https://www.scmp.com/rss/512338/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 This story has been made freely available to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. As Hong Kong marks 25 years since its 1997 return from British to Chinese rule, the Post recalls the memorable moments in sport for the city and its athletes. In that quarter-century, Hong Kong hit new heights at the Olympics, hosted the region’s and planet’s finest, and produced world champions of the track, table and pool. There has been the odd damp spot, too. Here are some... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3183889/hong-kong-handover-anniversary-25-memorable-sporting-moments-25?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3183889/hong-kong-handover-anniversary-25-memorable-sporting-moments-25?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Jul 2022 01:30:10 +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 I vividly recall the handover ceremony on July 1, 1997 as an ordinary citizen of Hong Kong. No one knew how “one country, two systems” would work out, as it had never been tried before. As with any new adventure, I felt a sense of anticipation and excitement over being masters of our own fate, but also a bit of trepidation about the unknown. Different people had their own interpretations of the meaning of two systems under one country. Many felt the two systems were segregated and completely... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183522/why-we-should-be-proud-hong-kongs-evolution-dynamic-prosperous-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183522/why-we-should-be-proud-hong-kongs-evolution-dynamic-prosperous-city?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jun 2022 22:45:18 +0000 When people ask me whether Hong Kong has changed since 1997, I say, “Yes, but it changed just as much in the 25 years before that.” The city has changed more than most places on the planet, but eventually we all get old. The next 25 years look to be less exciting as we move towards old age. Hong Kong’s population stood at about 3.9 million in 1972, 6.3 million in 1997 and is 7.6 million today. Estimates suggest the city will be home to about 8.1 million people by 2047 – that is an extrapolation,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183458/dynamic-change-may-be-past-ageing-hong-kong-amid-greater-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183458/dynamic-change-may-be-past-ageing-hong-kong-amid-greater-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jun 2022 03:30:13 +0000 Hong Kong’s third chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, shares his thoughts on the city’s uniqueness and its relationship with mainland China. Twenty-five years after the handover, has “one country” overshadowed “two systems”? Has Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy been undermined? No to both questions. Anyone who says otherwise has to point to the articles in the Basic Law. Hong Kong’s two systems and its relationship with central authorities, including its high degree of autonomy, are not... https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/reflections/article/3183528/free-and-pluralistic-former-leader-leung-chun-ying-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/hong-kong-25/reflections/article/3183528/free-and-pluralistic-former-leader-leung-chun-ying-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jun 2022 03:00:30 +0000 A quarter of a century ago, as Hong Kong prepared for its return to the motherland, the international media and academic consensus at the time was that the “Death of Hong Kong” was upon us. The notable wave of emigration from the city in the mid-1990s understandably added fuel to this narrative. Twenty-five years later, any objective and honest assessment should conclude that the narrative was not just inaccurate but way off the mark, notwithstanding the persistent doom- and fearmongering of the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3183329/how-hong-kong-has-flourished-1997-and-proved-its-western?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3183329/how-hong-kong-has-flourished-1997-and-proved-its-western?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jun 2022 01:15:18 +0000 When Britain and China began formal negotiations over Hong Kong’s future in 1982, Hong Kong was an outright autocracy. The governor had plenipotentiary powers. He presided over the Legislative Council, with senior government officials serving as members, and the rest were the governor’s appointees. The same held true in December 1984 when the joint declaration was signed, “settling” the future of Hong Kong. The joint declaration made no provisions for representative government of any kind. That... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183323/hong-kong-needs-common-law-local-characteristics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183323/hong-kong-needs-common-law-local-characteristics?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jun 2022 22:45:16 +0000 The official dinner immediately preceding the handover ceremony on June 30, 1997, was a cordial, if highly choreographed affair. I had been drafted to be a master of ceremonies for the proceedings, and had the honour of addressing both Prince Charles, the representative of my hitherto sovereign, and Chinese president Jiang Zemin, the head of the country I was about to start serving. I was at the time a senior directorate officer in the administrative service of the Hong Kong government. To put... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183224/it-has-taken-25-years-hong-kong-government-has-finally-found-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183224/it-has-taken-25-years-hong-kong-government-has-finally-found-its?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jun 2022 01:15:17 +0000 Anyone following Chinese and Western media knows there are two Hong Kongs. The former says that, with the city now being ruled by patriots, stability and good governance are guaranteed, along with protection of rights and prosperity. From the other side, the narratives are of doom and gloom, freedoms having been all but stripped away and the good times being over. Here at ground zero on the 25th anniversary of the end of British colonial rule and the return to the motherland, it is difficult to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183116/hong-kong-city-duelling-narratives-deep-down-we-know-truth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183116/hong-kong-city-duelling-narratives-deep-down-we-know-truth?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jun 2022 22:45:16 +0000 I was born roughly 100 days after the handover. In the 25 years since, I have seen the city – my home – struck by three pandemics, rebound from two major financial crises, and endure two seismic social movements that reshaped its political trajectory. Yet Hong Kong remains resilient, fearless and proof of what a progressive, cosmopolitan financial centre can be. In reflecting upon what the 25th handover anniversary means to me, I would like to share a few thoughts on how I see my identity as... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3182829/why-25-year-old-not-leaving-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3182829/why-25-year-old-not-leaving-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jun 2022 00:15:18 +0000 After nearly two years of Hong Kong’s national security law, critics condemning it seem more anxious to have their worst fears vindicated than disproved. The city was said to be plunging headlong into a cauldron of tyranny. That has not happened, though. Instead, the status quo spanning business activity and civil institutions is better protected from disruptive strife than before. Protesters who rejected such legislation might be taking a vital civil order for granted. Democratic societies... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183022/two-years-national-security-law-proves-its-worth-safer-more-stable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3183022/two-years-national-security-law-proves-its-worth-safer-more-stable?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Jun 2022 17:00:24 +0000 It is now clear that the first action incoming chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu needs to take on July 1, as soon as he has been sworn in, is to open up Hong Kong to the outside world and to its own people. There is not a moment to lose. Jumbo Floating Restaurant being towed out of Aberdeen Harbour has been seen all over the world and interpreted by many – friend and foe alike – as symptomatic of our demise. It has also seriously damaged morale at home. But this is just a symptom of what is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3181960/end-covid-19-hysteria-reopen-hong-kong-and-give-us-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3181960/end-covid-19-hysteria-reopen-hong-kong-and-give-us-back?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jun 2022 04:30:17 +0000 It’s a curious thing about memory that we tend to remember and dwell on negative events much more readily than on positive ones. Negativity bias is a proven psychological phenomenon. That’s why we recall insults better than praise. Or pay more attention to negative events than positive ones. It’s no wonder then that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s soon-to-be-concluded term may be remembered more for the 2019 protests and the once-in-a-lifetime Covid-19 pandemic than anything else... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3181885/protests-and-pandemic-will-be-carrie-lams-legacy-she?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3181885/protests-and-pandemic-will-be-carrie-lams-legacy-she?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jun 2022 22:45:19 +0000