Rest in peace Brigadier Alasdair Louden, as some of you may know was the Commander for the Parade. He passed away 10 years ago at the age of 56. Rest in peace.
It does a funeral of Hong Kong. Just like those people who got a unrecoverable disease. They hold a funeral and call their friends and relatives in order to farewell before they got worst.
45:07 I cannot imagine how the girl felt about the handover. She seemed very depressed. If I was a student back then, I would have been very confused and sad about the handover
Yes we did....we abide by agreements....the lease of Hong Kong to us british was 99 years. After that the agreement was Hong Kong Macau and the territories would return to China. An agreement made must be honoured because without the rule of law and the adherence to international law....then their is only chaos.
@@hongyaohome we have more nukes than China. ..... But that's not the point The point is......an agreement for a 99 year lease lapses after 99 years Then China was legally entitled to Regain sovereignty. We in Britain abide by international law... ..we realise ignoring legalities over Hong Kong makes sovereignty over the Falklands Questionable. In addition....Britain a permanent member of the Un and a permanent security council member will always adhere to international law.... It's a pity others do not behave in the same manner.
I had a semester in an international school, we were told to introduce ourselves (name and what country we were from) the students from Macau would say they were from China. But the HK students would always proudly say HK.
@@AlmightyAaron0423 Hong Kong wouldn't be the economic powerhouse today and various economic studies show that Xi and his cronies are running Hong Kong into the ground. Hong Kong was nothing until we British came along. Absolutely nothing. Do yourself a favor Communist dog and fuck off back to Beijing.
Me, been very busy on that tearful night back in June 30, 1997. Because I was working at the old Kai Tak International Airport then and had no time at all watching this colorful event. God Bless The King!😅❤
Its not shown in this clip but when the orchestra plays Edward Elgars adagio you can see Chris Patten breaking down in tears such a beautiful piece and you can feel his sadness.
If it were not for decolonization, many countries such as South Africa would now live in liberal financial wealth, but now they are poor dictatorships with high crime rates. But it was possible to admit the mistakes of infringement of the local population and give autonomy but at the same time preserve the empire
May God save the British Empire! We, the people of Hong Kong, have much to thank you for. You gave us our home, you gave us freedom, you gave us prosperity, you saved us from falling into catastrophe, and you crafted the Pearl of the Orient-Hong Kong! Without this imperial Empire, Hong Kong would not be such a unique place, a place where Eastern and Western cultures merge, where vibrant traditions and new dreams surge. I, who am staying in the dark, eagerly anticipate the arrival of the handover, awaiting the dawn of the British Empire, desiring to witness the tranquil glories of the Victorian Era. May the Empire revel in its triumph; may God save the King! I wholeheartedly hope that the following lyrics may turn into reality: “ Throned amid the billows, throned inviolate. Thou hast reigned victorious, thou hast smiled at fate. “
Amazing custom and beautiful play with absolutely beautiful team of professional instruments players historically wealth of memory of the human achievements!
I don't remember watching this at the time, so it is great to see it now after all these years. What a wonderful spectacle, so proud of all the British men and women. Gives me goosebumps to watch. My late brother was in the royal navy, so that part made my eyes water remembering him.
That's the world class marching band, and the soldiers did it in pouring rain. It's not like Trooping the Colour, but it's mint. Also noting the colourful (quite yellowish) umbrella... coincidence?
Same, so dramatic and emotional, my favourite part of the parade. My dad first showed this to me and I think it's also such a good version of auld lang syne. It makes me nostalgic for the end of an age even though the parade happened before I was born. I truly wish the best for Hong Kong and that they may remember us fondly in spite of our shortcomings. God save us all.
@@YARROWS9 No scotland flag should be beside them, they’re british soldiers in a british regiment and anyone from anywhere can join. They were formed to police Scotland for the british crown. Anti-scottish regiment.
@@XxAce670xX Better read it yourself to be honest. They have a long and distinguished history. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_Regiment_of_Foot en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Watch
25:58 ‘We have no doubt Hong Kong people will run Hong Kong, as the joint declaration promises...’ OHHHHH the irony... sadly the British don’t know that promises don’t stick when made to communists & liars... if only we can flick the switch and make this line come true.
Aye.....I'm English. ...but the pipers were fantastic.....the ending with the children singing to the pipers and massed bands,was without doubt very emotional and awe inspiring. Those children would be in mid thirties now....and I'll wager they remember every sound smell And feel of an extrordinary event.
Charles himself like Hong Kong very much ever since his very first visit in 1969.He skipped down the stairs from the aeroplane as if he has arrived home.
29:40 to 31:05 is such a sad and poignant moment for me. A beautiful fanfare with the very somber lowering of the flags that represented our formal departure from the territory. I watch it so many times because for me it’s the most impactful part of the whole ceremony
@@johnsolamillo Not true at all. Local leaders are now elected. Under British rule it was nothing more than the old bag's private property. Of course, if you're one of those dopes who are suddenly obsessed with China because they're the focus of american propaganda now, you'll side with the brits, but to say it was more democratic under the UK is not true.
I personally know a few of them in this parade. Historically significant this may be, to them this is just another job and another posting. They were tired and were on a tight schedule to catch their flight out of HK after the parade. The military doesn’t get emotional over something like this.
Mike Chavepeyer looks like rain/sweat tbh, maybe a few were but they probably weren’t sad about this as like someone posted above, it was just another posting.
Whilst it was most likely rain and sweat, i know some were actually crying because a lot of them had spent years there on postings and to see one of the final acts of the Empire is enough to break any hard hearted men. Of course, we still have 14 bits of the Empire left so it still hasn't set on us yet
Poopsiedoodles :P 2 decades later, China is a lot stronger and developed + wages have increased. I live in Shenzhen and now I can travel to zhuhai in 45 mins. Hk has been the most free economy since. I'm happy. It's some unemployed hkers that are sour that my next door city has developed significantly in the last 2 decades and richer than theirs 😋
@@stevensudragor The thing is that I'm not a brain dead anti-CCP Chinese, the thing is that China no longer respects our liberty due to our growing insignificance in the Chinese economy. We were able to retain self-rule for this many years only because of our economic development in comparison to China. Seeing how our neighbouring cities are growing, we don't matter as much anymore and so they take every opportunity to convert us into a CCP controlled city. This would eventually happen because of our agreement but I do not agree with their actions of swiftening this process.
