A state funeral honors Tung Chee-hwa, the city’s first post-colonial leader

Andy Tung, son of Tung Chee-hwa, carries his father’s portrait at a funeral home in Hong Kong, yesterday [AP Photo]

Hong Kong held a state funeral on Sunday for its first post-colonial leader, Tung Chee-hwa, who led the city through the initial years of its transition from British rule after it was returned to China in 1997.

Chinese officials from Beijing joined Hong Kong political leaders for the service in what was the third state funeral in the former British colony since the 1997 handover.

Tung, a shipping magnate who was the city’s chief executive from 1997 to 2005, died on Sept. 8 at the age of 89. He grappled with the Asian financial crisis, the SARS epidemic and public protests during his nearly eight years in office.

Visiting official Shi Taifeng, a member of the Politburo of the ruling Communist Party, referred to Tung in a eulogy as a close friend of the party and a renowned patriot, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.

He said that Tung was an outstanding contributor to the one-country, two-systems framework that governs Hong Kong and Macau.

Flower wreaths lined the wall outside the Hong Kong Funeral Home and Tung’s casket was draped in a Chinese flag when it was brought out after the service. The media were not allowed inside.

Other visiting officials included Xia Baolong, the director of China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office. About 200 people were invited to the service, according to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post newspaper. Members of the public paid condolences at three venues set up around the city.

Not long after Tung took office in 1997, Hong Kong’s economy was battered by a financial crisis that swept across Asia. In 2003, SARS — or severe acute respiratory syndrome — killed nearly 300 people in the city and dealt another blow to the economy.

The same year, an estimated half a million people took to the streets to protest the government’s plan to enact an anti-treason law that was seen as a threat to civil liberties. The government shelved the plan, and Tung resigned in 2005, citing health reasons.

After stepping down, Tung was elected to the post of vice chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body. He was among 42 people who received national medals and honors in 2019 for their contributions to the country. MDT/AP