Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing toes govt line & wins support from all with artful use of poem ads

Beauty lies in being vague.

Kayla Wong | August 23, 2019, 03:54 AM

Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing took out two full-page ads in Hong Kong's major newspapers on Aug. 16 in the midst of the city's ongoing protests and deepening political crisis.

Ambiguous statements

The ambiguity of the statements, signed off as "a Hong Kong resident Li Ka-shing", managed to set tongues wagging, even as they left many scratching their heads as to what the tycoon truly meant to say.

One page, printed in colour, had the word "violence" occupying the largest space in the centre, which was struck out by a red "no symbol" running through it.

It was flanked on its left and right by the following lines:

  • "Love freedom, love tolerance, love the rule of law."
  • "Love China, love Hong Kong, love oneself."

At the bottom, the line read: " Stop anger in the name of love".

Lastly, at the top, where the line was prominently displayed with a relatively larger font, it read "the best of intentions can lead to the worst outcome".

While calling for an end to "violence", Li had not specified the party who should be stopping violence.

The ambiguity allows both pro-government and pro-democracy camps to interpret it accordingly to suit their purpose.

Poem written by Wu Zetian's son

If this ad already feels vague, the other ad is even more ambiguous.

Invoking a line from a Tang dynasty poem, it read: As I said before, "The melon of Huangtai cannot endure further picking."

The phrase refers to something that has suffered so much that any further attack would completely destroy it.

Here's the full poem (translation by South China Morning Post):

“Growing melons beneath Huangtai,

Hanging heavily, many grow ripe,

Pick one, the others will be fine,

Pick two, fewer are left on the vine,

If you want to get yet another one,

That’s where we must draw the line,

For if there is any more reaping,

You will end up with an empty vine.”

It was written by Li Xian, a crown prince in the Tang dynasty, who was one of the sons of the only female emperor in Chinese history — Wu Zetian.

Wu concentrated power in her hands, and grew suspicious of Li Xian.

After she put him under house arrest, he wrote the poem as a subtle form of protest to his mother, asking her not to oppress her children to the extent where she spares no one.

However, his plea fell on deaf ears, and he was eventually forced to commit suicide by Wu.

Poem open to interpretation

The beauty of the poem lies in its ambiguity, which makes it open to interpretation.

Not only did Li avoid offending anyone with his impeccable wording, he managed to get people from both sides to think he is rooting for them.

Mainland Chinese who denounce the protesters take it as an admonishment against violence.

As for the poem, Chinese media viewed it as a warning to Hongkongers, urging them to think beyond themselves, and not to do anything that will harm Hong kong.

On the other hand, anti-extradition bill protesters, believing he is speaking up against the central government’s tyranny on their behalf, take it as a jab at Beijing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1NW_mfA9zw/

Does the ad have any hidden meaning?

Hong Kong netizens have also strung the last Chinese characters of every line together, which reads surprisingly smoothly.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="471"] Image via Taiwan News[/caption]

When put together, they mean: “The country is to blame for both the cause and outcome, allow Hong Kong to rule itself.”

However, Li’s spokesperson has asked the public not to read too far into his words, saying that his statement is in line with the “mainstream values of Hong Kong”, SCMP reported.

Li released statement

The statement that Li subsequently released through his spokesperson said that Hong Kong’s prosperity depends on the “one country, two systems” framework, and that it is imperative for Hong Kong to stop the violence and maintain the rule of law.

In addition, Li said “the road to hell is often paved with good intentions”.

As for the two-page ads, the spokesperson explained that it was necessary as it was difficult to speak to every side with the same message.

Furthermore, according to BBC Chinese, he said the Hong Kong government has heard the young people loud and clear, and that the government is trying its best to resolve the situation.

And although he thinks investing in Hong Kong's youth is akin to investing in the future, he hopes that young people should not let the passion of today become tomorrow's regrets.

Not first time he invoked the poem

This is not the first time Li has used the poem to describe the situation in Hong Kong.

Back in 2016 after the Mong Kok riots, where Hong Kong people clashed with the police over a crackdown on illegal food stalls, Li said the same lines, which similarly led people to interpret it differently, BBC Chinese reported.

Top image adapted via TPG/Getty Images