Hong Kong Movies: You Hongxingzi, what the hell is the charity king?

Chapter 829 "828" 6.30 Return, Britain Soaked to the Brink!

December 14th,
At 19 p.m., night gradually fell.

The Wan Chai Convention and Exhibition Centre is brightly lit.

A black Chevrolet slowly pulled up in front of the brightly lit convention center.

Guan Zu, dressed in a sharp suit, stood tall and straight. Beside him, Ruan Mei, in a gorgeous dress, the two walked arm in arm toward the convention center.

Today is a charity gala, so it's only natural that Kwan Cho is here to attend.

"Mr. Guan, Mrs. Guan, welcome, welcome!"

"Sir, you're too kind..."

Inside the hall, round dining tables covered with red tablecloths were set up, and in the center of each table was an exquisite floral arrangement, with red roses and white lilies arranged in a staggered pattern.

Tonight, celebrities from all walks of life in Hong Kong Island and wealthy businessmen who dominate the business world attended the event in their finest attire.

The scene was lively and bustling, with people chatting quietly in small groups, their laughter echoing throughout.

Guan Zu and Ruan Mei walked along the way,
Numerous political and business figures greeted him warmly.

"Mr. Guan, Mrs. Guan~~~" *N
The moment he appeared, he was the most eye-catching presence in the entire venue!
Guan Zu and Ruan Mei responded with smiles and slight nods.

Led by the waiter, Guan Zu and Ruan Mei walked along the red-carpeted aisle to the front table.

Tonight's charity gala is an event that brings together prominent figures from all sectors of Hong Kong's political and business circles to create a positive atmosphere on the eve of Hong Kong's return to China, while also supporting the development of charitable causes.

quickly,

The party began,
On stage, wonderful performances took place one after another, including singers singing and dancers dancing.

During the charity auction, numerous precious items were displayed, including calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, limited-edition artworks, and items from wealthy individuals, collectors, and the University of Tokyo.

The guests raised their paddles to bid.

Guan Zu was no exception; he spent 5000 million to bid on some items.

……

……

On the third day, June 16, Guan Zu put on Superman glasses, boarded a plane, and headed to Thailand.

On June 17, international speculative investors, including George Soros, continued to push international media to publish negative reports about the Thai economy and question the Thai government's ability to maintain the stability of the baht exchange rate.

After the Thai stock market opened this morning, a large amount of foreign capital flowed out, causing the SET index to fall.

Using the United States as a springboard, Five Star Group has secretly established funds in places like the Cayman Islands and has begun selling off Thai baht.

June 18: International speculative funds and the Five Star Group's secret fund sold 3 billion US dollars worth of Thai baht in the offshore market, prompting the Bank of Thailand to quickly buy baht to stabilize the exchange rate.

June 19: Thai Prime Minister Chavalityongchaiyudh publicly pledged that "the Thai baht will not depreciate" in an attempt to stabilize market confidence.

International speculators were dumping large amounts of Thai baht while simultaneously intensifying their media offensive, with international media outlets reporting extensively that Thailand's foreign exchange reserves had dwindled to just $80 billion and that the baht was on the verge of collapse.

June 20: Thai baht selling increased in the foreign exchange market due to the rapid depletion of foreign exchange reserves. The Bank of Thailand held an emergency press conference to calm market sentiment, but failed to completely alleviate market panic.

June 21: Keep smashing...

June 22: International rating agencies downgraded Thailand's sovereign credit rating, triggering further market panic. The Thai baht continued its sharp decline…

Then international speculative capital and the Five Star Group fund continued to dump...

June 23: Keep smashing...

The Bank of Thailand's foreign exchange reserves are officially running low!
The Bank of Thailand was forced to raise short-term lending rates in an effort to attract foreign investment, but this move led to a surge in financing costs for domestic companies.

June 24: Keep smashing...

The Thai stock market's SET index fell by nearly 15% in a single month.

The Bank of Thailand is communicating with central banks in neighboring countries to explore the possibility of joint intervention in the foreign exchange market.

June 25: Keep smashing...

International speculators, in conjunction with the media, further exaggerated the risk of Thailand's financial system collapse, pushing market panic to its peak.

June 26: Keep smashing...

The Bank of Thailand is desperately buying back foreign exchange reserves, but these reserves are being rapidly depleted, leaving only $30 billion.

The Thai government has once again urgently sought assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

This signal triggered nationwide pessimism, and the pace of foreign capital withdrawal accelerated.

June 27: Keep smashing...

The Bank of Thailand announced it would raise the overnight lending rate from 10% to 15% in an attempt to attract capital inflows and curb the sell-off of the Thai baht.

Meanwhile, neighboring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia came to the rescue and jointly intervened in the foreign exchange market.