Watching in 2025 - Happy New Year! Beautiful and very moving. The Hong Kong police band still maintains a lot of these old British tunes in their ceremonials to this day (although they now employ Chinese-style drill)
Actually the Black Watch (who represent the Army march past) which became The Royal Regiment of Scotland thanks to the war mongerer Blair hope he rots in hell.
Well, it was 21 years ago so I'd say not too many. Being a Perthshire lad, I was immensely proud to see our regiment The Black Watch represent the army in the handover.
The Black watch were formed to police the scottish highlands for the BRITISH crown. They’re an anti-scottish regiment. Alba gu bràth means “scotland forever”. The black hearts are not Scotland forever, they’re Britain forever. Formed by the brits, for the brits.
@@rmac8378 Clearly you know hee haw about the regiment, it was formed after the union of 1707 & they were Gaelic speaking highlanders. Do some research & you will understand the actual facts. By the way, what's with the green saltire, you Irish? Aye, you probably are or a half-baked version. The flag of Scotland is blue & has been for over a thousand years . Steamer!
@@KeithWilliamMacHendrythe falklands are 8000 miles from Scotland, the fuck were the doing there? Agents of the british crown. I couldn’t give a fuck if the first ones spoke gaelic, back then, offer poor people 3 meals a day and a wage you’ve got a ready soldier who’ll turn his back on his own country
The British should have never left Hong Kong. I know it was far from perfect, but at least it was better than the Communist China regime. The saddest day in Hong Kong's modern history, for sure.
@CKS1949 Correction: Hong Kong as in the actual island and city centre was not leased for 99 years to the Qing Dynasty. Hong Kong and Kowloon (Kowloon town and the Kowloon Peninsula) were both given to the British _inperpetuity_ aka forever, in the 'Unequal Treaties', after the British defeated the Qing Dynasty in war, twice. The part of the territory which had the 99 year lease was added later in the aptly named New Territories; simply new territorial lands the British Empire exerted it's power in the region to gain and to strengthen their position in Hong Kong. All of this was agreed between Great Britain and the Imperial Qing Dynasty, not between Britain and Communists, obviously. Back then, in the mindset of the Victorian Era, '99 years' virtually meant 'forever in all but name' as I'm sure the people signing that were of the mindset that the British Empire would reassert it's claim on that land in due time. They could not have predicted the tumultuous times to follow them in the 20th century, though it was somewhat arrogant to not take them for more than 99 years. The British Imperials probably never thought they'd lose the territory in reality, back in the Victorian Era. They could not have understood how much geopolitics would change by 1997. The world moved much faster than anyone could predict, let alone some 19th century aristocrats and businessmen with a certain idea of how the world worked. Back then, things were very different indeed. If only they knew what was at stake and what could happen. But that is hindsight, and it's all too easy in retrospect. Foresight is harder. Where you are correct is how the British had little to no choice in the matter. Militarily, legally, politically, internationally and in the humanitarian aspect, it was untenable. In 1984, the then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, had tried her best to politically argue for the British to keep Hong Kong, but the Chinese President was having none of it and outright laid it on the table that if the British didn't give the city back to China, then the Chinese PLA could invade anyway. There was also the implicit danger of the Chinese shutting off the water pipes from the New Territories had they been given back in 1997. As the city grew over the many decades of British rule, the old borders of the central business district were surpassed and so if the British gave the New Territories back to China on their own, the infrastructure and key business districts would be crudely cut in two because as the city grew a lot of important buildings ended up in the New Territories. The New Territories were also home to a lot of the British built reservoirs which supplied Kowloon and to a lesser extent Hong Kong island. Militarily, the situation was harsh for the British, as during the 1990's the British military continued to reduce in size, and in spite of impressive and exemplary training and equipment standards in the British Armed Forces, the reality was that only a smaller fraction of British military strength could be rapidly deployed to Hong Kong at short notice and no scenario of fighting there could avoid serious damage to the city and collateral civilian casualties. It's debatable how things would play out, and for sure the average British soldier was far better armed, trained and led, with superior fighting tactics and combat drill, though the sheer numbers of the Chinese PLA were and still remain daunting. It'd be impossible to hold the city short of sending the entire British Army and Royal Navy to the South China Sea and of course, who is to say the international community would even allow this? The USA and most of the rest of the world didn't really care. Britain was just coming off a long period of economic recession and societal depression across many communities following the austerity and sometimes regional poverty in some parts of the UK in the 1970's and to a lesser extent the 1980's. A lot of privatisation and economic regrowth occurred in the 80's in the UK, though not nearly was this wealth even close to being evenly distributed. Many people still struggled through deindustrialisation and post-industrial towns were in a sorry state, all over the UK. The North of England was the worst hit, and Scotland and Wales suffered too. If people had good jobs and a bit of money then they were alright, but the majority of Britons were not exactly rolling in money in economically harsh times as major industries sold out and went abroad to save money, undercutting British labour forces. It was a grim time across Europe and even the USA to some extent, in some communities. Quite simply, an era had ended. Besides the strategic implications and challenges of defending Hong Kong from the massive Chinese forces, the political and geopolitical will simply didn't exist in such strength by 1997 to allow Hong Kong to become a warzone. What would even be left of the place had it been fought over? It was difficult for the British to hold the city with the logistical challenges right off the bat. Had the UK turned around to the PR of China and said 'go away we're not leaving', then war would be likely. Obviously the USA and many other countries would have a lot to say about this and wouldn't simply sit and watch. The UK was not the hyperpower it once had been and British politics had been generally