The handover of Hong Kong, or the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong (also called "the Handover" or "the Return" in mainland China) was when the country that controlled Hong Kong was changed from the United Kingdom to China. The handover happened on 1 July 1997. Before this day, British Hong Kong was controlled by the United Kingdom as a colony and a British Dependent Territory. After the handover, Hong Kong became a special administrative region (SAR) of China.