Votes for the Chinese Character of the Year 2024 were invited from Monday, with Hong Kong residents being able to select their favorites from 10 candidates, including “talent”, “love” and “stability”, until Dec 31.

Yearly voting for a Chinese character, initiated by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) in 2013, is held to select a Chinese character that best represents Hong Kong’s social conditions and reflects public sentiments for that year.

At a news conference on Monday, DAB Secretary-general Chris Ip Ngo-Tung unveiled the 10 candidates for this year and explained the reasons for their inclusion.

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The Chinese character “ren”, meaning “talent”, represents the city’s efforts to woo talent, while “Ai”, or “love” in English, signifies that the governments’ enhanced community work has spread more love among residents, Ip said.

"Wen", or "stability", refers to the implementation of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, which, he said — along with the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong — has consolidated the city’s stability.

The Chinese character "qing", meaning "celebration", represents the series of celebrations held in Hong Kong this year to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

"Chuang", or "innovation", is also among the candidates, as entrepreneurship and technological innovation play a big part in the country’s moves to develop new quality productive forces.

"Min", or “resident”, signifies residents’ livelihoods, as the government’s policies are aimed at improving their standard of living and addressing various economic and social issues.

"Lv", or "travel", was selected because Hong Kong is providing new and diverse travel experiences for tourists.

The Chinese characters "bian", meaning "change", "jiao" ("education”), and "le" ("joy") have also been shortlisted for the character of the year.

Residents can vote online using the DAB’s WeChat account or visit the DAB’s offices in person to obtain a voting form. Voting closes on Dec 31.

Residents participating in the voting can enter a lucky draw for a chance to win a smartphone or supermarket gift vouchers, and the list of winners will be announced on the DAB’s official website on Jan 17 next year.

At the same news conference, the Commercial Press reveled a book it has published reviewing the Chinese characters of the year over the past 10 years. Through interviews with key figures, the book recounts the milestone events and stories of Hong Kong, and binds between he covers the memories of the community.

Tam Yiu-chung, secretary-general of the Hong Kong Coalition and former DAB chairman, said the selection of the Chinese character of the year is an important event for training and educating Hong Kong students, adding that the book can help youngsters understand some of the social changes that have shaped the city.

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The annual event also provides a meaningful and valuable cultural platform to promote cultural exchanges, Tam said.

Fu Weizhong, president of Sino United Publishing (Holdings) Ltd, the parent company of the Commercial Press, said he hopes that the annual Chinese character selection will more broadly evoke a feeling of social consensus and promote the progress and development of Hong Kong society.

The winner of the 2023 yearly Chinese character votes was “xing”, to reflect the city’s flourishing development after COVID-19 restrictions had been lifted; the winner in 2022 was “tong”, which signified the desire of Hong Kong people for barrierless communication and travel amid the pandemic.

Contact the writer at fangxue@chinadailyhk.com