Handover of Hong Kong Handover of Hong Kong The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong, commonly known as the handover of Hong Kong (or simply "the Handover", also "the Return" in mainland China) was the transition of control over the former British colony of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997. The returned territory comprised Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, which were respectively ceded to Britain in 1842 and 1860, as well as the New Territories, which were leased for 99 years from 1898. The transfer was arranged to coincide with the expiration
Religion in Hong Kong which comprehend the worship of local gods and ancestors, in many cases not declaring this practice as a religious affiliation in surveys. The traditional Chinese religiosity was generally discouraged during the British rule over Hong Kong, which favoured Christianity. With the end of the British rule and the handover of the sovereignty of the city-state to China, there has been a renewal of Buddhist and Chinese folk religions. Chinese folk religion, also named Shenism, is the indigenous religion of the Han Chinese. Its focus is the worship of the "shen" (神 "expressions", "gods"), that are the generative powers of nature,