Today The Chinese University of Hong Kong has bestowed upon me the most precious honour I have received in my lifetime by admitting me to the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. It is also a tremendous privilege for me to be thus elevated in the company of five distinguished individuals, namely Mr Wang Daohan, Mr Lien Chan, Mr Vincent Cheng Hoi-chuen, Mr Richard Roberts and Mr Li Yihyuan. On behalf of all the honorary graduates, I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to the University. The honorary degree just granted to me by the Chinese University carries with it a very special meaning. I have worked in this University for 34 years and, like the ladies and gentlemen of the graduating class today, I am experiencing for the first time the joy of receiving a CUHK degree, and the first taste of being a zhongdaren (CU person) . Now, with your leave, may I say a few words to my fellow zhongdaren (CU persons).

Ladies and gentlemen of the graduating class, today you are at the threshold of a historic turning point of global dimensions, one that is teeming with challenges and opportunities. From a historical and global perspective, this is the rise of China and the rise of Asia. For Chinese living in Hong Kong, what calls for celebration is the gradual emergence of a Chinese economic entity through economic and cultural cooperation and exchange, and rational political dialogue, among the three Chinese communities on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Graduates of the Chinese University, your future is no longer limited to the confines of Hong Kong. The entire region under Chinese economic and cultural influence is now your stage, and perhaps the entire world as well.

Since its inception in 1963, it has been the policy of the Chinese University to position itself as an international seat of learning where Chinese and Western traditions integrate. It also maintains as its mission the perpetuation and development of Chinese culture. It was very much the hope and wish of its founders that the University should be an institution of excellence both Chinese and international in character. The University’s policy in fulfilling this vision has always been a bilingual mode of teaching, with equal emphasis on Chinese and English. Over the past 42 years bilingualism has proven its importance as the principal catalyst of the Chinese University’s internationalization, which ensures the University’s ascendance in the global competition among tertiary institutions. On the other hand, the bilingual skills so amply possessed by the graduates of this University have given them immense advantage in their career advancement so that, as the saying goes, the world is their oyster, the sky their limit.

As we look forward to the 21st century we see trends towards globalization propelled by economic forces and scientific and technological advancements and, at the same time, a worldwide tendency towards heterogeneity and pluralism driven by a desire for historical-cultural recognition. The Chinese University, with its strong commitment to both its Chinese cultural heritage and an international outlook, is well positioned to understand the growing importance of bilingualism, which it has encouraged and promoted for so many years, and the strong need for efforts in that direction to be further strengthened.

English is an international language. It is the most commonly used medium for international communication. It is the language of choice in business and, more importantly, in the academic community worldwide. In the spectrum of knowledge at the university, English is the medium for the transmission of knowledge in most disciplines. This is especially true in the sciences. Given that present day economies and societies are knowledge-based, English has become the indispensable linguistic tool for creating and exploiting knowledge. This is why English is pre-eminent among world languages, while attempts such as Esperanto, despite its wide popularity during the early 20th century, have disappeared from university circles.

Chinese is the language that gives identity to the Chinese people, and the embodiment of Chinese culture itself. It is the conduit through which one may enter the expansive realm of Chinese culture, in which one finds Chinese literature, Chinese art, Chinese history, Chinese philosophy, Chinese architecture, Chinese medicine, Chinese religions, and many others besides. Undoubtedly Chinese is the essential language for Chinese academic studies, and a sine qua non in the development of Chinese-based “knowledge industry” and “cultural industry”. The study of the Chinese language, and the ability to embrace it, is certainly worthy of the effort of an intellectual, even if he is a non-Chinese. In point of fact Chinese is already becoming an international language with the emergence of China in the global community.

My fellow zhongdaren, a modern educated person who lives in the present age of globalization has to have at least two languages at his command. Given the choice, Chinese educated persons living in Hong Kong will, in my view, choose Chinese and English as their two languages. And we may confidently say that the bilingual tradition of the Chinese University, having been in place for over forty years, is a policy of great foresight and wisdom and one that deserves to be upheld most steadfastly. Zhongdaren, it is with great joy and pride that I see you richly embedded in such tradition, and I wish you all the very best in your future endeavours, like eagles taking flight.