The last governor takes home the British flag

The Day Britain Returned Hong Kong to China

The 28th and last governor left Government House on June 30 - his home for the last five years. Mr Patten had been making emotional farewells all weekend and he said wistfully, "My goodness me, there's not much room left on my handkerchief."

Fireworks over Hong Kong harbour

He held back tears as the Governor's standard was lowered to the sound of the Last Post. The flag presented to Mr Patten before he was driven off in his official Rolls Royce, which now belongs to Tung Chee-hwa, the territory's Chief Executive.

At 8.00pm local time a huge fireworks display exploded over Victoria Harbour. One hour later, as 4,000 guests sat down to an elaborate banquet at the Convention Centre on the harbour front, 509 Chinese troops crossed over the land border into Hong Kong.

The Prince salutes British Forces

Storm clouds obscured the sun at Britain's "sunset" ceremony, held at what was once Britain's naval base. As night began to fall, men and women of the Army, RAF, and the Royal Navy paraded in front of the Prince of Wales, representatives of the British Government and thousands of spectators, who were drenched by heavy rainfall.

As the torrential rain became a deluge, the Union Flag and the flag of the Royal Yacht Britannia were lowered for the last time.

The handover ceremony at the Convention Centre

"Today is a cause for celebration, not for sadness," declared the last governor. Mr Patten spoke of his confidence in Hong Kong's "promise and unshakeable destiny".

Tung Chee-hwa failed to turn up for Britain's farewell because it clashed with the arrival of President Jiang Zemin, the first Chinese leader to set foot on Hong Kong soil for 156 years.

The BBC's Nicholas Witchell describes
the moment of handover

All British and Chinese leaders attended the final handover ceremony at the newly-built Convention Centre. Prince Charles, Prime Minister Tony Blair, Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, Chris Patten and General Sir Charles Guthrie, the UK Chief of General Staff shared the stage with China's President Zemin, Prime Minister Lee Peng, Foreign Minister Qian Qichen and military leader General Zhang Wannian.

The Prince, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary

In his speech, Prince Charles promised, "Our commitment and our strong links to Hong Kong will continue and will, I am confident, flourish as Hong Kong and its people continue to flourish."

China's President declared, "July 1 will go down in the annals of history as a day that merits eternal memory."

At 11.30pm local time, the Hong Kong flag was lowered ahead of handover. And at midnight, the British flag came down and the Chinese and new Hong Kong Special Administrative Region flags were hoisted together, fluttering in a machine-made breeze.

Half a mile away, the camp commander Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Ellis at the British Forces headquarters handed over the building to the People's Liberation Army.

Celebrations in China's capital

In Beijing, 100,000 invited guests watched their president speak on giant TV screens erected in Tiananmen Square.

At the stroke of midnight, the hand-picked crowd cheered and applauded as fireworks lit the night sky. After the beating of drums, the traditional dragon dance and the rendition of patriotic songs, the red digits of the countdown clock fell to zero and the crowds roared their approval.

Shortly afterwards, Prince Charles and Mr Patten boarded the Royal Yacht Britannia. The Prince, the former governor with his wife and two tearful daughters waved to the crowds as the ship drew away from the dockside, to the strains of "Rule Britannia" and "Land of Hope and Glory".

Tung Chee-hwa is sworn in as new leader

Just half an hour after the handover, Hong Kong's Democratic Party demonstrated at the Legislative Council building, calling for democracy and freedom. The party's leader, Martin Lee, gave his "July 1 Declaration" from a balcony. "If there is no democracy there will be no rule of law; if there is no freedom, human rights will not be respected...We want the freedom we are entitled to under the Joint Declaration," he proclaimed.

But the protests did not delay the inauguration of the new SAR government headed by Tung Chee-hwa. The controversial Provisional Legislative Council, hand-picked by Beijing, was sworn in and replaced the elected body.

Revellers watch the festivities

"This is a momentous and historic day...Hong Kong and China are whole again," said Mr Tung in patriotic fashion. But he promised, "We value this empowerment and we will excercise our powers prudently and responsibly."

In spite of the solemnity of the occasion, British ex-patriates in Hong Kong held lavish parties and danced the night away. Those on a tight budget could watch the fireworks for free and revellers packed into the entertainment district of Lan Kwai Fong.

Chinese troops cross over into Hong Kong

In London's Chinatown, hundreds of people came out onto the streets as television screens showed the Union Jack come down for the last time. There were mixed reactions to the handover among Hong Kong expatriates and students about the former colony's future.

As dawn broke in Hong Kong, 4,000 troops and 21 armoured personnel carriers of the People's Liberation Army crossed the border at three points. Villagers braved stormy weather to come out and greet their new army.

The Handover Day: a one-hour RealVideo special.

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Photo Special: The handover day in pictures

For latest news on developments in Hong Kong today, go to our news section.

Our colleagues in BBC World Service have also produced a Hong Kong Handover site, featuring special reports from the colony. It is also available in Cantonese.

Profiles

The Last Governor: Chris Patten

The New Leader: Tung Chee-Hwa

BBC Radio 4's "Hong Kong - the Closing Year" is available in RealAudio. Episode: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.