July 1, 1997 was a day that made all the sons and daughters of China feel proud, and it was a day when all Chinese bloodlines could feel the strength of the motherland! Because this day is not only the birthday of the party, but also the day of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

At that time, Xiao Wulie was only two years old, and he had already begun to learn to walk, and he could also speak some simple words. Always like to ask "why this?" Why that? ”

The history of British colonial rule over Hong Kong begins with the First Opium War, when the Qing government was defeated by the Treaty of Nanking signed with the British on August 29, 1842, ceding Hong Kong Island and Ap Lei Chau to the British. In October 1860, the Second Opium War broke out, and the Qing government was defeated again and forced to sign the Treaty of Peking, which handed over the Kowloon Peninsula (then known as Kowloon Division 1) south of Boundary Street and Stonecutters Island to British administration. In 1898, the Qing government signed the "Treaty on the Extension of Hong Kong's Boundary Site" with the British, leasing a total of 975.1 square kilometers of land on 230 large and small islands south of the Shenzhen River and north of Boundary Street to the British, and called the leased land the "New Territories" for a period of 99 years.

After two years and as many as 22 rounds of negotiations, China and Britain finally formally signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration on December 19, 1984, deciding that from July 1, 1997, China will establish a special administrative region in Hong Kong and begin to re-exercise sovereignty and jurisdiction over Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula south of Boundary Street, and the New Territories.

From June 30 to the early morning of July 1, 1997, all Chinese could not sleep. Because exciting times are coming! Wu Lie's family sat in front of the television, which was brightly lit at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, and the world-renowned ceremony of the handover of power between the Chinese and British governments in Hong Kong was held in the City Hall on the fifth floor. At the same time, the Government Selection Committee held its fourth plenary meeting in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, to elect members of the Provisional Legislative Council of the HKSAR.

"Xiao Wulie! Look, Hong Kong is about to return to the motherland! Cheng Xiong, who was sitting in front of the TV, hugged Xiao Wulie and said.

At 23:42, the handover ceremony officially began.

At 23:56, the flag-bearers of China and Britain entered, and the flag-lowering and flag-raising ceremonies symbolizing the handover of Hong Kong power between the two governments began. All the Chinese and foreign guests attending the ceremony stood up. The eyes of the audience, including Cheng Xiong and Xiao Wulie in front of the TV, as well as Feng Tian who watched the black and white TV at Lao Duanmu's house, and the portrait of "Shi Chen" hanging on the wall seemed to be concentrated on the flagpoles erected on the east and west sides of the rostrum.

At 23:59, the British flag and the Hong Kong flag slowly descended to the music of the British national anthem. With the lowering of the "rice flag", the century of British colonial rule in Hong Kong also came to an end.

The clock of history refers to the moment at 0:00 on July 1, 1997, when the whole hall stood solemnly, and thousands of pairs of eyes saluted the bright five-star red flag and the bauhinia district flag. This is a moment that the Chinese nation has been looking forward to for a long time, and this is a moment that will forever be recorded in the history of the world! The exciting and sacred moment has arrived! The Chinese People's Liberation Army Military Band played the majestic national anthem of the People's Republic of China and the regional flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The audience was boiling, and many people's eyes were full of tears of excitement, and the thunderous applause lasted for a long time. The lenses of cameras and video cameras are constantly flashing, recording this solemn historical moment. The Duanmu family in front of the TV was even more excited, Cheng Xiong hugged Xiao Wulie tightly, and said to Wu Lie: "Xiao Wulie, the motherland is strong!" It's really powerful! Although Wu Lie's memory was not strong at that time, he could still remember the fragments of the day. Xiao Wulie stretched out his little hand, looked at the flagbearer who raised the national flag and saluted on the TV, and kept shouting: "Dad, Dad~"

In this way, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China was formally established. This is a grand event for the Chinese nation and a victory for the cause of world peace and justice. July 1, 1997, will go down in history as a day that deserves to be remembered forever. At 04:00, the Government of the People's Republic of China solemnly announced that, in accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Hong Kong Issue, the two governments held a handover ceremony for Hong Kong as scheduled, declaring that China would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China was formally established. It marks the return of Hong Kong to the motherland after a century of vicissitudes, and marks that Hong Kong compatriots have since become the true masters of the motherland, and Hong Kong's development has since entered a new era.

At 0:12 a.m., the handover ceremony in Hong Kong ended. That night, the excited Duanmu family really couldn't sleep all night. When it comes to Hong Kong's return to the motherland, there is one person who has made a great contribution. That is Deng Xixian, (hereinafter referred to as Mr. Deng).

During his lifetime, Mr. Deng was deeply attached to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. On September 5, 1988, when he met with Czechoslovak President Husak, he said: "My greatest wish is to live until 1997, because at that time Hong Kong will be reclaimed, and I still want to go there and see it." I would also like to go to Taiwan, but it seems that it will not be easy to solve this problem before 1997. "When he visited the south in 1992, Mr. Deng stood on the side of the crossing bridge at the Huanggang Port in Shenzhen and looked at Hong Kong affectionately, and he was reluctant to leave for a long time. According to the staff, he was looking intently in the direction of Hong Kong, and when people around him repeatedly asked him to get in the car, he said, "Let me see it again." ”

The issues of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao, left over from history, are deeply haunted in his mind, and he has always drawn up the grand plan for the great cause of the motherland's reunification. After careful consideration, he came to a conclusion on the issue of the reunification of the motherland that the world admired. He pointed out in a few words: "In my opinion, the only way to solve this problem is to implement 'one country, two systems.'"

Mr. Tang gave an incisive interpretation of the core and essence of "one country, two systems": "In the People's Republic of China, the mainland with a population of one billion people implements the socialist system, and Hong Kong and Taiwan practice capitalism. This conclusion is the crystallization of the political wisdom and innovative spirit of the Communists, and is the scientific interpretation and active practice of Mr. Deng's scientific interpretation of the theme of "peace and development" in the contemporary world.

Mr. Deng creatively put forward the principle of "one country, two systems", which not only pointed out the direction for China's great cause of reunification, but also became a successful example in the international community of resolving problems left over from history, and a great contribution to the cause of human civilization and progress. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once sincerely praised and said: From a historical point of view, "one country, two systems" is the most genius creation, and this idea seems to be a simple idea, but it is an imaginative idea.

As one of the most important political theories and state theories put forward by the Communist Party of China in the new era, and as an integral part of Mr. Deng's theory, the concept of "one country, two systems" has been written into the report of the 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. As the basic guiding ideology of the Communist Party of China to realize the peaceful reunification of the motherland, it has been enshrined in the "Constitution of the Communist Party of China"; As a basic national policy of the state to solve problems left over from history, it has been embodied in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China.

It is Deng Xixian's regret that he was not able to see the return of Hong Kong and Macao with his own eyes, but the principle of "one country, two systems" initiated by him has not only contributed to the smooth return and smooth transition of Hong Kong and Macao, but has also provided a fundamental guarantee for the prosperity and stability of the two special administrative regions, showing strong vitality. Deng Xixian's name will always shine on the glorious road of the motherland's reunification.