The small lion standing on the crest alone had featured on the reverse of Hong Kong coinage before the introduction of the Bauhinia design in preparation for the transfer of sovereignty in 1997. The colonial arms has been adopted by a group called the Hong Kong Autonomy Movement (HKAM) as their flag for Hong Kong autonomy. The flag features the old coat of arms against a blue background. The HKAM felt that supporters of Hong Kong autonomy from China needed a symbol around which they could rally. The flag imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong after the handover was inappropriate, as was the old flag under the British, as both failed to represent true Hong Kong autonomy. The old coat of arms was chosen because it is easily recognisable by people in Hong Kong as representing Hong Kong albeit under the British. The HKAM flag has the old coat of arms in the center against a blue ground whereas the old colonial flag had the coat of arms enclosed with a circle on a blue ground with the Union Jack in the canton. Display During British rule, the coat of arms were displayed by Government House, the Legislative Council, most courts, and the Central Government Offices. The arms were also in use by aircraft of the Government Flying Service. Current emblem The modern emblem came into use on 1 July 1997, after Hong Kong's transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China. Description The Regional Emblem of the Hong Kong is round in shape. It bears a red circular edge, an outer ring marked with scripts, a red inner ring with a design of a swaying bauhinia with 5 star-shaped stamens. The swaying bauhinia design at the centre of the inner ring of the emblem is white in colour. It is formed by 5 petals, each with a red 5-pointed star and a red style. The petals are evenly arranged around the central point of the emblem in a clockwise direction. The centre of the bauhinia lies on the central point of the emblem. The outer ring marked with scripts lies between the red circular edge and the red inner ring. The words and characters, on a white background, are red in colour. Evenly arranged in the upper part of the outer ring are the traditional Chinese characters (People's Republic of China Hong Kong Special