Hundreds lined up outside the British consulate in Hong Kong on Monday morning to lay flowers and sign a book of condolences in memory of Queen Elizabeth II. Hong Kong was a British colony for 156 years until 1997, when it returned to Chinese rule, but Beijing now appears to have rejected that status, referring to the period as a “violent occupation” that should not be considered legitimate. Tributes outside the British consulate in Hong Kong on Monday. (Kathleen Magramo/CNN) The queen, who visited Hong Kong twice during her 70-year reign, is remembered by many in the city as “Lady Boss” or “Lady in Charge” in Cantonese. Among those outside the consulate office on Monday was pensioner Sylvia Lee, who said she was saddened to hear of the Queen’s death on Friday, adding that she believed the Queen was a symbol of stability around the world. “No one lives forever and we knew this day would come someday. He was a respected figure and the government during the colonial period contributed many times to the development of Hong Kong, especially in the 1970s and 1980s,” Lee told CNN, referring to a time when the city’s appointed governors they built its public housing and transportation. infrastructure. Chapman Wu, 40, also brought his young daughter to pay his respects and offer flowers to the Queen. People queue under the heat in Hong Kong to offer flowers and write in a memorial book to honor the Queen. (Kathleen Magramo/CNN) Wu said that without the British Empire, religious freedom in the city might not have been possible under Chinese rule. Christianity was introduced to Hong Kong as early as 1841, when the city came under British rule after the First Opium War. “I won’t comment politically, but without being a former British colony, Hong Kong may not have religious freedom,” he told CNN. “Otherwise, who knows if we could practice any religion, especially with the religious suppression of Christians in China.” Both Beijing loyalists and Hong Kong politicians protested British control during the colonial period, but in recent years, a more favorable view of colonial rule has emerged among pro-democracy groups, with many adopting the colonial flag as a radical sign of resistance. Chinese one-party rule during the 2019 anti-government protests. Coins in circulation in Hong Kong with the face of Queen Elizabeth II in tribute, from today. (Kathleen Magramo/CNN)
