan-haughey-cheung-ka?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3181786/hong-kong-handover-what-links-olympians-siobhan-haughey-cheung-ka?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jun 2022 00:30:13 +0000 As Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges recalls the Hong Kong racing landscape at the time of the city’s reunification with China in 1997, he cannot help but notice certain parallels with where the sport stands after more than two years of grappling with the coronavirus pandemic. A period of significant transition for the city, the events of 25 years ago were also the catalyst for sweeping change within Hong Kong racing. “I would never have been the director of racing or the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3182086/handover-paved-way-jockey-clubs-international-vision-and-post-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3182086/handover-paved-way-jockey-clubs-international-vision-and-post-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Jun 2022 04:00:22 +0000 Silver horsehair wigs and long gowns have long been part of Hong Kong’s court attire for judges and barristers, passed down through generations as a part of its common law tradition. The somewhat theatrical dress code also serves several practical functions: it is meant to deliver an image of solemnity, while also serving to distinguish levels of seniority among judges and barristers. The tradition was retained after the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 to acknowledge a... https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3181688/hong-kong-judges-and-barristers-could-wave-goodbye-courtroom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3181688/hong-kong-judges-and-barristers-could-wave-goodbye-courtroom?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Jun 2022 01:30:15 +0000 This article was first published in the South China Morning Post on February 10, 2016. It has been republished online as part of Hong Kong 25, which looks at how the city has changed since the handover, and what its future holds. By Stuart Lau, Chris Lau and Christy Leung Hong Kong was in shock yesterday and remained on edge after overnight rioting on Monday in the streets of Mong Kok prompted police to fire shots in the air, left scores injured, and led to the arrests of 61 people. Hundreds of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3178982/february-8-2016-night-mob-violence-mong-kok-leaves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3178982/february-8-2016-night-mob-violence-mong-kok-leaves?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jun 2022 13:30:16 +0000 This article was first published in the South China Morning Post on November 2, 2014. It has been republished online as part of Hong Kong 25, which looks at how the city has changed since the handover, and what its future holds. By Clifford Lo, Alice Woodhouse and Lana Lam A British banker was being questioned by murder squad detectives last night after the naked bodies of two young women were discovered in his 31st-floor Wan Chai apartment. The 29-year-old - who works for a top-tier global bank... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3178772/november-1-2014-expat-banker-rurik-jutting-arrested?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3178772/november-1-2014-expat-banker-rurik-jutting-arrested?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jun 2022 12:30:13 +0000 This article was first published in the South China Morning Post on October 2, 2012. It has been republished online as part of Hong Kong 25, which looks at how the city has changed since the handover, and what its future holds. By Joyce Ng, Stuart Lau, Danny Mok and Ada Lee At least eight people died and about two dozen were missing after two ferries collided off Lamma Island last night. Some 124 people on the Lamma IV, a vessel owned by Hongkong Electric, were thrown into waters near Yung Shue... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3179300/october-1-2012-deadly-ferry-crash-hong-kongs-lamma-island?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3179300/october-1-2012-deadly-ferry-crash-hong-kongs-lamma-island?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jun 2022 09:30:24 +0000 This article was first published in the South China Morning Post on August 24, 2010. It has been republished online as part of Hong Kong 25, which looks at how the city has changed since the handover, and what its future holds. By Dennis Eng and Raissa Robles in Manila, Martin Wong and Tanna Chong Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen criticised the handling of a hostage crisis in Manila last night in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed and two critically injured. Police commandos stormed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3178192/august-23-2010-7-hong-kong-tourists-and-guide-killed-manila?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3178192/august-23-2010-7-hong-kong-tourists-and-guide-killed-manila?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:30:23 +0000 This article was first published in the South China Morning Post on June 24, 2003. It has been republished online as part of Hong Kong 25, which looks at how the city has changed since the handover, and what its future holds. By Jimmy Cheung, Chow Chung-yan and Benjamin Wong Hong Kong is ready to spend $1 billion to rebuild its battered image and lure back tourists and businesses after it was officially declared free of Sars by the World Health Organisation yesterday. Officials said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3177890/june-23-2003-hong-kong-free-sars-who-declares?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3177890/june-23-2003-hong-kong-free-sars-who-declares?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jun 2022 06:30:18 +0000 This article was first published in the South China Morning Post on August 23, 1999. It has been republished online as part of Hong Kong 25, which looks at how the city has changed since the handover, and what its future holds. By Staff Reporters A China Airlines jet crash-landed at Chek Lap Kok and overturned in flames last night, killing two passengers and injuring 211 others on board. The plane, landing during a No 8 signal hoisted for Typhoon Sam, touched down on fire after the right wing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3177639/august-22-1999-china-airlines-plane-crashes-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3177639/august-22-1999-china-airlines-plane-crashes-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jun 2022 04:30:09 +0000 This article was first published in the South China Morning Post on July 6, 1998. It has been republished online as part of Hong Kong 25, which looks at how the city has changed since the handover, and what its future holds. By Rachel Clarke The lights were turned out at Kai Tak at 1.16 this morning, marking the end of the airport’s 73-year history. “Goodbye Kai Tak and thank you,” said Director of Civil Aviation Richard Siegel, before throwing the switch. As the lights went out, hundreds of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3177315/july-6-1998-roger-over-and-out-kai-tak-hong-kongs-old?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3177315/july-6-1998-roger-over-and-out-kai-tak-hong-kongs-old?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jun 2022 03:30:23 +0000 Tap here to launch the special feature https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3181013/can-hong-kong-deliver-2049-target-wipe-out-subdivided-flats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3181013/can-hong-kong-deliver-2049-target-wipe-out-subdivided-flats?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jun 2022 23:30:21 +0000 Tap here to launch the special feature https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3180896/depression-cockroaches-rats-and-shame-add-misery-hongkongers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3180896/depression-cockroaches-rats-and-shame-add-misery-hongkongers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jun 2022 23:30:17 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/series/3180920/cage-homes-subdivided-flats-what-life-hong-kongs-worst?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/series/3180920/cage-homes-subdivided-flats-what-life-hong-kongs-worst?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:32:54 +0000 Tap here to launch the special feature https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3180749/why-hongkongers-citys-notorious-subdivided-flats-say-they-have?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/society/article/3180749/why-hongkongers-citys-notorious-subdivided-flats-say-they-have?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jun 2022 00:00:25 +0000