1998 — Page 415

Urban Council Proceedings 市政局議事錄 All AI Reviewed

Page 415 of 606

PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL

403

so-called collectivist ideology dominates our arts and cultural policies, we cannot see how the freedom of arts and culture can be preserved. We can almost predict that in the longer term, Hong Kong may have more or less the same arts and cultural environment as in Singapore.

The second topic I will speak on today is about the I Ching (The Book of Changes). First of all, I must say I do not know much about the I Ching. You can perhaps recall that before the reunification last year, there was a coverage in the press about a 'leg' of one of the 'cauldrons' presented as a gift for reunification was broken. From this I think of the idea of putting the nine fourth line of the 'Cauldron' hexagram of the I Ching into a time capsule. The line carries a prediction of misfortune and it reads: "The cauldron's legs buckle, spilling the Duke's victuals, making a muddled puddle. Disaster." If the time capsule is unearthed after ten years and we read back the words, a lot will be revealed to us. We are not encouraging superstition but we can see through the eyes of the sages of the Chinese nation that in ruling a country, if those incapable are given high positions, if those who lack wisdom undertake a mammoth project and if those incompetent are charged with great responsibilities, disasters and calamities will not be far away. Do these happen after the reunification? Public opinion is the best judge. What can we learn from the I Ching for the time after the reunification? According to the predictions of quite a number of experts of the I Ching, the prospect of Hong Kong in the coming year is best represented by the Modesty hexagram. The symbols of the Modesty hexagram are that the upper trigram is the earth while the lower trigram is a mountain. The hexagram says that "Modesty indicates progress and success: a man of noble character will have a good end." It means that a man of great success should not be self-complacent but should be modest. This is also the only hexagram in the whole of the I Ching that has all the favourable lines. In brief, this can be taken to mean that the prospect of Hong Kong in the coming year may be better. But this is not what we are looking at. What we look at is what message is there from our sages.

What is the central idea of the whole hexagram of Modesty as is said in the Image of the hexagram? It is "a mountain within the earth which symbolizes Modesty. The superior man reduces the excessive and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and makes them equable". So what does the sentence "reduces the excessive and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and makes them equable" mean? It means that those in power should be modest. They should reduce any excess and augment that which is too little, with the result that an equilibrium is achieved. Many critics of the I Ching are of the view that the word modesty has a wider meaning than just being modest and receptive to others' ideas; it denotes a positive attitude in that one “reduces the excess and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and makes them equable” That is to say, there is real peace only if there is a fair and equitable society.

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Page 415 of 606 PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL 403 so-called collectivist ideology dominates our arts and cultural policies, we cannot see how the freedom of arts and culture can be preserved. We can almost predict that in the longer term, Hong Kong may have more or less the same arts and cultural environment as in Singapore. The second topic I will speak on today is about the I Ching (The Book of Changes). First of all, I must say I do not know much about the I Ching. You can perhaps recall that before the reunification last year, there was a coverage in the press about a 'leg' of one of the 'cauldrons' presented as a gift for reunification was broken. From this I think of the idea of putting the nine fourth line of the 'Cauldron' hexagram of the I Ching into a time capsule. The line carries a prediction of misfortune and it reads: "The cauldron's legs buckle, spilling the Duke's victuals, making a muddled puddle. Disaster." If the time capsule is unearthed after ten years and we read back the words, a lot will be revealed to us. We are not encouraging superstition but we can see through the eyes of the sages of the Chinese nation that in ruling a country, if those incapable are given high positions, if those who lack wisdom undertake a mammoth project and if those incompetent are charged with great responsibilities, disasters and calamities will not be far away. Do these happen after the reunification? Public opinion is the best judge. What can we learn from the I Ching for the time after the reunification? According to the predictions of quite a number of experts of the I Ching, the prospect of Hong Kong in the coming year is best represented by the Modesty hexagram. The symbols of the Modesty hexagram are that the upper trigram is the earth while the lower trigram is a mountain. The hexagram says that "Modesty indicates progress and success: a man of noble character will have a good end." It means that a man of great success should not be self-complacent but should be modest. This is also the only hexagram in the whole of the I Ching that has all the favourable lines. In brief, this can be taken to mean that the prospect of Hong Kong in the coming year may be better. But this is not what we are looking at. What we look at is what message is there from our sages. What is the central idea of the whole hexagram of Modesty as is said in the Image of the hexagram? It is "a mountain within the earth which symbolizes Modesty. The superior man reduces the excessive and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and makes them equable". So what does the sentence "reduces the excessive and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and makes them equable" mean? It means that those in power should be modest. They should reduce any excess and augment that which is too little, with the result that an equilibrium is achieved. Many critics of the I Ching are of the view that the word modesty has a wider meaning than just being modest and receptive to others' ideas; it denotes a positive attitude in that one “reduces the excess and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and makes them equable” That is to say, there is real peace only if there is a fair and equitable society. Page 415 of 606 Page 415 of 606 Page 415 of 606 Page 415Page 416

