On a hazy spring afternoon in Hong Kong, one of the world’s wealthiest families has gathered for a traditional opening ceremony. A pair of gymnasts animate a yellow lion puppet, leaping in tandem between platforms. As a band strikes cymbals and gongs, the lion spots a lettuce hanging from a pole alongside an envelope of money. In Cantonese, the word for lettuce sounds like “growing wealth”. The lion pretends to devour the offering before spitting greens at the feet of the Chengs, whose wealth has grown over three generations to tens of billions of dollars.
香港,煙雨蒙蒙的午后,一個(gè)全球頂級(jí)富豪家族正在舉行一場(chǎng)傳統(tǒng)的開(kāi)幕儀式。兩位舞者活靈活現(xiàn)地舞動(dòng)一頭明黃色獅子,在幾個(gè)臺(tái)子間協(xié)力騰挪跳躍。隨著樂(lè)隊(duì)的鑼鈸聲,這頭獅子“看到”一根桿子上掛著一頭生菜和一封利是。在粵語(yǔ)里,生菜諧音“生財(cái)”。這頭獅子將生菜和利是“吞”下,然后把綠色的生菜“吐”到鄭氏族人腳下。鄭家的財(cái)富歷經(jīng)三代累積,已增長(zhǎng)到數(shù)百億美元。