On July 1, 1997, the
Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region (SAR) was formed following Great Britain's return of the
territory to China. In celebration, China's Central Government
presented a gilded bauhinia statue to Hong Kong. The statue was
placed in the square next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition
Centre facing the Wan Chai waterfront. This location is now called
Golden Bauhinia Square.
The Monument in Commemoration of the Return of Hong
Kong to China stands in one corner of the square. The monument is
twenty meters high and is formed with 206 overlapping stone tablets.
Each tablet stands for a year during the period 1842 to 2047. Six of
the tablets have a round shape and are made of lightly colored
granite. They represent the six most important years in Hong Kong's
history. The watershed year of 1997 is marked with an extraordinary
aura. On the body of the monument, you can seen nine glittering
Chinese characters '香港回归祖国纪念碑' inscribed by former chairman of the
Central Government, Jiang Zemin. The rings on the top of the
monument symbolize Hong Kong's return to China. There are fifty
rings in all suggesting that Hong Kong's previous capitalist system
and way of life shall remain unchanged for fifty years.
At exactly 0800 on the first, eleventh and twenty-first
day of each month, a contingent of police officers in dress uniform
hold a flag hoisting ceremony. During the ceremony, the Police
Silver Band performs the national anthem; after the ceremony, the
Police Bagpipe Band plays other music for about ten minutes.
As a Hong Kong landmark, Golden Bauhinia Square is
frequented by domestic and foreign visitors. It's also a good place
to watch the performance of 'A Symphony of Lights' at night. There
is a 400 meter-long waterfront promenade that is great for walking
and enjoying the view of Victoria Harbor. |