actively anti-imperialism and pro-decolonialisation throughout the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's (with the fair and notable exception of the Falklands War, where the UK defended the sovereignty and self-determination of the Falklanders and defeated a brutal military junta trying to prey on perceived British vulnerability for political reasons; Galtieri wanted to conquer the Falklands to secure his political power in Argentina, and his failure in the war was followed swiftly by the collapse of his regime) Newspapers called it, 'the Empire Strikes Back', and it was indeed a reaffirmation of the strength and will of the UK to protect it's territories. However, Hong Kong was a completely different situation. This wasn't a remote island outpost with more penguins and sheep than people. This was a metropolis with over 6 million (now over 7 million) people, on the doorstep of the most populated country on the planet and with very long supply lines through the South China Sea to reach. It was the Pearl of the Orient, as far the British Empire saw it. But it was asking too much of Britain in 1997 to risk plunging the city into a humanitarian fiasco of terrible proportions. Moreover, since the 1960's, the CCP had wormed it's way into the UN and influenced UN policy making on decolonialisation. It's a long and complex story and I recommend videos on the topic by the TH-cam channel, 'China Uncensored'. In general, the CCP managed to use loop holes in the UN treaties and clauses, pedantically twisting the arm of the UN to make it impossible for the British and Portuguese to keep Hong Kong and Macau both. Portugal was never going to even try to stop Communist China taking Macau, though that is even more understandable than the British leaving Hong Kong in 1997. They were trapped by the UN's own bureaucracy which the CCP had used against nations like post-Imperial Britain. There was no way for Britain to get majority support from the UN. The UN was strongly anti-Imperialism and as a Globalist entity, had no intention of siding with Britain over Hong Kong, regardless of the obvious humanitarian injustices which the CCP had in store for Hong Kong. The Sino-British Joint Declaration was a victory of sorts, and the last governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, did everything he could to bring in UK style democratic laws and rights to a greater extent than ever before in the city, and to make it as difficult as he could for the Chinese to undo his work. However, inevitably, freedoms would diminish in the absence of the British democracy. Sure, Hong Kong historically hadn't been treated equally to the UK by the British Empire, and most reforms came from the 1960's onward (when fears of Communist China really heated up) Some Communist infiltration of Macau and Hong Kong did happen in this time, leading to pro-Communism riots in Macau for instance. Yet compared to CCP tyranny, British rule was far better, especially if we're talking about British rule during the 1945 to 1997 era. Things improved a lot during those 52 years. If Britain still owned Hong Kong, I have no doubt that they'd be treated as full UK citizens and this is attested to in 2021 by the British government allowing over 300,000 Hong Kongers to come to the UK if they so wish, and potentially more. There is some push back against this, but generally many British people like the largely pro-British Hong Kongers and pity the plight of the people left in that city. The 50 year agreement in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, meant to cover Hong Kong until 2047 from 1997, has been liberally abused and violated by the unscrupulous and power hungry/power mad CCP. Human rights and liberties in Hong Kong are in a dire state now. The entire world has seen this. Though some might say this began a few years ago, in earnest, it really has been going on since Day 1 of CCP rule, and anyone with a few brain cells can work that one out. SAR status differentiates Hong Kong and Macau, though only so far. The fact of the matter is, the erosion of civil liberties and democracy in Hong Kong post-1997 has been fastest in the past few years, yes, though it had begun from Day 1. SAR status will not last to 2047 at this rate, the way the CCP is behaving. The British efforts to make it harder for them to unpick the democratic rights of the people, did a lot to slow them down, but in 2021 it's been long enough for freedoms to be trampled. It started to heat up back in the first 'Umbrella Protests'. Nobody wanted WWIII, over 1 city, either.
British barracks are now occupied by the PLA garrison but it is very nice to see some fine pipe and drum bands and British style military bands still exist , police , fire service and so on . been to HK in 1988 ,1991 ,2011 ,and 2017 , its a GREAT place
Anyone knows the title of the tune/march played at 10:20? A variant of this tune was played at the 1990 scottish division retreat ceremony but I was never able to catch the name of the tune. TIA
Wow! I can't imagine that prosperous place was once a British colony! What a great ceremony representing a new start of this city! Hope it won't decay that fast in the next few decades...
Wow, I think that was Brian Blessed as the announcer. 21:19. Youusa needa ussa bongo? P.S. I kid, I know he's a classically trained actor who's been in loads of films and stage productions, my particular favourite was him in Henry V.
Well I'm glad that you did leave. Hk citizens were third class citizens compared to the British pommies. No more. Nowadays, there is no foriegn British beuacratic hegamony and returned fully back. To its original owners.
joseph mak??? qing empire is the government that gave hk to the British And the British gave it to China, who claimed hk and importantly they are the ones who can take it from the British via hard force if they tried to overstay their lease. .
Their are still 14 overseas territories under british rule The Falklands, ascension, Anguilla,Bermuda, British antarctic territories British Indian ocean territories British virgin islands British cayman islands Gibraltar And Diego garcia (which we have leased to the usa) In addition britain maintains its bases on Cyprus at akrotiri In Oman,in the uae, In addition,agreements are in place for british Honduras Plus a dozen African nations. And most commonwealth nations. It would be no difficult feat to resurrect a global mutual alliance of ex empire countries if the political class in this country grew a backbone. China understands full well the coming global scramble for resources,and builds islands to claim territorial waters,marine life,and mineral rights. In 25 years this is what will become the war of domination.
Rest in peace Brigadier Alasdair Louden, as some of you may know was the Commander for the Parade. He passed away 10 years ago at the age of 56. Rest in peace.
May his soul be in a good place, best wishes
My boss RIP sir
Yet you don’t say rest in peace to commander Floyd and Comrade Breonna why?
