Source: CCTV.com

06-28-2007 17:58

July 1st, 1997 was a major turning point when the British handed Hong Kong over to China. Many feared the handover would damage the local economy. Some British and even local Hong Kong residents left their homes and moved overseas. But still some British chose to stay and link their future to the city of Hong Kong's. In this program we'll explore what their lives are like ten years after the handover, and why they still call Hong Kong home.

Christopher Hammerbeck is head of Hong Kong's British Chamber of Commerce. But he has another title, Brigadier General. Fifteen years ago he was Vice Commander of Hong Kong's British forces, and he had a very special task: supervising British troops withdrawal from Hong Kong. Hammerbeck had spent most of his life in the British army.

"I didn't regard it, the holding down of a flag, the exchange of flags, seemed to me, to be the end. But this wasn't the end. It was a continuation but in a different guise. And I didn't want to be a part of that," said Christopher Hammerbeck, Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

Now Hammerbeck facilitates economic trade between the UK and Hong Kong.

"That work which I and colleagues in the chamber have been doing to recognize that trade will continue long after governmental spats,”said said Christopher Hammerbeck.

Since the handover trade has increased, and Hammerbeck says Hong Kong continues to attract investors. Many come for the quality of life.

"The fact is it continues to be an incredibly safe place in which to live. Hey, where in the world, would you allow your daughters to be out, alone, at night, walking back to your apartment through an area that is the nightclub center of Hong Kong. I mean walking back from friends, and then walking back through Wan Chai. I used to live up on Kendy Road. Knowing that they will be totally safe. I know of nowhere else in the world which is as safe as this. I know of nowhere else in the world. I know of nowhere else. At its most obtuse is buying a second home motorcar here. Everyone from the dealer, through to the finance house, to the insurer, right all the way down to the government office that issues that license, wants you to have that car on the road, today. It's unique. It's a unique characteristic. It doesn't happen in China. It doesn't happen in London, and it doesn't happen certainly in New York. And that sort of immediacy is an incredible advantage Hong Kong has," said Christopher Hammerbeck.

Christopher Hammerbeck said that Hong Kong is one of the safest cities in the world. That's a key factor in attracting foreign investment. Ten years after the handover some British still play a big role in Hong Kong's police force.