1997-2001

By Edmond Tang | HK Edition | Updated: 2017-06-08 07:36

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Snapshots of a city, Part 1

While there were one or two major disasters like avian flu deaths and a plane that crash-landed while trying to touch down at the new Chek Lap Kok airport, the first five years since Hong Kong's return to the motherland had their share of highs as well. Swarming crowds walked miles across the Lantau Link to raise funds for charity. The giant pandas gifted to the city by the Central People's Government in 1999 acquired an instant following, and would go on to achieve iconic status among the city's lovers of animals and nature. China Daily photographer Edmond Tang dug into his stash of images to come up with these poignant moments from the early days of the HKSAR.

1. June 1997: A Cathay Pacific passenger jet flies over central Kowloon in June, before landing at the now-defunct Kai Tak Airport in the heart of Kowloon. Edmond Tang / China Daily 2. Dec 23, 1996: Tung Chee-hwa (right), the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong, meets outgoing governor Chris Patten at the Government House. Edmond Tang / China Daily 3. July 27, 1997: Four Vietnamese people detained in Victoria Prison climbed on its roof to protest against being repatriated. The Correctional Emergency Response Team managed to bring them down after a 21-hour confrontation. Edmond Tang / China Daily 4. July 1, 1997: The flag of the People's Republic of China flies for the first time alongside that of the Hong Kong SAR during the handover ceremony. Information services department 5. 1997: At an art exhibition at City Hall, a mother helps her child tiptoe across an art piece on the theme of Hong Kong's return to the country. Edmond Tang / China Daily 6. Aug 22, 1999: A little over a year after the new Chek Lap Kok airport opened in Lantau Island, a China Airlines MD-11 from Taiwan crashed while landing, killing two of the 315 people on board. Provided to China Daily 7. Oct 29, 1997: Investors watch in amazement as the Hong Kong Stock Exchange soars by more than 17 percent, buoyed by the overnight rise on the New York bourse. Anat Givon / AP 8. May 11, 1997: About 80,000 people walked across the Lantau Link to raise over HK$30 million for the Hong Kong Community Chest. Information services department 9. Dec 24, 1997: Workers clean the floor at a Hong Kong poultry market in the wake of a city-wide alert to prevent spreading of the A(H5N1) bird flu virus. Vincent Yu / AP 10. 1999: Giant pandas Jia Jia and An An arrive in Hong Kong as a gift from the Central People's Government. The State Forestry Administration 11. 1999: A resident from the mainland working in Hong Kong holds up banners protesting against the refusal to grant their children residency in Hong Kong. Edmond Tang / China Daily

(HK Edition 06/08/2017 page6)