Premier Li Keqiang praised the work and contribution to China of Jao Tsung-i, 97, a distinguished member of China’s Central Research Institute of Culture and History and retired professor from the University of Hong Kong when he met Jao in Beijing on April 27.

Calling Jao the pride of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Premier celebrated Jao’s devotion to the nation’s development as well as his success in the fields of academia and art.

The Premier congratulated him on an exhibition of his work at the National Museum of China, saying culture is a nation’s blood and soul and it is a shared wish for Chinese at home and abroad to inherit and carry forward Chinese culture.

He expressed hope that Jao could continue to offer proposals and advice for the nation’s cultural development, and make even more contributions to promote exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong as well as between China and the world.

Born in Guangdong province on Aug 9, 1917, Jao is a renowned expert of traditional Chinese culture. He contributed to many fields in the humanities, including archaeology, literature and history.