Original link: https://blog.yitianshijie.net/2022/09/21/elizabeth-ii-1975-hong-kong-speech/
When Queen Elizabeth II died, she watched a TV feature film about her visit to Hong Kong in 1975 on YouTube, and recorded her speech into the computer. The speech is simple, elegant and decent, but the Chinese translation of Hong Kong was the most instructive for us. I grew up eating communist Chinese, and looking around the land of China, all public languages such as advertising copy, government announcements, and news reports are all “exportable and vulgar.” Long-term spiritual pollution, coupled with many narrow views of Chinese classical texts, make us sigh with our hands in the face of the upright public language of other countries. It is my luck that Presentable’s Chinese has been preserved in the “wild” in southern China for fifty years.
Like any translation, this translation is not perfect. In the past, there was a famous French piano known as Alfred Cortot, who played many wrong notes, but the spirit of the sound was not concealed by this flaw. In the same way, the elegance of this translation is not something that can be replaced by the contemporary atmosphere of precision.
The following Chinese translation is taken from L Jun’s blog with minor revisions.
Your Excellency, Sir Yuet-keung Kan:
Prince Philip and I thank you for your welcome. He has visited Hong Kong before as have other members of my family, and I have heard much about you from them. I also keep in touch with your affairs through state papers. So although this may be me first visit, I do not feel a stranger. But seeing is believing, and I am delighted with what I have seen and look forward very much to the next three days. I’m particularly glad of this initial moment of ceremony, because it gives me an opportunity to greet you all, the people of Hong Kong.
The circumstances that have produced modern Hong Kong are unique, and there cannot be any other community quite like it. Your reputation stands high in the world. Few other communities have had greater problems to deal with, or have confronted them with greater vigour, or have survived and improved the life of their members against greater odds. Hong Kong is famous for this, as it is for the vivid color and movement of its densely packed life and for the beauty of its scenery.
I can assure you that it is a real pleasure and an excitement for Prince Philip and me to be here.
Your Excellency the Governor, Sir James Kan:
The Prince and I are here, and Hormon warmly welcomes and expresses our deep gratitude.
The Prince and other members of the royal family have visited Hong Kong several times before, and they all talk about Hong Kong’s splendid and cultural relics, so they are already familiar with the situation in Hong Kong. It’s like traveling to old places.
There is a saying in the world that “a hundred hearings are better than one sightings”. What I have seen and heard today are all exciting and delightful, and I am convinced that this three-day trip will be more enjoyable. I am more than happy to take this simple and solemn ceremony to greet all of you present here and all the people of Hong Kong.
Due to the special environment and factors of living alone in Hong Kong, Hong Kong people have developed into a modern city after years of hard work. The process can be described as unique in the world. The more difficult the Hong Kong people have encountered, that is, their fighting spirit is getting stronger and stronger, they are indomitable, striving for the upper hand, and in the rare adversity, they are persevering in their pursuit of survival, seeking and self-reliance, and forging ahead, their economy is prosperous day by day, and people’s livelihood is improving day by day. Hong Kong’s international reputation and world-renowned reputation today has its origins. As for its life, it is colorful and brilliant, its spirit is vigorous and active, and its self-improvement is unremitting; its scenery is beautiful and beautiful, and it is famous all over the world. Today, I and the Prince have fulfilled our vows. It is truly a joy in life, and I feel infinite joy. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the citizens of Hong Kong happiness and happiness.
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