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Lunar New Year
Opinion
SCMP Editorial
Editorial
SCMP Editorial

China can overcome challenges ahead by showing tiger spirit

  • Strength and vitality of world’s largest cat offers hope that global problems posed by Covid-19, financial uncertainty, rivalry and competition may be solved

2-MIN READ2-MIN
Calligrapher Dereck Kwok creates fai chun, a traditional Chinese decoration depicting messages of good luck and prosperity, ahead of the Lunar New Year in Sheung Wan. Photo: Sam Tsang
SCMP Editorial
Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.

Lunar New Year is a time for hope and that is especially so with the switch to the zodiac sign of the tiger from the ox. China is the home of many species of the world’s largest cat, considered the king of all animals in Chinese culture and mythology. It symbolises power, bravery, confidence and leadership. That strength and vitality are what the nation and world need to overcome the continuing challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, financial uncertainty, rivalry and competition.

Tigers are renowned for their fortitude and resolve and that is what places China in good stead to confront difficulties. President Xi Jinping, in offering greetings at receptions in Beijing, outlined the achievements of the past 12 months that have kept the coronavirus in check and ensured steady economic growth and development. Hong Kong’s transformation from “chaos to governance” under the national security law and electoral reform has been a highlight. There is also no reason to shift course given the success of the zero-Covid policy, on show for the world to see at the Winter Olympics, which begin tomorrow.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor expressed similar sentiments in her message to Hong Kong. The fortune stick drawn on Wednesday at the Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin all but echoed the view; number 38 among 96 in a bamboo cylinder shaken out by Kenneth Lau Ip-keung, who chairs the powerful Heung Yee Kuk rural body, signified neither good nor bad luck for the coming year. Four sentences of explanation and one of advice spoke of the need to be humble, not raise expectations to unreasonable levels and follow a proven path. In the midst of a fifth wave of the coronavirus, with scores of new cases each day, most as a result of the highly transmissible Omicron variant and many untraceable, sticking to the city’s proven strategy of social distancing, isolation, testing, and quarantining is sage advice.

But a Chinese saying that one mountain cannot have two tigers should also be kept in mind. The tiger is an animal of independence, power and control that does not like to cooperate with others. Those characteristics, if taken by nations and their leaders, bode poorly for peace and stability amid the tense relations between the United States and its allies and China, and the growing risk of conflict between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization over Ukraine. Worrying and even dangerous times lie ahead if countries act like tigers.

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The tiger spirit is essential to overcome the pandemic, though. Its bravery, agility, quick reflexes and energy are what Hong Kong and the rest of the nation need to beat the disease. By following a resolute course, there is every chance of overcoming challenges.

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