@@MichaelJ44 sorry but what have they got to do with this video or topic in anyway???
he has a linkedin account
who's watching in 2020?
I am
and me too...
Watching at exactly 30 June, the time and date of this beating retreat.
Watching on 30 June 2020 from London
me too
It's almost feels like a funeral
It does a funeral of Hong Kong.
Just like those people who got a unrecoverable disease. They hold a funeral and call their friends and relatives in order to farewell before they got worst.
Mohammad Fachrezi if you don’t like the western nations you live in who do and should accept you, please return to wherever you came from.
@@mfachrezi2802 silence fool. We've probably invaded you at least once.
@@MrRooibos123 hahaha and now uk became us puppet
@@mfachrezi2802 what country are you from?
Even mother nature weeped at the end of the Empire. Plus that singing of the crowd as the parade marches off to auld lang syne.
yes and look now
The British Empire still lives today!
not over there are still 14 colonies
@@davidatkins1418 it’s currently the United Kingdom
That was for certain tears of joy. After all, a place taken away at gunpoint finally restored to her rightful and lawful owner
Brought tears to my eyes. God save the Queen and long live Hong Kong 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Hong Kong has been taken over now sadly and so will we be soon
@@juliemacnab3246 Taiwan?
A year later, it’s dead already
yes brought tears to my eyes too but loook at how things are now a year later there and here
God save George Floyd !
45:07 I cannot imagine how the girl felt about the handover. She seemed very depressed. If I was a student back then, I would have been very confused and sad about the handover
@Happy_ _wolf was it her? you showed her the video?
The woman behind is very happy
I bet the Brits back a 100 years ago never thought that the Chinese would actually take the Hong Kong territories back.
Yes we did....we abide by agreements....the lease of Hong Kong to us british was 99 years.
After that the agreement was Hong Kong Macau and the territories would return to China.
An agreement made must be honoured because without the rule of law and the adherence to international law....then their is only chaos.
mijachin certainly not, they thought 99 years = forever! But the Chinese, then a nuclear armed power, took it seriously and literally 🤣
@@hongyaohome we have more nukes than China. .....
But that's not the point
The point is......an agreement for a 99 year lease lapses after 99 years
Then China was legally entitled to
Regain sovereignty.
We in Britain abide by international law... ..we realise ignoring legalities over Hong Kong makes sovereignty over the Falklands
Questionable.
In addition....Britain a permanent member of the Un and a permanent security council member will always adhere to international law....
It's a pity others do not behave in the same manner.
@@caractacusbrittania7442 shut the fuck up
I had a semester in an international school, we were told to introduce ourselves (name and what country we were from) the students from Macau would say they were from China. But the HK students would always proudly say HK.
Such an historic event. Watching on 2023.
I am nostalgic about the British. Their pomp is excellent.
The Commander of the parade was excellent as well as the bands leaders..
loosers lost everything
I'm proud to be British 🇬🇧
I too.
nice music I agree, shame about the politics...corrrupt to the core
The glorious era.has gone to nowhere but no land can compare to Hong Kong in her splendid days.
When I was young, my mother took me to see the Queen's Birthday military parade. I was excited. I was happy.
you were brainwashed
@@touloncozzetti-stopfensmat5479 Says the Chinese Communist troll.
Pliam961 communist never killed hongkong people but you British colony did, you guys gonna burn in hell.
@@AlmightyAaron0423 Hong Kong wouldn't be the economic powerhouse today and various economic studies show that Xi and his cronies are running Hong Kong into the ground. Hong Kong was nothing until we British came along. Absolutely nothing.
Do yourself a favor Communist dog and fuck off back to Beijing.
@@Pliam961 Sure China was nothing before english came to put civilization to move on, sure LOL
Who’s still watching in 2024? The end of the most glorious era of Hong Kong. Long live the Queen! Long live British Hong Kong!
Me, been very busy on that tearful night back in June 30, 1997. Because I was working at the old Kai Tak International Airport then and had no time at all watching this colorful event. God Bless The King!😅❤
Didnt she die?
Me too the memorable farewell ceremony never ever seen again
Me
Me
Beautiful music, can't stop watching this over and over.
Same
That’s me at 2.53 funny watching it all again after 27 years. Boy did it rain that night.
Absolutely amazing. Love that they played Rhythm of My Heart. A fitting song for such an occasion
i heard it rained for 3 days straight, was that true??
@@sialmeckerjrI can’t remember but it certainly rained for the whole of that parade. Our white tunics were ruined and were binned on return to the UK.
Nic3
this was not a great day for the citizens of Hong Kong
@9A Gaming Says all the rioters in hong kong rn.
Why did you not apply for British Citizenship then?
Absolutely.
but you donnot have any solutions although you are sad to give Hong Kong back, because we will beat you, hahaha
@@ryanfelce3292 reported
The day of the end of hong kong
thanks for uploading, this is the best and most detailed farewell parade I have ever seen
God save the Queen. British Hong Kong has passed. But it will never be forgotten by those of us who lived there and experienced it.
Xi Chen 中国人快滚回墙内去，别出来丢人现眼。
be safe
be safe
That was the day when Hong Kong came back from the dead. When the citizens of Hong Kong stop living as second class citizens in our city.
watching this now really hits me were it hurts. stay strong HK
When their empire has come to the end, the Brits know how to bow out gracefully.
No other Empire had the grace to bow out peacefully...the British Empire made the modern world
@@derekmcmanus8615 Bow out peacefully? They fought two wars to exterminate the Germans.
What a good old days.,HK people will never forget the great works from British。
It was a very very sad day! Even the weather shed tears
The End was the best part of the ceremony
Especially the music with the bagpipes was awesome with the people singing too!
Also Auld Lang Syne
Which part
when they played sunset: tears streamed down my cheeks! the arrangement could be a church hymn in its own right
The hymn played was ' The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is ended '. It was followed by the last post. Such as sad moment for Hong Kong !
