Honeymoon years (1997-2002): Hong Kong’s early period under Chinese rule in 25 photos
The former British colony began a new chapter in its history as a newly returned Chinese city full of ambition and enthusiasm, its evolution scrutinised by the world
After more than 150 years of British rule, Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 and embarked on its first five years as a special administrative region full of enthusiasm despite uncertainties and proclamations by magazines that predicted its death.
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As the world watched the initial evolution of the first-ever political experiment of the governing principle of “one country, two systems”, hedge fund speculators had begun shorting currencies, and consequently the financial systems of countries in the region, sparking the Asian financial crisis in 1997. Hong Kong weathered the initial storm before speculators renewed their attack on the Hong Kong dollar, forcing the government to intervene to fend them off. But that success did not prevent property prices collapsing and job losses.
In the five years, however, the city, under the leadership of Shanghai-born shipping tycoon Tung Chee-hwa, enjoyed a honeymoon period as it benefited from major infrastructural projects started during the final years of British colonial rule. The Hong Kong International Airport, for example, expanded the city’s aviation hub status rapidly, becoming the world’s busiest by cargo traffic in just 12 short years after opening in 1998.
A number of mega projects proposed in the first government term had a profound impact on the local economy in later years. As the late paramount leader promised in the handover negotiations, Hong Kong after 1997 was still a place where the horse racing, the stock market and the dancing would continue.
[That’s a wrap] Legislative Council members wrap up their final meeting on June 28, 1997, before the city’s return to Chinese rule three days later. In the years leading up to the handover, Britain turned Legco into an increasingly democratically elected body, angering Beijing, which viewed the changes as violating the Basic Law arising out of their joint agreement on Hong Kong’s future signed in 1984. The central government established a provisional legislature, whose members met in Shenzhen until the body was transferred to Hong Kong on July 1. Photo: Oliver Tsang
[Making history] A historic midnight handover ceremony ends British rule in Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, as Prince Charles returns the sovereignty of the city to Chinese President Jiang Zemin at the newly completed Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Just moments before midnight, the Union Jack was lowered to the tune of God save the Queen, immediately followed by the raising of China’s national flag while a band played the Chinese national anthem March of the Volunteers. The terms of the return of Hong Kong were set in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, a treaty between the United Kingdom and China signed in 1984. “July 1, 1997, will go down in the annals of history as a day that merits eternal memory,” Jiang told the assembled guests and a global television audience. Photo: Robert Ng
[End of an era] Prince Charles, British Governor Chris Patten and his wife Lavender bid farewell on the royal yacht Britannia moored at Victoria Harbour after the midnight handover ceremony on July 1, 1997. Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842 after the first opium war, with two more plots of land given over later, of which one was a 99-year lease for the New Territories. The date of the handover marked the end of that lease. The British rulers, who arrived by sea to claim the territory 156 years ago, fittingly sailed away after the handover, opening a new chapter for Hong Kong under Chinese rule in which the city would enjoy a high degree of autonomy under the “one country, two systems” governing model. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
![[That’s a wrap] Legislative Council members wrap up their final meeting on June 28, 1997, before the city’s return to Chinese rule three days later. In the years leading up to the handover, Britain turned Legco into an increasingly democratically elected body, angering Beijing, which viewed the changes as violating the Basic Law arising out of their joint agreement on Hong Kong’s future signed in 1984. The central government established a provisional legislature, whose members met in Shenzhen until the body was transferred to Hong Kong on July 1. Photo: Oliver Tsang](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2022/06/13/a2a87fd7-d20b-4e38-87f6-eda3ebcd9849_7c4ac87f.jpg "[That’s a wrap] Legislative Council members wrap up their final meeting on June 28, 1997, before the city’s return to Chinese rule three days later. In the years leading up to the handover, Britain turned Legco into an increasingly democratically elected body, angering Beijing, which viewed the changes as violating the Basic Law arising out of their joint agreement on Hong Kong’s future signed in 1984. The central government established a provisional legislature, whose members met in Shenzhen until the body was transferred to Hong Kong on July 1. Photo: Oliver Tsang")
![[Making history] A historic midnight handover ceremony ends British rule in Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, as Prince Charles returns the sovereignty of the city to Chinese President Jiang Zemin at the newly completed Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Just moments before midnight, the Union Jack was lowered to the tune of God save the Queen, immediately followed by the raising of China’s national flag while a band played the Chinese national anthem March of the Volunteers. The terms of the return of Hong Kong were set in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, a treaty between the United Kingdom and China signed in 1984. “July 1, 1997, will go down in the annals of history as a day that merits eternal memory,” Jiang told the assembled guests and a global television audience. Photo: Robert Ng](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2022/06/13/f02320dd-02f5-4981-a304-d995dbbf886f_bd415d38.jpg "[Making history] A historic midnight handover ceremony ends British rule in Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, as Prince Charles returns the sovereignty of the city to Chinese President Jiang Zemin at the newly completed Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Just moments before midnight, the Union Jack was lowered to the tune of God save the Queen, immediately followed by the raising of China’s national flag while a band played the Chinese national anthem March of the Volunteers. The terms of the return of Hong Kong were set in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, a treaty between the United Kingdom and China signed in 1984. “July 1, 1997, will go down in the annals of history as a day that merits eternal memory,” Jiang told the assembled guests and a global television audience. Photo: Robert Ng")
![[End of an era] Prince Charles, British Governor Chris Patten and his wife Lavender bid farewell on the royal yacht Britannia moored at Victoria Harbour after the midnight handover ceremony on July 1, 1997. Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842 after the first opium war, with two more plots of land given over later, of which one was a 99-year lease for the New Territories. The date of the handover marked the end of that lease. The British rulers, who arrived by sea to claim the territory 156 years ago, fittingly sailed away after the handover, opening a new chapter for Hong Kong under Chinese rule in which the city would enjoy a high degree of autonomy under the “one country, two systems” governing model. Photo: K. Y. Cheng](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2022/06/13/72ef17d7-86b7-4b6a-ad7c-4d05c81e8b84_b7983558.jpg "[End of an era] Prince Charles, British Governor Chris Patten and his wife Lavender bid farewell on the royal yacht Britannia moored at Victoria Harbour after the midnight handover ceremony on July 1, 1997. Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842 after the first opium war, with two more plots of land given over later, of which one was a 99-year lease for the New Territories. The date of the handover marked the end of that lease. The British rulers, who arrived by sea to claim the territory 156 years ago, fittingly sailed away after the handover, opening a new chapter for Hong Kong under Chinese rule in which the city would enjoy a high degree of autonomy under the “one country, two systems” governing model. Photo: K. Y. Cheng")
