Hong Kong is gearing up to celebrate 10 years since the one-time British colony reverted to Chinese rule, with senior officials from Beijing expected to attend a fireworks display and other events to mark the date.
The weather in Hong Kong was ominously cloudy ahead of the weekend's events - the handover itself at midnight on June 30th, 1997 saw torrential rain cause fireworks to fizzle and dampen enthusiasm.
Pyrotechnics again feature on the agenda in the 10th anniversary celebrations as citizens prepare for a huge display of nearly 32,000 fireworks above Victoria harbour.
Chinese president Hu Jintao, who is due to attend the celebrations, said he was satisfied with the way Hong Kong had developed.
"With the compatriots' united efforts and the solid support from the motherland, I firmly believe Hong Kong will have a more splendid future," President Hu said as he toured an exhibition in Beijing looking at Hong Kong's achievements.
The event was also attended by Chinese premier Wen Jiabao and Hong Kong's chief executive Donald Tsang.
China's Communist rulers have largely allowed Hong Kong to govern itself and do not interfere in press freedom, just as promised in the "50-years-no-change" terms of the handover itself.
The territory's mini-constitution, called the Basic Law, promises autonomy until 2047 under the "one country, two systems" formula.
However, Beijing has not allowed the chief executive to be elected by universal suffrage.
Analysts say this is because it fears that calls for democracy could spread to the mainland.
Hong Kong's economy has thrived in the 10 years, despite predictions that unification would see it sidelined by Chinese economic powerhouses such as Shanghai and Shenzhen.
It has witnessed its three fastest years of growth since the 1980s.
While sentiment remains upbeat in Hong Kong, a survey by Hong Kong's Baptist University and the US-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs showed that public optimism over its future under Chinese rule had dipped amid demands for direct elections.
The survey found 51 per cent of respondents were optimistic about Hong Kong's future as a part of China in 2007, versus 60 per cent in June 1997.
The Hong Kong Tourist Board was also holding its annual shopping festival to coincide with the celebrations.
Shopping has long been a national pastime in Hong Kong, and the handover has greatly swelled the number of visitors from mainland China in its malls.