Yat Hei Cheng it was definitely sunset that was played after the hymn you refer to
Its not shown in this clip but when the orchestra plays Edward Elgars adagio you can see Chris Patten breaking down in tears such a beautiful piece and you can feel his sadness.
It is a hymn
@@juliemacnab3246where can we find the hymn words please
If it were not for decolonization, many countries such as South Africa would now live in liberal financial wealth, but now they are poor dictatorships with high crime rates. But it was possible to admit the mistakes of infringement of the local population and give autonomy but at the same time preserve the empire
May God save the British Empire! We, the people of Hong Kong, have much to thank you for. You gave us our home, you gave us freedom, you gave us prosperity, you saved us from falling into catastrophe, and you crafted the Pearl of the Orient-Hong Kong! Without this imperial Empire, Hong Kong would not be such a unique place, a place where Eastern and Western cultures merge, where vibrant traditions and new dreams surge. I, who am staying in the dark, eagerly anticipate the arrival of the handover, awaiting the dawn of the British Empire, desiring to witness the tranquil glories of the Victorian Era. May the Empire revel in its triumph; may God save the King!
I wholeheartedly hope that the following lyrics may turn into reality: “ Throned amid the billows, throned inviolate. Thou hast reigned victorious, thou hast smiled at fate. “
Good it rained that day. Hid a lot of tears
Amazing custom and beautiful play with absolutely beautiful team of professional instruments players historically wealth of memory of the human achievements!
Handover day here, 12 am, watching this
I don't remember watching this at the time, so it is great to see it now after all these years. What a wonderful spectacle, so proud of all the British men and women. Gives me goosebumps to watch. My late brother was in the royal navy, so that part made my eyes water remembering him.
I turn to view this parade about once a week to see what I missed.
Frankie Leung I am proud of my birth certificate has a British Hong Kong badge on it rather than a ventilation fan logo
Thought I was the only one. You can never see it too many times.
You are not alone...
That's the world class marching band, and the soldiers did it in pouring rain. It's not like Trooping the Colour, but it's mint. Also noting the colourful (quite yellowish) umbrella... coincidence?
Love the slow marching of Auld Lang Syne. I hope all those in the parade will always remember us.
Same, so dramatic and emotional, my favourite part of the parade. My dad first showed this to me and I think it's also such a good version of auld lang syne. It makes me nostalgic for the end of an age even though the parade happened before I was born. I truly wish the best for Hong Kong and that they may remember us fondly in spite of our shortcomings. God save us all.
I love how everyone cheers on the Black Watch at 15:30!
What a fantastic Regiment.Some History.🏴🇬🇧
well how could you not? The Black Watch are the BOYZ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Infamous lot they are. The men that have served under em were brave souls. May they rest in peace and lest we forget.
@@YARROWS9 No scotland flag should be beside them, they’re british soldiers in a british regiment and anyone from anywhere can join. They were formed to police Scotland for the british crown. Anti-scottish regiment.
@@XxAce670xX Better read it yourself to be honest. They have a long and distinguished history.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_Regiment_of_Foot
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Watch
34:30 you came for this. *TEARS FLOW*
The best performance of the RAF March past happened here. 30th June 1997
Only because Alan mcewan beasted the navy and raf because they were drill pigs
25:58 ‘We have no doubt Hong Kong people will run Hong Kong, as the joint declaration promises...’
OHHHHH the irony... sadly the British don’t know that promises don’t stick when made to communists & liars... if only we can flick the switch and make this line come true.
They probably thought 50 years would be enough time for the CCP to ease up and become less tyrannical.
@@lucaslimo what they probably tought was that communist rule would have handed by 50 years later hopefully
The glorious Royal Salute
20:04
Who is watching in 2022? Ironically, today is a rainy day just like 25 years ago
wooooah
always the best presentation
I really miss those good days
and into the clutches of beast that had already shown what it is willing to do to it's citizens if they step out of line (remember 1989).
Tradition and Style who can do it better? The Brit's at there best
Caledoni，
Caledonia hell yeah we are
It is under the Brits that Cantonese REMAINS Cantonese.
South Africans _were_ better.
Aye.....I'm English. ...but the pipers were fantastic.....the ending with the children singing to the pipers and massed bands,was without doubt very emotional and awe inspiring.
Those children would be in mid thirties now....and I'll wager they remember every sound smell
And feel of an extrordinary event.
Charles looked so sad, an so am i
Charles himself like Hong Kong very much ever since his very first visit in 1969.He skipped down the stairs from the aeroplane as if he has arrived home.
Prince Charles joke with me in Cantonese when he first visited Hong Kong in 1969.He was a free and 'untame' bachelor at that time !
Joe Harris same here
Who cares how Charlie big ears looked any way. Another colony lost, yeah man no longer under pommy rule.
well, you should.
it’s not your land then it will never be
29:40 to 31:05 is such a sad and poignant moment for me. A beautiful fanfare with the very somber lowering of the flags that represented our formal departure from the territory. I watch it so many times because for me it’s the most impactful part of the whole ceremony
God I love this footage makes me wish I were British this is how it's done folks
To be British, just drink a lot of tea and be homosexual.
@@jake8855 wow, you obviously know nothing about the British!
@@jake8855 🤡
Me and i was there that day marching Royal Navy
ㅜㅡㅜ 지금의 홍콩을 보니 너무 슬프다.
1:01 Grenadiers is forever the best marching piece
Strawberryknight Auld Lang Syne is the most impressive one
Hongda Xu What is the time stamp for it?
Gods Boys we love them
34:48 here it is
Yes, it is a funeral for the democracy and freedom for the people’s of Hong Kong
sadly yes
yes and more are to go, please write back
Democracy? They were ruled by a governor appointed by that old bag the queen.
