As it Happened Hong Kong's Handover June 30th 1997 Ray Rudowski's Historical Archive Part 4 

Hugo DBPHuguenot yes people here have to be thankful this generation is willing to fight for hong kong just barely escaping extinction. unlike the extremely naive last generation who honestly believed that china would respect a piece of paper. maybe they believed china wouldn't destroy things right away (which was true) but what they didn't realize is that they systematically ruined the lives of millions of future hongkongers ...

HK_Nation 1841 Yes, HK just barely escaped extinction at least in part because it provides the PRC something it has nowhere else - a well functioning city in which most businesses feel contract law, at least, is still upheld, banks function up to international norms, and even the exchanges remain more or less properly run. That's an interesting contrast given the truth of your comment that the PRC has not honoured most of its agreements toward HK citizens.The PRC did not automatically enslave Hongkongers. It has done something much worse, that is the *slowly corrosive* kind of enslavement ruining what we all had hoped for HK. When I say that I hope Hongkongers "fight" for their city, I am not thinking of people standing in front of tanks. What I, and many who know and love HK hope, is that people will resist that corrosive enslavement by resisting corruption, demanding fair local government, and protection of the old ways of life such as schools and universities, hospitals, clean and light handed public affairs. These are the things that ordinary citizens can fight to protect in their every day lives. *Finally, by continuing to not honour their promises, the PRC brings shame upon itself. Ordinary Hongkongers can point to this, adding to China's shame and serving as a reminder to the world of just what kind of people still run China.*

shawn kregan My dear friend, Your post shows real insight. If nothing else, Patten did genuinely quickly fall in love with HK and Hongkongers, something that happens to many of us. I did notice him trying to hold himself together during those three circular trips around Government House. More telling for me was later, down at what we all knew as HMS Tamar. Lord Patten gave the best speech at the close of the century. I had a good view of him. We were seated about two rows above and perhaps 15 feet away from The Pattens, Prince Charles, et. al. As his speech ended, the orchestra played Elgar's Nimrod. It is music that, for a certain generation of us anyway, evokes everything good about England, while straining sadly with images of millions who gave their lives in The Great War, played every year at the Cenotaph. Patten's complexion changed to a deep ruddy colour, and I realised he was weeping, though he recovered quickly. My wife put her hand on mine to ask if I was alright. I, too, was weeping in the rain. You see, we had just pushed 7.5M people back into the blackest slavery. How can anything be "alright" after that? Everything you have said about Chris Patten is true. He remains the most honourable man I have ever known.

gringo honasan After your note I became curious, and learned this from a friend who specialises in this kind of thing with a western government. His comments: Secret or "private banking" is a thing of the past. About HK banking, he tells a funny story about the Lippo Group running from place to place like a cockroach trying to hide their money. His final point is that the PRC elite can't hide their money for long from other governments, especially in HK (he did not elaborate), but their real interest is in hiding it from their OWN government. Amazing! PS: Listen my friend, I agree with you 100% about HK vs. PRC. But those guys in Peking are murdering bastards with no sense of decency. Please be careful, and urge your young friends to do the same. They are more valuable to the struggle alive than dead or in prison. The PRC will fall of it's own weight someday, and the world will need those young, well-meaning kids soon to restore HK. You are in our thoughts and prayers every day. Dr.Hugo

What complete drivel !! Did someone pay you to write that nonsense or did you work it out all on your own? You say "China [is a] well respected economic and political structure." Well respected by whom? China will never be a superpower until it *earns* the respect of the international community, for example the community of nations will have to believe that what China agrees to do, it will do. HK is a perfect example. China has stepped on (abrogated is the correct word) ALL FOUR basic agreements concerning Hong Kong. That tells the world that nothing China says is real, and nothing they promise can be expected to be true. The PRC and "The Immortals" (what a load of garbage that is) act more like pirates at sea than a true, solid nation. No one in HK expected a perfect democracy. But what was expected - and what was promised - was a clean, transparent and fair government, with just enough democracy (or call it "home rule") to ensure continuation of that kind of government. That was the promise, and that is the undeniable future of the people of Hong Kong. God Protect Hong Kong!! God Save the Queen!!

Would you tell Britain to hold China to its promises under the Joint Declaration and #StandWithHK in our fight to protect our rights and freedoms?

今日睇返真係無眼睇😢

Britain please come back !!! I am loyalist to you !!! Just like Unionist in Northern Ireland would like to being part of the UK forever !

Ian and @alwellus, I could not agree with you more. To this day I think Lord Patten's departure speech was the best at the close of the century and says it all. Paraphrasing, there will always be things in history that one today would not condone. But what GB left to HK was clean and light-handed gov't, commitment to the rule of law, a proper civil service, excellent schools, universities, and hospitals -- all the scaffolding for a modern and first-rate city state. It is now up to the people of HK to resist communist corruption and maintain their way of life. Chris Patten could have spent five nice years working on his tennis game. Instead, he was almost Churchillian in the fight for a HK for HK people. It was an all out fight, and as a minor friend I can say I fear it cost him much at home, but it was the honourable thing to do. That, in the end, is GB's legacy to HK and much of the world.

