The day of July 1, 1997 saw a contingent of troops composed of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force of the PLA entering, by order, Hong Kong, who were no others than the Chinese troops to be in garrison there as a symbol of national sovereignty and would undertake the mission of defending Hong Kong, henceforth starting a brand new chapter featuring the Chinese armed forces garrisoning Hong Kong and directing military affairs under the condition of "one country, two systems".

　　It was an entirely new extension of missions and tasks of the PLA.

　　The officers and men of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison regard their missions weightier than the Mount Tai, and rounded off various tasks with defense affairs at the core with flying colors. In addition, their army building witnessed an excellent momentum of stable development, thus wining high praises from the Hong Kong residents and the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as well as extensive respects from the international public opinion.

　　If the Chinese troops garrisoning Hong Kong symbolizes that China has resumed the exercise of its sovereignty over Hong Kong, then the capability of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison in carrying out its missions is the certification of the demonstration of China's national strength and prestige and military might.

　　Combat effectiveness is of paramount importance for any army. The 10-year practice has vindicated that by way of resorting to hard training and toughening on the training ground, the officers and men of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison have realized the constant growth in combat effectiveness and built a "steel Great Wall" of defending the homeland and dignity in the hearts of Hong Kong residents.

　　In the time span of 10 years, the PLA Hong Kong Garrison successfully held and participated in 59 joint exercises involving various services and arms, rounded off such military operations as successfully holding a grand review of troops, patrols at sea and in the air, and search and rescue exercises of perils of the sea and air disaster, staged 34 military demonstrations for foreign visitors, properly handled foreign-related military affairs including 500 batches of foreign military vessels' port calls to and aircrafts' visits to as well as stops in Hong Kong involving 20 countries, thus realizing the "double rich harvests" of task fulfillment and combat effectiveness growth.

　　The people's armed forces' successful completion of the entrance into and garrisoning Hong Kong in the past 10 years and the favorable image of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison as a mighty force and a civilized force has produced positive impact on the national confidence and pride among the Hong Kong residents.

　　In August 2005, a regiment of the aviation force of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison joined an open-sea rescue exercise participated by troops from seven countries and regions and held by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the first time. Thanks to their perfect mastery of flight skills, the pilots of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison only used 37 minutes to find the target first and successfully carried out rescue, thus leaving deep impression on the minds of the Hong Kong residents.

　　On August 1, 2004--- the Army Day, the PLA Hong Kong Garrison held a grand parade, in which the silvery white battleship formation on the vast blue sea, the formation of 12 camouflage fighting eagles flying in the open blue sky and the green wood-like square array of land force on the extensive ground platform cooperated organically and harmoniously to display their determination, confidence and capability to fulfill missions to the 30,000-odd Hong Kong residents from various circles.

　　A powerful national defense and a prosperous and strong nation have made it possible for the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation, including the people in Hong Kong, to hold their heads high.

　　Every officer and man of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison wears a bauhinia on their arm badge---the symbol only for the servicemen in the PLA Hong Kong Garrison. It is both the mission of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison and the wish of Hong Kong residents to make sure that the bauhinia will get increasingly brighter under the sunshine of peace.

　　By Shi Jinling and Ding Haiming

　　(Jun 27, PLA Daily)