@@jake8855 yet they had more democracy when they were rule by the british than now
@@johnsolamillo Not true at all. Local leaders are now elected. Under British rule it was nothing more than the old bag's private property. Of course, if you're one of those dopes who are suddenly obsessed with China because they're the focus of american propaganda now, you'll side with the brits, but to say it was more democratic under the UK is not true.
Rhyme of the heart is the most important of this Farewell
Is it just me or do I see some of the soldiers cry when 'Auld Lang Syne' is played?
I guess it's a rainy day so even if some servicemen on parade cried , we wouldn't notice as it could be just raindrop
I personally know a few of them in this parade. Historically significant this may be, to them this is just another job and another posting. They were tired and were on a tight schedule to catch their flight out of HK after the parade. The military doesn’t get emotional over something like this.
Mike Chavepeyer looks like rain/sweat tbh, maybe a few were but they probably weren’t sad about this as like someone posted above, it was just another posting.
Whilst it was most likely rain and sweat, i know some were actually crying because a lot of them had spent years there on postings and to see one of the final acts of the Empire is enough to break any hard hearted men.
Of course, we still have 14 bits of the Empire left so it still hasn't set on us yet
one cannot sing Auld Lang Syne without a tear in your eye, it's a wonderful song
Cold War 2.0 kicked off in 1997 with this ceremony, and it’s taken us 20 years to realise.
i cry when i watched Prince Charles get in to the car
He's a lizard
And so passes the British Empire into the annals of history
RIP
Beautiful music and drill🎉🎉😊
Even the sky was crying for the loss of Hong Kong
I remember me and my family cheering on that day.
@@stevensudragor Well see what that got us into today
Poopsiedoodles :P 2 decades later, China is a lot stronger and developed + wages have increased.
I live in Shenzhen and now I can travel to zhuhai in 45 mins. Hk has been the most free economy since.
I'm happy. It's some unemployed hkers that are sour that my next door city has developed significantly in the last 2 decades and richer than theirs 😋
@@stevensudragor The thing is that I'm not a brain dead anti-CCP Chinese, the thing is that China no longer respects our liberty due to our growing insignificance in the Chinese economy. We were able to retain self-rule for this many years only because of our economic development in comparison to China. Seeing how our neighbouring cities are growing, we don't matter as much anymore and so they take every opportunity to convert us into a CCP controlled city. This would eventually happen because of our agreement but I do not agree with their actions of swiftening this process.
you right
It’s hard to imagine how a person turned from a British National to a Chinese national over a course of 1 day
7:13
SCOTLAND THE BRaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave.
Some in HK are still yearning for Scottish Rain
29:39 this piece makes my cry
"Sunset".
What’s the music called?
@@liamski1000 "Sunset". Tear-jerking piece.
Watching in 2025 - Happy New Year! Beautiful and very moving. The Hong Kong police band still maintains a lot of these old British tunes in their ceremonials to this day (although they now employ Chinese-style drill)
I wonder if any of the soldiers that were in this parade are still in the military
Probably some of them (those Fusiliers infantry) wasted their lives in Iraq; thanks to Tony Blair's scheme with GW Bush about WMD...
Actually the Black Watch (who represent the Army march past) which became The Royal Regiment of Scotland thanks to the war mongerer Blair hope he rots in hell.
I think most of them retired.
Well, it was 21 years ago so I'd say not too many. Being a Perthshire lad, I was immensely proud to see our regiment The Black Watch represent the army in the handover.
They are Begging for bred at The London City Mission or in jail.
Memories are the saddest things
RESPECT! God save the Queen... Love & light from Brazil 🇩🇲
That ain't the Brazil flag! That is domican flag
WTF, that ain't the Brazilian flag you dumb f#ck.
@@Reservemercedesdriver Do you believe that Bozo?
97交接当晚老天爷的大风大雨已预示香港的未来。
Tianemen Square
@@台灣民主痛苦代價是民 傻B，滚回去看你的新闻联播
yi ke 风雨之后是彩虹
BADU GM spell it right, “tiananmen”
All seems very apt on this grim 5th July morning in the UK
It's sad leaving things you love
The Ghurkah band is there.
I was too.
Wonderful practise the Sunday before in sunshine open to all.
ATV has also died...
They died on 2 April 2016
In ceremonies like this, I almost always expect to hear some Colour Sergeant saying to the assembled formation...
"Wait for it...!"
I remember this when I was 13. Remember it pissing down.
an elegant farewell
The rain at the event at the end of British 🇬🇧 rule was almost biblical to the future of HK
There is no finer fighting infantry man than the men of the Black Watch. They are warrior poets!! 🏴Scotland my land. Alba gu bràth! 💙
Keith William MacHendry Also Scots Guards
The Black watch were formed to police the scottish highlands for the BRITISH crown. They’re an anti-scottish regiment. Alba gu bràth means “scotland forever”. The black hearts are not Scotland forever, they’re Britain forever. Formed by the brits, for the brits.
@@rmac8378 Clearly you know hee haw about the regiment, it was formed after the union of 1707 & they were Gaelic speaking highlanders. Do some research & you will understand the actual facts. By the way, what's with the green saltire, you Irish? Aye, you probably are or a half-baked version. The flag of Scotland is blue & has been for over a thousand years . Steamer!
@@KeithWilliamMacHendrythe falklands are 8000 miles from Scotland, the fuck were the doing there? Agents of the british crown. I couldn’t give a fuck if the first ones spoke gaelic, back then, offer poor people 3 meals a day and a wage you’ve got a ready soldier who’ll turn his back on his own country
34:48 Saddest Auld Lang syne ever .
Definitely not
I’m watching again and again in the year 2021, time flies what can I say
The British should have never left Hong Kong. I know it was far from perfect, but at least it was better than the Communist China regime. The saddest day in Hong Kong's modern history, for sure.
