Seventeen years ago this week, in a rain-sodden ceremony of pomp and solemnity, the Union Jack was lowered over Hong Kong for the last time and the colony was handed back to Beijing. Chris Patten choked back tears as he made his final address before an assembled gathering of British dignitaries that included Prince Charles and Tony Blair, then prime minister. “I am the 28th governor, the last governor,” Mr Patten said. “Now Hong Kong people are to run Hong Kong. That is the promise and that is the unshakeable destiny.”
17年前的7月1日，香港在滂沱大雨中舉行了隆重的主權(quán)移交儀式，飄揚在香港上空的英國國旗最后一次被降了下來。時任香港總督彭定康(Chris Patten)強忍淚水，在查爾斯王子(Prince Charles)、時任英國首相托尼?布萊爾(Tony Blair)等一干英國政要顯貴面前發(fā)表了其任內(nèi)的最后一場演講。他說：“我是第28任香港總督，也是最后一任總督?，F(xiàn)在香港將會由香港人管治，這是承諾，也是一個不容改變的進程。”