June 28-29: The selling continued, and by this time Thailand's foreign exchange reserves had been completely depleted.

The Thai Royal Palace was brightly lit, and the King and a group of ministers were discussing what to do.
On the 29th, Guan Zu boarded a plane and returned to Hong Kong Island.

……

On Hong Kong Island,

4 p.m.
Affected by a low-pressure system in the Pacific Ocean, a light drizzle began to fall on Hong Kong Island.

The German International Airport was shrouded in a hazy mist, with raindrops pattering on the ground, adding to the dampness and chill of the airport.

At that moment, a British Airways plane came down from the sky.

on the plane,
Prince Charles looked out the porthole at the weather and frowned slightly.

The weather made him feel even more gloomy.

The plane landed quickly, its tires scraping against the runway, kicking up splashes of water...

Subsequently,

As the hatch slowly opened, Prince Charles, dressed in a crisp military uniform and holding an umbrella, stepped out. The fine raindrops quickly soaked his hair and shoulders...

In his later diary entry, he wrote: "This trip to Hong Kong Island was both special and awkward for him."

In addition to Prince Charles, there is also the newly appointed Prime Minister Tony Blair.

That's right, Major died.

The prime minister has changed.

In addition to the Prime Minister, there is Foreign Secretary Robert Koch and the outgoing "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher.

The welcoming ceremony at the airport was particularly quiet in the drizzle, with only a few British personnel holding umbrellas, their figures appearing somewhat frail in the wind and rain.

In this somber and oppressive atmosphere, Prince Charles and his entourage hurriedly boarded their car and drove away at high speed.

Not long after Prince Charles and his entourage left, Kwan Cho's plane arrived at Hong Kong Island.

"Brother Zu, guess who we saw?" Ah Xing, Xi Gui, and the others who were picking people up in the car started chattering excitedly as soon as they saw Guan Zu.

Guan Zu: "Who?"

Ah Xing: "The leader of that group of British people is Prince Charles!"

Guan Zu glanced at the weather.

If he remembers correctly, tomorrow, June 30th, is also a rainy day.

The "Departure Ceremony of the Last Governor of Hong Kong Island" and the "Farewell Ceremony" held east of Tamar, symbolizing the end of British rule, were both held outdoors.

It's too late to change it now.

So, it's estimated that this group of people will all get soaked in the rain.

"Pfft~~~~~"

Guan Zu couldn't help but laugh.

Ah Xing: "Brother Zu, what are you laughing at?"

Guan Zu explained the rituals for tomorrow, and everyone burst into laughter.

"This is because they didn't consider feng shui when they made the plan."

"As mentioned in the previous report, the handover ceremony was also planned to be held outdoors, but the University of Tokyo said it would rain. After more than ten rounds of negotiations, it was finally held at the convention center."

"Even though the University of Tokyo insists it will rain, they still think it won't..."

"Haha~~~"

……

……

That evening, both ATV and TVB previewed their events for June 30th.

"Dear viewers, ATV brings you a detailed preview of the major events surrounding Hong Kong's return to China tomorrow, June 30th!"

"This will be a day etched in history, a day of historic transformation for Hong Kong Island, with countless spectacular moments about to unfold."

"At 4:30 pm tomorrow, the last Governor of Hong Kong, Ashdown, will hold a farewell ceremony at Government House. This ceremony will witness the end of the era of British colonial rule over Hong Kong Island for a century and a half."

"At 6 p.m., a farewell ceremony symbolizing the end of British rule will be held on the east side of Tamar, and a host of dignitaries, including Prince Charles, Prime Minister Blair, and Foreign Secretary Robert Koch, will be in attendance."

"At 7 p.m., a grand performance entitled 'United We Stand' will be held in Happy Valley to celebrate the return of Hong Kong Island to China..."

"The most important event is the handover ceremony of Hong Kong Island's sovereignty from Britain to the middle of June 30th, from midnight to the early morning of July 1st, held in the City Hall on the fifth floor of the new wing of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre." "Tomorrow, ATV will provide full coverage of the entire ceremony..."

……

……

at this time,

Wan Chai, a hotel.

One of the performances in tomorrow night's "United We Stand Grand Performance" will be a gymnastics show.

In the gymnastics performance, there is a very special person - gymnastics legend Mo Huilan.

At the China Cup International Gymnastics Competition in May 1995, she performed the "tucked front somersault over the bar," a move hailed as the "next century move" by the world gymnastics community, thanks to her outstanding skills. Her move was extremely dangerous and amazed the audience and judges.

This move was also named after her surname, and is called the "Mozart somersault".

Because this move is extremely difficult, the International Gymnastics Federation simply changed its scoring rules, effectively banning its use.

"Finally I can take a break..."

After taking a bath, 16-year-old Mo Huilan

A group of women started chatting.