@CKS1949 Correction: Hong Kong as in the actual island and city centre was not leased for 99 years to the Qing Dynasty. Hong Kong and Kowloon (Kowloon town and the Kowloon Peninsula) were both given to the British _inperpetuity_ aka forever, in the 'Unequal Treaties', after the British defeated the Qing Dynasty in war, twice. The part of the territory which had the 99 year lease was added later in the aptly named New Territories; simply new territorial lands the British Empire exerted it's power in the region to gain and to strengthen their position in Hong Kong. All of this was agreed between Great Britain and the Imperial Qing Dynasty, not between Britain and Communists, obviously.
Back then, in the mindset of the Victorian Era, '99 years' virtually meant 'forever in all but name' as I'm sure the people signing that were of the mindset that the British Empire would reassert it's claim on that land in due time. They could not have predicted the tumultuous times to follow them in the 20th century, though it was somewhat arrogant to not take them for more than 99 years. The British Imperials probably never thought they'd lose the territory in reality, back in the Victorian Era. They could not have understood how much geopolitics would change by 1997.
The world moved much faster than anyone could predict, let alone some 19th century aristocrats and businessmen with a certain idea of how the world worked. Back then, things were very different indeed. If only they knew what was at stake and what could happen. But that is hindsight, and it's all too easy in retrospect. Foresight is harder.
Where you are correct is how the British had little to no choice in the matter. Militarily, legally, politically, internationally and in the humanitarian aspect, it was untenable.
In 1984, the then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, had tried her best to politically argue for the British to keep Hong Kong, but the Chinese President was having none of it and outright laid it on the table that if the British didn't give the city back to China, then the Chinese PLA could invade anyway. There was also the implicit danger of the Chinese shutting off the water pipes from the New Territories had they been given back in 1997. As the city grew over the many decades of British rule, the old borders of the central business district were surpassed and so if the British gave the New Territories back to China on their own, the infrastructure and key business districts would be crudely cut in two because as the city grew a lot of important buildings ended up in the New Territories. The New Territories were also home to a lot of the British built reservoirs which supplied Kowloon and to a lesser extent Hong Kong island.
Militarily, the situation was harsh for the British, as during the 1990's the British military continued to reduce in size, and in spite of impressive and exemplary training and equipment standards in the British Armed Forces, the reality was that only a smaller fraction of British military strength could be rapidly deployed to Hong Kong at short notice and no scenario of fighting there could avoid serious damage to the city and collateral civilian casualties. It's debatable how things would play out, and for sure the average British soldier was far better armed, trained and led, with superior fighting tactics and combat drill, though the sheer numbers of the Chinese PLA were and still remain daunting. It'd be impossible to hold the city short of sending the entire British Army and Royal Navy to the South China Sea and of course, who is to say the international community would even allow this?
The USA and most of the rest of the world didn't really care. Britain was just coming off a long period of economic recession and societal depression across many communities following the austerity and sometimes regional poverty in some parts of the UK in the 1970's and to a lesser extent the 1980's. A lot of privatisation and economic regrowth occurred in the 80's in the UK, though not nearly was this wealth even close to being evenly distributed. Many people still struggled through deindustrialisation and post-industrial towns were in a sorry state, all over the UK. The North of England was the worst hit, and Scotland and Wales suffered too. If people had good jobs and a bit of money then they were alright, but the majority of Britons were not exactly rolling in money in economically harsh times as major industries sold out and went abroad to save money, undercutting British labour forces. It was a grim time across Europe and even the USA to some extent, in some communities. Quite simply, an era had ended.
Besides the strategic implications and challenges of defending Hong Kong from the massive Chinese forces, the political and geopolitical will simply didn't exist in such strength by 1997 to allow Hong Kong to become a warzone. What would even be left of the place had it been fought over? It was difficult for the British to hold the city with the logistical challenges right off the bat. Had the UK turned around to the PR of China and said 'go away we're not leaving', then war would be likely. Obviously the USA and many other countries would have a lot to say about this and wouldn't simply sit and watch. The UK was not the hyperpower it once had been and British politics had been generally actively anti-imperialism and pro-decolonialisation throughout the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's (with the fair and notable exception of the Falklands War, where the UK defended the sovereignty and self-determination of the Falklanders and defeated a brutal military junta trying to prey on perceived British vulnerability for political reasons; Galtieri wanted to conquer the Falklands to secure his political power in Argentina, and his failure in the war was followed swiftly by the collapse of his regime)
Newspapers called it, 'the Empire Strikes Back', and it was indeed a reaffirmation of the strength and will of the UK to protect it's territories. However, Hong Kong was a completely different situation. This wasn't a remote island outpost with more penguins and sheep than people. This was a metropolis with over 6 million (now over 7 million) people, on the doorstep of the most populated country on the planet and with very long supply lines through the South China Sea to reach. It was the Pearl of the Orient, as far the British Empire saw it. But it was asking too much of Britain in 1997 to risk plunging the city into a humanitarian fiasco of terrible proportions. Moreover, since the 1960's, the CCP had wormed it's way into the UN and influenced UN policy making on decolonialisation. It's a long and complex story and I recommend videos on the topic by the TH-cam channel, 'China Uncensored'.
In general, the CCP managed to use loop holes in the UN treaties and clauses, pedantically twisting the arm of the UN to make it impossible for the British and Portuguese to keep Hong Kong and Macau both. Portugal was never going to even try to stop Communist China taking Macau, though that is even more understandable than the British leaving Hong Kong in 1997. They were trapped by the UN's own bureaucracy which the CCP had used against nations like post-Imperial Britain.
There was no way for Britain to get majority support from the UN. The UN was strongly anti-Imperialism and as a Globalist entity, had no intention of siding with Britain over Hong Kong, regardless of the obvious humanitarian injustices which the CCP had in store for Hong Kong. The Sino-British Joint Declaration was a victory of sorts, and the last governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, did everything he could to bring in UK style democratic laws and rights to a greater extent than ever before in the city, and to make it as difficult as he could for the Chinese to undo his work.
