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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1993
GOVERNOR AT PUBLIC MEETING
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GOVERNOR:
THIS IS YOUR EVENING, I'VE SPOKEN FOR TOO LONG ALREADY THIS WEEK. PERHAPS I CAN JUST REMIND YOU OF THE ONLY RULES OF ENGAGEMENT. WE WANT TO FIT IN AS MANY QUESTIONS AS POSSIBLE, SO IF QUESTIONERS COULD KEEP THEIR QUESTIONS AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE AND NOT MAKE LONG STATEMENTS IT WOULD BE HELPFUL. I WILL ALSO LET YOU INTO A SECRET, IT IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT WHEN YOU ARE ASKED SHORT QUESTIONS THAN WHEN YOU ARE ASKED LONG QUESTIONS. WHAT I WILL DO IS TO CALL ABOUT THREE QUESTIONERS AT A TIME AND INDICATE THE MICROPHONES FOR YOU AND THEN IF YOU COULD COME OUT AND WAIT PATIENTLY AT THE MICROPHONE, YOU WILL GET YOUR TURN VERY QUICKLY.
ONE LAST POINT, WE HAVE GOT TO BE OUT OF HERE AT 7.15 OTHERWISE WE BECOME PART OF THE NEXT PERFORMANCE. SO LET'S SEE HOW MANY QUESTIONS WE CAN GET THROUGH IN THE THE NEXT HOUR-AND-TWENTY- MINUTES. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RAISE YOUR HANDS, ANYBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION. RIGHT, IF WE START WITH THE LADY HERE. THERE IS THEN A GENTLEMAN IN A RED AND WHITE STRIPED SHIRT IN THE MIDDLE. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO TO NUMBER SIX. AND THEN THERE IS A LADY HERE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO TO NUMBER FOUR. ALRIGHT? AND THEN THE GENTLEMAN IN THE GREEN SHIRT, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO UP то NUMBER SEVEN. NUMBER ONE.
QUESTION (THROUGH INTERPRETER):
MR GOVERNOR, THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THIS CHANCE TO SPEAK TO YOU, I THINK YOU ARE A VERY SMART PERSON BECAUSE YOU HAVE COME HERE FOR A LITTLE MORE THAN A YEAR AND YOU'VE ALREADY LEARNED A LOT ABOUT CHINESE CULTURE, AND YOU CAN QUOTE A VERY FAMOUS CHINESE VERSE FROM THE TANG DYNASTY, THAT IS: 'IF YOU WANT TO SEE BETTER, YOU HAVE TO CLIMB HIGHER' ALTHOUGH I NEVER KNOW HOW HIGH I SHOULD CLIMB BECAUSE THERE ARE ALL HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS IN HONG KONG.
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THERE IS ONE MORE POINT I WOULD LIKE TO
ADVISE YOU. MAYBE IT IS BETTER FOR YOU TO LEARN CHINESE MUSIC TOO, AND THE MUSIC OFFICE IN HONG KONG, THEY ORGANISE A LOT OF GOOD COURSES. ALL THESE COURSES ARE IN POPULAR DEMAND AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO FAIL TO GET IN. YOU HAVE GIVEN A CONCERT IN GOVERNMENT HOUSE, SO 1 THOUGHT YOU WERE A MUSIC LOVER, BUT THEN I HEARD THAT YOU ARE GOING TO DISSOLVE THE MUSIC OFFICE. I THINK IT IS A GREAT PITY. AND IF YOU CAN GIVE THE CHILDREN OF HONG KONG A CHANCE TO LEARN MUSIC, IT WILL BE A VERY GOOD THING FOR THEM, AND FOR YOURSELF TOO. IF YOU CAN LEARN CHINESE MUSIC, THEN WHEN YOU GO BACK TO LONDON, YOU CAN INTRODUCE CHINESE MUSIC AND CHINESE CULTURE TO YOUR PEOPLE. I THINK THIS WILL DO GOOD FOR SINO-HK RELATIONS, SO AFTER THIS EVENING IS
HOPE YOU WON'T DISSOLVE THE MUSIC OFFICE.
FINISHED, I
GOVERNOR:
IS THAT YOUR QUESTION?
GOOD.
/QUESTION