'Hong Kong' was formally a Chinese territory that was ceded to the United Kingdom in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking, and became a 'British Overseas Territory'. Hong Kong was was still under United Kingdom Sovereignty at the time of the making of this programme in 1983. Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony.
The 'QE2' arrived at Victoria Harbour (Hong Kong), on the 13th March 1983 for a four day stop-over. This was to allow essential maintenance on the engines and a fresh coat of paint could take place. The final port of call in this programme was another maiden visit, this time Tsingtao Harbour, (now called Qingdao) in China, on the 19th March 1983, but this time. The programme concluded the next day at sea, where Alan Whicker shares his thoughts and experiences of this four-part series with us, the viewer.