The handover of Hong Kong to China
- Date
- 1 July 1997
- Category
- Politics & governance
- Region
- Hong Kong, China
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
At midnight on 1 July 1997 the United Kingdom transferred sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China, ending 156 years of British colonial rule that dated to the cession of Hong Kong Island after the First Opium War in 1841.
The handover implemented the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, under which Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region governed by the 'one country, two systems' principle: China pledged that for 50 years Hong Kong would retain a high degree of autonomy and keep its capitalist economy, legal system and civil liberties, with Beijing controlling only foreign affairs and defence. The transfer was prompted by the looming 1997 expiry of Britain's 99-year lease on the New Territories. The carefully staged ceremony, attended by China's leadership and Britain's last governor Chris Patten and Prince Charles, marked a symbolic close to the era of European colonial empires in Asia and the reassertion of Chinese sovereignty. The handover set the terms for Hong Kong's distinctive status and framed enduring tensions over autonomy, democracy and Beijing's authority in the decades that followed.
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Empires active in 1 July 1997
Related politics & governance events
- The end of apartheid and Nelson Mandela's election in South Africa27 April 1994 (election); 10 May 1994 (inauguration)
- Dissolution of the Soviet UnionAugust–December 1991
- German reunification3 October 1990
- Fall of the Berlin Wall9 November 1989
- Revolutions of 1989 across Eastern Europe1989 (Autumn of Nations)
- Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika1985–1991 (from 11 March 1985)
Further reading
The wider story
China: A History
Sweeping, readable single-volume narrative of China from its beginnings to today.
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