Sir
Sze-yuen Chung is not only a veteran politician in Hong Kong, but an
important figure in the development of Hong Kong in the past four decades.
During that long period, he has played a significant role in Hong Kong's
political, economic, educational and social development, first when it was a
British colony and then a Special Administrative Region of China. Indeed he
is probably the only native son of Hong Kong who was closely and actively
involved in the entire process of transferring Hong Kong's sovereignty back
to China.
The memoirs, written by Sir Sze-yuen Chung himself, record his personal
experiences in Hong Kong's political scene in the two decades between 1979
and 1999 and his role in the Sino-British negotiations and the subsequent
twelve and a half years of transition from British colonial rule to the
first Chinese Special Administrative Region having a high-degree of autonomy
and practising "One Country Two Systems". Under his outstanding leadership,
he helped to bring the Sino-British negotiation on Hong Kong's political
future to a successful conclusion. Then with his assistance and advice, Hong
Kong was able to achieve a smooth and peaceful transition on 1 July 1997.
This book is a valuable source of information on this important period in
the history of Hong Kong. Some of the information has not been published
before. It will be of interest to all those who wish to know more on what
had happened during these pivotal years, which have determined the future
course of Hong Kong.
