Patten turned down offers of a new post and instead, in July 1992, he became the 28th and the last Governor of Hong Kong until its transfer of sovereignty to China on 30 June 1997. He was given an official Chinese name, Pang Ding-hong (), a name with an etymology based on the words "stability" and "calm; joyous; healthy". Unlike most previous Hong Kong Governors, he was not a career diplomat from the UK Foreign Office although he was not the first former MP to become a Governor of Hong Kong.