Hong Kong Island

Royal Champagne Road: Chapter XI - End of Empire

July 1, 1997, 00:00:00. At the Hong Kong Convention Centre, 156 years of British rule ended. The Union Jack was lowered to "God Save the Queen" as 4,000 guests watched. A 12-second hiatus between anthems - longer than planned. On the morning after, "socialites were knocking back champagne to the keening sounds of a Chinese orchestra." Walk where empire ended: the handover site, the Mandarin Oriental where colonial society toasted, Victoria Peak where Chinese were banned until 1930, and the Star Ferry crossing the same waters as the Royal Yacht Britannia.