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Letters | In the Year of the Wood Dragon, Hong Kong must remain grounded, not look to the ocean
- Readers discuss where Hong Kong’s development priorities should lie this year, and a football match that lifted spirits
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I refer to the report “Ritual brings call for economic policy boost” (February 12), which is essentially Heung Yee Kuk chairman Kenneth Lau Ip-keung’s interpretation of the message on the No 15 fortune stick that he drew at a ceremony at the Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin: “Holding an axe and entering the forest looking for something not yet obtained. Wasting good material and losing one’s strength, offering oneself and waiting for the arrival of spring”.
We should congratulate Song dynasty commander Che Kung for so clearly seeing Hong Kong’s situation as we enter the Year of the Wood Dragon. One could interpret the message as directly applying to Hong Kong’s controversial plan to press ahead with the Kau Yi Chau artificial islands project in the eastern waters off Lantau Island. The rationale for the “Lantau Tomorrow Vision” proposed in 2018 has become severely blurred since the Covid-19 pandemic, with the advancement of the Northern Metropolis development, the migration of so many Hongkongers, the paucity of foreign investors, the demographic challenges facing mainland China and Hong Kong and the depletion of the city’s financial assets.
The Development Bureau seems to think that if one labels a project a new central business district, magic will occur to fulfil their development dreams and private developers will line up to buy the reclaimed land. We need a reality check as our government does not have a good track record of completing large development projects on time and within budget.
This is a Wood Dragon, not a Water Dragon, year. Therefore, Hong Kong should concentrate on successfully completing the land development in the Northern New Territories and withhold the wishful thinking plans for sea reclamation. A succinct rephrasing of the stick’s message to Hong Kong officials could be “not seeing the wood for the trees”.
Frank Lee, Wan Chai
Chinese New Year Cup was football done right
I was one of the more than 20,000 spectators at Hong Kong Stadium watching the Chinese New Year Cup match between the World Legends and Hong Kong Legends, during which 10 sensational goals were scored amid an electrifying atmosphere as the World Legends won 7-3. Fans were cheering both teams on, and the players certainly did not disappoint, displaying awe-inspiring dribbling, passing and shooting skills.
What inspired me wasn’t just the high level of entertainment on offer but also players’ effort. Although many players were well past their prime, they played their hearts out for the fans, who had a rare chance to witness former football stars, both local and global, in action.
In particular, midfielders Rivaldo and Robert Pires, defender Carles Puyol, goalkeeper David James and forward Francesco Totti were still in good shape, delivering spectacular performances. Our home-grown football talent, which included fan favourites Chan Siu-ki and Lee Kin-wo, also garnered multiple rounds of thunderous applause. Fans young and old were chanting the players’ names. At the end of the match, players did a lap of honour around the stadium, thanking fans for their support.
After the Lionel Messi no-show disappointment, local football fans needed something to cheer, and this match certainly served as an energy booster. I, for one, savoured every moment.
Jason Tang, Tin Shui Wai
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