Handover of Hong Kong

The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration established the terms under which Britain would return Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. During the final years of colonial government, residents debated emigration, citizenship, civil liberties and the territory’s economic future.

At midnight on 1 July 1997, Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. The transfer preserved separate legal and economic institutions under the promised one country, two systems arrangement while creating deep uncertainty about long-term political autonomy.

Last Year in Hong Kong is set during the countdown to this transfer. Its romance is shaped by the city’s anxiety, the choices of expatriates and residents, and the wider tension between Chinese sovereignty and Tibetan political resistance.