As a Chinese still ,I agree with u.Land of hope and glory .God bless uk

Britain made a big mess of the world... Israel, Borneo, the Middle East.... look at the world's conflicts now and you can trace it to that empire...

@@cochinaable Care to elaborate your nonsense with details?

No HK And UK ITS Not Brother China And HONG KONG Are Brothers

Yeah. And u supress their people... No one in HK wants prc rule...

+President George W Bush No, it is not unconvincing English speaking former President of the United States of America.

always welcome in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧

Maggie Thatcher actually brought this up, retaining a part of HK that is. But there were no good options. We have a claim to HK proper, but that runs along Boundary Street, now in central city. It would be like trying to defend City of London from modern Ludgate Hill. The PRC would also control the water supply. The best option was what dear Lord Patten tried... establish a HK for HK People by expanding the vote. Patten was willing to fight the PRC for this, but he also had to fight the HK Tycoons who were already making their own deals with the PRC. Worse, he was stabbed in the back daily by the FCO at home (a reason I have no respect for the FCO, which has been on intellectual life support since 1918 -- with a bow to Bill Hague who is clearly a solid man but he was not on the scene then).

Do you honestly think for one moment Britain was going to try and fight a war on the other side of the world right on the door step of a country with one of the worlds largest military forces? It would have been utter suicide. The Falklands was straight forward. Hong Kong wouldn't have been, especially not since Britain had agreed that 99 year lease. How long would it have taken naval and army units to reach Hong Kong? Would any nearby nations have allowed the RAF to use their bases and in doing so risk getting sucked in?

theredraven Wise and insightful westerner like you should replace dumb heads in your Parliament who are still day dreaming of the empire where the sun never sets. Greetings from elite Chinese main lander, your candid partner and potential opponent.

All empires have their day. As will the new Chinese one. Can't squeeze people like you did under Mao anymore. The tighter you grip, the more they will slip through your fingers.

***** Shame on you, son of infamous opium smuggler in 1840. Go back to school and study more history before judging ours.

This is a the worst of time for Hong Kong. We face cultural annihilation: children will be indoctrinated and enslaved in the name of nationalism; our memories will be erased and will be found only in dusted history books. Yet the majority, believing economic prosperity will follow, is willing to trade existence for money. Benjamin Franklin once said "those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety". Sadly, most of my kind indeed deserve neither, for they are proudly apolitical.

lowerlowerhk You point quite brilliantly at my greatest fear for Hongkongers. Indeed, by quoting Benjamin Franklin you also point to a problem faced throughout the whole free world at the moment. Trying hard to sound like`Lord Patten, Hong Kong has many things in it's favour -- a tradition at the crossroad of a civil society made of people who have overcome literally everything, people still quite alive who remember the old, decent ways, and a burning desire to enjoy the simple freedoms of human rights and at least some democracy. The "immortals" in Peaking who would enslave HK are not the same today as in 1997. These people want to be big players on the world stage. That can not happen if they continue to pick and choose which international agreements they will honour. Continuing to give that fact attention will erode their desire to enslave Hongkongers. Putting a better face on a bad situation, the people in the streets last year were not crushed by tanks from the PRC as would have done 25 years ago, but by HKP without firing a shot (exceptions noted). Will the PRC ever believe it can trust a free HK? I think so, but more time and toil will be needed. I take your point about money (safety) trumping longer-term gains being seductive to many. Some who understand Hongkongers less will say "money is everything." The correct answer is, "Money for those who have very little is important, but understanding Hongkongers there is one thing always more important -- their children." I think we can count on that, more than anything, to assure HK's eventual freedom. You seem to be a very perceptive person. I hope we can stay in touch. Warm regards, Hugo.

+Hugo DBPHuguenot God save the queen my ass. HongKonger doesn't want British. HongKong is China.

+Hugo DBPHuguenot I cannot help but notice your activity (albeit being 3 years ago). I too concur with lowerlowerHK's perspective, the future of Hong Kong is looking increasingly bleak. The skyrocketing property prices in Hong Kong and the increasing political tensions have contributed greatly to the situation; however it can be observed that there is an increased polarisation of Hong Kong society, which I fear may ultimately result in catastrophe. There are elements which have adopted worryingly militant stances to the status quo (which you have perfectly described as being eroded by the Central Government) and this was most evident during the Mong Kok disturbances of 2015. It is my sincere wish as a Hong Kong citizen that we shall one day walk our streets as free people, proud of our colonial heritage and treat each other with the same respect one would have received in the pre-Handover days. Furthermore, I note your comment from earlier, in which you wrote of how Britain had "just pushed 7.5M people back into the blackest slavery". A very powerful and moving personal anecdote which not only captivated my attention but stirred emotion. I do not know if you are a frequent visitor to Hong Kong, but it is my sincere hope that whenever or however you should find yourself visiting, that you receive the warmest of welcomes. God Save the Queen. God Save Hong Kong. Nulli Secundus in Oriente.

