Saturday 1 July 2023

26 Years ago, today

Front page South China Morning Post, 1 July 1997
A mate sent a message just now: reminding me that there was torrential rain on the night of the handover of Hong Kong from UK to China, 26 years ago, just as there has been all today.

And I recalled to him that Prince Charles, here for the handover, called the Chinese officials at the handover ceremony, in his diary later, “appalling old waxworks”. Hah!

I remember that night of the handover. Jing and I were at a pub in Wanchai, watching as the PLA garrison which had been gathering in Shenzhen just across the border, came into Hong Kong, tanks and trucks and troops, to their barracks here in Hong Kong, where they have stayed out of sight ever since. Our son John was due six weeks later, as he arrived on August 15th, 1997, so it was no drinks for her, as we sat there, among the crowd, quiet, mostly, apprehensive. Wondering how “One Country, Two Systems” would work out. Which has been, on the whole, pretty much ok. A National Security Law was brought in June 2020, coz, why? riots in 2019. So there’s that. But hardly tanks crushing protesters. 

Waxworks...