Letters | Ukraine, Nato and the Three Kingdoms: what a Chinese schoolgirl knows
- Readers discuss a viral video, the effect of sanctions on Russian oil coffers, John Lee’s manifesto and urge greater efforts to retain native-speaking English teachers
A short video has gone viral. It was of a Chinese schoolgirl giving her take on the Ukraine conflict with reference to the historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which she had been reading.
She compared Nato to Cao Cao, the warlord portrayed as bold and unscrupulous in the novel. Ukraine is like Jing province, which Cao took, leaving no buffer between him in the north and warlord Sun Quan in the east, she said.
This would lead to the Battle of Red Cliffs at the end of the Han dynasty, which happened about 1,800 years ago; Cao lost the naval battle and his fleet was set on fire.
When asked what she thought might be the fate of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the girl said: “Just think about Liu Cong.”
Liu was the governor of Jing who had yielded the province to Cao. In the novel, Cao made Liu an official only to later have him killed in an ambush.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Teddy Locsin Jnr saw the video and was so impressed that he tweeted it, and the Chinese media reported that he was thinking of sending his granddaughter to study in China.
Danny Huang, Chongqing
Putin’s last laugh over oil and gas sanctions
Almost all Western nations stand with the United States in a mighty display of disapproval of Russia, and the sanctions imposed so far are meant to economically isolate Russia and punish it.
Yet President Vladimir Putin hardly appears to be shaken. Why? Has Russia won the war in Ukraine?
On the one hand, the leaders of the Western world are talking about standing together to punish Russia. On the other hand, it also appears to be business as usual.
It’s all about the economy.
Randy Lee, Ma On Shan
John Lee’s manifesto needs everyone’s support
He also suggests setting up district services and community care teams in all 18 districts with a network of volunteers to support the government in times of emergency, such as a pandemic, to better respond to people’s needs.
These teams could provide care and help in the community to increase social capital and cohesion, adding to the work that many grass-roots organisations and community associations are already doing.
Hong Kong has seen a deterioration in community services and bonding as a result of the politicisation of district councils in past years, a growing wealth gap and a disconnect with both country and government. Lee’s focus on social unity is positive and should be widely welcome.
Providing employment opportunities to young people, helping the elderly and underprivileged, and enhancing the education system are all much-needed policies that will enable the sustainable and healthy growth of our society.
Hong Kong needs a united community to progress. We must go beyond saying that we love Hong Kong and act on it. Let us all work together to launch a new chapter for Hong Kong.
Lusan Hung, Wan Chai
Do more to keep native English teachers
The advantage of native-speaking English teachers is that they can help students understand Western culture more deeply and clearly. To learn a language properly is also to learn a culture. A focus on grammar, group discussion skills and repeated exercises in listening and reading past examination papers only cultivates exam-taking machines, not proper English speakers. But this is exactly how most local teachers go about it.
English teachers who are native speakers are living examples of the Western logic flow. A teacher from Canada taught me English in Form Three. He was good at history and literature. His lessons were totally different from those of others as he spent a lot of time introducing us to Western culture from different aspects such as habits and popular cartoons. I am convinced that most of my classmates enjoyed his lessons and learned things about Western culture that they could not find out for themselves on the internet.
More incentives should be offered to retain these native-speaking English teachers. One of Hong Kong’s drawbacks is the high cost of living – why not provide a housing subsidy?
Jerry Ng, Tseung Kwan O
