Hong Kong: On the Road to Goodbye

The London Times called it a “fine old imperial sight.” As the royal yacht Britannia steamed into Victoria Harbor last week, a shore battery fired a 21- gun salute. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip listened as the Royal Hong Kong Police Band struck up Memory. Fitting, that: it was likely to be the Queen’s final visit to Hong Kong while it is a British colony.

Hong Kong is to revert to Chinese rule in 1997. China and Britain have promised that the colony’s economic and political vitality will be preserved. Some residents are suspicious. Anxiety about the future could be seen at the races, where the Queen noted that a horse named 1997 was in the running.