For three decades, patriotism and a desire to see China prosper was a hallmark of the conduct of Hong Kong journalist Ching Cheong.
A year after graduating from the University of Hong Kong in 1973, he joined the pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po as a reporter after shunning more lucrative options in the government and business sectors. As a young man he was paid about HK$600 a month, about one-third of the salary then earned by a civil servant with a university degree.
So it is a bitter irony that after more than 16 months in prison on the mainland, a Beijing court yesterday sentenced Ching to a five-year jail term and one-year deprivation of his political rights for accepting money in return for spying for Taiwan.
Alumni who graduated in the same year as Ching rose to prominence in various professions, including Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan, Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung, Secretary for Financial Services and Treasury Frederick Ma Si-hang, former financial secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung and former deputy chief executive of Hang Seng Bank Roger Luk Koon-ho.
Ching's friends said he was motivated by a desire to serve the mainland. His love for China dates back to the 1960s when he was studying at St Paul's College, an elite school in the Mid-Levels. Timothy Ha Wing-ho, who was the college's principal from 1968 to March this year, described Ching as a principled person with high ideals and patriotic fervour that was evident in his secondary school years.
'Ching Cheong was an outstanding student and was named the school's head prefect after he was promoted to Form Six. He had good command of both Chinese and English,' Mr Ha said. 'But he joined the Wen Wei Po in pursuit of his ideals at the expense of material returns.'