Xia Baolong’s Putonghua Quip Puts Lawmakers on Notice
HK01 · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
All 88 Legislative Council members who joined a Beijing national affairs programme last month later held an about five-hour discussion with Xia Baolong at the Hong Kong Hall of the Great Hall of the People on July 24. During the session, Xia jokingly urged lawmakers to improve their Putonghua after some speeches in heavily accented Mandarin drew laughter, a remark many attendees took as a friendly reminder rather than a rebuke
Key Points
- The 88 lawmakers completed the first full Legislative Council national affairs study programme since the 1997 handover before meeting Xia Baolong in Beijing
- Nearly half the lawmakers spoke at the July 24 forum in the Great Hall of the People, where Xia Baolong met them for about five hours
- According to the report, some members had been told in advance to prepare five-minute remarks, yet their “Hong Kong-style Putonghua” still proved difficult for non-Cantonese listeners
- Xia responded with a joke, saying lawmakers should learn Putonghua well because when they come to Beijing, it makes little sense to expect him to learn Cantonese instead
- The commentary argues that as lawmakers discuss the 15th Five-Year Plan, the Northern Metropolis and innovation links with mainland authorities, Putonghua has become a practical tool of governance rather than just a language skill
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the episode goes beyond a humorous anecdote because it raises a practical question about whether elected and selected office-holders can clearly present policy ideas when dealing with mainland ministries and provincial officials. If national development planning and cross-border coordination are now central to legislators’ work, language ability becomes part of their governing capacity, not merely a personal accomplishment