Xi Jinping came to Hong Kong to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its return to China, emphasise Beijing’s sway over the former British colony and swear in its new leader. But by the time he left at the weekend, the Chinese president had also exposed the deepening gulf between Hong Kong and the mainland, and the extent to which his own assertive stance breaks with the past.

On a tightly organised visit that shielded him from ordinary Hong Kongers, Mr Xi most memorable statement was his warning that they should not cross China’s “red line” by questioning Beijing’s sovereignty or authority.

It was not a call that went down well with the young people who are increasingly rejecting Chinese rule. “None of the young generation in Hong Kong want to be loyal to the country under one-party dictatorship and an authoritarian regime,” said Joshua Wong, a 20-year-old democracy activist.