It has been a decade since the British rolled up their flags and headed home, returning control of Hong Kong to the Chinese government on the mainland. The Special Administration Region, as Hong Kong is officially known, has shown resilience, weathering two crises, while its citizens have maintained a stubborn determination to take greater control of their lives. That ambition has been largely thwarted, and Beijing's failure to move toward greater democracy has damaged one of its key objectives — demonstrating that Hong Kong can be a model to win over Taiwan.
Hong Kong has recovered from the damage inflicted by the Asian economic crisis of 10 years ago and the fallout from the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak of 2002. Today, Hong Kong has a vibrant economy that grew 6.8 percent in 2006 and is enjoying the longest economic expansion in a decade.
If Hong Kong citizens are pleased with that economic success, they are less happy about the political progress during that time. Hong Kong is governed by the Basic Law, a mini-constitution agreed to by London and Beijing that promised universal suffrage without setting a timetable.