Deng Xiaoping most represents Chinese people while Tung Chee-hwa is top dog in Hong Kong, according to a survey released yesterday.
More than a third of people polled (35.8 per cent) picked Deng as the symbol of China, followed by Jiang Zemin at 26 per cent. Mao Zedong and Dr Sun Yat-sen shared third place with 8.7 per cent each.
On the national list, Mr Tung beat vice-premiers Zhu Rongji and Qian Qichen to come sixth with 3.1 per cent of votes, just behind Prime Minister Li Peng with 3.5 per cent.
In the local stakes, Mr Tung was seen as the person most likely to represent Hong Kong with 53 per cent, trailed by his No 2, Chief Secretary for Administration Anson Chan Fang On-sang, with 9.6 per cent.
The people surveyed by researchers at the Chinese University also felt entrepreneurs, politicians and sports stars to be good symbols, placing Li Ka-shing, Martin Lee Chu-ming and Lee Lai-shan in the rest of the top five.
Questions on cultural identity were first put to 769 people in August 1996 - when former Governor Chris Patten was in the top 10 symbols - and then repeated to 302 of the original interviewees after the handover.
