LU Ping was moved when he watched the award-winning film Cageman, which documented the true story of the plight of 105 caged men - many of them in their last years - when he had some leisure moments during his last visit to the territory in May.
To the 67-year-old key official in charge of Hong Kong affairs, the need for ''taking the worry out of growing old'' is also high on his 1997-countdown agenda, perhaps a rare similarity with Governor Chris Patten's aims.
Chinese officials have stressed time and again that ''China has always called for an early solution of the problem of retirement protection of elderly people''.
That is easier said than done. Until now the Chinese Government has offered no concrete solution, which largely explains its cautious response to the Old Age Pension Scheme after it was published on Tuesday for public consultation until October 31.
China's position can be summed up by two more basic points spelled out by ''a Xinhua official'' in reports published this week.
First, the merits of any scheme should be measured by the principle of whether it was conducive to a smooth transition and the long-term interest of the community. The scheme would have to be discussed by the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group.