"How about we go out and have some fun after tomorrow's event?"

"Yes, we haven't gone out to play since we came to Hong Kong Island, and we don't even know what they look like."

A group of girls were talking about going out together. Since their gymnastics team arrived in Hong Kong Island, all they've done is practice.

……

……

the next day,
At 4:30 p.m., Government House.

The farewell ceremony for the last Governor of Hong Kong Island was held first at Government House on Hong Kong Island.

Just as Guan Zu had predicted.

It continues to rain.

A light drizzle was falling over the entire Hong Kong Island.

Inside Government House, Ashdown locked himself in his office and, as was customary, wrote a "report letter" to the Queen, then signed it "Governor Ashdown".

Every word was filled with loyalty to the Queen.

The power has been lost!

After returning to England, his future seemed bleak.

However, Ashdon had money in hand, so he wasn't worried.

After all—he sold out a lot of interests and got more than 5000 million US dollars from Guan Zu.

then,

As Ashdon walked up to the platform in the rain, the British national anthem played. He silently bowed his head, his brow furrowed, and the word "loyalty" seemed etched on his forehead.

The bugler sounded the horn, the British flag was slowly lowered, and the lieutenant folded it and handed it to Ashdon.

This rain...

It's really annoying!

Ash felt his clothes get wet shortly afterward.

Feeling uncomfortable all over.

They originally wanted a dignified and festive atmosphere to evacuate Hong Kong Island.

But the rain made them anything but happy.

At this moment, Ashdam's wife, daughter, and son wept.

Mrs. Ashdon cried for two reasons: first, she had lost her power and her mansion; second, Ashdon was too useless, and she had failed to betray him to get money from Guan Zu.

Afterwards, Ashdown and his family boarded their car, which, as is tradition, circled the lawn in front of Government House three times before slowly driving away. This is a "fixed program" for every Governor to express their nostalgia upon leaving office.

……

now,

The entire Hong Kong public watched the ceremony via live broadcasts on TVB and ATV.

Almost all the televisions in Hong Kong were turned on.

The entire population of Hong Kong, totaling over 500 million, is watching closely.

"The Governor of Hong Kong is gone..."

Some were happy, some were sad, some were reluctant to part, and some laughed heartily...

……

at this time,

A plane arrived at Kai Tak Airport from the capital.

……

At 6 p.m., on Battleship Island, a farewell ceremony symbolizing the end of British rule will be held.

The drizzle continued to fall from the sky, wetting the entire area.

It was supposed to be a festive and respectable event.

But now, caught in the rain and feeling the pressure of fleeing Hong Kong Island, many pro-British individuals cried.

There were more than 5000 audience members at the event, including more than 1000 citizens who were selected by lottery and 4000 people invited by the British side.

Now, they've drenched the chicken in boiling water.

How embarrassing!
Prince Charles, Prime Minister Blair, Foreign Secretary Robert Redfield, "Iron Lady" Thatcher, and others got out of their cars and walked onto the only platform with shelter from the rain.

At least it's somewhat presentable now.

Soon, with a command given, the performance officially began.

Music, dance, solo and choral performances, and military drills were all presented in an attempt to showcase British style.

However, the constant rain made this splendor look rather... disheveled.

Prince Charles and the others really wanted to curse, but they had to maintain their composure and dignity, since the media cameras were right in front of them.

Prince Charles walked slowly toward the podium amidst the gazes of the crowd.

The kind that uses an umbrella.

Ashdon then stepped forward and gave a brief speech.

Many of the British people present looked dejected, their eyes revealing reluctance and helplessness.

At 7:30, to the melodious strains of the "Sunset" horn, the Union Jack was slowly lowered in the wind and rain.

At 8 p.m., the farewell ceremony came to a close with the band and all the performers singing the final song.

The whole process can be summed up in one word—

awful!
Prince Charles felt it would have been better if he hadn't come at all.

……

……

At this time,
Over at Happy Valley, a "Great Show of Unity" is underway.

Guan Zu, Ruan Mei, and others sat in the guest section.

In addition, there were tens of thousands of citizens and spectators in the stadium.

On stage, N Hua is singing "Chinese".

Guan Zu looked up at the sky. Although there were dark clouds, the performance had been going on for over an hour, and it still hadn't rained.

If Guan Zu remembers correctly, it was supposed to rain during this performance, which was quite a mess.

It's not raining now.

Wong Tai Sin and Mazu are truly amazing!

……

then,

ATV and TVB live coverage:

"At the farewell ceremony for the British evacuation, the entire square was soaked and in a sorry state..."

"The grand performance of unity and solidarity was held under a clear night sky, with stage lights as bright as day, actors' skirts fluttering in the breeze, and thunderous applause from the audience..."

"This seems to foreshadow..."

(End of this chapter)