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Hong Kong. I remember that I was in Primary Three when a teacher told us a story. It was said that a Japanese teacher told his students: 'Take a bite from this pear.' The students said: 'This pear is very sour.' The teacher said: 'This is a Japanese pear. I will give you a bite from another pear.' That pear was very sweet and fragrant. It was a pear from Shandong, China. The Japanese teacher said to his students: 'If you want to eat such sweet and fragrant pears, you will have to attack Northeastern Chinese provinces. In that way, you will be able to taste even better pears.' While that Japanese teacher was actually imbuing his students with a state or nationalistic education, our teachers imbued us with the thinking that if we wished to be decent Chinese, our country would have to be strong and of considerable status in the world. Otherwise, we would be looked down on, and we would never be able to hold our heads up in other countries. That was very important.
In 1966, I pursued further studies in Britain. I had seven schoolmates in the dormitory. My schoolmates asked me where I was from, and I replied that I was from Hong Kong-BCC. They asked me what BCC meant, and I told them that BCC stood for British Crown Colony. They said: 'Does Britain have colonies? How come we do not know about it?' It was then that I realised that British people were actually very ignorant. Then, some of my schoolmates asked me if I was Japanese or from other countries. Later, it occurred to me that I would have to emphasize that I was Chinese, and that no matter where I was, I would tell other people that I was Chinese. That was crucial. As Hong Kong has reverted to China, I believe that there is one thing we should cherish, that is, we should make the younger generation in Hong Kong understand that they are Chinese. This is very important. Recently, we have often heard the slogan: 'Hong Kong is our home.' When I hear that, I would remind people that Hong Kong is not only our home, for people of every race are free to live in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong has become their home too. Therefore, young people born in Hong Kong should add 'I am Chinese' to 'Hong Kong is our home' to indicate that they do not merely live in Hong Kong but are Chinese as well. When they have to go abroad in the future, there will be a country to protect and support them. This is what they need to understand.
There is another issue I would like to bring up again. In the past, Hong Kong people did not know much about the situation outside Hong Kong. That was understandable, for we were all busy making a living and earning our three daily meals. In Hong Kong nowadays, we would be severely affected if the Chinese Government has a discouraging economy, and we would be the first to sample the benefits if the Chinese economy develops in a satisfactory manner. Not only do we have economic ties with Southern Chinese cities; in fact, we have close liaison with coastal and inland cities too. Hence, I hope that you, my fellow Councillors of the Provisional Urban Council, will seek great harmony while tolerating minor differences. We should understand history more, respect our country, and love Hong Kong, for Hong Kong is a very rare and successful international city. We had a good past, and we hope to have an ...
Page 518 of 654
Page 518 of 654