ABSTRACT
As every schoolboy would once have known, traditionally the Chinese have believed that a dynasty reigns because it has been vouchsafed divine approval-the Mandate of Heaven. According to this belief, extensive natural or man-made catastrophes demonstrate that the Mandate has been revoked, and that the reigning dynasty will soon fall. Natural catastrophes began in Hong Kong the instant the regime appointed by Beijing to succeed British rule took office in July 1997.
