Maintaining the faith and mentality of International city is the most important
No matter what the international media says or what multinational institutions and enterprises do, Hong Kong people must maintain a belief and mentality that Hong Kong is an international city and will continue to improve in this direction.
Author: GUDORDI | 2022-10-25
During the worst times in Hong Kong in the past few decades, those who still persist and firmly believe that there is a future will be the big winners in the end. (Asian News Agency)
Continuing from the above: “Sir, do you believe in fate?” ──The future of Hong Kong legend〉
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
─ President Franklin Roosevelt
In the last chapter, the author mentioned that the cession of Hong Kong was a historical accident that required many, many people and things to come together accidentally at the same time and space to create the result. So, this raises a question, is it really such a coincidence? Is there some power beyond the immediate that can pull Hong Kong into the stage of Chinese and world history? Let me start with a legend.
Lai Buyi's guidance?
There is a legend in the market: Kanyu master Lai Buyi once gave guidance to the emperor of the Song Dynasty who was about to fall, urging him to take everyone to flee south to find a place where nine dragon veins can be counted on a mountain, and then stop. Come down and stay there to settle, because that place is a blessed land. Regardless of whether this legend is true or not, the Song Emperor and others did flee southwards and settled in the area of present-day Kowloon City for a short period of time.
Rumor has it that the Feng Shui master of the Song Dynasty vaguely felt that he had found the blessed place Lai Buyi mentioned, but unfortunately, no matter how many times he counted, he could only count 8 dragon veins (respectively: Lion Rock, Beacon Mountain, Ci Yunshan, Fei’e Mountain, Crow’s Nest Mountain, Chicken Breast Mountain, Tate’s Cairn Mountain, and Dongshan), so he still thought that he should continue to search, so he left Hong Kong. However, he was chased by Yuan soldiers soon after, and finally the minister Lu Xiufu Carrying Emperor Bing of the Song Dynasty on his back, he jumped into the sea and died for his country. In order to commemorate the emperor of the Song Dynasty who lived in Hong Kong for a short time, later generations engraved the three words “Song Wang Terrace” on a large rock on the sacred mountain near To Kwa Wan (legend has it that Emperor Duanzong of the Song Dynasty often rested beside the rock).
This big rock later went through many twists and turns, and was finally forged into what it is today. It is worth noting that the residents at that time carved “王” instead of “Emperor”, probably because they were afraid of offending the Yuan Dynasty. Later, after careful consideration, the Hong Kong government decided that the name should be changed to “Song Huang Terrace”, so the parks and streets named after this allusion were named “Song Huang Terrace Park” and “Song Huang Terrace Road”.
From this point of view, it is an iron-clad fact that the emperor of the Song Dynasty came to Hong Kong for a short stay. If other parts of the legend are also true, it would be a pity, because the emperor of the Song Dynasty and everyone overcame all difficulties and escaped the pursuit of the Yuan soldiers and came to Hong Kong. Hong Kong is actually the place Lai Buyi guided him to find. The Feng Shui master of the Song Emperor did not count the number of dragon veins incorrectly, but he ignored the Song Emperor’s status as the Nine-Five Supreme Being. He was already a dragon. Therefore, he was able to count 8 dragons in the mountains of Hong Kong, which meant that he had found Lai Buyi. It was said that there were nine dragons in the place, but they missed this opportunity. Not long after leaving Hong Kong, Emperor Bing of the Song Dynasty ended up committing suicide by jumping into the sea.
It has always been a mystery why the peninsula north of Hong Kong is called “Kowloon”. Some say that the above legend is the origin of the name Kowloon. In any case, if this legend is true, it means that Lai Buyi had predicted more than 1,000 years ago that Hong Kong would be an extraordinary place in the future…
In order to commemorate the emperor of the Song Dynasty who lived in Hong Kong for a short time, later generations carved the “Song King’s Terrace” on a large rock on the sacred mountain near To Kwa Wan. (Wikimedia Commons)
Hong Kong's birth and growth have always been accompanied by accidents and crises
Therefore, this also leads to a question: Is there a predetermined number of days in this world? Is Hong Kong a blessed place chosen by God? This is something beyond our current knowledge. However, the fact is that the history of Hong Kong is indeed full of various accidents and crises. In the past few decades, Hong Kong has been on the verge of collapse many times. If the situation continues, it may never be the same again. However, at the last moment, there are always some quite accidental events that enable Hong Kong to turn danger into disaster, or even get a blessing in disguise.
Whether this is purely because Hong Kong is lucky or there are other reasons, we currently do not have enough knowledge to judge. We only know that Hong Kong’s birth and growth have always been accompanied by accidents and crises: its birth was caused by an accident, and it also marked that the ancient Chinese culture was facing an unprecedented crisis. As the author pointed out earlier, Hong Kong’s growth experience is like a “little wooden boat on the sea”. Soon we will face some big waves and crises that can capsize the boat, but at the same time, there is nothing to rely on, and we can only rely on ourselves to “live”. , seize every opportunity to struggle for survival, and find living space in the gaps.
It should be established that Hong Kong has richer experience than many cities in facing crises. If we say that Hong Kong’s ability to survive in troubled times is also higher than that of many cities, I believe it can also be established.
The mentality and beliefs of Hong Kong people are extremely important
It is worth noting that during the worst times in Hong Kong in the past few decades, those who still persisted and firmly believed that there was a future were the big winners in the end. Therefore, there are these differences in the personal consciousness, personal subconsciousness and collective subconsciousness of Hong Kong people. The accumulation of experience is possible. If we believe what Freud and Jung said, the greatest force that truly dominates human and social behavior is the personal subconscious and the collective subconscious. This could be another force that could support Hong Kong’s long-term future.
It is also worth noting that the importance of faith in human affairs cannot be underestimated. The author believes that the following sentence is worthy of careful consideration: “It is not that you have to see hope before you persevere, but only by perseverance can you have hope.”
There are many things, their nature and the way we deal with them often depend on how we view them, and the relevant beliefs may have a “self-fulfilling” tendency. This also brings us to the last point of this article, which is that one of the keys to the future of Hong Kong is the mentality and beliefs of Hong Kong people themselves. In the author’s opinion, no matter what the international media says or what multinational institutions and enterprises do, Hong Kong people must maintain a belief and mentality that Hong Kong is an international city and will continue to improve in this direction. In the next chapter, I will discuss this point in depth.
“Hong Kong’s Legendary Future” Series 7
Contact the author: Gudordi@proton.me
