CW Chu College The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

Mr Wong Yan Lung, former Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, graced us with his presence as the Guest of Honour at the College's Third High Table Dinner (2016–17) held on 17 January 2017. Also attending the dinner were Prof Joseph JY Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University, Prof Wai-Yee Chan, Master, Prof Kenneth Young, Founding Master, and many teachers, affiliates and students.

Prof Wai-Yee Chan introduced Mr Wong Yan Lung, remarking on his highly regarded career as the former Secretary for Justice, and his many achievements in the legal profession. Mr Wong's contributions to Hong Kong has led to many accolades, including the Grand Bauhinia Medal, and honorary doctorates from seven universities in Hong Kong.

Mr Wong gave a speech on 'I'm an island?', a title that says more than meets the eyes. He invited his audience to look at the current world amidst heated political and economic debates — a world infested with ideas of separation and fragmentation, citing US President Trump's provocative stance and the imminent Brexit — and lamented how such a trend of 'de-globalisation' bears resemblance to some local sentiments in recent years, as 'localism' creeped into the picture the world over. Mr Wong expressed concerns over such conflicts causing substantial distress among the city's dwellers, and quoted the lyrics from I Am a Rock, a song by Simon & Garfunkel:

I've built walls
A fortress, steep and mighty
That none may penetrate
I have no need of friendship
Friendship causes pain.
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain.
I am a rock
I am an island
…
I am shielded in my armor
Hiding in my room
Safe within my womb
I touch no one and no one touches me
I am a rock
I am an island

Did the sentiments expressed in the lyrics not ring a bell, such as walls and fortresses were built to tell mates from intruders, asked Mr Wong. He noted, quoting Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner, that '[h]umans exhibit a deep-seated tendency to create groups, to provide distinctive marks for these collectivities, and to adopt clearly positive or clearly hostile attitudes toward neighbouring and more distant cohorts' (Gardner, 2006)*, but stressed that, to celebrate the distinctive mark of Hong Kong, there is no need to adopt a hostile attitude towards people from different backgrounds.

Mr Wong, however, is optimistic, and encouraged his audience to face future challenges with an adjusted mindset. He urged students to 'go up vertical' by transcending a narrow worldview; to 'move horizontally' by travelling out; to 'move back into history and beyond [their] own immediate experience' by tracing the course of one's parents and grandparents; and to 'journey into the future' by positioning their goals in a better society. Mr Wong believes that by doing so, students can reflect on life from a broader perspective, redefine their identities, and appreciate the foundation built by their ancestors, which they all benefit from today.

Such noble visions are not empty promises, Mr Wong continued, and are indeed in harmony with qualities pertinent to a better future. He asked his audience to revisit the qualities that a Chief Executive must possess, according to Wang Guangya, Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, by taking out the political overtones. One is asked to love the land, to be capable to help the people in this land, and to become someone this land and the people in this land can trust. These are not impossible goals, and indeed are universally praised qualities. Empathy and trust underlie these qualities, and it is hypocrisy that we should guard against, as integrity is worth a lot more and proves more sustainable in the long run for society as a whole. Mr Wong ended his address by saying that achieving these goals will allow us to be much happier and to enjoy more freedom at a personal level.

Mr Wong's speech has left much for the audience to ponder. The College thanks Mr Wong for these words of wisdom, and shares his sentiments for a better future.

*Gardner, Howard. Five minds for the future, Harvard Business School Press, 2006, pp. 104.