Fireworks display marks return anniversary
(Xinhua)

HONG KONG -- A 16 million HK dollar fireworks display to mark the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) pushed the city's celebration activities to another climax here Sunday night.

Starting at 8 p.m. the display together with "A Symphony of Lights," a light and music show performed by the lights on Hong Kong's famous skyscrapers along the harbor, lasted about 36 minutes and fired 31,888 fireworks into the air screen.

The show named "Harbor Extravaganza" is divided into 10 scenes, beginning with "Salute to our Motherland." Around 370,000 citizens and tourists crowded along the coast of Victoria Harbor viewing the splendid display.

When the display culminated in the second scene, which displayed Chinese characters "Zhong Guo Ren" (meaning "Chinese people") in the sky, viewers excited with thunderous ovation and cheers.

It is the biggest fireworks display ever since Hong Kong's return to China and the establishment of the HKSAR on July 1, 1997, according to the Home Affair Bureau of the HKSAR, one of the co-organizers of the fireworks display.