
Hong Kong has two faces. The first glances westwards towards Great Britain, colonial gatekeeper for more than 150 years of this 426-square-mile territory comprising a densely populated peninsula and 236 islands.
The other face is tilted expectantly – and perhaps nervously – northwards to the People’s Republic of China, custodians of Hong Kong since July 1, 1997 under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, with an explicit understanding that the region will continue self-governance for at least 50 years.