In fact, the current near-uprising is the culmination of a long series of demonstrations since Hong Kong’s handover from the United Kingdom to China in 1997, after Chris Patten, the last British governor failed to persuade China to allow Hong Kong to establish a genuine democratic government.
事实上，目前近乎暴动的局面是1997年香港从英国回归中国以来一系列示威的高潮。当是时，英国末代港督彭定康没有说服中国允许香港建立真正的民主政府。