Daughters of Deng Xiaoping lead tributes in Hong Kong

Deng Xiaoping did not live to visit Hong Kong after its 1997 handover. But ahead of the 110th anniversary of his birth today, two of his daughters brought a fitting symbol to the city.

"My father … read reports on Hong Kong every day in his later years," Deng Lin , his eldest daughter, said yesterday. "Although he couldn't make the trip, his wheelchair representing him has come to Hong Kong."

The wheelchair takes its place at a three-day exhibition at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, commemorating Deng's life, including his years as paramount leader from 1978 to 1992. Deng died in February 1997, just months before British rule in Hong Kong ended with the handover he worked to achieve.

Deng Lin and her sister Deng Rong were guests of honour at yesterday's opening ceremony. The event is open to the public until tomorrow.

It features more than 400 photographs, including a set of four taken on June 9, 1989, as Deng made a speech to People's Liberation Army officers five days after the crackdown on pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square.

The caption, however, sidesteps the crackdown. It states that Deng was delivering an important speech "to officers with the rank of general or above in command of the troops enforcing martial law in Beijing".