Signification of Hong Kong ’ s handover : the case of the British press

At midnight on the 30th June, 1997 the sovereignty of Hong Kong was returned to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from the United Kingdom. This event marked the end of 156 years’ of British colonial rule in Hong Kong and hence the end of the British imperial influence in East Asia. Over 8,000 journalists from around the world came to Hong Kong to cover the event, and for a brief moment Hong Kong became the focus of the world’s attention. Britain sent one of its largest media teams to Hong Kong, comparable only with the Gulf War. The significance of this event went beyond the handover itself which became the site of struggles among various ‘discursive communities’ for dominance over meanings. These communities used this global event to construct their own narratives with a pre-determined agenda and imperatives for the consumption of their home readers. This article seeks to analyse how the handover was perceived by the British press and made sense to their readers. It does