Earlier this month, the first batch of 14,000 free tickets to visit the People’s Liberation Army’s naval vessels during their stopover in Hong Kong was claimed within minutes of being released. Families queued online for the opportunity to step aboard the ships, and the open days quickly became one of the most talked-about events of this year’s handover anniversary. The scenes stood in contrast to those of July 1997. When the PLA Hong Kong Garrison was first stationed following the handover,...