President offers ancient Chinese wisdom

President Xi Jinping spoke of the central government's considerable expectations while also offering encouragement to the new Chief Executive and key figures in the government, legislature and judiciary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The president did this by citing three classical Chinese quotes. These gems of Chinese wisdom are:

1. "Serve the country with a sincere heart"

This line is from a poem My Emotions on the Beginning of Spring by a patriotic official and poet from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Yu Qian.

The poem reflects Yu's desire to serve his country. He had sacrificed a great deal of time that could have been spent with his family. This made him feel sad but his dedication to the nation remained resolute.

By quoting Yu Qian, Xi was encouraging the "key few" involved in implementing the "one country, two systems" principle and the Basic Law, and in administering Hong Kong. They needed to view things from a national perspective when carrying out their work and facing difficult challenges. This would help them fulfill their duties to the nation.

2. "It is a shame if an official always avoids things"

Xi was quoting Zeng Guofan, a famous Chinese statesman, military general and Confucian scholar of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Zeng stressed that officials must never avoid shouldering tough responsibilities. Indeed, it was shameful if they were not fully committed to their duties.

Xi noted that being a government official in Hong Kong is "not easy" as they will have to face tough challenges and controversies in a diverse society.

He hoped they would all be responsible and resolute when tackling different problems.

3. "The army that is driven by the same spirit throughout all its ranks wins"

Xi cited the sentence from The Art of War, a revered ancient military text written by military strategist Sun Tzu during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-475 BC). Sun highlighted the importance of being united in wartime.

Xi said he hoped the HKSAR leaders could work as a team to achieve their shared goals. They also needed to coordinate efforts and closely support one another.