Hong Kong mourns Mao Zedong’s death in 1976 – SCMP archive

This article was first published on September 10, 1976.Sense of grief in HongkongA deep sense of grief was felt by great numbers of the people in Hongkong yesterday (September 9, 1976) when radio and television stations flashed the news of the Chairman’s passing. The news brought a cloud of gloom over celebrations of the mid-autumn festivities. Flags at a number of major building and hotels, – including the China" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="26029" data-entity-type="organization">Bank of China – were flown at half-mast within an hour of the announcement.Hongkong people first heard the news over both channels of Radio Hongkong and the English Channel of Commercial Radio at 5.08 pm – minutes after Radio Peking broadcast the official announcement from China-news-agency" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="128326" data-entity-type="organization">New China News Agency. The first television flash was broadcast by RTV’s English Channel at 5.17 pm followed by others two or three minutes later. Large crowds milled outside television shops to watch for more announcements.Televisions in a retail shop broadcasting the news of Mao Zedong’s death. Photo: M. ChanOur Macau correspondent reported that almost immediately after the news became known, local cinemas cancelled shows for the rest of the day to show their respect for the Chinese leader.