The recent Legislative Council election had the theme of “patriots governing Hong Kong”, and this will continue in the upcoming chief executive election. Over time, Hongkongers have been influenced by other cultures, particularly the West and Japan. Given these influences, when faced with a question about their identity as patriots, they will assess China as though it is comparable to other countries or cultures. Patriotism is defined differently from what Hongkongers assume, though. In the Oxford dictionary, a “patriot” is a “person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors”. In the Contemporary Chinese Dictionary, a “patriot” is simply a person loyal to and enthusiastic about their country. Chinese patriotism is different from the Western kind. Early in the Qin dynasty, the empire ended strife among the different tribes. After this, except the invasions that led to the Yuan and Qing dynasties, the end came to most empires as coups, essentially. New dynasties rose with the people’s support, with a view to better lives. With the Qin dynasty unifying the system of writing and the Han beginning to institutionalise Confucianism, over time, the Chinese people had a unified sense of Chinese culture. At one time, the Chinese considered themselves the only civilised country in the world as well as the “middle kingdom” at the centre of all things. This sense of self-importance helped Chinese patriotism grow until the 19th century, when China was defeated and carved up by more modernised countries. Patriotism suffered as a result, but modern China’s defence of national dignity and territorial integrity has returned patriotism to its rightful place. The answer to whether we are patriots does not depend on how much we love China but whether we share Chinese culture. We still share in our nation’s dignity, and we still look forward to there being only one China on the world map. C.P. Lee, Causeway Bay Currency dominance not set in stone Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus’ reminder that “life is flux” can also apply to currencies. Mark Twain published a short story in 1893 called The Million Pound Bank Note about the dominant currency of the day, and in 1979 reggae star Peter Tosh released an album with a song called The Day the Dollar Die . I was employed as a Moscow bank’s US dollar and Deutsche mark transfer operator in 1994 because I speak English. This year, your report (“China and Russia pledge to step up efforts to build independent trade network to reduce reliance on US-led financial system”, December 16 ) indicates a new, perhaps inevitable development. It is inevitable because the world’s largest GDP as measured by purchasing power parity is produced not in the UK, the US or Germany but in China. I am sure Russia will be happy to cut out the Western middleman in its trade with China and other countries. We all drive a car with an instructor by our side at first, but the day comes when we no longer need them. Mergen Mongush, Moscow Stick to the reality of the pandemic please I find your headline “Britain source of third of city’s Omicron cases” in the December 22 print edition to be somewhat misleading. The summary states that the “UK accounts for eight of 27 confirmed infections”, which is actually 29.6 per cent. The headline would suggest to readers that the Omicron variant is rampant across the city and it is all Britain’s fault. This is nothing more than scaremongering, which I believe the general public have had enough of by now. Furthermore, the situation is not helped by our “medical expert” who forecast a “surge” in cases from residents returning for the holidays. Please let it be clear to everyone that such a “surge” will only be in imported cases and should thus have no effect on day-to-day life in Hong Kong. The reality is that there have not been any cases of Covid-19 transmission in the community for several months. Why is the media obsessed with reporting these imported cases on a daily basis and making it worse by having this lead as the main story of the day? Reporting on the total number of Covid-19 cases and deaths on a daily basis is also becoming tiresome. Most of these cases are imported and thus have never entered the community, and thus they should not be relevant to any educated reader. Please let 2022 bring a change in the nature of reporting on Covid-19. Start reporting on the reality instead of publishing sensationalist, scaremongering headlines on an almost daily basis. Graeme Duncan, Jordan A children’s commissioner would be most welcome I am writing in response to the letter “Eight steps Hong Kong must take to protect children from abuse” ( November 22 ). There’s been some debate on whether Hong Kong should set up a statutory children’s commission to protect children. While some people do not see it as an urgent issue, I for one strongly agree that children need stronger protection. The Commission on Children, a government advisory body established in 2018, should be turned into a statutory body to give it more authority to speak up for abused children. Setting up a statutory body would bring attention to children’s rights, and the suggestion in October by Chief Executive Carrie Lam for appointing a children’s commissioner is to be welcomed. I hope the government and society will appreciate the value of better protection for our children. Yoyo Fung, Kwai Tsing