@@thesuperproify The key is, HK's freedom isn't given by the British, HK's path to anti-corruption in the 80s was resolved by HKers themselves. ICAC was an organization for anti-corruption based upon people character judged by their action, and not of their relations. HK belongs to Chinese culture, our rich culture existing thousands of years of art and medicine and commerce and literature, not a totalitarian dictator who doesn't know what progress means and just rip off others to lie for glory.

I can only imagine the emotion in those men's hearts.

Thanks, I did not know that. It was always played when Patten made appearances and there were pipers.

而今天，以前的好也被剥夺。

那是时代原因 就像主子国变得更差一样

Highland cathedral

Mr Lance Brown

此後惨

James Prediston but still it was Chinese territory

James Prediston I agree that the brits have done more for HK than the CCP but I think the island has symbolic value kind of like Indian with Goa

Classic American.

they still have overseas territories and the queen is technically the head of state of some countries like Australia,new zealand,etc

Wales, Scotland and Ireland played an integral part in making the British Empire. England has never seen them as colonies, but as brothers.

Comme ci Comme ça you stupid.No Britain,no opium problems in Asia

@@laststandinstalingrad5162 imagine being a tankie

No more worries.

No CCP, no protests in Hong Kong

@@jimmycarter4177 The whole world is coming for the Communist party. It's days are numbered. The day the Chinese flag is given back to Carrie lam by British soldiers, will be the best.

@@Afghan31 LoL tiny Britain.

@@jimmycarter4177 Same tiny Britain that kicked China's ass three times in one century.

+Guo Darren irish didnt invade. they were invaded.

+Guo Darren kind of ironic posting that comment on something banned in china

It's a Chinese city. That's like saying you wanna free Boston from US control.

Britain did not pay us for rent over the 100 years... you guys pointed the guns at us and forced us to let u use the land for free.....Britain has yet to apologies to all it ex colonies for the hundreds years of exploitation....just look at your museums, most of the relics were looted from the colonies..

Britain didnt develop hk. hkers worked their @ss off for years. for years, they were treated like dogs. brits' wealth came from killing and looting. asia, africa, Americas, and Australia....all stolen territories. then brits kept the natives uneducated and poor. China isnt poor anymore. it will not let anyone to take advantage of her again. she will make sure that her rise will be a peaceful one. make sure to provide the chinese a prosperous and peaceful home. napoleon once said: "let china sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world." china isnt even fully awake, she is already shaking the world.

Kale Girl China will economically collapsing its economy is going downhill as we speak you are so idealistic I'm blinded by patriotism China is shit and it will soon fall

We should study Chinese development, because United Kingdom will never be the country that owns 1/3 lands in global and is able to control the world's economy. United Kingdom has fallen for several decades and will for centuries.

-Kale Girl "She will make sure that her rise will be a peaceful one." I don't think you seem to have any idea of how aggressive the Chinese Communist Party has been. The recent militarisation of the South China Sea, the border clashes with India, the threats to invade Taiwan and the infringement of the Hong Kong Basic Law (see Causeway Bay Bookseller Kidnappings) are clearly not peaceful acts. It should also be noted that the Chinese Communist Party has been conducting industrial espionage to develop weapon systems (stealing classified information for stealth fighters and other technology). While you quote Napoleon, there is one obvious flaw in your use of his quote, and it is that the China he was referring to no longer exists; instead of being the imperial Chinese government, it is now a corrupt authoritarian regime with no interest in spreading peace, let alone exercising it within its borders.

Highland Cathedral

@@walawala888 thank you very much!💙

just like your face

@@pleasedontbanmyyt9411 you used to have a picture of your face but youtube deleted it now you have the generic one

@@thatswiked ahh yes a br*tish making assumptions quite exquisite innit bruv

​@@pleasedontbanmyyt9411 yes mate lol nah we cool mate

Gibraltar wants to part of the UK but only 1% wanted to leave out of the entire pop

jellenheimer Gibraltar es una COLONIA, ellos no tienen derecho a elegir lo que quieren ser. Sólo el R.U. a cumplir con las resoluciones de NN.UU. que le instan a DESCOLONIZAR Gibraltar.

Gibraltar will always be British. Spain has no authority over it. The people of Gibraltar have spoken.

mrArchduke yes, Gibraltar always be British like Hong Kong always be British... fuck you!!! Gibraltar español! stop colonialism!!!

rubenak1 FUCK YOU FREE CATALONIA

Zhang Chi Zhang u better shut up n just speak ur own fuckin chinese lang

CaptainCool07 Uttered this nonsense: "if the British lords really care about you fools..." Sir, I wish to God we had done!! I am one of millions around the world who know and love Hong Kong and it's people. A Hong Kong for Hongkonger's, that was the promise and that will be the reality!!

Read Treaty of Nanking carefully before leaving a message!