Last year, the Director of Tsinghua University's top student, Li Jiachao, took an oath in Mandarin, and for the first time in the Legislative Council, he spoke Mandarin as a member of the Legislative Council
According to Hong Kong media reports, on the morning of July 13th, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Li Jiachao, attended the Legislative Council Chief Executive's interactive exchange and Q&A. In the first section of the discussion, Legislative Council member Tan Yueheng asked the Chief Executive a question in Mandarin, and Li Jiachao immediately answered the question in Mandarin, expressing gratitude to Member Tan for giving him the first opportunity to answer in Mandarin in the Legislative Council.
The video shows that Tan Yueheng asked the Chief Executive what expectations the SAR government has for Chinese investment in promoting Hong Kong as a cultural center for both China and foreign countries. Li Jiachao replied that he has high expectations for Chinese capital. Whether it is supporting the government in responding to the 2019 "black storm" or building Hong Kong, Chinese capital can play a great role.
Li Jiachao asked Tan Yueheng for any specific suggestions. Tan Yueheng said that Chinese investors should first introduce more Chinese and foreign cultural resources into Hong Kong. In addition, Chinese capital should also increase support for cultural and artistic groups in Hong Kong, fund exchange and cooperation, and promote Hong Kong as a center for cultural exchange between China and foreign countries.
The entire question and answer process was conducted in Mandarin. This is not an isolated case. On January 3, 2022, at the swearing in ceremony of the 90 members of the 7th Legislative Council, three incoming members, including Sun Dong, Tan Yueheng, and Zhou Wengang, also took the oath in Mandarin. According to the rules of the Legislative Council of the Special Administrative Region, elected members can take oaths in Cantonese, Mandarin or English, but in the past, the vast majority of members took oaths in Cantonese.
According to Hong Kong media reports, Sun Dong, born in Beijing, defines himself as a "Hong Kong native who speaks Mandarin". His daily communication in Cantonese is not a problem, but when he wants to express his meaning accurately in public, he still chooses Mandarin. After Sun Dong, speeches in the Legislative Council were all in Mandarin. Previously, the vast majority of Legislative Council members spoke in Cantonese, with occasional members using English.
![Last year, the Director of Tsinghua University's top student, Li Jiachao, took an oath in Mandarin, and for the first time in the Legislative Council, he spoke Mandarin as a member of the Legislative Council](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/bba78567165aee152f92c809eb81bd44.jpg)
On July 1st last year, the new Hong Kong SAR governance team took office. Sun Dong, a Hong Kong drifter, became the Director of the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau of the Special Administrative Region Government.
Sun Dong obtained his undergraduate and master's degrees from Tsinghua University. Since pursuing his doctoral degree at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1994, he has lived in Hong Kong for more than 20 years, serving as a lecturer in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at City University of Hong Kong, except for a brief study abroad in Canada. I served as a member of the Legislative Council in early 2022 and started working in the government in July 2022.
"I have been rooted in Hong Kong for over 20 years, studying and developing my career here. I have a deep affection for Hong Kong and have long regarded it as my home." Sun Dong told local media that he hopes to use his more than 20 years of experience in the frontline of higher education research and management in Hong Kong to promote the development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong.
It is believed that with the customs clearance between the two regions and the increasingly close connection between Hong Kong and the mainland, more Mandarin will be heard in Hong Kong in the future. At that time, speaking Mandarin by senior government officials and business leaders will no longer be news.