Tung, who died this month at the age of 89, was a former shipping tycoon hand-picked by Beijing to run Hong Kong after the former British colony's handover to Chinese rule in 1997. The staunch conservative oversaw a rocky eight-year tenure until he resigned in 2005, following widespread protests. Tung's casket, draped with the Chinese national flag, was driven in a hearse from the Hong Kong Funeral Home to a crematorium on Sunday, AFP reporters saw. A portrait of Tung -- smiling and sporting his signature crew cut -- was displayed in the memorial hall, surrounded by white orchids symbolising love and respect. Hundreds of wreaths sent by government officials and business leaders lined the street outside the memorial hall. A tribute note from his alma mater, Britain's University of Liverpool, read: "We remember him with great gratitude and respect." A divisive figure, Tung's policies set the tone for the city's development following the handover, with some sparking widespread protests. A funeral committee hailed him as a "renowned patriot" and "close friend of the Communist Party". Cheung Kwok-lik, an 89-year-old retired renovation worker, said he had travelled an hour by bus to pay his condolences to the former leader. During his tenure, Tung weathered the Asian financial crisis and the deadly SARS epidemic, which "was by no means easy", Cheung said. Tung's leadership also coincided with record unemployment and the 1997 avian flu outbreak. Resident Kiki Ho said that even after paying her respects, she still felt "sorrowful and emotional". "Given that era and circumstances he encountered, the situation was not in his favour," the 68-year-old said. (Bssnews)