Hong Kong’s first chief executive Tung Chee-hwa takes a trip down memory lane
Two decades after Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty, the former shipping tycoon relives some watershed moments, from the handover to his time in the US and the year his company almost went bankrupt
The raising of China’s national flag over Hong Kong 20 years ago was witnessed by 4,000 dignitaries and will, for a variety of reasons, live long in the memory of all those who were in the city at the time. But when the party was over and the last British governor, Chris Patten, had bid an emotional farewell, the responsibility for making a success of Hong Kong’s return to China lay primarily on the shoulders of one man.
Former shipping tycoon Tung Chee-hwa was seen as a surprise choice. A low-key businessman, rather than a civil servant or politician, he had seemingly emerged from nowhere to become the city’s first chief executive.
An interview with Tung to mark the 20th anniversary of the handover provides an opportunity to reflect on the life of a man who was born in Shanghai, went to school in Hong Kong, studied at university in Britain and worked in the United States before returning to the city he calls home.
Tung will this week celebrate his 80th birthday but remains as busy as ever – and is in combative mood.
“Learn from me,” he says, thrusting his hands forward as he explains why he continues to have great confidence in the future of Hong Kong, China. His belief in new leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is rammed home with a clenched fist.
His memories of the big night in 1997, however, are a little hazy.
