Hong Kong 25 /

Reflections

Illustration: Henry Wong
Hong Kong at 25

Hong Kong Olympians the poster children for 25 years of rapid sporting growth

Medal winners Doo Hoi-kem, Cheung Ka-long and Siobhan Haughey were all born months either side of the city’s emergence from British colonial rule. In the years since, government funding for elite sport has risen to more than HK$735 million a year.

Hong Kong at 25: Society

‘Hong Kong, add oil’ should not be taboo, says Canto-pop legend Jacky Cheung

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Hong Kong at 25: Reflections

25 memorable sporting moments for Hong Kong since the 1997 handover

Hong Kong at 25: Society

From egg tarts to the Star Ferry: 25 objects that tell us this is Hong Kong

Trams and cast-iron postboxes speak to the history of the city, while delicacies such as fishballs and egg waffles are street food essentials.

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Illustration: Kaliz Lee
Illustration: Kaliz Lee
Hong Kong at 25

Former leader Leung Chun-ying says Hongkongers free to express different views

Hong Kong has bounced back ‘time and time again’ in the face of many challenges, Leung adds.

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Hong Kong at 25

‘A new chapter for Hong Kong’: John Lee says city poised to achieve greater success

Chief Executive-designate John Lee shares his views on the city’s past and future.

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Hong Kong at 25

The heady days of Hong Kong’s late 90s luxury scene from those who lived it

Key players in Hong Kong’s luxury fashion industry, from brands like Chanel and Calvin Klein, revisit what the city’s scene was like around 1997 and how it has evolved.

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Bill Clinton with Chanel’s Claudia Shaw (left) and other guests at the opening of the Cipriani Italian restaurant in the Old Bank of China Building in Central, Hong Kong, in 2003. Photo: SCMP
Bill Clinton with Chanel’s Claudia Shaw (left) and other guests at the opening of the Cipriani Italian restaurant in the Old Bank of China Building in Central, Hong Kong, in 2003. Photo: SCMP
Hong Kong at 25

Shades Off | Hong Kong is a city of duelling narratives, but deep down we know the truth

Beijing supporters say destructive elements of society have been removed. Pro-democracy voices claim dissent has been outlawed by an unresponsive government. The government calls it a restoration of stability but, to many foreign commentators, Hong Kong is now a police state.

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Hong Kong at 25

Hong Kong fashion icons in 1997 vs 2022, from Anita Mui to Keung To

It’s Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung, Faye Wong, Michelle Yeoh and Leslie Cheung up against Keung To, Tina Leung, Serrini, Tyson Yoshi and Hilary Tsui, but who do you think is the most stylish?

Hong Kong at 25

Explainer | Is Hong Kong a great place to live? How quality of life changed post-handover

Crime has come down, city’s transport networks have grown, people have more leisure choices now.

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Tsim Sha Tsui’s skyline. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
Hong Kong at 25

Opinion | Carrie Lam deserves to be remembered for more than protests and pandemic

While the focus as Lam concludes her term will no doubt be on her toughest moments, they shouldn’t define her leadership. Lam has been a champion of art, innovation and heritage conservation, and has taken on seemingly intractable issues like housing and waste management.

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Outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam leaves the Legislative Council following a Q&A session on January 12. Photo: Bloomberg
Outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam leaves the Legislative Council following a Q&A session on January 12. Photo: Bloomberg
Hong Kong politics

Opinion | Carrie Lam a fighter to the end as she calls time on chief executive tenure

The city’s fourth chief executive looks set to bring her time in office full circle by opening the Hong Kong Palace Museum next month. She leaves with many issues still unresolved, though, and she is frank about the obstacles her successor will have to overcome.

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My Take

My Take | There’s a sense of handover déjà vu, yet so much has changed

As Hong Kong prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty, the city and its people are once again contemplating the future.

My Take

My Take | Hong Kong is already living past 2047

Once Beijing has asserted its supremacy as a governing principle, ‘one country, two systems’ can, of course, last as long as possible, with the guaranteed 50 years of ‘no change’ only a symbolic description.

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The city’s skyline is seen under the clouds. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
Hong Kong at 25: Culture

Hong Kong handover memories relived in 25th anniversary photo exhibition

The return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty was a time of celebration and emotions, and these can be seen in these photos from Birdy Chu, whose exhibition HK 1997 recalls those times.

PLA troops enter Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, the morning after the handover in this photo from the HK 1997 exhibition by Birdy Chu. Photo: Yrellag Gallery/Birdy Chu
PLA troops enter Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, the morning after the handover in this photo from the HK 1997 exhibition by Birdy Chu. Photo: Yrellag Gallery/Birdy Chu
Hong Kong at 25: Reflections

Opinion | A target for John Lee: 200,000 flats in Northern Metropolis by 2027

With the wait for public housing reaching a historic high, the new government must set a specific and unambiguous target. The Northern Metropolis is a good place to start because land in the New Territories already exists. What we need is the willpower to use it for public good.

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