'Light and glory' of Asia example to world

While Lee Kuan Yew is known throughout the world, few people outside the Chinese-language communities know the true meaning of Kuan Yew. In Chinese language, "kuan" means light, and "yew" means glory. So, Lee Kuan Yew means Lee the "light and glory".

Singapore's glory since its rebirth in 1965 has been a miracle, largely because of the light of Lee. By 1978, the transformation of Singapore into a modern city-state had become an inspiration for Deng Xiaoping, who having just emerged as the paramount leader of China was looking for a way to lead the country out of isolation and poverty.

Drawing inspiration from Lee and the success story of Singapore, Deng visited the city-state in 1978 and met with Lee for the first time. Lee said that if Singaporeans can do it, China can also do it.