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Page 415 of 606 PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL 403 so-called collectivist ideology dominates our arts and cultural policies, we cannot see how the freedom of arts and culture can be preserved. We can almost predict that in the longer term, Hong Kong may have more or less the same arts and cultural environment as in Singapore. The second topic I will speak on today is about the I Ching (The Book of Changes). First of all, I must say I do not know much about the I Ching. You can perhaps recall that before the reunification last year, there was a coverage in the press about a 'leg' of one of the 'cauldrons' presented as a gift for reunification was broken. From this I think of the idea of putting the nine fourth line of the 'Cauldron' hexagram of the I Ching into a time capsule. The line carries a prediction of misfortune and it reads: "The cauldron's legs buckle. spilling the Duke's victuals, making a muddled puddle. Disaster." If the time capsule is unearthed after ten years and we read back the words, a lot will be revealed to us. We are not encouraging superstition but we can see through the eyes of the sages of the Chinese nation that in ruling a country, if those incapable are given high positions, if those who lack wisdom undertake a mammoth project and if those incompetent are charged with great responsibilities, disasters and calamities will not be far away. Do these happen after the reunification? Public opinion is the best judge. What can we learn from the I Ching for the time after the reunification? According to the predictions of quite a number of experts of the I Ching, the prospect of Hong Kong in the coming year is best represented by the Modesty hexagram. The symbols of the Modesty hexagram are that the upper trigram is the earth while the lower trigram is a mountain. The hexagram says that "Modesty indicates progress and success: a man of noble character will have a good end." It means that a man of great success should not be self-complacent but should be modest. This is also the only hexagram in the whole of the I Ching that has all the favourable lines. In brief, this can be taken to mean that the prospect of Hong Kong in the coming year may be better. But this is not what we are looking at. What we look at is what message is there from our sages. What is the central idea of the whole hexagram of Modesty as is said in the Image of the hexagram? It is "a mountain within the earth which symbolizes Modesty. The superior man reduces the excessive and augments that which is 100 little. He weighs things and makes them equable". So what does the sentence "reduces the excessive and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and makes them equable" mean? It means that those in power should be modest. They should reduce any excess and augment that which is 100 little, with the result that an equilibrium is achieved. Many critics of the I Ching are of the view that the word modesty has a wider meaning than just being modest and receptive to others' ideas; it denotes a positive attitude in that one “reduces the excess and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and make them equable” That is to say, there is real peace only if there is a fair and equitable society. Page 415 of 606 Page 415 of 606 Page 415 of 606 Page 415Page 416

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Page 415 of 606

PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL

403

The second topic I will speak on today is about the I Ching (The Book of Changes). First of all, I must say I do not know much about the I Ching. You can perhaps recall that before the reunification last year, there was a coverage in the press about a 'leg' of one of the 'cauldrons' presented as a gift for reunification was broken. From this I think of the idea of putting the nine fourth line of the 'Cauldron' hexagram of the I Ching into a time capsule. The line carries a prediction of misfortune and it reads: "The cauldron's legs buckle. spilling the Duke's victuals, making a muddled puddle. Disaster." If the time capsule is unearthed after ten years and we read back the words, a lot will be revealed to us. We are not encouraging superstition but we can see through the eyes of the sages of the Chinese nation that in ruling a country, if those incapable are given high positions, if those who lack wisdom undertake a mammoth project and if those incompetent are charged with great responsibilities, disasters and calamities will not be far away. Do these happen after the reunification? Public opinion is the best judge. What can we learn from the I Ching for the time after the reunification? According to the predictions of quite a number of experts of the I Ching, the prospect of Hong Kong in the coming year is best represented by the Modesty hexagram. The symbols of the Modesty hexagram are that the upper trigram is the earth while the lower trigram is a mountain. The hexagram says that "Modesty indicates progress and success: a man of noble character will have a good end." It means that a man of great success should not be self-complacent but should be modest. This is also the only hexagram in the whole of the I Ching that has all the favourable lines. In brief, this can be taken to mean that the prospect of Hong Kong in the coming year may be better. But this is not what we are looking at. What we look at is what message is there from our sages.

What is the central idea of the whole hexagram of Modesty as is said in the Image of the hexagram? It is "a mountain within the earth which symbolizes Modesty. The superior man reduces the excessive and augments that which is 100 little. He weighs things and makes them equable". So what does the sentence "reduces the excessive and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and makes them equable" mean? It means that those in power should be modest. They should reduce any excess and augment that which is 100 little, with the result that an equilibrium is achieved. Many critics of the I Ching are of the view that the word modesty has a wider meaning than just being modest and receptive to others' ideas; it denotes a positive attitude in that one “reduces the excess and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and make them equable” That is to say, there is real peace only if there is a fair and equitable society.

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