At midnight on July 1, Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Premier Li Peng, together with Britain鈥檚 Prince Charles and Prime Minister Tony Blair, presided over a somber ceremony effectively ending 156 years of British colonial rule.
Loyal Communist Party members, meanwhile, counted down to the takeover in Tianmen Square, cheering as huge television screens ticked down the seconds to midnight. In a symbolic gesture, British flags and crests were replaced with Chinese insignia. But much stayed the same in Hong Kong: English common law remained in place and motorists continued to drive on the left hand side of the road.
Beijing moved quickly to replace the Legislative Council of Hong Kong with the appointed council, and installed Hong Kong鈥檚 first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa.
At his swearing-in ceremony, the handpicked Mr. Tung, a former shipping executive with connections to the mainland, pledged to value Hong Kong鈥檚 newfound 鈥渆mpowerment." "We will exercise our powers prudently and responsibly,鈥� he said. 鈥淗ong Kong and China are whole again.鈥�
