The planned events run the gamut of Hong Kong life and are designed to include everything and everyone — various athletic events are dispersed across the city, stamps have been issued, China's president, Hu Jintao, came to swear in the new Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, a fireworks display was seen at the harbor, awards for anyone who happened to be born in 1997 were issued, and a public holiday on July 2 are but a few of the over 400 odd activities scheduled to mark this idiosyncratic anniversary. According to China Daily, even Deng Xiao Ping, by way of a wax statue, made his way to Hong Kong for the festivities as it was his wish to set foot in a Hong Kong that was back where it belonged.

While the flurry of events emphasize a spirit of harmony and unity with the PRC, the question remains: how did Hong Kong fare ten years of Chinese rule when naysayers were predicting that the apocalypse was nigh and that the good times were at an end? The secret to Hong Kong's success lies in its autonomy. There is no dispute that the return of Hong Kong is of import to China, but, lest we forget on this anniversary, the greatest parting gift the British could leave Hong Kong was a system of democracy without which Hong Kong would not be Hong Kong. This special administrative region's constitution, "The Basic Law" was born out of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, which guaranteed that Hong Kong's capitalist tendencies would remain intact for 50 years after the handover.

According to the Basic Law, Hong Kong's internal system is comprised of an elected executive, legislative and judiciary branch separate from the government of the People's Republic of China. Most interestingly, the people are protected under this constitution. The crux of Articles 27—38 of "The Basic Law" states that, "Hong Kong residents shall have, among other things, freedom of speech, of the press and of publication; freedom of association, of assembly, of procession, of demonstration, of communication, of movement, of conscience, of religious belief, and of marriage; and the right and freedom to form and join trade unions, and to strike." The only overt hand the Beijing government has in Hong Kong pertains to matters of defense and diplomatic relations. The combination of the above factors makes for an interesting atmosphere as the air of Hong Kong is ripe with opinion. So ripe is it that, as the South China Morning Post has reported before, some members of the Democratic Party have been banned from entering the mainland.

Hong Kong has used this past decade to voice its various opinions and let it be known how certain factors feel about China proper. Whether posting signs in Causeway Bay calling attention to human rights policies carried out in Beijing or taking to the streets on July 1 for the biggest pro-democracy demonstration this so called barren rock has ever seen, the citizens of Hong Kong voice their opinion loud and clear.

Armed with this self- proclaimed "Can Do" attitude, Hong Kong has displayed a feistyness that has enabled it to claw its way back from both the 2001 Asian financial crises and SARS. Some would say rule under China is but one of many hats this region wears without fear and dons with a smile.