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The glittering financial city of Hong Kong was handed back to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997, in a mix of nostalgia, fear, and excitement. The handover ended 156 years of British colonial rule and the British empire in Asia. AFP/Getty Images
A shop assistant for luxury jeweler Tiffany's displays two porcelain souvenir boxes for sale, one featuring the new Bauhinia flower emblem of Hong Kong, the other the five stars of the Chinese flag. AFP/Getty Images
Perfomers in Beijing form the new Hong Kong flag at a rehearsal for a gala performance in honor of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule. President Jiang Zemin was due to attend the performance on the evening of July 1 after returning from the handover ceremony in Hong Kong. AFP/Getty Images
An elderly Hong Kong man signs an anti-communist board during a demonstration by activists of the Hong Kong Democratic Party on June 28, 1997. Some residents feared democratic rights and freedoms would be eroded in Hong Kong under Chinese rule. AFP/Getty Images
Two Royal Navy sailors remove a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in HMS Tamar, the British Forces' Hong Kong headquarters, clearing the facilities for China's People's Liberation Army. AFP/Getty Images
British police troops perform in a "Beating the Retreat" ceremony on June 28, 1997, at Government House, the residence of outgoing Governor Chris Patten. The ceremony was also attended by Prince Charles. AFP/Getty Images
Chris Patten, the 28th and last governor of British colonial Hong Kong, receives the Union Jack flag after it was lowered for the last time at Government House on June 30, 1997. AFP/Getty Images
British solders participate in the British Military Farewell Ceremony at the HMS Tamar military base on June 30, 1997. AFP/Getty Images
Hong Kong Garrison People's Liberation Army soldiers applaud during a farewell ceremony attended by the Chinese Central Military Commission in Shenzhen, China, on June 30, 1997. The soldiers entered Hong Kong before the change of sovereignty became effective at midnight. AFP/Getty Images
Fireworks light up Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour on the night of June 30, 1997, to mark the British withdrawal from the territory. AFP/Getty Images
The official handover ceremony was held in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on July 1, 1997. The Chinese flag flies after the Union Jack was lowered. AFP/Getty Images
Chinese President Jiang Zemin (2nd L) shakes hands with Britain's Prince Charles (2nd R) following Hong Kong's transfer of sovereignty from British to Chinese rule. AFP/Getty Images
Tung Chee-hwa is sworn in as the first chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on July 1, 1997 after the territory reverted to Chinese rule. AFP/Getty Images
The new Hong Kong Special Administrative Region flag featuring a Bauhinia flower flies over the city from a ferry boat on July 2, 1997.
