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He doesnt look happy in this picture.
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Lee Hsien Loong was able to converse with Hu Jintao in Mandarin because he spent 12 years in Chinese schools. Will Singapore be able to find another Prime Minister equally comfortable in Mandarin?
At a meeting in 2004, then Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi wished Hsien Loong, who was then Deputy Prime Minister, success in his career, using the phrase 歩歩高升 (bu bu gao sheng), which means ‘to attain eminence step by step’.
Hsien Loong’s spontaneous rejoinder – 高处不胜寒 (gao chu bu sheng han) – came as a surprise to Wu Yi. The phrase, which means ‘it’s lonely at the top’, was from Su Dongbo and demonstrated a degree of Chinese literary knowledge atypical among Singaporeans.” – Lee Kuan Yew
.... in his book, ‘My Lifelong Challenge: Singapore's Bilingual Journey'