ABSTRACT
On June 30, 1997, the 156 years of British colonial rule of Hong Kong ended, as Hong Kong would be reunified with China the next morning. With the extensive international media coverage and the presence of various national leaders, diplomats, celebrities, and local citizens amounting to over 10,000 people, the British guard of honour at the Tamar Naval Base in Hong Kong performed their last large-scale parade. Under the continuing heavy monsoon downpour, the rhythmical tread of marching guards in characteristic British uniforms, the whistling of pipes, and the beat of the drums all resonated through the broad Victoria Harbour under the dark skies. On stage, Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, made his final speech to Hong Kong, an extraordinary moment in which he represented the legacy of his nation at the conclusion of colonial rule in Hong Kong. A few hours later, the British flag was slowly lowered from the flagpole in the wind and would not fly as the standard of the rulers in the sky of Hong Kong again.2
