East and West by Chris Patten

East and West

The Last Governor of Hong Kong on Power, Freedom and the Future

by Chris Patten

Macmillan, 1998, [First Edition], ISBN 0333747879, black and white photographic plates, photographic end-papers, hardcover, dust-jacket

Near Fine Condition, minor edge and shelf wear, minor rubbing to edges and corners, dust-jacket shows minor edge and shelf wear (see photographs)

"At midnight on 30 June 1997 over a century and a half of British rule in Hong Kong came to an end.  On that unforgettable rain-sodden evening on the Hong Kong waterfront, watched by millions of people all over the world, the Union Flag was lowered, folded and received by Chris Patten, the colony's last governor.  'Nimrod' was played.  It was, in all likelihood, the last great British imperial moment.
Unlike his immediate predecessors as governor, Chris Patten was not a career diplomat but an established politician, Chairman of the Conservative Party which had won the General Election of 1992 against all the odds, and a close friend of the Prime Minister.  he decided that the most important action he could take during his governorship was to honour the promises mad to the people of Hong Kong and introduce a measure of democracy before the handover to China; and this he proceeded to do, despite opposition from or undermining by both the Chinese authorities (which was to be expected) and many in Hong Kong, London (which was perhaps more surprising).  In East and West Patten writes frankly and directly, and for the first time, about his experiences as governor, about why he adopted the stance that he did, and about how he fought his battles.  Anyone who was moved by the drama of 30 June will be riveted by the account given here of the events that led up to it."