inspire-indiana Chapter 377 Hong Kong Return
Chapter 377 Hong Kong Return
For this reason, Qian Yizhen went south several times to clean up the mess for Qian Zuhua. Fortunately, his great uncle Chen Haoyu hired a private detective to prevent his wife Wang Min and two children from being burdened with huge debts.
Wang Min's thoughts were also opened up by his revisit to the Shenzhen office of the Hong Kong Machinery Trading Company. That year, he met Qian Zuhua while traveling to Hong Kong.
After having a flash marriage with her ex-wife Zuhua and giving birth to Xiangxiang, Wang Min took Xiangxiang to Shenzhen, where they spent a wonderful but short period of happy time at the Shenzhen office of a Hong Kong machinery trading company...
After Qian Zuhua was released from prison, Qian Yizhen and Wang Min went south to Shenzhen again to dissuade Qian Zuhua from returning to his family, but Qian Zuhua insisted on becoming a monk. Qian Yizhen and Wang Min looked solemn and full of thoughts. Their eyes met, and they seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Yang Ruolan reminded them, "Qian Yizhen, Wang Min, what are you two wasting time for? Hurry up and eat. After dinner, take care of grandma and grandpa and go back to their rooms for lunch. Then you can go through customs to Hong Kong in the afternoon."
At five o'clock in the afternoon, a business car stopped in front of the Chen family villa in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. Aunt Chen Mengwei, uncle Chen Jinting, aunt Lizhu, Chen Leyuan, and Xia Bing stood in front of the door to welcome us warmly.
Grandma Chen Yalu, supported by Qian Yizhen and Grandpa Lu Kaipu, walked into the Chen family villa. Grandma Chen Yalu was attracted by a family photo on the wall of the living room.
Grandma Chen Yalu said excitedly: "Yizhen, look, this is a family photo taken with my parents and brother when I was fifteen years old. From then on, we never had the opportunity to take a group photo again..."
Qian Yizhen, Wang Min, Yang Ruolan, grandpa Lu Kaipu, cousin Chen Mengwei, uncle Chen Jinting, aunt Lizhu, Chen Leyuan, Xia Bing, listened quietly as grandma Chen Yalu told the family and historical stories behind this family portrait...
Time quickly came to June 1997, 6. For safety reasons, my aunt Chen Mengwei, my uncle Chen Jinting, and my aunt Lizhu accompanied my grandmother Chen Yalu, grandfather Lu Kaipu, Chen Jiayi, and Chen Jialan to watch the live news broadcast of Hong Kong's return to China at home.
Qian Yizhen, Yang Ruolan, Wang Min, Chen Leyuan and Xia Bing went straight to the crowded Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong. As night fell, neon lights flickered, and people held the five-star red flag and the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in their hands, cheering, singing and dancing.
The historic moment of Hong Kong's return to the motherland finally arrived on July 1997, 7. People rushed to tell each other and conveyed information from all sides at any time:
1. The sovereignty handover ceremony was of the utmost importance and the timing was accurate to the second: to ensure that the Chinese national flag was raised on time at 1997:7:1 on July , .
中方代表安文彬与英方进行了16轮谈判，最终迫使英方同意提前两秒（6月30日23时59分58秒）降下英国国旗。
To ensure that the first note of the Chinese national anthem is played on time at zero o'clock, An Wenbin specially calibrated a high-precision watch for this purpose and checked the time with the Greenwich Observatory and the Purple Mountain Observatory.
2. Prince Charles' speech exceeded the time limit: The originally scheduled 5-minute speech exceeded the time limit by 23 seconds due to Prince Charles' emotions or intentional delay, disrupting the ceremony process. The Chinese side quickly adjusted the subsequent links, the flag bearer accelerated the pace, and the host compressed the process, ultimately ensuring that the national flag was raised on time.
3. The national flag is raised and the national anthem is played: At exactly midnight, the five-star red flag and the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region were slowly raised to the sound of the March of the Volunteers. Tens of thousands of people inside and outside the Convention and Exhibition Centre cheered and applauded, and hundreds of millions of viewers around the world witnessed this moment through live broadcast.
