【香港末代總督：彭定康回憶錄】

末代港督紀錄香港政治的過去與現況

末代港督日記
香港回歸25周年出版發行

香港回歸廿五年，末代總督彭定康的再回首

1992年6月，克里斯·彭定康以最後一任英國總督的身分，出發前往香港。


和過去幾十年英國在全球各地的殖民地陸續宣告獨立不同，此次彭定康出任的首要任務，並非為獨立做準備。
而是預計在5年後、即西元1997年，將譽為「東方之珠」的香港，交還與中國。99年前，中國將此地租借給大英帝國。


有感肩負歷史意義，在接下來的五年中，彭定康開始以日記的形式，詳細記錄下香港作為英國殖民地的運作概況，以及回歸期間的重要紀事。
在與中國周旋的過程，讓彭定康對於此全球皆好奇不已的崛起強國，有著深刻且獨特的看法。

彭定康記下自己如何致力保障在1997後，香港仍能保持高度的自治；另外，亦強化雖遲來卻能確保香港維持民主運作的機構。

關於民主的保衛，彭定康不意外的遭受推阻。但出乎其意料的，是其阻礙背後，竟不只來自中國，其他還遭受英國商人和當地官員杯葛。  
對這些人而言，香港的政治自由和法治，顯然比不上對北京俯首稱臣來的重要。

此書最後亦紀錄回歸後，香港的轉變。並對近期事件，做出具份量的點評。

對於當下及未來如何和中國打交道，提供極具參考的想法。

The diaries of the last British Governor of Hong Kong, published on the 25th anniversary of the handover

In June 1992 Chris Patten went to Hong Kong as the last British governor, to try to prepare it not (as other British colonies over the decades) for independence, but for handing back in 1997 to the Chinese, from whom most of its territory had been leased 99 years previously. Over the next five years he kept this diary, which describes in detail how Hong Kong was run as a British colony and what happened as the handover approached. The book gives unprecedented insights into negotiating with the Chinese, about how the institutions of democracy in Hong Kong were (belatedly) strengthened and how Patten sought to ensure that a strong degree of self-government would continue after 1997. Unexpectedly, his opponents included not only the Chinese themselves, but some British businessmen and civil service mandarins upset by Patten's efforts, for whom political freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong seemed less important than keeping on the right side of Beijing. The book concludes with an account of what has happened in Hong Kong since the handover, a powerful assessment of recent events and Patten's reflections on how to deal with China - then and now.