At 11:59, the British national flag and the Hong Kong flag slowly lowered amidst the playing of the British national anthem, marking the official end of Britain’s nearly century-long colonial rule in Hong Kong.
At this moment, only a few seconds were left before July 1, 1997. Thousands of people in attendance kept completely silent, without making the slightest noise.
At the stroke of midnight, everyone stood up as the March of the Volunteers sounded. The Five-star Red Flag and the Bauhinia regional flag rose together on the flagpole, precisely reaching the top as the music concluded, fluttering in the wind.
The scene was met with thunderous applause, continuing for several minutes without pause.
Simultaneously, in many places across China, countdowns and celebrations for the Handover were underway.
People gathered in squares, hotel lobbies, and even their homes to welcome this special moment.
Following this, a ten-minute handover ceremony took place. At 12:12 am, the entire ceremony was officially announced as concluded.
After the ceremony, at the Shenzhen Luohu border between Hong Kong and mainland China, approximately four thousand People’s Liberation Army soldiers crossed the border in the rain and entered Hong Kong.
The soldiers, standing upright on military vehicles, were warmly welcomed by tens of thousands of ordinary citizens.
At the same time, naval and air force helicopter units advanced southwards to reach the Hong Kong area, signifying that this land would be defended by the People’s Liberation Army.
After the handover ceremony, there were various announcement and appointment ceremonies, establishment ceremonies, and finally cultural performances for celebration.
The entire process continued until noon on July 1, marking the completion of the establishment ceremony.
Gan Guoyang participated in every part of the ceremony as a member of the observing group. He also received a cordial meeting and consolation from the leaders.
By the time he returned to the hotel, it was already afternoon. It was only then that Gan Guoyang, who had been in a constant state of excitement, had a chance to lie down and feel a bit drowsy.
One could say that those political leaders were energy monsters. Even a world-class stamina monster like Gan Guoyang felt somewhat exhausted after the entire process, let alone those aging dignitaries.
After a short nap, Gan Guoyang awoke to find Gan Guohui sitting on a sofa nearby, appearing to have something to report.
"Is there any news from America?" Gan Guoyang asked.
Gan Guohui nodded and said, "Yes, on the first day of the free agency, Buckwalter made a move."
"Who was traded?"
"It was PJ, a sign-and-trade."
While the ceremony was ongoing, on the other side of the ocean, the NBA free agency officially opened.
Teams had been negotiating in advance since May and June, so the most signings and trades occurred on the first day.
The renewal issue with PJ Brown had troubled the Trail Blazers for an entire season.
Due to the presence of Little O’Neal and the sudden rise of Ben Wallace, the Trail Blazers’ management was reluctant to sign PJ Brown to a high-priced contract.
However, the Trail Blazers were also unwilling to let PJ Brown go for free, so they adopted a sign-and-trade strategy.
They reached an agreement with the Miami Heat, who had always been interested in PJ Brown and had been frequently poaching from the Trail Blazers.
However, the Heat did not have players that the Trail Blazers favored, so they brought in the Golden State Warriors for a three-way trade.
The Trail Blazers re-signed PJ Brown to a six-year, $31 million deal and sent him to the Miami Heat.
The Heat acquired Brown and sent their young power forward Kurt Thomas, guard Gary Grant, and a second-round draft pick to the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors, in turn, sent their former core player, God’s Left Hand, and Dream Team member Chris Mullin to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Mullin’s departure signified the official end of the once T-MAC combination, and the Golden State Warriors entering a new era.
Already 34 years old, Chris Mullin hoped to win a Championship Ring in his career, so he chose Gan Guoyang’s Trail Blazers.
Upon hearing that the Trail Blazers traded for Mullin, Gan Guoyang was delighted. He had known Mullin for a long time, as Mullin was one of the most hardworking players besides Gan Guoyang and Jordan during the Olympic selection training camp.
He not only had precise shooting skills but also high basketball IQ. His passing and organization abilities on the perimeter were always underestimated.
He might be the player in recent years who most closely resembles Bird in playing style, not just because he is white.
However, Mullin had been plagued by alcohol issues since college.
After entering the NBA, he quit drinking multiple times, only to relapse into alcoholism time and again.
This led to a sharp decline in his form after 1993.
In the 1992-1993 season, Mullin was only 29, and he was an All-Star player averaging 25.9 points per game.
But by the 1993-1994 season, due to a series of problems including alcohol, his body rapidly deteriorated.
His average points per game dropped to 15, and he went from being an All-Star player to an ordinary player.
He had several conflicts and disagreements with coaches and management, but he persisted for four more seasons.
By 1997, at the age of 34, he didn’t want to hold on and wait anymore. He knew he could never return to his peak and that each year of playing would be one less.
He needed a championship, and naturally, he thought of Ah Gan, so he requested a trade and hoped to go to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Coincidentally, the Trail Blazers and the Heat were worried about the PJ Brown issue.
On the Heat’s side, Hakeem Olajuwon refused to renew his contract and did not choose to sign-and-trade but instead left directly.
The Heat urgently needed a tall, defensive-type inside player to fill the void left by Olajuwon’s departure.