A series of evens will be held in Britain to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, the Information Services of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Tuesday.

According to a news report from the Services, London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival opened on Sunday, marking the beginning of the celebration. Young Hong Kong musicians will be performing in October in London, Newcastle and Glasgow. In Manchester, there will be a film festival, a photo exhibition and an art exhibition. In London, a seminar and a film event are also planned in October.

A dragon boat competition was held in London on Sunday. More than 5,000 people went to London Docklands to watch 24 dragon boat teams competing in the festival, which was organized by the London Chinatown Lions Club and the London Chinatown Chinese Association and sponsored by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO).

The "Hong Kong 10th Anniversary Cup" was won by the team from Yi-Ban Restaurant, situated at the Royal Albert Docks.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office London Sarah Wu said that this year's dragon boat festival was part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary.

"Dragon Boat racing is emblematic of the strength, energy and competitiveness for which Hong Kong is renowned," she said.

"Since 1997, Hong Kong has gone from strength to strength, overcoming a number of unprecedented setbacks including the Asian financial crisis, avian flu, and SARS. Underpinned by the 'one country, two systems' principle, Hong Kong continues to thrive and prosper as Asia's world city, a center for financial and professional services, trade, shipping and tourism," she added.

(Xinhua News Agency July 4, 2007)