Limited Edition Honk-Kong 1997 / Return to the Motherland
To celebrate the return of the British-ruled Hong Kong to the motherland China in July of 1997, S.T. Dupont created a breath-taking series in the award-winning colour combination: red and black Chinese lacquer with gold accents.
The United Kingdom had held Hong Kong as a colony since 1841, when it occupied the area during the First Opium War. The war broke out after Qing-dynasty, China attempted to crack down an illegal opium trade that led to widespread addiction in China.
Defeat came at a high cost: In 1842, China agreed to cede the island of Hong Kong to the British in perpetuity through the Treaty of Nanjing.
Over the next half-century, the United Kingdom gained control over all three main regions of Hong Kong: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. The final treaty, the 1898 Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, leased the New Territories to Britain for 99 years. Under the terms of the treaty, China would regain control of its leased lands on July 1, 1997.
It was the end of an era: In July 1997, as the flag of the United Kingdom was lowered over Hong Kong, the prosperous colony was returned to China after over 150 years of British rule.
This extremely rare and hard-to-find Limited Edition consists of: a Ligne 2 Lighter limited to 1,997, a Fountain Pen and Rollerball, each limited to 997 pieces.
The Limited Edition represents the flags of Chine and Honk Kong depicted on the red lacquer. The objects are skillfully crafted in precious materials and have “Hong Kong” engraved to reflect the event they are commemorating.
The flag of China – is a “Chinese red field” with five golden stars in the canton. The red represents China’s communist revolution, whereas the five stars represent the unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The larger star surrounded by the four smaller stars symbolizes the communist party.
The flag of Hong Kong is a stylised, white, five-petal Hong Kong Orchid Tree, Bauhinia blakeana flower, (symbol of peace and harmony) in the centre of a “Chinese red field”. Each of the flower’s petals feature a five-pointed, red star that is a reproduction of the same five stars on the Chinese national flag. It’s been Hong Kong’s official flag since 1997, symbolizing the “one country”, “two systems” principle behind the city’s reunification with China.
L2 Lighter
Fountain Pen
Rollerball
