Peng Liyuan's fluent English should open our eyes to Hong Kong's falling standards
Philip Yeung says the Chinese first lady's moving UN speech in fluent English should make us ashamed of how much we have fallen behind
We should not measure China's progress by gross domestic product alone. President Xi Jinping's meticulously planned state visit to the US produced few surprises, but nobody was prepared for this: China's first lady Peng Liyuan making a moving speech to the world as a special envoy for Unesco's initiative on the education of girls and women.
It is astounding how far China has come. Even as recently as five years ago, it would be unimaginable that a Chinese first lady could wow the world, much less address a UN gathering in heartfelt English.
Watch: Peng Liyuan's speech at the United Nations
The ripples from Peng's maiden speech go beyond the confines of the UN agency. They bring to mind a former US first lady, now a presidential hopeful, who can argue her way out of any toe-curling embarrassment. What Hillary Clinton lacks is what Peng has in abundance: authenticity. Hers is a nobility born of hardship and service.
Listening to Peng, I felt a stab of shame and anger at Hong Kong's dysfunctional schools
