To celebrate the 29th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and its return to the motherland, a flag-raising ceremony was held on Tuesday morning at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai, which was attended by local officials including the HKSAR Chief Executive (CE) John Lee Ka-chiu and former CEs Leung Chun-ying, Donald Tsang, and Carrie Lam, as well as distinguished members of the community and representatives of the disciplined services, according to local media reports.

An honor guard escorted the national flag and the HKSAR regional flag to the flagpoles for the flag-raising ceremony. As the flags were raised, all guests stood solemnly facing the national flag and the regional flag.

During the ceremony, the Police Silver Band performed, while the color guard and ceremonial guard marched in using Chinese-style foot drill. The performance of the national anthem was lead by a guest vocalist, according to media reports.

Several helicopters from the HKSAR government Flying Service flew over Victoria Harbour carrying the national flag and the HKSAR regional flag. Meanwhile, fireboats and vessels from the Hong Kong Police Force performed a water salute off the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, spraying jets of water in tribute.

Following the flag-raising ceremony, the HKSAR held a reception at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. During the event, a video message from Hong Kong astronaut Lai Ka-ying, recorded aboard China's Tiangong space station, was played, with her speaking in both Putonghua and Cantonese, local media RTHK reported.

Lai Ka-ying a Hong Kong local, has made history as the first member of China's fourth batch of astronauts to take on an in-orbit mission, as well as the first female payload specialist from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions to join a national manned space program, the Xinhua News Agency reported in May.

Speaking first in Putonghua, Lai said she was deeply honored to display the HKSAR flag aboard the space station as a gesture of profound gratitude to the country and of her best wishes for Hong Kong, RTHK said.

She then switched to Cantonese, saying that being able to meet everyone from space on this special occasion vividly demonstrated the valuable opportunities Hong Kong enjoys under the principle of "One Country, Two Systems," with the support of the motherland, per the media report.

As Hong Kong's first astronaut, Lai said she has felt immense pride every day while carrying out her mission as part of China's space program. She added that she has witnessed firsthand how the country's efforts to build itself into a leading space power not only advance human civilization but also contribute to creating a better future for humanity.

In his keynote address at the reception, HKSAR CE John Lee said that over the past four years, his administration has transformed the government's culture by establishing a "results-oriented" approach, tackling problems that had accumulated over many years, according to local media reports.

Lee said his government had restored security and stability to Hong Kong by completing the historic local legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law of the HKSAR strengthening the city's national security framework, and fully implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong." He added that reforms to the governance system have also begun to produce tangible results.

Looking ahead, Lee said the HKSAR government is drafting Hong Kong's first-ever Five-Year Plan, with public consultation already underway.

Consultation on this year's Policy Address also began this week. He said the Five-Year Plan will provide strategic direction for Hong Kong's economic and social development, while future Policy Addresses will align with the plan by setting measurable targets, reporting progress, and introducing policy initiatives tailored to changing circumstances each year.

Also, on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, a total of 466 persons, who have made significant contributions to Hong Kong in different areas, benefiting various domains and sectors of the community, were awarded by the CE, according to the HKSAR government.

Late firefighter Ho Wai-ho, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Wang Fuk Court blaze in November in 2025, was posthumously awarded the Medal for Bravery (Gold). The HKSAR government said the chief executive described Ho as deserving the highest honor and respect.