Flag Raising Ceremony Marks SAR's Fourth AnniversaryA grand flag raising ceremony was held in Hong Kong Sunday morning to mark the fourth anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ( HKSAR) of China.Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa and his wife Betty Tung and some 520 guests attended the ceremony, which was held at the seafront outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center Extension. Jiang Enzhu, director of Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Ji Peiding, commissioner of the Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR, and Xiong Ziren, commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, were present. At 08:00, the five-star red flag of the People's Republic of China and the bauhinia flag of the HKSAR were hoisted amidst the playing of the Chinese national anthem. Five helicopters, two of which were draped with the Chinese national flag and the HKSAR flag, respectively, flew overhead, while a water police boat were sailing past the Victoria Harbor. The ceremony attracted hundreds of residents, some of whom came before dawn to get better positions to see the flag raising. The HKSAR was established on July 1, 1997, when China resumed the exercise of the sovereignty over Hong Kong. |
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