Hong Kong was officially turned over to China at midnight on July 1, 1997, when sovereignty transferred from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China.

Key moment

  • The formal handover ceremony began late on June 30, 1997, and concluded just after midnight on July 1, 1997, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
  • At exactly 00:00 Hong Kong time, the British flag was lowered and the Chinese and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region flags were raised, marking the start of Chinese rule under the “one country, two systems” framework.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.