4. The sad departure of Patten and the British side, the loneliness of the last governor of Hong Kong: Patten looked solemn after the handover ceremony, and his three daughters cried because they were reluctant to leave Hong Kong. This scene was widely recorded by the media. Patten himself said that his sadness came from leaving the city where he had lived for five years, not the end of the colonial system.
5. Breaking the traditional ceremony: According to convention, the outgoing Governor of Hong Kong needs to circle the Governor's House for three weeks, symbolizing a possible return, but Patten only circled for two weeks before leaving. He then boarded the royal yacht "Britannia" with his family and Prince Charles and left Hong Kong in the night.
6. PLA stationed in Hong Kong and handed over defense responsibility. "You can step down and we will take over": At 6:30 on June 23, PLA Hong Kong Garrison Commander Tam Shan'ai announced to the British Army at the Prince of Wales Barracks that he would take over defense responsibility. This powerful command became a classic scene in history.
7. Citizens lined the streets to welcome them: In the early morning of July 7, the People's Liberation Army troops entered Hong Kong through the Man Kam To and Huanggang ports. Citizens along the way waved the national flag and the regional flag, shouted welcome slogans, and the streets were filled with patriotic enthusiasm.
8. The whole city of Hong Kong celebrates and holds many special activities:
(1) Cannons roared and fireworks bloomed over Victoria Harbour. The streets were hung with national and regional flags. Citizens spontaneously gathered on the streets and sang "Pearl of the Orient".
(2) On the day of the handover, the Sha Tin Racecourse held the "Hong Kong Handover Cup" horse race, attracting nearly 2 spectators, of which 4600 were mainland tourists. The betting amount for the race reached HK$16.18 billion, reflecting Hong Kong's commitment to "horses keep running and dances keep dancing".
Qian Yizhen, Yang Ruolan, and Wang Min were completely moved. They seemed to have regained the youthful vigor of their college days. They danced and sang "My Motherland" to their heart's content...
Qian Yizhen, Yang Ruolan, Wang Min, Chen Leyuan and Xia Bing returned to the Chen villa in Kowloon Tong. They could not calm down for a long time. The cheering scene at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong was still vivid in their minds. Their hearts were pounding and they could hardly suppress their excitement.
My cousin Chen Jinting said: "The return of Hong Kong marks the end of more than 150 years of colonial humiliation after the Opium War. China withstood the pressure from the British side during the negotiations and never gave in.
There were reports that Mrs. Thatcher tried to extend the lease and that the British side planned to drain Hong Kong's finances, but in the end, the "one country, two systems" solution was adopted to ensure a smooth transition.
Qian Yizhen said: "The textbooks say that the People's Liberation Army did not immediately recover Hong Kong in 1949, but used it as a window to break the Western blockade. This decision accumulated strategic initiative for the subsequent return negotiations and fully demonstrated Chairman Mao Zedong's strategic foresight."
Wang Min said with deep emotion: "Every scene of the Handover Day embodies the national dignity and national sentiment. It is both a solemn farewell to history and a solemn departure for the future.
The lights and the fluttering of the national flag in Hong Kong have become the most vivid footnotes to the successful practice of "one country, two systems". I wish our motherland prosperity. "
Yang Ruolan said, "You have said all the good things. What can I say? I am very excited and happy. I hope our motherland will become stronger and stronger and no longer be bullied by the Eight-Nation Alliance and Western powers. I hope we will have a large population, a prosperous business, and steady profits, hahahaha."
Grandma Chen Yalu said: "Look how happy you are. To be honest, I am very content with my life. I didn't expect that at my age, I could come to Hong Kong and witness Hong Kong's return to the motherland. I am so proud. It would be great if my brother Haoyu could see the grand occasion of Hong Kong's return with his own eyes, ah..."
Grandpa Lu Kaipu comforted her, "Regrets in life always come one after another. Regrets are the norm for all living beings. How can there be a life without regrets? Be content with what you have. Old lady, should we go back to the Chen Mansion?"