Editor’s note: Since its establishment in 1997, China Daily Hong Kong Edition has been a witness, facilitator and contributor to the city’s dazzling economic progress, growing international influence, and stronger integration with the Chinese mainland. Let’s stroll down memory lane with CDHK by revisiting select front pages — snapshots of historical moments — to mark with CDHK the days of joy, happiness and sadness. 

(PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

May 9, 2022 Leadership

After scoring a resounding victory in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s election on May 8, 2022, John Lee Ka-chiu as-sumed office as the sixth-term chief executive of the HKSAR on July 1.

Lee won 1,416 votes in the election, about 99 percent of the Election Committee members who cast their ballots, and far surpassing the threshold of 750 votes needed to win.

Lee promised to usher in a “new chapter” for Hong Kong in his five-year term, and pledged to prioritize tackling the most pressing issues to build a caring, open and vibrant city that is full of hope, opportunities and harmony.

(PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

July 1, 2022 Morale booster

To mark the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, President Xi Jinping embarked on a two-day trip to Hong Kong from June 30, 2022, which was his first trip outside the Chinese mainland since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In a landmark speech delivered at a celebra-tion of the anniversary on July 1, Xi affirmed the role of “one country, two systems”, and said that there is no reason to change such a good system, and it must be adhered to over the long run. His speech, which gave Hong Kong a lot of motivation and a great boost, was widely seen as a milestone for the city’s future development.