It was a scene reminiscent of the reprimand Tung Chee-hwa and his ministers received from President Hu Jintao in Macau last November. The sea change since then, however, was clear to see when Zeng Qinghong addressed Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and his team last night.
Mr Zeng congratulated the ruling team for their hard work while expressing a wish for them to do even better.
His remarks were the clearest sign yet that Beijing feels satisfied with the city's development and is relaxed after eight years of economic and political shocks.
Mr Hu had urged the Tung team to reflect on their inadequacies. The episode was seen as a sign of Beijing's growing impatience with Mr Tung. The rest is history.
In his remarks to Mr Tsang and his team yesterday, Mr Zeng struck an upbeat, moderate yet positive message and tone. He steered clear of controversial issues such as constitutional reform and June 4 commemorative activities.
And bearing in mind the backlash that Beijing leaders had to face after initially praising Mr Tung, Mr Zeng avoided rhetorical niceties.