The Handover of Hong Kong Took Place on July 1st, 1997

On June 30th, 1997, shortly before midnight, the flag of Great Britain, along with the colonial flag of Hong Kong, was officially lowered for the last time. Moments later, on July 1st, 1997, shortly after midnight, the flag of the People's Republic of China, along with the flag of Hong Kong SAR, was officially hoisted for the first time.

But why was July 1st, 1997, chosen for the handover of Hong Kong to China? In 1842, when the Qing Dynasty signed the Treaty of Nanking, they ceded Hong Kong Island to Great Britain in perpetuity. Eighteen years later, in 1860, the Qing Dynasty signed the Convention of Peking and ceded District No. 1 of Kowloon and Stonecutters Island to the British.

However, as Hong Kong's population grew rapidly, the colony was in dire need of more land. The colonial government of Hong Kong and the Qing Dynasty reached an agreement regarding the lease of the New Territories, up to the Sham Chun River, for a period of 99 years, formalized in the Second Convention of Peking.

The convention was signed on June 9th, 1898, but became effective on July 1st, 1898. Ninety-nine years later, when the lease expired and after the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 had been approved, the British handed over not only the New Territories but the entire territory of Hong Kong.