However, inevitably, freedoms would diminish in the absence of the British democracy. Sure, Hong Kong historically hadn't been treated equally to the UK by the British Empire, and most reforms came from the 1960's onward (when fears of Communist China really heated up) Some Communist infiltration of Macau and Hong Kong did happen in this time, leading to pro-Communism riots in Macau for instance. Yet compared to CCP tyranny, British rule was far better, especially if we're talking about British rule during the 1945 to 1997 era. Things improved a lot during those 52 years. If Britain still owned Hong Kong, I have no doubt that they'd be treated as full UK citizens and this is attested to in 2021 by the British government allowing over 300,000 Hong Kongers to come to the UK if they so wish, and potentially more. There is some push back against this, but generally many British people like the largely pro-British Hong Kongers and pity the plight of the people left in that city.
The 50 year agreement in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, meant to cover Hong Kong until 2047 from 1997, has been liberally abused and violated by the unscrupulous and power hungry/power mad CCP. Human rights and liberties in Hong Kong are in a dire state now. The entire world has seen this. Though some might say this began a few years ago, in earnest, it really has been going on since Day 1 of CCP rule, and anyone with a few brain cells can work that one out. SAR status differentiates Hong Kong and Macau, though only so far. The fact of the matter is, the erosion of civil liberties and democracy in Hong Kong post-1997 has been fastest in the past few years, yes, though it had begun from Day 1.
SAR status will not last to 2047 at this rate, the way the CCP is behaving. The British efforts to make it harder for them to unpick the democratic rights of the people, did a lot to slow them down, but in 2021 it's been long enough for freedoms to be trampled. It started to heat up back in the first 'Umbrella Protests'. Nobody wanted WWIII, over 1 city, either.
39:00 'Motorola' in the background. Do you know what does it mean in Cantonese?
It was the Asia headquarter of Motorola (the flip phone company)
I love Scot tunes and kilts.
Do anyone know what is played at 45:35 ??
Great, Britons! 🇩🇪🇬🇧! Greetings from Berlin, Germany, Gerd Becker, OTL d. R.
This year also raining
British barracks are now occupied by the PLA garrison but it is very nice to see some fine pipe and drum bands and British style military bands still exist , police , fire service and so on . been to HK in 1988 ,1991 ,2011 ,and 2017 , its a GREAT place
I searched for "hong kong's downfall" and this is one of the videos that popped up lol.
after 25 years, still raining, but without glory.
Anyone knows the title of the tune/march played at 10:20? A variant of this tune was played at the 1990 scottish division retreat ceremony but I was never able to catch the name of the tune. TIA
Wish Britain was still there
The glory of the Empire is eternal!
Wow! I can't imagine that prosperous place was once a British colony!
What a great ceremony representing a new start of this city!
Hope it won't decay that fast in the next few decades...
Wow, I think that was Brian Blessed as the announcer. 21:19. Youusa needa ussa bongo?
P.S. I kid, I know he's a classically trained actor who's been in loads of films and stage productions, my particular favourite was him in Henry V.
yes
Hong Kong prosper because of British way of running the economy.
Windsor Armada hongkong just place which Britain trade with china .
Windsor Armada britian can barely take care of itself nowadays and other Chinese cities have become rich since then.
God Save the Queen.
I miss the British.
Don't we all?
@@frankieleung2215 Disgusting
when can i expected to see the farewell ceremony to CHINA?
We don’t even need a farewell ceremony to China , China don’t deserve a farewell ceremony
akt520 i am sorry，China have never invaded any nation. Never robbed anything form others.
@TheSmithersy Come and take it back then. You dont even know The history between China and Tibet.
Then US shall not deserve Hawaii by your logic
@@jintina6012 *cough* Taiwan
I hope this never happens in australia
Justin As a Hongkongese, hope Australian keep aware and stay away with China, where they got, where the disaster happens
As an OZ I had the same wish. Long live Australia.
Stop the immigration!!
If you keep letting in asians without limit eventually they will outnumber Australians and get rid of the crown
@@UnwaryThunder9and Canada, UK, NZ
At 29:39, the Music just cuts right into me!
12:56 the melody they start playing is what the Republic of Rhodesia used in their anthem
We're sorry, Hong Kong. We should never have left you.
Scott Mairs
The Brits had no choice but to do so
If they did stay a war could have happen but alt history is fun
Well I'm glad that you did leave. Hk citizens were third class citizens compared to the British pommies. No more. Nowadays, there is no foriegn British beuacratic hegamony and returned fully back. To its original owners.
@@michaelsudragor had you ask wich china had gave hong kong to britain and wich china claim hong kong?
joseph mak??? qing empire is the government that gave hk to the British
And the British gave it to China, who claimed hk and importantly they are the ones who can take it from the British via hard force if they tried to overstay their lease. .
Here, from Brazil
R.I.P British Empire 1603-1997
well, Bermuda is nice and still there as are the B.V.I. particularly for those with money to spend (or hide).
@@jackmorrison7379 an island with 15,000 people doesnt mean jack shit hong kong was englands biggest city
Their are still 14 overseas territories under british rule
The Falklands, ascension,
Anguilla,Bermuda,
British antarctic territories
British Indian ocean territories
British virgin islands
British cayman islands
Gibraltar
And
Diego garcia (which we have leased to the usa)
In addition britain maintains its bases on Cyprus at akrotiri
In Oman,in the uae,
In addition,agreements are in place for british Honduras
Plus a dozen African nations.
And most commonwealth nations.
It would be no difficult feat to resurrect a global mutual alliance of ex empire countries if the political class in this country grew a backbone.
China understands full well the coming global scramble for resources,and builds islands to claim territorial waters,marine life,and mineral rights.
In 25 years this is what will become the war of domination.
Where the Common law is used , where the British Empire stands. (From China Mainland）
John Morrison Bermuda is currently rumored to be handed over to the USA by 2050
I give my most heartfelt condolences to Hong Kong.
The pouring of affection
It's the Rhythm of my Heart.